Reagan, Clinton “Greatest” U.S. Presidents (George Washington barely ahead of Carter)

Angus Reid Consultants - CPOD Global Scan ^ | 2.20.05

[Muleteam1]

>>It looks to me like they took this poll in the express line at WalMart.<<

This poll is so boguss that it defies logic. It is scary that Gallup can cook up and publish such a invalid and childish poll but it explains why half the country is still voting for Democrats.

Muleteam1

[savedbygrace]

This is not so much a Greatest Presidents poll as it is a Most Familiar Names of Presidents poll.

[patriot_wes]

"What is surprising is that George Washington isn't ranked number one. After all, he only helped found a Republic"

Yea but everyone is told he helped found a democracy!

[Dead Corpse]

Bogus Poll...

Millard Fillmore isn't on the list anywhere. You'd think the man who signed legislation abolishing slavery, at long last, in Washington DC would get more mention...

[Grut]

You know, I would love to see one of these 'greatest Presidents' polls that included the names of, say, Lindbergh and MacArthur just to see what role vague name recognition plays.

[Savage Beast]

Some of these Americans are obviously the ones who couldn't find Canada and Mexico on the map.

[Savage Beast]

Not to mention Wasington's cherry tree tale and the ones about Honest Abe.

[x]

The poll is stupid because the average American probably isn't even capable of naming more than a handful of presidents prior to Roosevelt (Frankie, not Theo), without a cheat sheet, with the exception of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. Republicans name Reagan because that's the first name that pops into their head. Fortunately for us, he really was a great president. Democrats name Clinton, because that's the first name that jumps into their head. Greatness is irrelevant.

Well said. It's not like it's a scientific survey of scholarly opinion. You could try asking about great artists or great ballplayers. Most people will only be able to give at most a few names, because that's all they can remember at the moment or perhaps all they've ever been exposed to. For the same reason, the President always turns up on the list of most respected Americans, even if he's not a particularly respectable President.

But it may indicate a change in things. Time was people would answer "George Washington" automatically, as they would "Babe Ruth" if you asked them who the best baseball player was -- the assumption being that anybody around now couldn't compete with the real legends. But nowadays, people don't have that background and can only rely on whoever's been on TV lately. Pierce and Buchanan couldn't compete with historical/legendary memory, but today a politician, even the worst and most disreputable, who can get on TV has a good shot at being better known and better thought of than the greatest of the forgotten figures from the past.

[Bernard]

Actually, only 14 of the 43 Presidents are listed by name. So, to refer to the 3 with 1% as less popular than the 19 who don't even make the list by name is confusing. Besides, how do the people at the top of the list show up as "greatest" and 12-14 get called "least popular"? Sounds like a junior high project, with not a very robust grading system.

[F16Fighter]

I can't wait for the next bogus Gallup / CNN / USA Today poll...

The one that will place Helen Thomas and Whoopie Goldberg as topping the list of "America's Sexiest Women."

[rdcorso]

This only proves what a bunch of morons our schools turn out year after year.It's either that or they only questioned those from the inner city who don't like dead white men very much.

[writer33]

The poll is stupid because the average American probably isn't even capable of naming more than a handful of presidents prior to Roosevelt (Frankie, not Theo), without a cheat sheet, with the exception of Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. Republicans name Reagan because that's the first name that pops into their head. Fortunately for us, he really was a great president. Democrates name Clinton, because that's the first name that jumps into their head. Greatness is irrelevant.

Unfortunately, greatness shouldn't be irrelevant. It culminates back toward the public screwel system as well.

[zeebee]

Clinton is the greatest president because he turned control of the country over to the Republicans.

[LS]

Utterly ridiculous, and what's almost as bad is that two of the truly great ones aren't even mentioned---Cleveland and Coolidge.

[writer33]

Yes, but George1 and George3 have the same rating. Gotta love that. I believe that the two Georges will go down in history as two of the greatest. Ronnie will be right up there too.

That's true, but both George's shouldn't be ranked below Clinton. Period. As far as that's concerned, Kennedy shouldn't either. He really wasn't in long enough to be ranked.

[writer33]

We left him no choice.

[writer33]

Yea but everyone is told he helped found a democracy!

Roots that can be traced back to the public screwel system.

[writer33]

Yep.

[Darkwolf377]

I stand corrected. :)

I guess people are very "me" oriented and see themselves in Clinton. Now that I think of it, it seems like every piece praising Clinton praises his "political skills second to none" as if that in itself was some accomplishment.