(CHARLOTTE) -- North Carolina 1st District Congressman G.K. Butterfield is at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. He disputes the accounts by Republicans that Americans are not better off now than they were four years ago.

"We have struggled to turn this economy around and it's working, positive private sector job growth, things are looking in the direction, not where we want it to be but certainly not what it was four years ago," said Butterfield.

Butterfield knows that even when the DNC wraps up later this week the race between President Obama and Mitt Romney will remain close. "And it's going to be determined by the debates, I believe, the President is going to really out shine Gov. Romney in the debates and we're going to contrast our position with the Republican's position."