President Barack Obama leaned on the power of incumbency in his first campaign event after Hurricane Sandy, striking a unifying tone at a late-morning rally in Wisconsin while ridiculing GOP nominee Mitt Romney's effort to seize the mantle of "change." 

"After four years as president, you know me by now," said Obama, who jogged down the stairs of Air Force One to the waiting crowd in Green Bay.

"Let me tell you, Wisconsin: we know what change looks like," the bomber jacket-clad president said at another point in the speech. "And what the governor is offering sure ain’t change."

The president and Romney each turned to their closing arguments for voters, just five days before Election Day and in the wake of a hurricane-induced campaign pause.

Speaking Thursday morning in Virginia, where he hadn't appeared in 15 days, Romney appealed to themes that have dominated his campaign for months. The former Massachusetts governor argued that the nation's economy couldn't withstand another four years of a Democrat in the White House.

And Romney revived his experience in the private sector as his chief qualification versus Obama, seizing on a throwaway line from the president during a weekend interview on MSNBC about naming a "secretary of business."

"He’s got to find something to suggest it’s going to better over the next four years. And so he came up with an idea last week which his he’s going to create the department of business," Romney told a crowd of 3,000 in Roanoke. "I don’t think adding a new chair in his cabinet will help add millions of jobs on Main Street."

He added: "We don’t need a secretary of business to understand business we need a president who understands business, and I do."

The campaign resumed its aggressive tenor on Thursday after a more subdued tone in the wake of this week's hurricane. Romney and Obama's aides did battle in the press over the question of which candidate has momentum on his side entering the home stretch.

A series of NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls released early Thursday suggested the president has an advantage in Iowa, but faces tighter contests with Romney in New Hampshire and Wisconsin (a reliably blue state which Republicans have sought to put in play this cycle).

In his bid to overtake the president, Romney revived his assertion that he was the candidate of "change" -- taking direct aim at the sentiment that propelled Obama's 2008 election.

Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama waves at supporters during a campaign rally at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on November 1, 2012.

"We need real change. For real change we’re going to have to take a different course," Romney said. "And I think that’s what Americans are going to do on Nov. 6."

That assertion earned Romney a rebuke from Obama, who accused his Republican opponent of masquerading familiar Republican proposals as new and fresh.

"In the closing weeks of this campaign, Gov. Romney has been using all his talents as a salesman to dress up these very same policies that failed our country so badly, the very same policies we've been cleaning up after for the past four years," Obama said.

David Goldman / AP

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney waves as he takes the stage for a campaign event at a window and door factory, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Roanoke, Va.

The president launched into an almost wistful look back at his first term in arguing his case for a second. He acknowledged that not all Americans agreed with his positions, but, "You know what I believe, you know where I stand."

Obama's event also allowed the president, in many ways, the opportunity to remind voters that is the acting commander in chief, including his more upbeat opening in Wisconsin talking about the hurricane.

"We've also been inspired these past few days -- because when disaster strikes, we see America at its best. All the petty differences that consume us in normal times, all seem to melt away," he said. "There are no Democrats or Republicans during a storm -- they're just fellow Americans."

Slideshow: On the campaign trail

Reuters, Getty Images

In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.

Launch slideshow

The storm continued to cast a pall over the campaign, though the sharp rhetoric returned to normal. But Ann Romney reached a moment of levity in Ohio when asking voters to donate to the Red Cross via text message, using a number that became associated with one of her husband's Republican primary foes.

"What does that remind you of? Herman Cain's 9-9-9!" she said to laughter. "You can remember that."

Love him or despise him, many Americans see Vice President Joe Biden as an occasional source of comedic relief - whether he intends it or not.

Getting a few laughs will be at least part of his role five days from Election Day, when the vice president will join the Late Show with David Letterman to read the famed "Top Ten" list.

An aide says Biden taped the segment from his Davenport, IA hotel Thursday between attending church, eating breakfast at a famed local cafe and departing for a campaign event in Muscatine.

No word yet on the topic of the list.

The comedy routine comes as both campaigns try to balance political attacks and the aftermath of a historic storm that devastated parts of New Jersey and Letterman's New York City.

