THE GRIM REALITY – AT 8:44 A.M. ET:  A new Gallup survey out this morning shows the extent of American economic despair and uncertainty.  And yet, it also shows the struggle that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have in proving to voters that they are the solution.  From The Politico:

A majority of swing-state voters say things have not improved for them since 2008, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

Fifty-six percent of registered voters in a dozen states said they and their family are not better off than they were four years ago, up from 54 percent in late 2011; 40 percent said they are better off, down from 43 percent in December 2011.

Voters were polled in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Of those who feel that they are not better off than they were four years ago, 20 percent blame President Barack Obama, 7 percent blame former President George W. Bush, and 15 percent blame both presidents. An additional 14 percent blame neither.

A majority of voters, 52 percent, also feel that Obama has not done “as well as could be expected” with the economy, while 46 percent responded that he has.

However, voters are not sure that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee could do better. When asked if they felt they would be better off in four years under a Romney or Obama presidency, voters were split, 44 percent to 44 percent.

The poll was conducted Aug. 6 to 13, with a sample of 970 registered voters and a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.

COMMENT:  It's important to remind ourselves of the 1936 presidential election.  FDR has been elected in 1932, replacing Herbert Hoover.  We were in the Great Depression.  Yet, conditions for the great majority of Americans did not improve during Roosevelt's first term, and in many cases got worse. 

But, when faced with a political choice in 1936, Americans, by overwhelming margins, decided to stick with Roosevelt.  They were not convinced that his opponent, Governor Alf Landon of Kansas, could do better.  Besides, Roosevelt had a way of speaking to Americans that comforted them, whether his policies produced results or not. 

Obama's vulnerability is that his policies have failed.  In addition, he lacks Roosevelt's human touch.  I think that many people are tired of Obama's speeches.  But Romney has yet to make the case that he can do better.  That's the case he must make.  Sometimes people would rather stick with the Devil they know, rather than the Devil about whom they're unsure.

August 20,  2012