Presidential rankings

[Collier11]

Just some different variations of what the common folk think of presidents


ABC poll

An ABC News poll about presidential greatness, taken 16–20 February 2000, asked 1012 adults in the US, "Who do you think was the greatest American president?"[11]

1. Abraham Lincoln (19%)
2. John F. Kennedy (17%)
3. Franklin Roosevelt (11%)
4. No opinion (10%)
5. Ronald Reagan (9%)
6. George Washington (8%)
7. Bill Clinton (7%)
8. Theodore Roosevelt (4%)
9. George H.W. Bush (4%)
10. Thomas Jefferson (3%)
11. Harry Truman (2%)
12. Richard Nixon (2%)
13. Jimmy Carter (1%)
14. Dwight Eisenhower (1%)

Rasmussen Reports poll

A Rasmussen Reports poll taken June 13–24 of 2007 asked 1,000 randomly selected adults to rate America's presidents. Six presidents — George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy — were rated favorably by at least 80% of respondents.

1. George Washington (94% favorable, 2% unfavorable)
2. Abraham Lincoln (92% favorable, 4% unfavorable)
3. Thomas Jefferson (89% favorable, 4% unfavorable)
4. Theodore Roosevelt (84% favorable, 8% unfavorable)
5. Franklin D. Roosevelt (81% favorable, 12% unfavorable)
6. John F. Kennedy (80% favorable, 13% unfavorable)
7. John Adams (74% favorable, 9% unfavorable)
8. James Madison (73% favorable, 8% unfavorable)
9. Ronald Reagan (72% favorable, 22% unfavorable)
10. Dwight Eisenhower (72% favorable, 15% unfavorable)
11. Harry Truman (70% favorable, 14% unfavorable)
12. Andrew Jackson (69% favorable, 14% unfavorable)
13. Gerald Ford (62% favorable, 26% unfavorable)
14. John Quincy Adams (59% favorable, 7% unfavorable)
15. Ulysses S. Grant (58% favorable, 24% unfavorable)
16. George H.W. Bush (57% favorable, 41% unfavorable)
17. Jimmy Carter (57% favorable, 34% unfavorable)
18. William Taft (57% favorable, 15% unfavorable)
19. Woodrow Wilson (56% favorable, 19% unfavorable)
20. Bill Clinton (55% favorable, 41% unfavorable)
21. James Monroe (49% favorable, 10% unfavorable)
22. Herbert Hoover (48% favorable, 34% unfavorable)
23. Lyndon B. Johnson (45% favorable, 42% unfavorable)
24. Andrew Johnson (45% favorable, 26% unfavorable)
25. Chester Arthur (43% favorable, 17% unfavorable)
26. James A. Garfield (42% favorable, 16% unfavorable)
27. William McKinley (42% favorable, 24% unfavorable)
28. George W. Bush (41% favorable, 59% unfavorable)
29. Grover Cleveland (40% favorable, 26% unfavorable)
30. Calvin Coolidge (38% favorable, 31% unfavorable)
31. Rutherford B. Hayes (38% favorable, 19% unfavorable)
32. Richard Nixon (32% favorable, 60% unfavorable)
33. Benjamin Harrison (30% favorable, 35% unfavorable)
34. Warren Harding (29% favorable, 33% unfavorable)
35. James Buchanan (28% favorable, 32% unfavorable)
36. James Polk (27% favorable, 21% unfavorable)
37. Zachary Taylor (26% favorable, 18% unfavorable)
38. Martin Van Buren (23% favorable, 19% unfavorable)
39. William Harrison (21% favorable, 16% unfavorable)
40. Franklin Pierce (17% favorable, 25% unfavorable)
41. Millard Fillmore (17% favorable, 25% unfavorable)
42. John Tyler (9% favorable, 15% unfavorable)

Washington College poll

A Washington College poll about presidential greatness, taken February 11, 2005, asked 800 adults in the US, "Thinking about all the presidents of the United States throughout history to the present, who would you say was America's greatest president?"[12]

