With the world abuzz about Mitt Romney and his attempt to woo female voters, John Dickerson looks at the group that might be Romney's natural base -- male, small business owners.
In the battleground state of Ohio, the National Federation of Independent Business, a small business lobby, says 49 percent of Ohioans are employed by companies with fewer than 100 employees.
[Small business owners Phillip] Derrow and [Rick Malir] Malir are part of this demographic, and they have three obsessions: their employees, red tape, and the fear that they might lose what they've built.
..... They are nervous they'll lose what they've got. And they think the people in charge of making health care, labor, and tax laws have no idea what people like them are trying to do—which is take risks, grow their businesses, and create jobs.
Here's the thing, though. There aren't nearly enough small business owners to elect someone president. Having said that, small business owners are usually held in pretty high esteem by their fellow Americans, so they're not without considerable sway.
