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Among Recent Presidents, Clinton is Tops With Historians
Yahoo! News ^ | March 09, 2007 | Tim Blessing and Anne Skleder

Posted on 03/11/2007 11:20:43 AM PDT by mcvey

In a recent poll, more than 250 college and university history professors placed former President Bill Clinton as the best president of the last quarter entury, Ronald Reagan as the second best, followed by Jimmy Carter and then the first President Bush. (The current president was excluded since his term of office had not yet ended.) The survey also asked the historians to rank the recent Secretaries of State and Supreme Court justices as well as the relative threat to constitutional liberties posed by presidential actions.

Dr. Tim H. Blessing, Professor of History and Political Science at Alvernia College, Reading, Pa., has conducted presidential polls for many years as part of the Presidential Performance Study. Since 2001, he has been joined in ranking presidents by Dr. Anne Skleder, Associate Professor of Psychology. They asked historians, all with doctoral degrees and all teaching full-time at a college or university, to rank these four presidents as "great," "near great," "above average," "average," "below average," or "failing." Using this system, Clinton received the highest average score, though no historian ranked him as one of the "Greats." Reagan garnered a number of "great" marks, but also received numerous "below average" marks, dragging down his score and indicating that he is still a polarizing figure.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: academia; academicbias; barfalert; carter; clinton; clintonlegacy; dnctalkingpoints; eliangonzalez; ghwbush; hehadacopresident; heletosamabinladengo; impeachedx42; indoctrination; liberalelites; reagan; reaganbashing; theoralsexpresident; waco; wtc1993bombing
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I know Blessing some and Skleder a little. I did fill out their survey; it was lengthy and the PR folks apparently edited down the results to this. I would like to see the rest of the results, but have no idea if they could release it.

Blessing mentioned to me that he and Skleder would be giving their results last fall at a history conference and that they would be reporting on systematic biases they had found in the survey.

I know nothing about what happened but there have been no hints within the profession as to what he and Skleder said.

I just now went and looked up when they were assigned times to present the results of the survey at the Social Science History Conference. They were assigned early Sunday morning--that is called "burying a report."

1 posted on 03/11/2007 11:20:52 AM PDT by mcvey
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To: mcvey

Clinton...BBBBBWWWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!!!!


2 posted on 03/11/2007 11:21:37 AM PDT by bannie
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To: bannie

As big a laugh as that is.....CARTER!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!


3 posted on 03/11/2007 11:22:47 AM PDT by big'ol_freeper (It looks like one of those days when one nuke is just not enough-- Lt. Col. Mitchell, SG-1)
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To: mcvey

In the words of the late Jerry Clower, 'them professors are clearly educated way beyond their intelligence'.

Emperor Billigula #1?

Only in immorality, depravity, corruption and treason.

And Jimmah STP Carter runs neck and neck with him.

Ronald Reagan's honorable name shouldn't even be in the same article with those two scumbags.


4 posted on 03/11/2007 11:25:13 AM PDT by mkjessup ("ahhh don't feel noways tired...ahhh've come too faaaaaar...from whar ahhh started from...!")
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To: mcvey

This just goes to show what I've always known. The vast majority of historians are full of sh*t.


5 posted on 03/11/2007 11:26:23 AM PDT by COEXERJ145 (Bush Derangement Syndrome Has Reached Pandemic Levels on Free Republic.)
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To: mcvey

If this is coming from university professors, then it explains the dumbed-down younger voter population.


6 posted on 03/11/2007 11:26:34 AM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: mcvey
They asked historical revisionists, all with doctoral degrees and all teaching full-time at a college or university,
7 posted on 03/11/2007 11:28:02 AM PDT by Amerigomag
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To: mcvey

There is so much material to scandalize about .


8 posted on 03/11/2007 11:28:31 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heros have always been cowboys--Reagan and Bush)
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To: mcvey

Read David Horowitz books. He shows how much the American Society of Historians is dominated by Marxists.


9 posted on 03/11/2007 11:28:58 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: mcvey

We are going to have to wait until the 60s generation dies off, then we can start rewriting all the history they wrote.


