As noted on Twitter, David Gergen said not long ago that, based on this last appearance by the president, he’s concluded Obama is “back in his groove.” A reader notes, “I think he means ‘rut.’”

But Gergen said something else almost useful. He noted that Obama is entering his second year in office, and that traditionally, presidents have pretty tough second years. Gallup finds presidential approval ratings dropping by about five percentage points on average, and you figure George W. Bush’s slight increase from 2001 to 2002, heavily fueled by the 9/11 aftermath, skews this average a bit. Obama began 2010 with 50 percent approval.

The American Spectator’s Phil Klein quips, “Let’s see how groovy Obama feels if Friday’s job numbers are weak.” Which seems like as good a reason as any to link to my video illustrating the dynamics among “employed workers”, “unemployed workers,” and “discouraged workers,” using my little guy’s plastic animal figures.