Obama clings to narrow lead in new polls

But recent surveys also indicate that despite speculation that Medicare policies may cause seniors to rebuff the Republican party, GOP presumptive nominee Mitt Romney continues to find strong support among this population.

Los Angeles Times: Poll Watch: Tight Presidential Race In Both Convention States
As Republicans prepare to get their storm-delayed convention underway in Florida, a new poll shows President Obama clinging to a narrow lead in the state. … Despite speculation that the debate over Medicare might scare seniors away from the Republican ticket, those over 65 continue to be Romney's greatest source of support in both states. The polls showed him leading among seniors by six points in Florida and five points in North Carolina. In both states, Obama led among voters younger than 50 (Lauter, 8/27).

National Journal/Atlantic Wire: Romney's Medicare Attacks On Obama Seem To Be Working
Knowing Democrats would attack the Ryan plan as "ending Medicare are we know it" -- according to the Pew Research Center, people who have heard of Paul Ryan's plan, only 35 percent support it, while 49 percent oppose it -- Romney's campaign launched a preemptive strike on the issue accusing Obama of raiding $716 billion from Medicare to pay for "Obamacare," implying that old folks will see fewer benefits. But that $716 billion is made up of cuts to how much providers can bill the government, not to benefits, and, as The New York Times noted last week, reversing the cuts would actually lead to higher out-of-pocket costs for patients. In any event, Ryan's plan makes the same cuts. Still, Romney has made four TV or Web ads on Medicare. And they're working. A CNN/ORC International poll finds Obama leading Romney 49 percent to 48 percent on who would best handle Medicare, while an ABC News/Washington Post poll finds that 45 percent trust Romney more on health care for old people, and 42 percent trust Obama more (Reeve, 8/27).

WBUR: In Florida, Medicare Could Swing The Vote
Here in Florida, Mitt Romney's choice for his Republican running mate has caused perhaps more commotion than in any other state. Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan has promised to "end Medicare as we know it." Not surprisingly, that's a hot issue in the Sunshine State, where so many seniors come to retire. But in the days since Ryan's selection, the impact on Romney's campaign remains unclear. "It absolutely will drive some voters away from him. How many is difficult to predict," said William March, a longtime political reporter for The Tampa Tribune. "The one aspect of the Medicare controversy and Paul Ryan as running mate is that this has allowed the Democrats to go on the offensive on the health care issue, whereas they had been playing defense." Playing defense because Obama's health care overhaul is extremely unpopular in Florida, by margins of 60 percent or more in polling. As a mandate, people don't like it. But when it comes to the actual benefits of the plan, it seems the situation is much more complicated (Oakes and Tobin, 8/28).