10 posted on 03/11/2007 11:29:52 AM PDT by microgood
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To: microgood

Microgood<

I agree with you. My generation truly screwed things up.

McVey


11 posted on 03/11/2007 11:32:57 AM PDT by mcvey (Fight on. Do not give up. Ally with those you must. Defeat those you can. And fight on whatever.)
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To: mcvey
Ya know I really miss that 17% mortgage I had when Carter was prez.
12 posted on 03/11/2007 11:34:40 AM PDT by ditto h
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To: mcvey

Who rates Presidents over a mere 25 year period? Silly.


13 posted on 03/11/2007 11:34:50 AM PDT by montag813
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To: microgood

And Clinton did... um, WHAT in office (besides satisfying himself sexually), EXACTLY...???

We've come to a turning point in our culture that we don't really want to face -- the liberal half of the country is literally, certifiably, insane. Detached from reality kind of insane. The kind of insane that would claim the word "marriage" is "hate speech" and rally for their own country to LOSE a war.

I guess we're at the point where if you REALLY want to educate your kids, you'll make sure they stay as far away from school as possible.


14 posted on 03/11/2007 11:35:41 AM PDT by Pravious
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To: microgood

And Clinton did... um, WHAT in office (besides satisfying himself sexually), EXACTLY...???

We've come to a turning point in our culture that we don't really want to face -- the liberal half of the country is literally, certifiably, insane. Detached from reality kind of insane. The kind of insane that would claim the word "marriage" is "hate speech" and rally for their own country to LOSE a war.

I guess we're at the point where if you REALLY want to educate your kids, you'll make sure they stay as far away from school as possible.


15 posted on 03/11/2007 11:35:43 AM PDT by Pravious
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To: montag813
"Who rates Presidents over a mere 25 year period?"

The pin head liberals to whom he was a cultural icon. Of course history will have it's own opinion of them.

16 posted on 03/11/2007 11:36:00 AM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: Pravious

[Huh? What? I did not post that twice... honestly!]


17 posted on 03/11/2007 11:36:36 AM PDT by Pravious
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To: mcvey
In a recent poll, more than 250 college and university history professors...

I stopped right there. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more solidly left-wing group than this. That they stupidly chose Clinton reveals much about their political bias, and as such, renders the poll absolutely meaningless.
18 posted on 03/11/2007 11:38:17 AM PDT by reagan_fanatic (I have a big carbon footprint and I'm not afraid to use it.)
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To: mcvey

A lot of knowledge is apparently more dangerous than a little knowledge. Clinton and Carter are without doubt among the worst Presidents in our history


19 posted on 03/11/2007 11:38:41 AM PDT by fortcollins
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To: big'ol_freeper
GoodNESS!! Carter?????????????????????? Who are the brain dead who make these choices?
They asked historians, all with doctoral degrees and all teaching full-time at a college or university, to rank these ...."
Oh...I see.
20 posted on 03/11/2007 11:42:11 AM PDT by Clara Lou (Run, Fred, run!)
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To: montag813

Montag:

I was one of the 250 who filled out the survey. It was a legitimate survey. If Blessing and Skleder or whoever would release the whole thing, you could see that it was well-built and covered much more than the ratings of four presidents. I am fascinated by the fact that the broad range of questions were not released. As I remember there were questions on military interventions, educational policies, economic policies and even things such as personal characteristics on it.

I just sent Blessing an e-mail and will pass on his response when I get it.

McVey


21 posted on 03/11/2007 11:42:29 AM PDT by mcvey (Fight on. Do not give up. Ally with those you must. Defeat those you can. And fight on whatever.)
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To: Wuli
I think you mean the American Historical Association, although presumably the other organizations are equally dominated by the left/liberal types.

Back in the mid-'90s the AHA was planning to hold its annual convention in Cincinnati, when the voters of Cincinnati adopted a resolution that the left didn't like (something along the lines of saying that gays are not entitled to special privileges). The AHA then moved the site of its convention although that cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars...but they had to teach the "bigots" in Cincinnati a lesson.

