Obama rated better president than Reagan?

1. 74

   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   According to a 2010 poll, Obama is far from viewed as the worst POTUS in history.
   What do you think?
   *ducks*
   http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/201 … mong-worst
   
   The survey, which ranks presidents using 20 different factors, shows Jefferson was the most intelligent president, Richard Nixon was the worst at integrity and avoiding crucial mistakes, Lincoln had the best overall ability, and Washington was the best leader.
   
   Here's the full list*:
   
   1. Franklin D. Roosevelt
   
   2. Theodore Roosevelt
   
   3. Abraham Lincoln
   
   4. George Washington
   
   5. Thomas Jefferson
   
   6. James Madison
   
   7. James Monroe
   
   8. Woodrow Wilson
   
   9. Harry Truman
   
   10. Dwight D. Eisenhower
   
   11. John F. Kennedy
   
   12. James K. Polk
   
   13. William Clinton
   
   14. Andrew Jackson
   
   15. Barack Obama
   
   16. Lyndon B. Johnson
   
   17. John Adams
   
   18. Ronald Reagan
   
   19. John Quincy Adams
   
   20. Grover Cleveland
   
   21. William McKinley
   
   22. George H. W. Bush
   
   23. Martin Van Buren
   
   24. William Howard Taft
   
   25. Chester Arthur
   
   26. Ulysses S. Grant
   
   27. James Garfield
   
   28. Gerald Ford
   
   29. Calvin Coolidge
   
   30. Richard Nixon
   
   31. Rutherford B. Hayes
   
   32. James Carter
   
   33. Zachary Taylor
   
   34. Benjamin Harrison
   
   35. William Henry Harrison
   
   36. Herbert Hoover
   
   37. John Tyler
   
   38. Millard Fillmore
   
   39. George W. Bush
   
   40. Franklin Pierce
   
   41. Warren G. Harding
   
   42. James Buchanan
   
   43. Andrew Johnson
   
   *There are only 43 ranking slots since Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th president; he left the White House only to return four years later for his second term.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      American Viewposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Wonder where he would place now that is 2 years later

      replyreport
   2. 74

      Kathleen Cochranposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Most of the problems we are dealing with today with the economy can be traced back to Ronald Regan and his deregulations.  I'm surprised he is as high on the list as he is.

      replyreport
2. 75

   Billy Hicksposted 12 years ago

   "Obama rated better president than Reagan?"
   
   This should go over well...
   
   
   *grabs the popcorn*

   replyreport
   1. 74

      Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Not to mention the poll is from 2010, when the economy was even suckier than now.

      replyreport
   2. 49

      druhepkinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Reagan is currently being pushed very hard by the GOP because they desperately need a hero and a nostalgic face of the party. It's just business as usual. They need to remind people of a prosperous era under Republican leadership, and if there isn't any they'll just make it up----like Reagan. The truth is Reagan wasn't that great a president. He WAS great for esteem of the country; we were respected and feared under Reagan, and he won the cold war. Reagan was also very charismatic and a great communicator. He was great for the country for our image, but truthfully his policies sucked, crippled our economy and he hurled us deeper into debt.

      replyreport
      1. 75

         Billy Hicksposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of this guy...
         
         
         
         
         Now, you were saying something about "needing a hero and a nostalgic face of the party"?

         replyreport
         1. 74

            Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Big difference.
            BC is alive and well and doing things today to make the world better.
            He may even get a second shot in the WH as First "Dude."
            
            Reagan the legend lives on. But realistically, there is NO nostalgic icon for the current Republican Party.

            replyreport
            1. 75

               Billy Hicksposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Lincoln set the bar too high, lol.

               replyreport
               1. 74

                  Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  RFLMAO.
                  Teddy Roosevelt carried a big stick and pole vaulted right over the standard.
                  But I hear you.
                  
