What Ms. Zito’s reporting indicates is that Axelrod and Plouffe have reason to worry that Ohio is slipping away from President Obama. Again, it's still early but it's apparent there's no reservoir of good will from Ohioans towards President Obama. If he wins Ohio, it'll have to be because of something substantive he does from this point forward.
In fact, the quotes in this article indicate that opinions are hardening each day. That's trouble for the Obama campaign. Adding Ohio to Indiana and North Carolina spells trouble. It's also 45 electoral votes. Subtract 45 electoral votes from 338 and you're at 293. That means his path to re-election is tricky at best. At that point, President Obama has to keep Virginia's 15 electoral votes in his column. It also means he can't afford to lose Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado or Florida.
Losing Florida, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina spells defeat for Team Obama.
It’s that simple.
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