It airs tonight.

ROANOKE, VA -- Stumping in western Virginia on Thursday, Mitt Romney resumed his full-throated critique of President Barack Obama, mocking the president's proposed new cabinet position to oversee businesses' needs and predicting four more years of a stagnant economy should the incumbent be re-elected.

David Goldman / AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney waves as he takes the stage for a campaign event at a window and door factory, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Roanoke, Va.

“He’s got to find something to suggest it’s going to better over the next four years," Romney said of the president in his opening remarks.  "And so he came up with an idea last week, which is he’s going to create the Department of Business. I don’t think adding a new chair in his cabinet will help add millions of jobs on Main Street."

"We don’t need a secretary of business to understand business. We need a president who understands business, and I do,” he concluded.

President Obama suggested consolidating other federal agencies into a "one-stop shop" position of a cabinet-level secretary overseeing business issues in an interview with MSNBC earlier this week.

Romney's attack on the president marks a return to more aggressive tactics, which were shelved for several days during Hurricane Sandy and its immediate aftermath.

Campaigning in Florida on Wednesday, Romney never mentioned the name "Obama," focusing instead on his own plans, and leaving any criticism of the president implicit. Romney continued to urge his supporters to donate to the relief effort this morning, but with the president returning to the campaign trail today, it was clear that the time for holding back had ended. 

"I can also tell you this – if the president were to be re-elected, you’re going to see high levels of unemployment continue and stalled wage growth – if any wage growth at all, just like we’ve seen over the last four years," Romney said. "We know something about the past, we’ve seen what his policies have produced – the only way to get this economy going is the kind of bold change I’ve described."

Democrats were quick to push back on Romney's remarks here, and issued a statement which attempted to draw focus back to the auto bailout, which continues to be a driving issue in the campaign's final days in Ohio, perhaps the most hotly contested battleground state.

“The idea that Mitt Romney would help businesses grow as president doesn’t match his record or his policies. When the American auto industry and a million jobs were on the line, Romney turned his back, which is why he’s trying to rewrite history by telling desperate falsehoods to Ohio voters," Obama campaign spokesperson Lis Smith said in a statement.

In the final days of the presidential race, ad spending is closing in on $1 billion.

The campaigns and outside groups have combined to spend $968 million, according to NBC News/SMG Delta. 

David Goldman / AP

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney waves as he takes the stage for a campaign event at a window and door factory, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, in Roanoke, Va.

An unprecedented $143 million has been spent this week, far-and-away a record for this presidential cycle -- with more ads already being booked today. 

Team Romney, including the campaign and groups supporting the Republican challenger, are outspending Team Obama $96.4 million to $46.2 million this week. Accounting for this massive spending disparity, there are 11 outside groups pitching in to support Romney this week while just two are doing the same for Obama.

But despite the massive spending advantage Team Romney is enjoying over Team Obama, they are about even in ad points, according to SMG Delta. In other words, they are running about the same number of ads.  

That's because the Obama campaign booked advertising well in advance, as compared to the Romney campaign which makes buys days -- sometimes the day -- before. Outside groups also have to pay more than campaigns for their ads.

Overall, Team Romney has outspent Team Obama $573.2 million to $394.4 million in this election.

The vast majority of outside money has gone to support Romney. In fact, 85 percent of all outside money poured in during this campaign has gone to support Romney or oppose Obama. 

Nearly two-thirds -- 63 percent -- of all the money going to support Romney has come from outside groups. By contrast, just 16 percent of the money supporting the president has come from outside groups.

