Closing argument: Romney to deliver "significant" speech on economy this Friday

A speech this Friday, then the last jobs report next Friday. I wonder what trivial issue Team O will seize on tomorrow to steer the media away from those economic bookends. Back to the car elevator thing, maybe? We haven’t heard about that in awhile.

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Mitt Romney will deliver a significant speech on the economy Friday, according to a top campaign aide, when just 11 days remain in the presidential race.

His speech will be delivered in Ames, Iowa, and is aimed at “reinforcing the big choice in November,” a top campaign adviser told CNN…

“We’ve had four debates and he hasn’t been able to describe what his plan is to get this economy going,” the GOP candidate said [at a rally in Reno]. “You can boil what he’s saying down to four simple words, and that is: ‘more of the same.'”

Interesting that he’s doing this in Iowa instead of Ohio, where he and Ryan will appear later on Friday. Presumably there’s some sort of “full circle” vibe he’s going for, that his message at the end of the campaign is the same as it was when things began in Ames last year, but I’m surprised he didn’t choose a more viable swing state, like Wisconsin or New Hampshire — or Ohio, of course — instead. No quibbling about the chosen subject, though. New from the ABC/WaPo tracker, in which Romney continues to lead by a point:

Looking at handling the economy as a broad issue, Romney’s lead among independents has swelled to 56 to 39 percent in the new poll, an advantage that helps him to a sizable, 12-point lead over Obama when it comes to their voting preferences. Obama won independent and other voters by eight percentage points in 2008.

Across all three debates, 40 percent of independents say their impressions of Romney improved; fewer than half as many, 18 percent, say their views deteriorated. Twice as many independents say their views of Obama are worse as say better, 20 percent to 10 percent.

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Romney also now leads, again by a point, in today’s Reuters tracker. Among independents, he’s up by six. The national polls continue to look good; it’s a matter now of those trends bleeding into the big five — OH, VA, CO, WI, and NH — and giving him a clear path to 270+. Or maybe I should say big six: A new poll has Romney within half a point of Obama in … Michigan. I’m not sure what to make of it given that the response rate was north of three percent (1,122 respondents out of 35,000 calls(!) placed) and that O’s been ahead by at least three points in nearly every poll taken there since August, but with 16 electoral votes, Michigan’s almost a perfect substitute for Ohio (18) or Wisconsin+New Hampshire (14). If Romney can lock down the three that he needs to put him on the doorstep of 270 (Florida, Virginia, and Colorado), winning Michigan would singlehandedly deliver him the presidency. Hmmmm.

Here’s something new from the campaign to keep the good vibes flowing over the last 13 days.

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