Election 2012: Race For The White House Close Among Likely Voters

According to a new poll by the Washington Post & ABC News, last week’s Democratic National Convention helped President Obama improve his standing against Republican Mitt Romney, but did little to reduce voter concern about his handling of the economy.

The survey shows the race remains close among likely voters, with Obama at 49% and Romney at 48%.  However, the president holds an edge among all registered voters, topping Romney with a 50% to 44% advantage.

A separate poll conducted by CNN shows Obama has a double-digit lead over Mitt Romney on both the issues of healthcare and Medicare.  According to that poll, 54% of likely voters think Obama would better handle the issue of health care, compared with 45% for Romney.

Which candidate do you trust more on issues surrounding healthcare?

Historic Health Reform Decision Looms

Before the end of the week, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue its ruling on the federal health-care law with three potential outcomes: everything gets upheld, everything gets over turned or something in-between.

Over the weekend, several articles explored how we got here and the probability the Supreme Court will overturn the law.  The New York Times  considered whether the law’s supporters ignored concerns about its constitutionality and it also outlined how the White House is bracing for the decision, even an unfavorable one. The Washington Post wondered if the White House made some miscalculations, both political and legal, with regard to the health reform law.

While all of the articles suggest the Supreme Court may strike the law down, no one knows for sure. A decision is expected as early as today or as late as Thursday of this week.