Poll: Obama may be at risk in 2012

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama is more at risk in 2012 than it seems because of his low ratings on the economy and the country's direction, a Politico poll indicates.

Results of the Politico-George Washington University Battleground Poll indicated the more the presidential election focuses on Obama's performance, the more vulnerable he is.

Against a generic Republican challenger, Obama tied 43 percent to 43 percent, results released Sunday indicated. But when voters had to decide between Obama and a named candidate, Obama took a lead. Against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the president took a 6 percentage point lead, while against Georgia businessman Herman Cain, Obama had a 9 point lead.

"Generic Republicans never flip-flopped on a position and never had any problems in their personal life," said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who helped conduct the bipartisan poll. "When it's a choice, we're in a much, much stronger position."

The president's job approval rating is 44 percent, with 51 percent expressing disapproval, results showed.

Only 35 percent approved of how Obama is doing on the economy compared with 62 percent who said they disapproved, results indicated.

Republican pollster Ed Goeas of The Tarrance Group, which also helped conduct the poll, said the Republican nominee could win the White House if the candidate can keep the election focused on Obama.

"My feeling is very strongly that ultimately, it's first a decision on whether or not to rehire the incumbent as opposed to a choice between both individuals," he said.

Results are based on nationwide telephone surveys of 1,000 likely voters conducted from Nov. 6-9. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points.