1. Abraham Lincoln (20%)
2. Ronald Reagan (15%)
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt (12%)
4. John F. Kennedy (11%)
5. Bill Clinton (10%)
6. Other/Don't Know (9%)
7. George W. Bush (8%)
8. George Washington (6%)
9. Theodore Roosevelt (3%)
10. Dwight Eisenhower (3%)
11. Jimmy Carter (2%)
12. Thomas Jefferson (2%)
13. Richard Nixon (1%)
14. John Adams (<1%)
15. Andrew Jackson (<1%)
16. Lyndon Johnson (<1%)

Gallup poll

A Gallup poll about presidential greatness, taken February 9–11, 2007, asked 1006 adults in the US, "Who do you regard as the greatest United States president?"[11]

1. Abraham Lincoln (18%)
2. Ronald Reagan (16%)
3. John F. Kennedy (14%)
4. Bill Clinton (13%)
5. Franklin Roosevelt (9%)
6. Other/None/No opinion (8%)
7. George Washington (7%)
8. Harry Truman (3%)
9. George W. Bush (2%)
10. Theodore Roosevelt (2%)
11. Dwight Eisenhower (2%)
12. Thomas Jefferson (2%)
13. Jimmy Carter (2%)
14. Gerald Ford (1%)
15. George H.W. Bush (1%)
16. Richard Nixon (0%)

Recent president polls

These polls evaluate Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower and later succession.
Quinnipiac University poll

A Quinnipiac University poll, taken May 23–30, 2006, asked 1,534 registered American voters to pick the worst U.S. President of the last 61 years.[13]

"Which of these eleven presidents we have had since World War II would you consider the worst president — Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush?"

1. George W. Bush (34%)
2. Richard Nixon (17%)
3. Bill Clinton (16%)
4. Jimmy Carter (13%)
5. Don't Know/No Answer (5%)
6. Lyndon Johnson (4%)
7. George H. W. Bush (3%)
8. Ronald Reagan (3%)
9. Gerald Ford (2%)
10. Harry Truman (1%)
11. John Kennedy (1%)
12. Dwight Eisenhower (<1%)

residential Approval Ratings, Since 1950
Below are the highest and lowest approval ratings ever received by a president in a national opinion poll throughout his presidency.

President Highest Rating Lowest Rating
Harry Truman 87% 23%
Dwight Eisenhower 79% 48%
John F. Kennedy 83% 56%
Lyndon Johnson 79% 35%
Richard Nixon 67% 24%
Gerald Ford 71% 37%
Jimmy Carter 75% 28%
Ronald Reagan 68% 35%
George H.W. Bush 89% 29%
Bill Clinton 73% 37%
George W. Bush 90% 29%

Source: Can West News Service; CNN; "The Ups and Downs of Presidential Popularity," Ron Faucheux, Campaigns and Elections magazine.

President's Name 2009 Final Score Overall Ranking
2009 2000
Abraham Lincoln 902 1 1
George Washington 854 2 3
Franklin D. Roosevelt 837 3 2
Theodore Roosevelt 781 4 4
Harry S. Truman 708 5 5
John F. Kennedy 701 6 8
Thomas Jefferson 698 7 7
Dwight D. Eisenhower 689 8 9
Woodrow Wilson 683 9 6
Ronald Reagan 671 10 11
Lyndon B. Johnson 641 11 10
James K. Polk 606 12 12
Andrew Jackson 606 13 13
James Monroe 605 14 14
Bill Clinton 605 15 21
William McKinley 599 16 15
John Adams 545 17 16
George H. W. Bush 542 18 20
John Quincy Adams 542 19 19
James Madison 535 20 18
Grover Cleveland 523 21 17
Gerald R. Ford 509 22 23
Ulysses S. Grant 490 23 33
William Howard Taft 485 24 24
Jimmy Carter 474 25 22
Calvin Coolidge 469 26 27
Richard M. Nixon 450 27 25
James A. Garfield 445 28 29
Zachary Taylor 443 29 28
Benjamin Harrison 442 30 31
Martin Van Buren 435 31 30
Chester A. Arthur 420 32 32
Rutherford B. Hayes 409 33 26
Herbert Hoover 389 34 34
John Tyler 372 35 36
George W. Bush 362 36 NA
Millard Fillmore 351 37 35
Warren G. Harding 327 38 38
William Henry Harrison 324 39 37
Franklin D. Pierce 287 40 39
Andrew Johnson 258 41 40
James Buchanan 227 42 41

[Collier11]

I have no motivations in posting this, I just thought it was interesting to look at

[Ardmore_Sooner]

If you got beat by William Harrison, you know you had an awful presidency.