Outside money
Pro-Romney: $363 million
Pro-Obama: $63.5 million
Total: $426.5 million 

Here's a rundown of the top spenders overall:

1. Obama $330.7m
2. Romney $210.2m
3. American Crossroads (pro Romney) $87.7m
4. Restore Our Future PAC (pro Romney) $87.6m
5. Crossroads GPS (pro Romney) $63.1m
6. Priorities USA $57.2m
7. Americans for Prosperity (pro Romney) $49.2m
8. RNC $31.9m
9. American Future Fund (pro Romney) $12.8m
10. Americans for Job Security (pro Romney) $12.5m
11. NRA (pro Romney) $5.1m
12. Concerned Women (pro Romney) $4.8m

Here's everywhere everyone's spending this week, in order of most to least:

1. Ohio ($30m)- AmXrds, AFF, AJS, Check and Balances, XrdsGPS, NRA, Obama, Patriot Maj, Priorities, RNC, ROF, Romney, Thomas Peterffy. Team Romney $18.5m/Team Obama $11.4m

2. Florida ($22m)- AmXrds, XrdsGPS, Obama, Priorities, ROF, Romney, Thomas Peterffy. Team Romney $13.7/Team Obama $8.4

3. Virginia ($19.7m)- AmXrds, AJS, NRA, Obama, Priorities, RNC, ROF, Romney Team Romney $13.4m/Team Obama $6.3m

4. Pennsylvania ($13.7m)- AmXrds, AEA, AFF, AJS, AFP, Obama, Patriot Maj, RNC, ROF, Romney.  Team Romney $10.8m/Team Obama $2.9m

5. Wisconsin ($10.8m)- AmXrds, AFF, NRA, Obama, Patriot Maj, Priorities, RNC, ROF, Romney, Thomas Peterffy.  Team Romney $7.8m/Team Obama $3m

6. Iowa ($9.8m)- AmXrds, AFF, AFP, XrdsGPS, Obama, Priorities, ROF, Romney. Team Romney $6.7/Team Obama $3m

7. Colorado ($8.9m) - AmXrds, AFF, XrdsGPS, Obama, RNC, Priorities, ROF, Romney. Team Romney $5.5m/Team Obama $3.3m

8. Nevada ($8.5m)- AmXrds, AFF, XrdsGPS, Obama, Priorities, ROF, Romney Team Romney $5.6/Team Obama$2.9m

9. New Hampshire ($7m)- AmXrds, Obama, ROF, Romney Team Romney $4.7m/Team Obama $2.3m

10. Michigan ($5.7m) - AFF, AFP, Obama, ROF Team Romney $5.2m/Team Obama $500k

11. Minnesota ($2.7m) - AFF, AJS, Obama, RNC, ROF, Romney, Thomas Peterffy.  Team Romney $2.1m/Team Obama $550k

North Carolina ($3.4m) - AmXrds, Obama, ROF, Romney.  Team Romney $1.9m/Team Obama $1.4m

12. New Mexico ($225k)- Restore Our Future PAC 

13. Maine (Bangor) ($70k) - Restore Our Futue PAC

Will Obama’s firewall hold?... Obama’s final travel schedule has a heavy dose of OH and WI… New NBC/WSJ/Marist polls: IA: Obama 50%, Romney 44%... NH: Obama 49%, Romney 47%... WI: Obama 49%, Romney 46%... With Obama back the trail (in WI, NV, CO) he begins making his final  argument… Romney (who is in VA today) restarted his closing argument yesterday… And will this be another year of the Senate women? 

*** Will Obama’s firewall hold? The 2012 presidential election could very well hinge on this question: Will President Obama’s Midwest firewall -- Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin -- hold up? The Romney campaign believes it won’t. “Right now, their firewall is burning,” Romney Political Director Rich Beeson said on a conference call yesterday (though that observation isn’t yet backed up by the public polls). As for the Obama campaign, it’s signaling that they have to hold these Midwest states, especially Ohio. Just look at the president’s travel over the last five days of the campaign: four stops in Ohio, three stops in Wisconsin, and two stops in Iowa. (And compare that with two stops in Colorado, one stop in Nevada, one stop in Florida, and one in Virginia.) So you see where the Obama camp is putting its candidate, and that’s likely where the race will be decided. And at the end of the day, Romney has to pick off two of those three states (Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin). 

