Europe Debt Crisis Could Whack Obama

National pollster John Zogby gives President Obama a grade of C plus for week 150 of his presidency.

E-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: 150

"After a quiet Thanksgiving weekend, the president goes campaigning for votes in make-or-break Pennsylvania and for money in New York City. In Washington, Obama and the Democrats should have Republicans backed into a corner by tying extension of the payroll tax cut to raising taxes on millionaires. But scoring political points won't calm the fears voters have about losing their jobs. Team Obama has to enjoy the rise of Newt Gingrich as a very legitimate challenger to Mitt Romney, especially since Herman Cain's flame-out should send many of his voters Newt's way. There is at least temporary good news in the European debt crisis, with U.S. markets climbing after intervention by European central banks. But this dire situation is far from over. And a new crisis may be brewing in Iran with government-backed militancy toward the west that is reminiscent of the 1979 hostage taking."

This week's grade: C+

Last week's: C+

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).

• See photos of the Obamas behind the scenes.
• See editorial cartoons about President Obama.
• See who's been visiting the White House.

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