Gingrich's Rise, Jobs Report Boost Obama

National pollster John Zogby gives President Obama a grade of B for week 151 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: 151

"A nice week for the president. Newt Gingrich has emerged as the actual Republican frontrunner. The unemployment rate went down. The president gave a big thematic speech about the national inequality of wealth and opportunity. Congressional Republicans are divided on how to handle extension of the payroll tax cut. The Eurozone avoided collapse. Each has its caveat. Gingrich could certainly implode. The drop in the jobless rate may be a blip or just a result of people dropping out of the jobs market. Speeches won't change our macroeconomic condition and might not even impress the Occupy Wall Street movement whose themes he exploited. And Lord knows, neither the fiscal crisis in Europe nor gridlock with Congress are resolved. But this is a weekly report card, and Mr. Obama deserves an improved grade."

This week's grade: B

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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