*** Obama’s final travel schedule: 
Thursday: Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado
Friday: Ohio
Saturday: Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia
Sunday: New Hampshire, Florida, Ohio, Colorado
Monday: Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa (Des Moines)

*** Romney’s final travel schedule:
Thursday: Virginia
Friday: Wisconsin, Ohio
Saturday: New Hampshire, Colorado
Sunday: TBD
Monday: New Hampshire (Manchester)

*** New NBC/WSJ/Marist polls: Obama leads in IA, running neck and neck in WI, NH: Speaking of that Midwest firewall, we have new NBC/WSJ/Marist poll numbers. In Iowa, Obama is ahead of Romney by six points among likely voters, 50%-44%, which is down from his eight-point lead in October. In Wisconsin, the president edges Romney by three points, 49%-46%, which is within the survey’s margin of error and which is down from Obama’s six-point lead. And in New Hampshire, Obama gets support from 49% of likely voters, while Romney gets 47%. The good news for Obama in these surveys: He’s ahead and is hitting either 49% or 50%. The warning sign for him: His approval rating among likely voters in Iowa and New Hampshire is at 48%, which is below his ballot number. (By comparison, his 49% approval rating in Wisconsin exactly matches his ballot number.) This matters because it suggests that Obama’s support in Iowa and New Hampshire could be a little less than the ballot number. 

*** Obama’s closing argument: With Obama back on the campaign trail after three days off dealing with Hurricane Sandy, his campaign says he begin laying out his closing argument. The message, per an Obama campaign official: “While Gov. Romney promotes the same policies that failed our country and ran the middle class into the ground and calls it change, President Obama will point the way forward to real change that will boost the middle class and create a stronger future for all Americans.” The campaign is also up with a new TV ad that features Colin Powell’s interview on CBS endorsing the president. The ad will air in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. By the way, NBC’s Kristen Welker reports that before leaving on his campaign travel today, Obama will receive a briefing on the latest developments in the response to Sandy. 

*** Romney’s closing argument: And back on the campaign trail yesterday in Florida, Mitt Romney restarted the closing argument he had been making over the last several days: change. “My view is pretty straight forward, and that is I believe that this is time for America to take a different course -- that this should be a turning point for our country,” he said, per NBC’s Garrett Haake. “And I say that because I look at where we are and with 23 million Americans – you think about that. These are real people. These are folks trying to put food on the table," Romney said. "Twenty-three million people struggling to find a good job. This is something that requires in my view a different path than we’ve been on." Yet Haake notes that Romney reined in his criticism of Obama yesterday as the president visited the hurricane damage in New Jersey. Meanwhile, the Romney camp is up with its own new TV ad. “Barack Obama says he might appoint a Secretary of Business,” the ad goes. “His solution to everything is to add another bureaucrat. Why not have a president who actually understands business?”

*** On the trail: Obama campaigns in Green Bay, WI at 11:35 am ET, North Las Vegas, NV at 5:10 pm ET, and Boulder, CO at 9:00 pm ET… Romney, in Virginia, stops in Roanoke at 10:00 am ET, Doswell, at 2:15 pm ET, and Virginia Beach at 7:15 pm ET… Bill Clinton stumps in Waukesha, WI, Perrysburg, OH, Akron, OH, and Chillicothe, OH… Biden is in Iowa, while Ryan is in Nevada… And Michelle Obama campaigns in Florida, and Ann Romney visits Ohio.

Nati Harnik / AP

Former President Bill Clinton campaigns for President Barack Obama at a grassroots event at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012.

*** The year of the Senate women? When this election cycle began, it was VERY likely we were going to see fewer women in the next Senate. After all, Olympia Snowe and Kay Bailey Hutchison were retiring, and Claire McCaskill looked like a sure bet to go down to defeat. But now, it seems like the Senate will add to its female population. Not only is McCaskill now in better shape, but Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Debra Fischer (D-NE) are the favorites to win their contests. And then it’s very possible that Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Linda McMahon (R-CT), and Heather Wilson (R-NM) could win their races, too. It’s also worth noting that on the GOP side, its best-run Senate campaigns may all lose -- but they are all headed up by women candidates, Linda Lingle in HI, Wilson and McMahon. And it’s female candidates who may end up saving the Dems and ensuring their ability to stay in the majority: see Heitkamp and McCaskill.

