The Romney campaign: battle stations

Mitt Romney doesn’t have to be likeable, just “likeable enough” to win in November. Or, at least, so says his campaign staff, who hold doggedly — and for good reason — to the notion that the weak U.S. economy will be the deciding factor in this year’s race. Already, poll results are close in traditionally Democratic states like Michigan and Wisconsin. Swing voters, too, may be primed to vote red: Team Romney identifies white, middle-class, married women between the ages of 35–55 as the archetypal swing voter, noting that the women who wanted change four years ago may be looking for the same thing from a new source this time around.