Political panel: Poll position

>>> also make the race to 270. if you look at where the campaign made the most gains is among voters in the midwest.

>> joining me now, roll call 's david drucker listed only from the associated press.

>> a week ago, there was a serious shift going on in ohio . new they're back. there's 49% and 47%.

>> the path was there to begin with for romney .

>> so narrowing it's hard to see how they do that. in ohio , it's a state that will be tight until the end. i'm not convinced it was ever a serious discussion, because the path is that narrow. so i think what withdryou're going to see particularly in ohio , the race is going to be tighten, it will be a down to the wire race and the obama team recognizes that. and that's why you have seen the obama team continue to hammer on him in ohio and push the ground game even when the polls were showing a ground game.

>> this is the issue about the romney campaign, they have clearly got a bump and it's interesting to me they decided they went to iowa and ohio . two states that had the biggest deficits predebate and that's where he is today to see if he can basically get those back.

>> i thought what was interesting, we're starting to see obama hit more than one state in one day.

>> i didn't know he was capable of that.

>> if you look at iowa and you look at ohio , what romney could feel optimistic about is that although he hastrailed, there's still a conversation about the economy and national debt . despite the lower unm employment rates than nationally. i if the candidate performs the way he did in the debate in terms of explaining for himself what he wants to do he has a chance to make up ground because it is fertile territory for him.

>> it's a matter of how he performs.

>> and obama under performed his campaign at the debates, the question is can the campaign apparatus measure up to romney the candidate. and does romney the candidate stay the guy we saw on saturday night.

>> just when we think we have a game changing moment that something else happens, and these polls showing a romney advantage, i still don't think we have polls showing whether those jobs numbers from friday.

>> if that maretters, right. you guys have narrowed it down to six states. iowa has been the one that not everybody's sure. but you have new hampshire, ohio , wisconsin that lean romney . and you have north carolina , i start looking at that map, that's over --

>> 269. is that one away?

>> that's a fire row path, and it always comes down to ohio , we feel like a broken record talking about it. but if the president can maintain that advantage in ohio like he had a few days ago, the road gets extremely tough.

>> we have got our ground game, but why do you think they keep talking about the debate.

>> i think they were stunned, i didn't think they realizeded.

>> i think it probably got into all their head. i also think it's a tactic here, if you talk about how moorely the president did, it's just going to fire up his base, i actually think they l i think there was a sense for a while among the base that he's got this thing wrapped up. and so now, you know, they see him as, you know, problematic.

>> that's some interesting reverse psychology , i tell you, talking with these people, the day after the debate, talking with the supporters in denver. they still show up, but they were like, come on. there was a little debate. the president fumbling would have been a good thing in the long run.

>> if the focus is the president, president bush , he had an overconfidence if you will going on with john kerry .

>> fumbling is only good in hindsight that you know for a fact that it clears your mind set. the obama campaign has been so relentless inn and effective in defining trom hi as what they want. i'm wonderingive that's why they have been willing to talk about?

>> the only thing i would say is the romney campaign does not seem to be trying to, the obama folks have spent a lot of money talking about the debate, forget big bird , but the real ads are in the battleground states . the romney campaign hasn't done that.

>> when you have chris the media does it enough and when you have chris matthews spreading the message for you, why do it yourself?

>> but there is a danger of overconfidence. yes, it was one debate. we have two more debates and the vice presidential . i don't know how much that will matter, but --

>> it's the most important event this week.

>> but 28 days is a long time.

>> most important event this week, until the next one. all right, stick around. i want