Pollster John Zogby grades the president’s week and how the week’s events affect his re-election chances:
Grade: B
“President Obama is faced with crisis after crisis. Egypt, Libya and Tunisia seemed to have cooled off, but now protests have hit Malaysia, Indonesia and Iran. New applications for unemployment have declined and voters have told an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll that they are doing better than they were a year ago.
“Most importantly for Mr. Obama is that his opponent is not gaining traction. I am being charitable: The campaign is volatile and the president’s post-convention afterglow started to fade. But Mr. Romney’s comments about writing off government moochers (my words, not his) has hurt.
“My new poll today has him down 49 percent to 41 percent. And believe me, I have polled likely voters and represented properly Democrats, Republicans and independents. The Republican challenger is overdue for a good week. It wasn’t this one. If the president still leads, he has to get an upgrade.”
Last week’s grade: C+
• Follow pollster John Zogby on Twitter (@thejohnzogby)
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