As the delegates to the Democrat Convention gather in Charlotte, North Carolina, they are greeted with a discouraging headline in the Charlotte Observer, “As DNC begins, Romney Gains in N.C.”The headline is a reference to the new Elon University/Charlotte Observer Poll shows the GOP presidential candidate leading President Barack Obama 47 percent to 43 percent among likely voters in North Carolina.The poll found the women vote almost evenly split on their support 45 percent for Obama 44 percent Romney. So much for the gender gap.The respondents said Romney would do a better job of handling the economy 52 percent to 39 percent and more said that Romney more closely shares their values 48 percent to 45 percent.The economy/jobs is the most important issue for likely North Carolina voters.The poll was conducted August 25-30, 2012, and has a margin of error of 3 percent.In 2008, Obama became the first Democrat to carry North Carolina since 1976. Trying for a repeat, the Obama campaign Obama campaign has maintained a big presence in North Carolina and chose Charlotte for the Democrats’ convention.Back in April, Romney visited Charlotte and gave a “prebuttal” to the Democrat’s convention. Standing in front of the Bank of America stadium where President Obama will formally accept the Democrats’ nomination Romney reminded us that “President Obama ‘has failed by the measurements he set.'” Romney went after Obama over the so-called stimulus, unemployment, debt, cutting Medicare to pay for ObamaCare, Social Security, foreclosures, home values, gas prices and tuition.In conjunction with his Obama convention ‘prebuttal,’ the Romney campaign released a video highlighting how the Obama Presidency has failed when evaluated by the measures of progress established by Obama. Four years ago at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, then-candidate Barack Obama said that Democrats measure progress by whether people can find a job and provide for themselves and their families. In North Carolina, it is not easy for people to find a job and provide for themselves and their families:You can watch the “President Obama’s Measure of Progress” video here.It all comes back to Ronald Reagan’s famous question: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” And even Obama admits that we are not better off than we were four years ago. A question which the Obama Campaign is having a tough time answering, even though last October, Obama admitted that Americans are not better off than they were four years ago. You can watch Obama’s admission here.Obama’s concession invites a constant comparison to President Carter’s failed presidency using the devastating, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” question posed by then presidential candidate Ronald Reagan at the end of his debate with Jimmy Carter on October 28, 1980:

“Next Tuesday is Election Day. Next Tuesday all of you will go to the polls, will stand there in the polling place and make a decision. I think when you make that decision, it might be well if you would ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe, that we’re as strong as we were four years ago? And if you answer all of those questions yes, why then, I think your choice is very obvious as to whom you will vote for. If you don’t agree, if you don’t think that this course that we’ve been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have.”

You can watch a video Reagan’s devastating question here. The more people are exposed to Reagan’s “are you better off” question to Carter, the more the belief that Obama will also be a one-term president is reinforced.