22 posted on 03/11/2007 11:43:35 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: mcvey

followed by Jimmy Carter ....
-------
WTF????

10% unemployment
15% Inflation
20% Intrest rates


23 posted on 03/11/2007 11:45:40 AM PDT by Finalapproach29er (Dems will impeach Bush if given a chance.)
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To: mcvey

Clinton over Reagan? Uh, ok.


24 posted on 03/11/2007 11:46:38 AM PDT by zendari
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To: mcvey

This could be more a tribute to the thinking process of such professors rather than a grading of administrations. It says right here that Jimmy Carter wasn'y any kind of a President, good, bad or indifferent in the last quarter century.


25 posted on 03/11/2007 11:46:54 AM PDT by stevem
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To: mcvey

I remember I once read a survey of "historians" that ranked Reagan in the bottom quarter. What does this tell you? Historians are mostly libs.


26 posted on 03/11/2007 11:48:50 AM PDT by AVNevis (In memory of Emily Keyes (1990-2006))
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To: fortcollins
Yes, you've got it right. I guess if you are a democrat president you automatically have to be rated above any republican.

A president who is impeached and one that virtually singlehandedly ruined the economy during his administration, as well as letting the Shah of Iran be deposed, should not even be considered as a valid candidate for a "good" rating.
27 posted on 03/11/2007 11:49:44 AM PDT by Tony O (hibobbi!)
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To: mcvey

Gee, it's such a surprise that the liberal university system would gush over Krinton. Most public school history books say damn near nothing about Presidents Lincoln, Kennedy, and Reagan but they have entire chapters devoted to Karter and Klinton, too. They're always busy filling the next generation full of crap and are succeeding grandly. Makes me sick.


28 posted on 03/11/2007 11:52:38 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity (Liberalism is a social disease.)
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To: mcvey
Bill Clinton was a great President...for left-wing academics, many of whom now inhabit the Federal bureaucracy.
29 posted on 03/11/2007 11:52:38 AM PDT by andy58-in-nh
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To: Verginius Rufus

They did that again over a labor dispute at one site (St. Louis?) to demonstrate solidarity with the workers.

I think the Organization of American Historians did the same thing several years later.

McVey


30 posted on 03/11/2007 11:53:46 AM PDT by mcvey (Fight on. Do not give up. Ally with those you must. Defeat those you can. And fight on whatever.)
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To: bannie

ROTFLOL.


31 posted on 03/11/2007 11:54:25 AM PDT by freekitty
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To: mcvey
I agree with you. My generation truly screwed things up.

Being from the 70s generation, I do not think we are much better. Does not bode well for the future.
32 posted on 03/11/2007 11:54:51 AM PDT by microgood
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To: montag813

The same boneheads who watched this year's Oscars and thought it was just wonderful how the celebrities just gushed over Al "School Flunk-out" Gore.


33 posted on 03/11/2007 11:55:44 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity (Liberalism is a social disease.)
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To: mcvey
I just sent Blessing an e-mail and will pass on his response when I get it.

Thank you. That will be very interesting to see.

34 posted on 03/11/2007 11:55:59 AM PDT by oremites
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To: Finalapproach29er

Says a lot about where the liberals want this country to be, doesn't it?


35 posted on 03/11/2007 11:56:45 AM PDT by Excuse_My_Bellicosity (Liberalism is a social disease.)
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To: Pravious
Detached from reality kind of insane. The kind of insane that would claim the word "marriage" is "hate speech" and rally for their own country to LOSE a war.

That pretty much sums up the situation. I really think the effect of this psychotic generation will eventually wear off, although that may be wishful thinking.
36 posted on 03/11/2007 11:56:58 AM PDT by microgood
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To: mcvey
In a recent poll, more than 250 college and university history professors

Har! That's where I stopped. I trust Wikipedia more than I trust that simple litter of socialist mice.

37 posted on 03/11/2007 11:57:44 AM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: mcvey

>>Among Recent Presidents, Clinton is Tops With Historians<<

They only include the last 25 years - thats not very many presidents.