                  I think the job has gotten arguably more complex and more impossible over the years. No that it ever was a slice of cherry pie!
                  

                  replyreport
         2. 49

            druhepkinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            You're only pointing out a difference between "needing" a nostalgic hero and "having" one. No one is trying to sell Bill Clinton. The reality is under Clinton, it was a time of peace and fiscal prosperity---and yes, people like the guy. No one is pushing countless books and biographies on us like with Reagan. It is what it is. He's a rock star.

            replyreport
            1. 75

               Billy Hicksposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               I'm not pointing out anything; I don't have any skin in this game. I think Obama and Romney are both terrible, I was only 10 when Reagan left office, and Bill Clinton can't run again so the point is moot.
               
               I was joking with MM about how the title of the thread was more than likely going to draw some of the more interesting characters the exists here.

               replyreport
               1. 74

                  Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  I'm not very transparent in my motives, am I?
                  

                  replyreport
                  1. 75

                     Billy Hicksposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     Lol, I'm surprised Josak hasn't found this one yet.

                     replyreport
                     1. 61

                        Josakposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                        What do you expect me to say on the matter? I feel pretty average about Obama.

                        replyreport
               2. 49

                  druhepkinsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  I agree, the title definitely pulled me in. I knew the responses would be intriguing. I just took your initial comment as a push for Reagan.
                  
                  
                  With that said, I don’t know if I’d trust any of these polls Mighty Mom. Unfortunately people these days aren't that bright, knowledgeable, or unbiased to do it correctly or judicially. There is absolutely no way using ANY criteria that Ronald Reagan ends up 2nd greatest president. I mean even above both Roosevelt’s, and George Washington, seriously lol??? People can slip this stuff by nowadays, but if people saw this list with Reagan as 2nd greatest president in my 5 grade class, there'd be a thunderous uproar of laughter and confusion. Likewise, Obama on the bottom just above W is also not very legitimate. It’s just hate and personal opinion. Love him or hate him, he hasn’t done anything the justifies being thrown into the 42nd spot, and even behind Andrew Johnson. Many folks give him a thumbs down, but still the president accredited for pushing healthcare reform, saving GM and killing Bin Laden cannot be ranked 2nd to last in principle alone. He's a president some folks don't agree with, but he isn't a disaster president. We had a few bad ones.

                  replyreport
            2. 72

               Reality Bytesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                
               
               Mr. Clinton was intelligent enough to endorse several pieces of legislation passed by a Republican majority Congress.  They were wise decisions and will leave Bill with a stellar legacy, because he did not merely talk about bipartisanship, he actually walked the walk!

               replyreport
               1. 93

                  e-fiveposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Clinton's signature accomplishment was the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, which led to a balanced budget during his last three years in office, and contributed to a vibrant economy in the mid and late 1990s.  But that act was passed with ZERO Republican votes--- Al Gore had to cast the deciding vote in the Senate.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnibus_Bu … ct_of_1993 
                  
                  Then the Republicans used his modest tax increase to run against him and the Democrats to take control of congress under Newt Gingrich-- who later shut down the government in a standoff with the Clinton administration.  So I would not exactly call it "bipartisan."

                  replyreport
                  1. 72

                     Reality Bytesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     There was a little bit more than one piece of legislation passed by Bill Clinton and a republican majority Congress!
                     
                     
                     Legislation and programs
                     
                     Major legislation signed
                     
                     September 13, 1994: Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
                     October 25, 1994: Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act
                     December 19, 1995: Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
                     December 29, 1995: Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act
                     February 8, 1996: Telecommunications Act of 1996
                     April 24, 1996: Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996
                     August 20, 1996: Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996
                     August 21, 1996: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
                     August 26, 1996: Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
                     September 21, 1996: Defense of Marriage Act
                     September 26, 1996: Mental Health Parity Act
                     August 5, 1997: Balanced Budget Act of 1997
                     August 5, 1997: Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
                     August 7, 1998: Workforce Investment Act of 1998
                     October 31, 1998: Iraq Liberation Act
                     November 3, 1998: Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act
                     November 12, 1999: Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act
                     December 21, 2000: Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000
                     [edit]Major legislation vetoed
                     Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. The veto was overridden.
                     
                     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency … ion_signed
                     
                     Compared to the current occupant of the White House, Bill Clinton was the bastion of bipartisanship!
                     
