WASHINGTON (MCT) — President Barack Obama’s campaign so far is convincing a lot of independent voters that Mitt Romney is a cold-hearted, out-of-touch rich guy.

Obama’s engaging in an age-old election-year summer tradition — define your lesser-known opponent in as horrid a manner as possible. It usually works, staggering challengers such John Kerry in 2004 and Bob Dole in 1996. And it impacts the campaign narrative — instead of focusing on Obama’s stewardship of the struggling economy, Romney in recent days has had to battle accusations about his own record in business.