A RACIAL DIVIDE? – AT 10:04 A.M. ET:  Polling, even by pollsters that tend to tilt Democratic, are reporting a huge deficit for President Obama among middle-class white voters with serious economic concerns.  From The Politico:

President Obama is still trailing his likely Republican opponent Mitt Romney among middle-class white voters whose economic anxieties remain high.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC poll, white voters who described themselves as struggling to stay afloat backed Romney 55 to 32 percent. Among white voters who say they know someone who has been laid off, 56 percent back Romney to 32 percent for Obama. Self described upper middle class voters also back Romney 61 percent to 29 percent.

The poll is a bit of a blow to Obama, who has made restoring middle class security a top theme of his campaign and his administration — and who has launched an all-out assault against Romney's time as a corporate buyout specialist at the private equity firm Bain Capital.

These white voters who describe themselves as struggling by and large do not have college degrees, with 7 in 10 lacking one. And it's a demographic group that Obama lost in 2008 by an 18 point margin.

COMMENT:  That 18-point margin is now increasing, and I can't think of any group with which Obama is doing better than he did in 2008.   Once again we see evidence of a very close election.  Today's Rasmussen presidential tracker has Romney at 45%, Obama at 44%.  Obama's inability to crack the 50% mark, seen as vital for an incumbent, indicates just how rough this election is going to be.

May 25, 2012