Pollster John Zogby updates our weekly Obama Report Card with a grade on the president's performance. Zogby uses his polling, expert analysis, and interaction with major players to come up with a grade and some comments that capture how he sees the president's week ending.
John Zogby on Week 115:
"The president's decision to lead NATO forces into a 'no-fly zone plus' military intervention in Libya may still lack clarity to voters, even after his address to the nation. Pundits seemed frustrated that no Obama doctrine emerged from the speech, but you would think we have all learned that Obama wants to be a problem solver whose policy decisions are more situational than doctrinaire. Voters fear we will be sucked into a long-term commitment to Libyan rebels; and considering their lack of arms and organization, that concern is more than reasonable. There are also rebels in Washington, as Tea Party Republicans are refusing to take yes for an answer on government spending cuts and demanding deeper cuts than those laid out several months ago by their expert budget hawk, Rep. Paul Ryan. These rebels are more a problem for Speaker John Boehner than President Obama, as blame for government shutdowns usually fall more heavily on legislators."
This week's grade: C+
Last week's: B-
John Zogby is Chairman of the Board and Chief Insights Officer for IBOPE Zogby International, a non-partisan public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience working in more than 70 countries around the globe. IBOPE 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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