[ouwasp]

That was indeed interesting.

My own take: Buchanan ought to be at the bottom of most any ranking system; the man allowed his country to begin falling apart w/o making any effort to restore it. Conversely, Lincoln led the nation through civil war when it would have been so easy to let the rebels have their way.

Washington was unique.

Modern day: Reagan was my fave/ Carter least... what a weak leader he was.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

I just don't see how a guy who was president for 30 days could be anywhere but last.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Or perhaps FIRST! lol

I know my favorite made #4 in the ABC poll....

[Collier11]

Word

[MrJimBeam]

George Washington finishing equal to or behind Bill Clinton is stuning.

[TUSooner]

Does strength of schedule and margin of victory figure in there?

G. Washington is often underestimated, probably due to perceived familiarity and the passage of time. But he was indeed unique and, imho, the best evar President. But for his greatness, he would have been the first AND LAST President we ever had.

Mostly these polls seem to show the narrow vantage points of the people polled. Heck, I couldn't give a good reeason for voting for more than a meagre handfull of those guys.
Kennedy? He gets pity votes for being a handsome young man who got shot.
Clinton? How he gets votes is just a mystery, although his administration didn't seem to perform down to his personal character.
Buchanan deserves dead last for reasons noted by ouwasp, and WH Harrison arguably should be off the list since he lasted only a month.

Chester Arthur never gets enough credit for being a reformer of government and the father of the modern US Navy, as well as for his bitchin sideburns.

[soonerscuba]

Washington was pretty much handed the keys to be a dictator and said no thanks. Given the history of the human race, this is an amazing act of self control.

[Sooner04]

I just don't see how a guy who was president for 30 days could be anywhere but last.
Read up on Warren Harding.

George Washington should be #1 on any and all lists. We know what a President is and how a President should carry himself because of the precedent established by Washington.

[49r]

It kind of surprises me how low Eisenhower rated in most of these polls. He'd be one of my top choices.

[OklahomaTuba]

FDR should be A LOT lower.

[NormanPride]

FDR led us through WWII you dolt. He served three terms and just because he enacted socialist reforms to try and stave off the worst depression in the history of the country doesn't mean he wasn't an amazing president that made millions of peoples' lives better.

My favorite is Ike. Washington is the blueprint, so I don't think he counts. :P

[MrJimBeam]

just because he enacted socialist reforms to try and stave off the worst depression in the history of the country doesn't mean he wasn't an amazing president that made millions of peoples' lives better.



Obama for greatest president evar!!!!!!!

[OklahomaTuba]

and just because he enacted socialist reforms to try and stave off the worst depression in the history of the country doesn't mean he wasn't an amazing president that made millions of peoples' lives better.

He's the reason it WAS the worst depression in history, you dolt.

His Socialist Reforms for the most part were a major failure, something our current disaster in chief obviously hasn't figured out either.

He also rounded up thousands of minorities into camps and confiscated their property simply because of their ethnicity, and died in the arms of his mistress in his love shack while millions of soldiers were off trying to keep us from speaking German or Japanese.

Oh, and ever heard of his Court Packing plan?? That should've been grounds for impeachment.

So yeah, he did get us through a difficult time, but he was in no way a Great President, or person.

[soonerscuba]

If you ignore that whole winning WWII, providing the foundation for superpower status, funding socially relevant organizations both public and private, and being one of the most beloved and revered leaders by both the populace and a wide majority of historians and thinkers, he really wasn't that great of a president.

[C&CDean]

Lincoln gets WAY too much credit. As does JFK. Any list without Washington at the top is null and void.

I can only rate the ones I've lived under and they go like this:

Reagan
Ike
Bush I
Nixon
Ford
LBJ
Bush II
Clinton
JFK
Peanut boy
Obama

[OklahomaTuba]

If you ignore that whole winning WWII, providing the foundation for superpower status, funding socially relevant organizations both public and private, and being one of the most beloved and revered leaders by both the populace and a wide majority of historians and thinkers, he really wasn't that great of a president.I think most people understand that there were a lot more people and reasons than FDR responsible for winning WW2, but his leadership & charisma cannot be denied.

