Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said this morning that it might not just be the convention that gave President Obama a small poll bounce, but Friday’s jobs report.
Gallup’s daily tracking poll has Obama at 49 percent, a two-point bump from a week ago, while Mitt Romney went from 46 percent to 44 percent. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll of likely voters released Sunday, Obama got 47 percent to Romney’s 43 percent.
“I think it could be partially the convention, somewhat the economic news. It’s been a positive experience,” Durbin said on CNN.
“And then Bill Clinton’s speech, which for many of us who are political animals was a tour de force for the whole campaign to end on a positive, forward thrust. And the president hit it out of the park,” the senator said. “So we felt it was a great convention, very little dissension, everybody together and a lot of energy coming out of it.”
Still, Durbin said that “seventeen angry old white men” in the super PAC world are still raising millions for Romney.
Obama narrowly outraised Romney — the first time in four months — in August with a $114 million haul compared to the GOP candidate’s $112 million.
“We’re getting this basic support of individuals across America,” Durbin said. “We believe they have to rally for the president at this point, otherwise the super-PACs are going to own the television stations.”
The senator said he believes there’s momentum to move forward with a deficit-reduction plan in the lame-duck session, at least in the upper chamber. “I can’t speak for the House,” he said. “The Tea Party people there are pretty hard to deal with.”
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