Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Romney behind in key swing states

Quinnipiac:

President Barack Obama hits the magic 50 percent mark against Gov. Mitt Romney among likely voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with wide support for his plan to hike federal income taxes on upper-income voters, according to a Quinnipiac University/ CBS News/New York Times Swing State Poll released today.

This is the first measure of likely voters in these swing states and cannot be compared with earlier surveys of registered voters. Matching Obama against Romney in each of these key states - no one has won the White House since 1960 without taking at least two of them - shows:

° Florida:     Obama edges Romney 51- 45 percent;
° Ohio:     Obama over Romney by a slim 50 - 44 percent;
° Pennsylvania:    Obama tops Romney 53 - 42 percent.

Obama has a slim lead in Ohio. Romney is also behind in FL by a slight 6 points;  Romney cleverly positions himself a mere 11 points behind in PA. People want his tax releases and like Obama's plan to tax the rich. But don't worry; those Bain ads aren't working and the foreign trip was a smashing success.

LA Times:

At the end of a difficult foreign trip, Mitt Romney brushed off the controversy over remarks he has made during his three-country tour, suggesting that 'the fourth estate' ' the press ' or 'whichever estate' were looking for ways to divert attention from the economy.

TIME:

After Gaffe-Filled Foreign Tour, Europe Asks: 'Is Mitt Romney a Loser?'

The headlines may be embarrassing, but the fallout of Mitt Romney's bumbling foreign tour will wreak minimal damage to his presidential campaign.

It doesn't matter that Romney made an ass out of himself and proved himself incapable and unready because Europe already hates Bush Republicans and besides, they don't vote. But Americans vote, and they hate losers. And it's another lost week for the candidate that's behind. So maybe it wasn't such a great trip.

Michael Hirsh:

And yet the Romney-ites may have managed the nearly impossible task of actually losing Jewish votes on this trip, despite fielding a candidate who has a very close relationship with a popular Israeli prime minister, and who is running against a president whose stand on Israel is one of his chief weaknesses abroad (and with American Jews). The problem was not Romney's tough comments on Iran's nuclear program, which for the most part played well despite some give-and-take between him and his advisor. The problem was Romney's rambling speech at a fundraiser on Monday at which he slandered the Palestinians, completely unnecessarily, and displayed an almost Rick Perry-like obtuseness about the history and politics of the region.

It's not just that Romney oversimplifed historian David Landes's thesis about the importance of culture in economic success, as I wrote yesterday. Or that Romney, the supposed data whiz, got the per capita numbers comparing Israelis and Palestinians wildly wrong. It's that he got the Palestinians so totally wrong. I didn't think it was possible to generate much sympathy among American Jews--moderate, middle-of-the-road ones, that is-- for the Palestinian plight, but Romney seemed to manage to do it when he suggested that "culture makes all the difference" in explaining the "stark difference in economic vitality" between Israelis and Palestinians.

Reuters:

Romney stumbles on world stage but will it hit him at home?

Still, images like Romney being rebuked by British Prime Minister David Cameron for doubting London's Olympic readiness, do not help the former Massachusetts governor convince Americans he is ready for the White House.

"It is clear that the opportunity to credential his beliefs with the American voters was nothing short for Mitt Romney of an embarrassing disaster on this trip. So, the notion somehow that this trip and its impacts don't matter, I think is one of the craziest things that has been said along the course of this trip," said Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs.

Romney has more of a need to be careful about voters' perceptions of him than Obama does because Americans are still making their minds up about the Republican. Roughly one in five voters does not have an opinion yet about Romney.

Jeez, more of this bullshit analysis. When you act like an ass and an amateur on the world stage, it doesn't help you. Why is that so hard to grasp?

Matt Miller:

He goes to London. Insults the Brits. Draws a rebuke from the prime minister. Becomes tabloid fodder.

But the man doesn't rest.

Mitt Romney goes next to the Middle East. Insults Palestinian 'culture.' Palestinians call him 'racist.' Says one: Even our worst enemies (i.e., the Israelis) never say such things!

Out of context, Team Mitt cries. He wasn't singling out Palestine. Why, just the other day he made the same point about Mexicans!

Hole dug deeper.

What next in Warsaw ' a Polish joke?

And this is just the past few days.

Added: WaPo:

The moment illustrated Romney's tumultuous overseas visit, which was intended to show voters in the United States that the former Massachusetts governor can be a statesman but ended up underscoring doubts about whether he and his campaign are ready for the next three months.

Jennifer Rubin:

Romney, frankly, has been at his best

I accept that, frankly, this dreadful and embarrassingly bad performance is the best he can do.