Poll: Obama on side of middle class, Mitt Romney protects wealthy and banks

(White House photo, Rebecca Cook/Reuters) If you're President Obama, here's the good news in the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll on the economy:

Who do you think would do more to advance the economic interests of middle class Americans, Obama or Romney?

Obama: 51
Romney: 42

And if you're Mitt Romney, here's the bad news:

Who do you think would do more to advance the economic interests of wealthy Americans, Obama or Romney?

Obama: 24
Romney: 65

Who do you think would do more to advance the economic interests of financial institutions, Obama or Romney?

Obama: 32
Romney: 56

But despite being seen as fighting for the middle class and not having Mitt Romney's Bain baggage, President Obama's lead is still slim on the most basic question:

Who do you think would do more to advance the economic interests of you and your family, Obama or Romney?

Obama: 46
Romney:: 43

My sense is that this highlights the need for President Obama to articulate some specific policies and objectives for his second term. Painting Mitt Romney as Mr. Bain and as an ineffective governor of Massachusetts is necessary, as is making the case that President Obama has succeeded in turning the economy in the right direction after Bush's Great Recession. But there also needs to be a some more specifics about national goals and policies for the next four years. Part of that is putting the country on stronger fiscal footing by ending the Bush tax policy, but there also needs to be something affirmative'and that's going to mean talking about spending money on national investments. Americans are not going to want to go back to Bush, but they are also going to want more than simply continuing to move forward. Forward is the right direction: but forward, faster.