Will Obama have to tear his opponent down, rather than run on his own record this coming election? When taking into consideration that most people seem to believe that this country is headed in the wrong direction according to most polls? What are your thoughts?

Of course. In fact, that's his published plan. It's not hard to get on his campaign mailing-list to learn such things.
According to the Obama campaign, their plan is to ridicule any mention of any fact about his record and to focus on ways his opponent is like a Democrat.
Really. The Democrat message for 2012 amounts to a two-pronged strategy:
> We have no record and have never done anything. Anyone who says we ever did anything is a lying retard.
> Don't vote for our opponents. They're too much like us.