Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: State of the race, the Congress, and the War on Women

_{Visual source: Newseum}

NY Times:

The general election match between Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney is opening with evidence that economic conditions are providing ammunition for both candidates. For Mr. Obama, there is a gradually growing perception that the general outlook is turning brighter, and for Mr. Romney, there are those individuals who still do not feel substantial improvement in their own lives.

CBS:

But there's a lot more to the poll than just the headline. Below, five findings from the survey that provide important insights into the state of the race:

° Romney has Republican support - but not their love...
° Obama is winning the beer test...
° But that doesn't mean he isn't weak...
° Married women vs. single women...
° The future looks grim...

Gallup:

At 17%, Americans' approval of Congress, though still low, is the highest it has been since last July. Approval is up among both Republicans and Democrats, who rate Congress similarly

That's because the Republican House has been out of the headlines. The more they try and do, the more America hates them.

Charles Blow:

This will be a long election fought with hundreds of millions of dollars over relatively few voters in the middle. There is unlikely to be a knockout punch or a trump-card issue. There will be many ups and downs, faux pas and faux issues. But we shouldn't lose sight of what really matters ' what this and every presidential election is really about.

It is about the size and function of government in our lives ' whether we value social safety nets or social Darwinism.

Every reporter who wasted time chasing down a breathless report about Ann  Romney's latest content- and context-free opinion about Hilary Rosen (Republican reaction at 11:00) should be taken off the beat for a month and made to cover local school board meetings. It would be a win-win for the public.

EJ Dionne on the substance of the above:

Thus the importance of a study released this week by the Center for American Progress that deserves wide attention. The report demonstrates conclusively that the ruckus over Ann Romney's decisions is 30 years out of date. Its core conclusion: 'Most children today are growing up in families without a full-time, stay-at-home caregiver.'

And Dana Milbank notes the politics:

If Republicans are truly engaged in a 'war on women,' as the Democrats claim, they are fighting it about as well as Gen. Custer did at Little Bighorn.

WaPo:

Who is Mitt Romney and what does he believe?

Now there's a headline worth framing.