An America Built To Last?  You’d be hard-pressed to find a business-owner, or a family with their finances in peril who believes that this year.The Washington Post tries to suggest today that Americans are seeing a sudden upswing in the economy, translating into more support for President Obama.  The White House did release figures this past week showing an increase in jobs and a decrease in unemployment, by 230,000 new workers.  But can we trust the numbers?  Heaven knows The White House, with control over the release of business and economic news for the country, will be shaping a more and more positive story in this campaign year.Our national wreckage is hard to disguise with a press release.  Family homes are vacant, college grads have no place to go.  Most families are watching over every penny, and businesses are too.

So the truth?  Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama are in a dead heat for The White House this year.  It is going to be another close and contentious campaign.  Keep that in mind, as you read The Washington Post here:

“Boosted by improved public confidence in his economic stewardship, President Obama for the first time holds a clear edge over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in a hypothetical general-election matchup, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Romney, who notched his second consecutive victory Saturday by easily winning the Nevada caucuses, continues to solidify his position as the front-runner in the race for the GOP nomination. But as the contest has grown more negative, public impressions of the top Republican contenders have soured, as has the former Massachusetts governor’s standing as a general-election candidate.

Romney Starting To Attract A Crowd

Obama remains a polarizing figure, with Americans closely divided on whether he deserves reelection as well as on many aspects of his performance in office. Although better than they were a few months ago, his ratings on handling the economy and job creation remain negative, with intensity continuing to run against him.

The poll results underscore how important framing the contest could be to the outcome. If the fall campaign becomes largely a referendum on Obama’s tenure in office, as Republicans hope it will, he could struggle to win a second term — barring an economic recovery that vastly outperforms expectations.

Democratic Supports Are Hoping…While Conservatives Make Cartoons

If, however, it becomes a choice between the incumbent and the challenger, as Obama advisers predict it will, the president’s prospects would be brighter.”

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Filed under: Economy, Featured, Inside The KC, Politics by Sonja Eddings Brown, Feb 5, 2012