Some Democratic leaders may have their doubts about President Obama's attacks on Bain Capital—but most give the message the thumbs up and want him to keep at it. Mitt Romney "wanted to have this conversation," Pennsylvania's Democratic chair tells the Washington Post, which has interviewed numerous top Dems over the last week. "We’re going to have it. There should be no hesitation or equivocation." Colleagues in Nevada, Ohio, and New Hampshire say voters' anger centers on Wall Street, which could be this election's "bogeyman"—and that makes the strategy a smart and appropriate one, they say.
Still, some remain concerned that the message—which Obama will continue to push in new ads, note his advisers—might not help the president among independents, particularly business-oriented ones. Some Virginia Democrats point out that Bain "did a good job for their investors" and that the strategy could bolster an image of an anti-business Obama. Republicans agree: "Basically what you’re doing is trying to demagogue a whole industry that tries to rescue failed companies," says New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. That could be a particular problem in "entrepreneurial" Colorado, says a GOP congressman. (More Mitt Romney stories.)