As for him being beloved by the populace, not sure he was all that more popular than any other President. But it does help when you're showing your supporters with special benefits and controlling what the media says about you and your policies.

Hell, he kept the fact that he was even in a wheel chair out of the news. Now THAT is power.

[lexsooner]

Lincoln gets WAY too much credit. As does JFK. Any list without Washington at the top is null and void.

I can only rate the ones I've lived under and they go like this:

Reagan
Ike
Bush I
Nixon
Ford
LBJ
Bush II
Clinton
JFK
Peanut boy
Obama


Hasn't your family been prosperous and still unharmed by terrorist attack in the last year under Obama? Those were the only criteria Bush II needed to meet in order to get your stamp of approval as POUS, so what gives with Obama?

[starclassic tama]

i'm surprised obama's peace prize didn't vault him to #1 on this list

[C&CDean]

Hasn't your family been prosperous and still unharmed by terrorist attack in the last year under Obama? Those were the only criteria Bush II needed to meet in order to get your stamp of approval as POUS, so what gives with Obama?

It was? Dang, you know more about me than me:rolleyes:

[C&CDean]

And no, I'm not prospering under Obama like I have previous admins. This is the first time - in 35 years with the same company - that I won't get a raise. The. First.

[lexsooner]

It was? Dang, you know more about me than me:rolleyes:

Well, Dean, you said it enough times in last couple of years whenever you said you were ok with Bush II as Prez, despite the fact you admitted he looked and sounded stoopid. I wouldn't have remembered but for the fact you kept saying it on this board. Personally, I always thought if it walked and quacked like a duck, . . . . .

[C&CDean]

You know what you sound like? A good Baptist preacher - digging out just the nuggets of gospel you need to make you sound like you have a point. Meh.

There's a lot of things I liked about GWB. The WOT was just one of them. There's also some things I hated. Like his Democrat spending spree. But you continue to pull pieces of scripture out like little golden nuggets if it makes your taint tickle.

[NormanPride]

He's the reason it WAS the worst depression in history, you dolt.

His Socialist Reforms for the most part were a major failure, something our current disaster in chief obviously hasn't figured out either.

He also rounded up thousands of minorities into camps and confiscated their property simply because of their ethnicity, and died in the arms of his mistress in his love shack while millions of soldiers were off trying to keep us from speaking German or Japanese.

Oh, and ever heard of his Court Packing plan?? That should've been grounds for impeachment.

So yeah, he did get us through a difficult time, but he was in no way a Great President, or person.

The SEC, FHA, FICO, and Social Security are huge failures? Social Security may be a huge failure in the future, but for more than 50 years it has improved quality of life for the elderly. As for his popularity, he got elected three damn times, Tuba. FDR was a great president that led the greatest generation through some of the hardest times. He made tough decisions and took drastic action to fix what was viewed as a broken country. Before he took office America was flailing and poor. After he left, America was a superpower.

[C&CDean]

One small error there wonton. We didn't become a "superpower" until H.S. Truman bombed the ever-lovin' rice outta Nippon.

[Soonerwake]

Lincoln gets WAY too much credit. As does JFK. Any list without Washington at the top is null and void.

I can only rate the ones I've lived under and they go like this:

Reagan
Ike
Bush I
Nixon
Ford
LBJ
Bush II
Clinton
JFK
Peanut boy
Obama

All I gotta say is, dang you're old...

[NormanPride]

One small error there wonton. We didn't become a "superpower" until H.S. Truman bombed the ever-lovin' rice outta Nippon.

Touche, but FDR was the one that got that ball rolling. He just died before he could press the button himself.

[C&CDean]

He never would have had the nads to. Eleanor, on the other hand...

[soonerscuba]

He never would have had the nads to. Eleanor, on the other hand...He had the nads to fire bomb Tokyo and I'm pretty sure he didn't build the things in secret for jollies. You do realize that Truman didn't even know they existed until he was sworn, right?

[C&CDean]

Well I did read he had the nads to let Japan bomb Pearl Harbor and he was smart enough to get the carriers outta there too. By the end of his life, I'm not too sure he knew much of anything.

[OklahomaTuba]

The SEC, FHA, FICO, and Social Security are huge failures? Social Security may be a huge failure in the future, but for more than 50 years it has improved quality of life for the elderly.

