He predicted that the Obama campaign will respond to the mood of the electorate with a string of positive advertising.

“They did that in 2008, and my guess is they’ll do more of that now,” he said.

Republicans say the new efforts are proof the Obama campaign is worried about the public perception that the president is no longer the candidate he was perceived to be in 2008, when he promised to bridge the political divide.

“He was supposed to be the guy who changed politics, who brought all the hope and change, but people are disappointed, and you’re seeing that reflected in the polls,” said Kirsten Kukowski, a press secretary at the Republican National Committee.