Politico: Obama's 'Muddled Message' Crippling Campaign

President Barack Obama has had difficulty finding his running legs in the early going of his campaign for a second term, according to Politico.

In an opinion piece Friday, reporters Mike Allen and Jim Vandehei, described a president with a “muddled message,” “baldly political,” troubled by slow fundraising, and at odds with the Democratic Party “on the central issue of the campaign.”

“To top it off,” the two wrote, “Vice President Joe Biden has looked more like a distraction this month than the potent working-class weapon Obama needs him to be.”

The reporters also highlight the Obama campaign’s decision to tag Romney as a job killer because of his years running the private equity firm, Bain Capital.

“Bain has turned into pain this week,” the two noted, citing how the ads focusing on plant closings and job losses tied to the company have backfired because some Democrats, including Newark Mayor Cory Booker, have complained that they make Obama look like he’s anti-business.

“The result has been a minor, but very public, split in the party on an issue Obama’s camp hoped would tag Romney with a series of crippling labels: elitist, mean-spirited, anti-worker,” they wrote.

Through it all, they said, Romney has come out looking more certain of himself and more on message with his consistent focus on improving the nation’s economy.

“After months of missteps, the guy looks steady and disciplined again, much like he did in the early days of the GOP primaries. By playing to his strength, he has masked his weaknesses — for now,” they said.