Countdown to Election Day: 5 days

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*** Thursday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter… Former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) on the I-4 corridor fight and Romney’s chances in Florida… Marist’s Lee Miringoff on the new numbers… NBC’s David Gregory, Politico’s Jonathan Martin and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza on what to watch for in the homestretch… Cape May County Registrar Michael Kennedy on how Sandy may affect voting in his area and others on Tuesday… NBC’s Michelle Franzen with the latest from Seaside Heights, NJ… MSNBC’s Robert Traynham, AP’s Liz Sidoti, National Review’s Jim Geraghty and Democratic strategist Mike Feldman on the final five days.

*** Thursday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews the Atlantic’s Molly Ball and the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank; Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt; Rep. Ed Markey looks at global warming and Sandy; Steve Elmendorf & Chip Saltsman on campaigning during a crisis; and ad guru Bob Gardner on political advertising in the post-Mad Med era. 

*** Thursday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up:  MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts will have reporters stationed all over areas stricken by Super Storm Sandy.  He’ll also interview MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY). Today’s Power Panel includes TheGrio.com’s Perry Bacon, Republican Strategist Alice Stewart and Democratic Strategist Chris Kofinis.

*** Thursday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include New York Magazine National Affairs Editor John Heilemann, msnbc.com Executive Editor Richard Wolffe, Bloomberg View’s Jonathan Alter, Democratic strategist Karen Finney, and TIME’s Michael Scherer 

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews former White House Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes, Time’s Richard Stengel, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, Republican strategist David Winston and Ellen Tauscher, Special envoy for strategic stability and missile defense at the State Department.

*** Thursday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews The Hill’s AB Stoddard, Dem strategist Keith Boykin, and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Latest polls: National: AP/GFK: Romney 47-45%. FOX: Tied at 46-46%. Washington Post-ABC tracker: 49-49%. National Journal/Princeton Survey: Obama 50-45%. States: IA: NBC/WSJ/Marist: Obama 50-44%. University of Iowa: Romney 45-44%. WI: NBC/WSJ/Marist: Obama 49-46%. Marquette Law School: Obama 51-43%. NH: NBC/WSJ/Marist: Obama 49-47%. OH: University of Cincinnati: Obama 48-46%. VA: Roanoke College: Romney 49-44%. MI: Detroit Free Press/WXYZ/EPIC-MRA: Obama 48-42%.

There have been 130 polls in 57 days, per Pollster’s Mark Blumenthal. And AP points out: “Much of the proliferation of polling in the last few years has come from the cheaper end of the scale, with automated pollsters dominating popular poll aggregations. Polls conducted using automated methodology do not meet the standards for coverage of The Associated Press, nor do partisan polls.”

Speaking of complaining about polls: “Mitt Romney’s pollster lashed out Wednesday at a new Ohio poll showing President Obama up five in the state, calling the survey ‘a piece of crap,’” Politico writes. 

Why the differences in polls? Democrats are assuming a more diverse electorate. Republicans are assuming it won’t be. Reid Wilson: “Most Republican pollsters are using something close to a 2008 turnout model, with the same percentage of white, black and Hispanic voters as the electorate that first elected Obama. Most Democratic pollsters are a little more bullish on minority turnout, which helps explain some of the difference between the two sides.” And: “Republicans say their party is a victim of media bias -- but not in the standard Lamestream Media sort of way. Pollsters on both sides try to persuade public surveyors that their voter turnout models are more accurate reflections of what's going to happen on Election Day. This year, GOP pollsters and strategists believe those nonpartisan pollsters are adopting Democratic turnout models en masse.” 

Per the Fox poll: “Independents give the edge to Romney by seven percentage points (46-39 percent).  That’s down from a 12-point advantage in early October. There’s a gender gap in vote preference, as men back Romney by 51-42 percent, while women side with Obama by 50-42 percent. The new Fox poll finds Obama under-performing compared to his 2008 exit poll numbers by 13 percentage points among independents, 9 points among white men, 6 points among women and 4 points among voters under age 30. Among the subgroup of most interested voters, those who are ‘extremely’ interested in the election, Romney leads Obama by 53-42 percent.” 

