Politico reports that “under the table, there is pervasive pessimism among Republicans about Romney’s prospects this fall. It’s apparent in rampant discussions about which Republicans will run in 2016 — talk that obviously presupposes a loss in November — and it’s downright glaring in private conversations with GOP officials on Capitol Hill and in consulting shops across Washington.”

“And the skepticism about Romney isn’t just a Beltway phenomenon. Rank-and-file Republican voters are also uncertain he can win, though it’s the chattering class that is most bearish.”

However, a National Journal Political Insiders poll finds 65% of insiders “very excited” about Romney as the GOP nominee while 30% are “somewhat excited.”

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) endorsed Mitt Romney for president this week, but in an interview with the Indianapolis Star he wasn’t so kind to the likely GOP nominee.

Said Daniels: “You have to campaign to govern, not just to win… Spend the precious time and dollars explaining what’s at stake and a constructive program to make life better. And as I say, look at everything through the lens of folks who have yet to achieve.”

He paused and added: “Romney doesn’t talk that way.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) told National Journal he does not know if he will vote for President Obama or Mitt Romney for president in November.

Said Manchin: “I’ll look at the options.”

“That stance is at odds with almost every other Democrat who is up for reelection this year or is from a state that Romney is likely to win. And it’s an indication of the unique effort Manchin has made to establish his independence from Obama and other Democrats.”

New Fox News polls show President Obama with leads over Mitt Romney is two key battleground states.

Florida: Obama 45%, Romney 43%

Ohio: Obama 45%, Romney 39%

Mitt Romney has hired Richard Grenell as his national security and foreign policy spokesman, the Washington Post reports.

Interestingly, the story doesn’t mention that Grenell is openly gay.

Andrew Sullivan: “For Romney to have an openly gay spokesman is a real outreach to gay Republicans, a subtle signal to moderates, and the Santorum faction’s reaction will be worth noting.”

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) told the Daily Beast that Mittt Romney would have a “tall order to position Hispanics to vote for him” even though his father was born in Mexico.

Schweitzer admitted that it is “kinda ironic given that his family came from a polygamy commune in Mexico, but then he’d have to talk about his family coming from a polygamy commune in Mexico, given the gender discrepancy.”

Schweitzer noted that women are “not great fans of polygamy, 86 percent were not great fans of polygamy. I am not alleging by any stretch that Romney is a polygamist and approves of [the] polygamy lifestyle, but his father was born into [a] polygamy commune in Mexico.”

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds President Obama leads Mitt Romney by six points nationally, 49% to 43%.

The survey also finds that Obama’s “efforts to project himself as a protector of the middle class have strengthened him for the general election, while Mitt Romney has gained traction with his argument that he can improve the economy.”

The president’s approval rating is 49% while 46% disapprove.

This isn’t an easy question: Of the Republican presidential candidates, who ran the worst campaign? Explain your answer in the comments.

The Utah political action committee formed to launch Jon Huntsman’s bid for president made more than $200,000 in payments to a phantom company, BuzzFeed reports.

“The apparent financial irregularity in the pro-Huntsman PAC — which cost his billionaire father and other about $5 million, according to public records — is the latest chapter in the acrimonious collapse of the former Utah Governor’s political operation.”

Mitt Romney used a shuttered drywall plant in Ohio as a backdrop for his message that President Obama has failed to create jobs, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The only problem: The plant closed four years ago during President George W. Bush’s administration.

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds President Obama leading Mitt Romney nationally, 49% to 46%.

The running mate who helps Romney most — putting him in a 47% to 47% tie with Obama — is Chris Christie. Jeb Bush pulls Romney to within a point at 48% to 47% and Mike
Huckabee and Rick Santorum both get him to within two points at 48% to 46%.

Key takeaway: The
main positive effect of these potential running mates is to help Romney
shore up the Republican vote.

There’s no need to bring a cowbell to the Democratic or Republican conventions anymore: Just bring an iPhone with Cowbell 2012 instead.