You realize this is like saying Bernie Maddof was a great investor, right?

[NormanPride]

You realize this is like saying Bernie Maddof was a great investor, right?

I would not blame the abysmal mismanagement of Social Security over the years on its inventor. I agree it is a tempest of biblical proportions approaching shore, but had it been properly managed it could have been wonderful.

Of course, that's the way it is with most government handouts, sadly.

[soonerscuba]

Well I did read he had the nads to let Japan bomb Pearl Harbor and he was smart enough to get the carriers outta there too. By the end of his life, I'm not too sure he knew much of anything.I don't know about his mental facilities, but that 4th term was pretty much given to him so that he might see the end of the war as CC. I will accept most reasonable criticisms of the man except for saying that he didn't have the wherewithal to seriously kick some Jap and Nazi ***, because, well, scoreboard. Saying he was a bad president because of taxes or government expansion is like saying Jefferson was a bad president because he owned slaves, historical narrative must be accounted.

[SoonerInKCMO]

And no, I'm not prospering under Obama like I have previous admins. This is the first time - in 35 years with the same company - that I won't get a raise. The. First.

But I got the biggest raise I've gotten in almost 20 years of professional life while Obama was president... after getting laid off twice while Bush was president.

Point being? Anecdotal evidence ain't worth much. :D

[C&CDean]

But I got the biggest raise I've gotten in almost 20 years of professional life while Obama was president... after getting laid off twice while Bush was president.

Point being? Anecdotal evidence ain't worth much. :D

Hot damn, where the **** have you been my friend?

I can't help it if you work in the sex toys industry, I'm just happy you're still amongst the living. Nice to see you're still kicking.

[C&CDean]

The only thing that might make this night better is if Jeremy (yeah you, Stanley) showed your pretty face...

[C&CDean]

And JK. Galdamn I miss that boy.

[SoonerInKCMO]

Hot damn, where the **** have you been my friend?

I can't help it if you work in the sex toys industry, I'm just happy you're still amongst the living. Nice to see you're still kicking.


Thanks for the welcome. :) As for where I've been... well, I've been on "internal exile" and avoiding much of the stuff (e.g. South Oval political threads) that agitates me and ups my blood pressure for several months now. The crap just wore me out... I let myself get too worked up and made too many stupid, incendiary, pointless posts and had to step back for a while.

After living back amongst the hillbillies for a while, I guess it's time to come back and see what y'all are up to. ;)

And I'm not in the sex toys industry - I'm all about clean-burning CH4 now.

[ouwasp]

I like this thread..... all the FDR talk makes me want to throw this out there:

My grandpa was probably one of the very few Oklahomans that voted against Roosevelt all four times. For some reason I've always felt a little proud of that. :)

When it comes to over-rated, JFK, all the way.

[85Sooner]

Thanks for the welcome. :) As for where I've been... well, I've been on "internal exile" and avoiding much of the stuff (e.g. South Oval political threads) that agitates me and ups my blood pressure for several months now. The crap just wore me out... I let myself get too worked up and made too many stupid, incendiary, pointless posts and had to step back for a while.

After living back amongst the hillbillies for a while, I guess it's time to come back and see what y'all are up to. ;)

And I'm not in the sex toys industry - I'm all about clean-burning CH4 now.

Government money?

[SCOUT]

He had the nads to fire bomb Tokyo and I'm pretty sure he didn't build the things in secret for jollies. You do realize that Truman didn't even know they existed until he was sworn, right?

I find it hugely ironic that you brag about FDR's "nads" when firebombing civilian cities, yet condemn GWB for tactical strikes where potential civilians were wounded by things like shards of glass.

[soonerscuba]

I find it hugely ironic that you brag about FDR's "nads" when firebombing civilian cities, yet condemn GWB for tactical strikes where potential civilians were wounded by things like shards of glass.Wow, I had no idea I condemned GWB for that, thanks for the heads up. Nads isn't the right word really, he took appropriate measures to ensure that a victory was framed and accomplished while meeting a stated objective, GWB did not. I have no problems the methods we use right now, I have a problem with the reason.

[John Kochtoston]

Oh, and ever heard of his Court Packing plan?? That should've been grounds for impeachment.


How so?