38 posted on 03/11/2007 11:58:56 AM PDT by gondramB (It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.)
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To: Tony O

When I belonged to the AHA in the 80's, 6000 historians attended the annual conferance. So, 250 is a small sample. A historian worth his salt would not opine on events in his own lifetime, imho. That is easy for a medievalist to say, I suppose.


39 posted on 03/11/2007 12:01:01 PM PDT by ClaireSolt (Have you have gotten mixed up in a mish-masher?)
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To: mcvey
It was a legitimate survey.

That doesnt mean it wasnt filled out by mostly legitimate idiots.

40 posted on 03/11/2007 12:01:13 PM PDT by lowbridge ("Of course Americans should vote Democrat" -Jihad Jaara, senior member, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade)
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To: big'ol_freeper

People that vote this way....ar perverted nitwits
to begin with....They all wantthe killing of our
troops t stop...but they agree t kill (abor) babies..
millions of them. Clinton was bette than Carter...
Reaan was better than both of them and you can bet
on it.... JK


41 posted on 03/11/2007 12:02:13 PM PDT by sanjacjake
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To: mcvey

Yes, I remember the labor dispute in St. Louis (which may have had a racial angle to it also), but I don't remember which organization it was--I think maybe the OAH. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't the AHA.


42 posted on 03/11/2007 12:06:16 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Finalapproach29er
followed by Jimmy Carter ....

He did such a swell job with Iran and the hostage crisis and all.

43 posted on 03/11/2007 12:09:13 PM PDT by 6SJ7
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To: mcvey

He's their buddy, of course. Historians won't admit it but they are a bunch of school girl groupies with respect to WJC.


44 posted on 03/11/2007 12:11:01 PM PDT by jimfree (Freep and ye shall find.)
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To: mcvey
They like Clinton because he was polite to them!

He said "While you are on your knees, will you please?".
45 posted on 03/11/2007 12:17:25 PM PDT by HuntsvilleTxVeteran (Remember the Alamo, Goliad and WACO, It is Time for a new San Jacinto)
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To: Verginius Rufus

I'm quite willing to believe it was the OAH that bugged out of St. Louis. Maybe over the Adams' Mark hotel? I am too lazy to go dig it out and the last AHA conference I attended was, well, let's put it this way: ROTFLMAO. I heard a spirited defense of Michael Bellisles based on the fact that while he may have faked his data, we really don't require honest data in a post-Modern Era because no data is honest. I pointed out in one session that one of the reasons that the Fatamids were often tolerant of Christian monestaries well up the Nile River was because they couldn't do much else, the monestaries were too far away and the abbots went out of their way to maintain good government in their regions (cited the bishop of Durhamn clause as a parallel) and was met with shocked silence. Haven't been back since.

McVey


46 posted on 03/11/2007 12:24:54 PM PDT by mcvey (Fight on. Do not give up. Ally with those you must. Defeat those you can. And fight on whatever.)
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To: mcvey
Among Recent Presidents, Clinton is Tops With Historians

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha . . . . . . . . .

Historians!!??? I think not!

I call them "REVISIONISTS"!!

47 posted on 03/11/2007 12:35:09 PM PDT by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: mcvey; All

Why is anybody surprised ..??

Most of the "Historians" of today are extreme left wing elitists. Of course they're going to pick democrats .. I mean get real ..!!


48 posted on 03/11/2007 12:40:16 PM PDT by CyberAnt (Drive-By Media: Fake news, fake documents, fake polls)
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To: mcvey

Is my math that bad to see that Carter was not a president in the last quarter century?

2007-25=1982

Carter shouldn't have been included if the survey was 'legitimate'.


49 posted on 03/11/2007 12:42:46 PM PDT by Pox (If it's a Coward you are searching for, you need look no further than the Democrats.)
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To: mcvey
My generation truly screwed things up.

If you feel responsible for these people, say so. But don't include me in your generalized mea culpa. I may be part of the boomer generation, but I reject the guilt the children are trying to thrust upon us. They will have their own sins to atone for.

50 posted on 03/11/2007 12:42:54 PM PDT by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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