                     Republicans took control of Congress during the 1993 mid-term elections,  EVERY piece of legislation that he endorsed after 1994 was passed by a Republican majority Congress,  Mr. Clinton can thank Newt and the rest of the Congress for passing monumental pieces of legislation for Bill to endorse.  If you do not call that bipartisanship, how would you define it?
                     
                     By continuously complaining to the media like a full grown adolescent that he cannot work with the "Party of No"?  Complete and utter bulldroppings?  By closing out half of the Congress from sitting at the table to negotiate an amicable resolution to the nations problems?  Through not having the ability to maintain responsibility for his position?  By attempting to make excuse after excuse that nothing is his fault?  That an individual with absolutely no real world accomplishments felt it necessary to publish TWO autobiographies which is for the most part, full of lies, exaggerations, and falsehoods?  Is that your definition of a bipartisan President?

                     replyreport
                     1. 93

                        e-fiveposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                        I seem to remember a similar kind of demonization about Clinton-- and his wife--- when he was president.  Also, maybe something about impeachment, a special proscecutor investigating every element of his life for his entire time in office, videos being pushed by fundamentalist preachers calling him a drug dealer, allegations that Vince Foster was murdered, the whole health care debacle, etc.  Fox News went on the air in 1996, and started in on him.  Rush Limbaugh and talk radio started up in the early 90s and hit their peak just in time to ravage Clinton-- in fact, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that you cite was helpful in turning almost the entire AM band into a bunch of right wing talkers each trying to out-do each other on the horrors of his administration.
                        
                        I really think you're mis-remembering the "good old days" of supposed bipartisanship.

                        replyreport
                        1. 77

                           Uninvited Writerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                           And then there was the Republicans saying their job is to make sure Obama is a one-term president...from the very beginning of his presidency. And who were not going to agree to anything he proposed even if they used to be in favor of it.

                           replyreport
3. 72

   Reality Bytesposted 12 years ago

   I guess it all depends on who is conducting the poll?
   
   
   
   Likely Voters: Carter Was a Better President than Obama
   11:55 AM, JUL 3, 2012
   
   
   http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/lik … 48085.html
   
   
   According to a Newsweek/Daily Beast poll of likely voters, Barack Obama now rates behind Jimmy Carter in the pantheon of great presidents.  The poll asked likely voters to list the two best and the two worst presidents the history of the United States.  Here are the tallies, based on net results:
   
   
   Voters’ list of the 10 best presidents:
   
   1. Abraham Lincoln, +27 points (28 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-2)
   2. Ronald Reagan, +25 points (31 percent place in top-2, 6 percent place in bottom-2)
   3. Franklin D. Roosevelt, +22 points (23 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-2)
   4. John F. Kennedy, +19 points (19 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
   5. (tie) George Washington, +15 points (16 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-2)
   5. (tie) Bill Clinton, +15 points (28 percent place in top-2, 13 percent place in bottom-2)
   7. Thomas Jefferson, +6 points (6 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
   8. (tie) Teddy Roosevelt, +5 points (5 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
   8. (tie) Harry S. Truman, +5 points (5 percent place in top-2, 0 percent place in bottom-2)
   10. Dwight D. Eisenhower, +4 points (5 percent place in top-2, 1 percent place in bottom-2)
   
   Voters’ list of the 10 worst presidents:
   
   33. (tie) Andrew Johnson, -2 points (0 percent place in top-2, 2 percent place in bottom-2)
   33. (tie) Warren G. Harding, -2 points (0 percent place in top-2, 2 percent place in bottom-2)
   33. (tie) Calvin Coolidge, -2 points (0 percent place in top-2, 2 percent place in bottom-2)
   36. (tie) Lyndon B. Johnson, -3 points (1 percent place in top-2, 4 percent place in bottom-2)
   36. (tie) Gerald Ford, -3 points (1 percent place in top-2, 4 percent place in bottom-2)
   38. Herbert Hoover, -4 points (0 percent place in top-2, 4 percent place in bottom-2)
   39. George H.W. Bush, -9 points (4 percent place in top-2, 13 percent place in bottom-2)
   40. Jimmy Carter, -20 points (5 percent place in top-2, 25 percent place in bottom-2)
   41. Richard Nixon, -24 points (2 percent place in top-2, 26 percent place in bottom-2)
   42. Barack Obama, -25 points (11 percent place in top-2, 36 percent place in bottom-2)
   43. George W. Bush, -39 points (4 percent place in top-2, 43 percent place in bottom-2)
   
   Note: there are only 43 (rather than 44) presidents because Grover Cleveland (who tied for 25th) was both our 22nd and 24th president.

   replyreport
   1. 74

      Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for that updated poll, RB. Good find!
      