NBC’s affiliate in West Palm Beach, FL, reports: “A memo obtained by NewsChannel 5's Evan Axelbank, from an adviser to a Florida GOP campaign, says that the Democratic turnout effort is ‘cleaning our clock.’ The memo says, ‘The early and absentee turnout is starting to look more troubling.’ It also says, ‘Even if Romney wins the state (likely based on polls), the turnout deficit in PBC will affect our local races.’”

“With six days until the election, President Obama’s double-digit lead over Mitt Romney when it comes to whom voters trust more on health policy has eroded over the last month, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll,” the Boston Globe writes, adding, “Obama’s edge on most health issues has narrowed to just five to eight percentage points, according to October results released Wednesday. In September, the president had a 16 to 18 percentage point lead over Romney on these issues.” 

“Just as the presidential race is deadlocked in the campaign’s final days, the candidates are also running about even when it comes to the ground game,” Pew writes of its poll. “Voters nationally, as well those in the closely contested battleground states, report being contacted at about the same rates by each of the campaigns. And with a fifth of likely voters reporting already having cast their ballots, neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney has a clear advantage among early voters. This is in sharp contrast to early voting at this point four years ago, which favored Obama by a wide margin.”

The Obama team is confident in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Minnesota. How confident? David Axelrod said on Morning Joe yesterday that he would “shave off my mustache of 40 years if we lose any of those three states.”

Could Romney win the popular vote and Obama the Electoral College? Bloomberg: “Some national polls give Republican Mitt Romney a slight edge in the popular vote -- although well within the margin of error -- while surveys show President Barack Obama ahead in a number of the most competitive states, which would hand him an Electoral College victory and a second term in the White House.”

Tired of this election? This sums it up: The Boston Globe: “Summarizing the sentiments of perhaps the entire nation, the 4-year-old girl from Colorado begins weeping at the toll that the presidential election has taken. ‘I’m tired,’ the girl, Abigael Evans, says in a video recorded by her mother. ‘I’m tired of Bronco Bamma and Mitt Romney.’ ‘That’s why you’re crying?’ the mother asks. The girl nods, with a tear coming down her cheek. ‘Aww…It will be over soon, Abby. Ok?’ the mother says. ‘The election will be over soon.’ ‘K,’ the girl says, sniffling.”

“Maryland voters returned to the polls Wednesday after early voting was canceled the previous two days due to superstorm Sandy,” the Washington Post writes. “For some voters, it was their second or third trip, because they decided to skip long lines on Saturday and Sunday as voters filled up polling places to cast their ballots ahead of the storm.” 

This is different: Democratic Super PAC American Bridge sends out mailers in Indiana using Richard Mourdock’s own words.

“President Obama gets sky-high marks for his response to Hurricane Sandy,” according to a Washington Post-ABC poll. More: Nearly eight in 10 likely voters say the president has done an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ job dealing with what’s been labeled a ‘super storm.’ Almost as many give positive reviews to the federal government’s response generally. Even two-thirds of those who support Republican Mitt Romney in next week’s presidential election say Obama is doing well in this area.”

“President Obama got to do something the past three days that Republican challenger Mitt Romney can't do and that Obama hasn't had much time to do in the heat of the campaign: govern,” USA Today writes. “Whether it was promising a robust federal response to Hurricane Sandy from the White House briefing room Monday, comforting victims at an American Red Cross office Tuesday or touring hard-hit areas with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday, Obama stayed above the partisan fray of a dead-heat campaign.”

“President Obama will return to the campaign trail on Thursday with only five days remaining before the election, visiting the battleground states of Wisconsin, Nevada, and Colorado,” the Boston Globe writes, adding, “Obama will speak in Green Bay, Las Vegas and Boulder, after touring storm damage in New Jersey on Wednesday with Republican Governor Chris Christie.”

“The president’s advisers insist his break from campaigning had minimal impact on his standing. If anything, it gave Obama a chance to offer the type of comfort and command in a crisis that only a president can deliver,” AP writes. “Still, the Democratic campaign is seeking to make up for the lost time with a heavy travel itinerary in the coming days, including rallies Thursday in Wisconsin, Nevada and Colorado. Obama’s remarks Thursday will focus on boosting middle-class security, the key message the campaign is expected to push in the final days of the race.”

