WASHINGTON — For all the recent diversions over Medicare and abortion, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is still running a campaign that paints with a broad economic brush in hopes of rallying voters on jobs and fiscal policy. President Barack Obama, by contrast, is painting by the numbers, filling in the Democratic landscape step by demographic step.

The president's pointillist approach has been on sharp display in recent weeks as he has alternately tailored his campaign speeches and his ad campaigns to women, older voters and, most recently, new young voters who may not have been old enough to cast a ballot four years ago.

In each case, Obama has used Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, as foils, arguing that their policies would limit women's health care choices, force seniors to pay more for Medicare and cut back on student loans.