      I read through the entire poll and depending on what you wanted to highlight you could select out certain questions that show something quite different, indeed.
      The top and bottom numbers are aggregates and the questions were asked multiple ways so that a president would appear on the top list and the bottom list simultaneously.
      But point taken.
      
      I have no doubt that here on HP there will be significantly (possibly even statistically significant ) more who rate Obama down in the cellar with W and Carter than otherwise.
      
      Just goes to show numbers can prove anything we want them to. Can't they?
      

      replyreport
   2. 93

      e-fiveposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting that seven of the last nine presidents we've had are listed in the bottom eight spots on this poll.  Were they REALLY worse than Buchannan & Pierce (who did practically nothing as the Civil War developed), or Harding? And how do you even rate Garfield and William Henry Harrison, who were each only conscious for a few months or less in office?

      replyreport
      1. 74

         Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         That's easy. The poll is of a random sampling of Americans.
         I would maintain that the average American studied American history in high school civics (later social studies) class.
         Have zero memory of what they memorized back then.
         Only currently aware of what they have absorbed through the mass media and their own numbed out brains able to process.
         
         Sorry to be harsh about this, but do you think the "average" American today can even name more than 8-10 presidents, let alone what they did or did not do in their administrations?

         replyreport
4. 65

   Greek Oneposted 12 years ago

   Reagan vs Obama is not a fair comparison....
   
   Reagan was clinically dead for the last 3 years of his Presidency

   replyreport
5. 81

   Wayne Brownposted 12 years ago

   Deregulations is a sticky wicket for blame, Kathleen.  The U.S. airline industry was deregulated under the Carter Administration in 1978...was that such a bad thing? Most people can afford airline travel today because of that deregulation.  The deregulation of the trucking industry was fabricated under Carter and carried out in after Reagan was elected.  Up to 1980, approximately 100 carriers controlled the vast majority of the freight business in the  USA....most of them held under the thumb of the unions. There was little competition as all routes were insulated by granted authority.  After deregulation, just about every one of those top 100 companies disappeared because they did not know how to compete in the marketplace...they look to government to protect them.  Consumers again benefitted with lower freight rates and far more choices and today that industry is vibrant and growing in many areas.  Bill Clinton, with the help of Frank and Dodd, modified the Fair Housing Act and then went to work putting the pressure on the financial industry to drop their heavy financial scrutiny and join in the fray handing out 100% mortgages to anyone desiring it....damn the qualifying.  The Bush Adminstration warned Congress on numerous occasions that the situation in the home mortgage industry was out of control only to have it fall on the deaf ears of Democrat control in both chambers after 2007....the housing industry collapsed.  Ronald Reagan did not do that to us.  Neither did he stop the deregulation of the airline or the trucking industry by which we have benefitted over time.  Deregulating in the financial sector is not necessarily bad unless you have a government which is out pressuring the various key entities to engage in shaky transactions to foster the home mortgage policies designed to put everyone in a house....some utopian pipedream.  When it all came crumblilng down...the politicians ran away as usual and began a search for the guilty in the private sector.  Of course, there was not one there to testify that the government pushed things over the cliff....can't be....it's those greedy capitalist in the private sector doing it.  ~WB

   replyreport
6. 76

   junkoposted 12 years ago

   WB, Your bottom line is so true Democrats and Republican Politicians were in on it when no regulations was in place and the private sector Financial world decided to redistribute Federal Loan Garranties and share through lobbyist and a bi-partsan manner. That's why regulation are needed to control Capitalism. Trucking and Airlines are about transportation Capital is about finance.

   replyreport