Posted on 12/27/2010 6:51:30 PM PST by freespirited
Some very interesting things have emerged in Gallup’s 2010 “Most Admired” survey. That America’s most admired man is Barack Obama is not one of them. He is the president, you know. And even when his job-approval ratings took a dramatic downward turn, polls continued to show that Americans liked him as a person, policies aside. May he figure out how to turn this enduring admiration into collective and sustainable national purpose.
Now for the fun part: Guess who has the No. 2 spot. None other than George W. Bush. Normally, there’d be nothing remarkable in the last president being the second-most admired man in the country. But because the anti-Bush attack machine had so doggedly tried to paint him as a frightening historical outlier it’s stunning to see him treated like any American president. So much for the validity of an eight-year long, millions-strong politico-cultural movement. Bush only goes up from here.
And speaking of ex-presidents, Bush beat out Bill Clinton for the No. 2 spot. The modern-day superhero of American politics came in third, one point behind the recent embodiment of political evil (Among independents, Clinton beat Bush by one percentage point). Amazing what two years of bad liberal policy will do to sharpen the assessment facilities of the American people.
And speaking of Clintons, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton topped the most-admired female list. Again, Americans respect their sitting leaders. It’s almost disturbingly difficult to point to anything noteworthy that Hillary Clinton has done this year. Okay, it is disturbingly difficult. Perhaps, she enjoyed the benefit of any comparison with her boss in the White House. The 2008 election still looms large in the national consciousness and the sense of “choice” between the two has never completely faded, especially among Democrats.
And speaking of the 2008 election, the Democrats’ national nightmare, Sarah Palin, came in second to Hillary. Palin beat out none other than omnipresent cultural goddess Oprah Winfrey, who came in third (Both beat out First Lady Michelle Obama, who came in fourth).
To my mind, the big win goes to Palin. For all the pundit chatter about her not being a viable contender for president, the public admires her more than the most beloved media personality in the country. Like Oprah, Palin channeled her talent to connect with Americans toward its most efficient use. The Tea Party allowed her to showcase her ability, raise her market value, and serve a cause she believes in: America. Right before the eyes of antagonistic columnists and hostile comics she became the credible face of the most transformative political movement the country has seen in decades. Her faults are apparent enough, but it’s not hard to see how the right circumstances are able to bring her talents center stage. And it’s not hard to see why everyone loves lists.
“To my mind, the big win goes to Palin. For all the pundit chatter about her not being a viable contender for president”
Exactly she kicked Butt!
She kicked the BIG Butt!
What’s that popping and splattering sound I hear?
LOL!!!
New keyboard time... LOL
“She kicked the BIG Butt!”
LMAO She sure did.
Could be liberals brains exploding that Glenn Beck tied Jimmy Carter for 8th place.
Obama & Hillary....the delusion is strong.
Palin, OTOH, while 5 points behind Hillary was also 7 points ahead of Michele (and one point ahead of Oprah). This is akin to being an order of magnitude ahead of the rest of the pack.
BTTT!
George W. Bush is awesome and it is becoming increasingly impossible to continue with rational cases for the Bush Hate.
Obama embodies the anti-Bush. And we now see clearly where such a path leads.
The Bush bashers have gotten their just desserts.
TWO big butts...Ophra and Michelle...
Could be liberals brains exploding that Glenn Beck tied Jimmy Carter for 8th place.
Oh, it's liberal heads exploding, alright, but it's because Sarah Palin ranked so high in the poll, and Dubya ranked ahead of Bubba.
Heh.... you were the first one to get it.
I don’t know about awesome but he sure wasn’t as bad as he was made out to be. I think he is a good and honest man and I think he did a good job given the circumstances of his presidency. I didn’t like everything he did but I feel he did much less harm than good.
He much deserves the cleansing he is receiving and I am glad to see it.
And they sure as hell didn’t ask any of us. Otherwise Bambi would have been relegated to the bottom of the heap along with Hilly, Billy, Moochie and Winnie.
I've never figured out this concept. How do you like someone as a person if you don't personally know them? Political figures, outside of their friends, can only be known by their public policies/actions. If you don't like their policies/actions, then how can you like them at all? Ridiculous.
I have to agree. People who have never met her detest Sarah Palin personally. Something about that simply isn’t sane.
Graphically so!
I think I got all the coffee out..... Lol
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