Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades outlines his take on this week in a new memo:

President Obama’s stagnant, government-centered economy has depressed growth and the American spirit of natural optimism. At a time when a campaign just emerging from a long primary should be struggling, Governor Romney has rapidly unified support and begun to capture the imagination of the country with his vision of a pro-growth economy that will lift us out of the Obama doldrums. It was a big speech [on Tuesday] to mark a big win that begins a big debate about big things.
President Obama, on the other hand, spent the week slow-jamming the news, striking a Heisman pose, and trying to pick a fight over student loans to help the one-in-two recent college graduates who are either jobless or underemployed as a result of his policies (which is apparently really funny stuff to the President). Unfortunately for him, Republicans agree with the need for a temporary extension, but want it paid for by cutting spending rather than raising taxes. So instead of the fight he was hoping for, he got a debate over taxes and spending – which he wasn’t hoping for.

Rhoades also expands on why the Romney campaign is confident their economic-focused message will attract voters:

In his New Hampshire remarks, Governor Romney dubbed this a campaign of “diversions, distortions and distractions” but noted it wouldn’t work. “It’s still about the economy – and we’re not stupid.”
The Obama campaign’s calculation is understandable, given the current polling data:
· The president’s job approval remains mired below 50%. (46% – Fox News Poll, April 22-24)
· Most Americans believe the country is still in a recession. (83% – Fox News Poll, April 22-24)
· People strongly think the country is moving in the wrong direction. (59% – NBC News/WSJ Poll, April 13-17)
· Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe Obama’s policies have either hurt economic conditions in the country or had no impact. (63% – NBC News/WSJ Poll, April 13-17)
· Less than one-third of Americans believe that if President Obama is re-elected, economic conditions in the country will be helped. (31% – NBC News/WSJ Poll, April 13-17)