Grade: D
“When a presidential campaign and a presidency are all about the economy, then this was a devastating week for President Obama. In fact, devastating was the word that challenger Mitt Romney used to seize on bad unemployment news Friday and to seize the moment to underscore that this president is just not up to the job.
“For his part, Mr. Obama had a few terrible sound bites about his disappointment over slower job growth and Americans’ growing impatience. No new polling since Friday’s news, but the race is still close. Mr. Romney is staying on message, looking sharper in both words and photo ops, and is building an advantage in the polls on his ability to handle the economy. Perhaps he will see that advantage rise.
“The president still heavily outscores his GOP rival in his ability to connect with the middle class. But with the U.N. ambassador warning of all-out war over the Syrian crisis and the U.S. being forced to wait for Russia to act as a superpower to try to stop the blood, perhaps Mr. Romney might even score a few points on his charge that the U.S. has become weak. Bottom line: a very lousy week for the president.”
Last week’s grade: C
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