The New York Daily News: “Talk about an October Surprise. Just six days before the election, the nation saw President Obama joining with a fierce critic, Republican Gov. Chris Christie, to inspect the coastal carnage caused by Hurricane Sandy along the Jersey Shore. With the presidential election drum tight, images of the Democratic President doing the people’s business alongside one of Mitt Romney's superstar supporters presented a picture of bipartisanship Obama's handlers back in Chicago couldn’t have choreographed in their wildest dreams.”

Obama has a new ad out highlighting Colin Powell’s endorsement.

Reuters: “After three days of focusing on superstorm Sandy, President Barack Obama will return to the campaign trail on Thursday with a more ‘affirmative’ message to win over undecided voters in the final days of the race for the White House.” Obama’s closing “argument will touch on points he has made for months about the choice between competing Republican and Democratic visions, Obama advisers said, but it will put more weight on Obama's ideas for the future and could resurrect some of the hopeful themes that helped him win election in 2008.” David Axelrod says Obama’s stump speech will be altered slightly in coming days: "You're going to see him lift up ... the vision of what we're fighting for. We'll still address what the choice is. You have to address the choice. But I think it'll tilt toward the affirmative, toward the future."

“Just about everybody agrees Washington is a gridlocked mess. But who’s the man to fix it? After two years of brawling and brinkmanship between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans, more voters trust Mitt Romney to break the stalemate, an Associated Press-GfK poll shows,” the AP writes. “Romney’s message — a vote for Obama is a vote for more gridlock — seems to be getting through. Almost half of likely voters, 47 percent, think the Republican challenger would be better at ending the logjam, compared with 37 percent for Obama.” 

“Mitt Romney on Wednesday stepped up his support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, further rebuffing accusations that he would end funding for disaster relief if elected president,” the Boston Globe says. Romney said in a statement: “I believe that FEMA plays a key role in working with states and localities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. As president, I will ensure FEMA has the funding it needs to fulfill its mission, while directing maximum resources to the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need, because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.”

His campaign though walked a fine line: “Governor Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions,” said Amanda Henneberg, a Romney campaign spokeswoman. “As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.” 

During the GOP primary when he said this about federal funding for disasters in a debate: “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better.”

But: “George Haddow, a private disaster relief consultant and former deputy chief of staff at FEMA during the 1990s, said Romney’s vision for FEMA sounds like that of former President George W. Bush, who was criticized for the government’s slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. ‘The problem is it doesn’t reflect the reality of major disasters,’ Haddow said.” 

Haley Barbour on FOX: “The biggest change in the race is to Obama’s favor — and that's been this storm.” He added that he’d be “surprised if he doesn’t make a little bit of a comeback here.” He even said the storm was “like manna from heaven” for Obama. 

“By the second rally at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, [Romney’s] surrogates appeared ready for something more combative,” USA Today’s Kucinich writes. “As the Red Cross donation number beamed near him, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., slammed the president's foreign policy. ‘Remember, and he went to Egypt to apologize, to tell the world that the United States was going to be humbler and mellower and that, frankly, we are so sorry for the sacrifices of the Americans for generations,’ he said. ‘Well, now — now Egypt is controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood. Now, in Libya, they murder our ambassador, kill three other brave Americans, and the president is nowhere to be found to answer what happened.’

“Later, [Jeb] Bush, who at the first rally had focused on the changes Romney would make to the country for the better, said the president was more focused on shifting the blame than bringing people together. ‘His entire strategy is to blame others — starting with my brother, of course,’ he said, referring to former president George W. Bush. ‘Basically, he blames every possible thing rather than having the humility to be able to reach out and to find common ground.’”

Despite GM criticizing the Jeep ad, Romney’s campaign defended it. Adviser Kevin Madden said the ad "makes the case for why Gov. Romney would be stronger for the auto industry and why the auto industry's an important part of a strong economy."