Afternoon Fix: Obama, Romney close in North Carolina and Florida, new polls show

If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, click here to view as a Web page. Click here to view in plain text. Monday, August 27, 2012 EARLIER ON THE FIX The Fix's Convention Hangout: Live with Rep. Connie Mack Rob Portman will play Obama in Romney's debate sessions The 10 numbers that matter in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll Bobby Jindal's delayed debut The Fix's Senate race ratings map is here! A brief history of convention crossover speeches GOP poll: Two-fifths of Americans say Obama is 'very liberal' Mitt Romney's 'rich guy' problem People want smaller government — and they think Mitt Romney does too 2012: It's the economy, stupid (part 247) WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * New CNN/Time Magazine/ORC polls show President Obama leads Mitt Romney 50 percent to 46 percent in Florida. In North Carolina, Romney leads Obama 48 percent to 47 percent. Both leads are inside the margin of error. * With Tropical Storm Issac approaching the Gulf Coast, senior GOP convention officials said they were considering worst case scenarios, including a quick nominating vote and an abbreviated Romney speech in a smaller venue. * At a hometown campaign appearance that also served as a preview for his convention address, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) discussed his family's journey to the U.S. from Ireland and underscored the importance of community over government. * Some Missouri delegates to the Republican National Convention are not happy with the efforts by Romney and national Republicans to pressure Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) to end his Senate campaign. Karl Rove, on the other hand, said that if Akin "really cares are about the values of conservatism and pro-life, he will not go down for defeat as the biggest loss by a Republican candidate for Senate in modern history." WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T MISS * In an appearance at the Pennsylvania Press Club, Republican Senate nominee Tom Smith appeared to compare having a child out of wedlock to rape. When asked follow up questions about his apparent statement, Smith said he was not saying the two are similar. * Democrat Elizabeth Warren outraised Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) during the past six weeks, $3.7 million to $2.3 million. Brown has $14.2 million in the bank to Warren's $12.3 million. * Rep. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) has released a TV ad criticizing his Senate opponent, former Republican congresswoman Heather Wilson. "After ten years in Congress, she's lost touch with New Mexico families. Wilson voted for tax breaks for Wall Street banks," the ad says. It's an interesting line of attack, since Heinrich himself is a member of Congress. * A Pew Research Center survey shows that more Americans (52 percent) are interested in learning about the Republican Party platform than they are about the convention speeches of Romney (44 percent) and Ryan (46 percent). Tweet #FixHangout THE FIX MIX That was fast. With Aaron Blake and Rachel Weiner Get The Washington Post, your way. Want to stay on top of the latest news, features, commentary and more? Here's how: Mobile: Alerts: Social Media: Applications Web site E-mail SMS RSS Feeds Facebook Twitter SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-NEWSLETTER CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 © 2012 The Washington Post Privacy Policy