Obama Holds Steady, Thanks to Iran, Financial Overhaul

Pollster John Zogby regularly updates our Obamameter. Each week, Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a rating of between 1 and 100. Unlike his polls, the Obamameter is his judgment on the performance of the president once multiple factors are considered. In this week's Obamameter, Zogby says that the president has leveled at 82 as his policies on Iran and domestic issues face off with interparty cost concerns over healthcare.

"Obama moves cautiously forward on some big issues. On Iran, he offers some criticism of the election but doesn't try to interject the United States into the turmoil and allow Ahmadinejad to make us the straw dog in this fight. On new regulations for financial markets, he includes many compromises to lawmakers and the finance industry. On healthcare reform, he goes into the AMA lion's den and insists on a public option but is also open to curbs on malpractice suits. But his healthcare plan gets bad press and skepticism from some Democrats because of a CBO report on higher cost projections."

Last Week's Rating: 82

John Zogby is president and CEO of Zogby International, a public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience working in more than 70 countries. Founded and led by Zogby since 1984, Zogby International specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey research and analysis for corporate, political, nonprofit, and governmental clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, N.Y. John Zogby is also the author of The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream (Random House).

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