Our presidential report card graders Jed Babbin and John Zogby had a lot to chew over this week. Zogby focused on the positive report on jobs and wages go tive President Obama a high grade. Babbin took note of the president’s energy tax proposal and the administration’s weakening of immigration to give Obama a below average grade.
John Zogby
“While the punderati (my word) were engaged in Iowa and onward to New Hampshire, we almost forgot that there is a president still occupying the White House. This was the week of two failed summits — one in Vienna concerning Syria, and the other at the White House involving President Obama, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, and Speaker Paul Ryan. Neither went well. The Vienna meeting broke up after a couple of days over procedural issues and mistrust among participants. The White House luncheon broke up over serious political differences and mistrust among the participants. Yet there are still people who want this job. The president’s polling numbers did not suffer — his approval and disapproval are tied.
“January’s Labor Department report brought reality and help to the president: 151,000 new jobs, seasonally adjusted additions to job growth in the previous two months, wages up 2.5 percent, and a 4.9 percent unemployment rate.”
Grade — B+
Jed Babbin
“Facing the prospect of being labeled a lame duck President Obama began a race for relevance. Though the media spotlight was on Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders and the Republicans, Obama seems able to keep himself in the news pretty easily. For his first visit to a mosque as president, Obama chose a Baltimore mosque that allegedly has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical organization that has been declared a terrorist organization by Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Obama took the opportunity to bash Republican candidates for anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“Brandon Judd, president of union representing border patrol agents, told congress that Obama has revived the ‘catch-and-release’ program in which illegal aliens aren’t arrested or ordered to show up for deportation hearings.
“The White House indicated that Obama’s final budget proposal, to be released next week, will include a new ‘clean transportation; program to finance high-speed rail and mass transit with a $10/barrel tax on oil. That cost would, of course, be passed on to consumers. That idea — and the budget proposal — will be DOA in Congress.”
Grade — D
John Zogby is the senior analyst for Zogby Analytics and author (with Joan Snyder Kuhl) of “The First Globals: Understanding, Managing, and Unleashing our Millennial Generation.” Follow him at @TheJohnZogby.
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him @jedbabbin.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
