Politics: Would You Prefer a President Who Is Book Smart or Street Smart?

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Politics Would You Prefer a President Who Is Book Smart or Street Smart? The Slate/SurveyMonkey Political Survey asks the campaign questions no one else will. By Katy Waldman Posted Friday, Aug 03, 2012, at 09:48 PM ET Call it the summer stalemate. It's hot outside, the presidential candidates are running from one rally to the next, but, for all their hustle, we don't really see much movement. In our last Slate/SurveyMonkey political survey, our pool of more than 1,000 registered voters told us that they felt the United States was veering off course; that around 30 percent—the largest plurality—"strongly disapproved" of Obama's efforts as president; and that, nevertheless, the American people would still rather have Obama change their tires and babysit the kids than Romney. Americans seem unhappy with the economy—particularly with dribbling jobs numbers—but Mitt's failure to connect with voters appears to be handing the advantage to Obama.    Well, in late July, we again took the temperature of more than a 1,000 registered voters and guess what? Thirty days have passed, Americans still don't like the economy, Obama still crests on a swell of charisma, and Mitt Romney still needs a personality coach. (Information on our respondents is available here. More information about SurveyMonkey Audience is here.) In July, a familiar 55 percent of survey-takers reported that the country was either "definitely" or "probably" heading in the wrong way. Still, the president's ineffable magnetism remains intact. When we reprised the auto-in-distress question ("If your car was broken down on the side of the road, which presidential candidate would you want to stop and help you change the tire?"), Obama's edge increased slightly ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate The Sikh Temple Shooter and His Lousy, Racist Hardcore Bands Would You Prefer a President Who Is Book Smart or Street Smart? The Olympic Games' Biggest Scandal: Bronze and Silver Medalists Stand at the Same Height on the Podium	Advertisement
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