PRESIDENTIAL FAVES….Rasmussen Reports conducted a poll gauging Americans’ attitudes towards every U.S. president in history. There weren’t too many surprises.
Six American Presidents are viewed favorably by at least 80% of all Americans. Those esteemed six are led by the first President George Washington. The Father of our Country is viewed favorably by 94% of Americans. The sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln, is the second most popular. The man who gave us the Gettysburg Address is viewed favorably by 92%.
The next four are Thomas Jefferson (89%), Teddy Roosevelt (84%), Franklin D. Roosevelt (81%), and John F. Kennedy (80%).
And who fared the worst? No big surprises there, either.
The highest unfavorable rating for any President is earned by Richard Nixon. Sixty percent (60%) of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of the only President to resign from office. Thirty-two percent (32%) have a favorable opinion of the man who famously went to China.
Close on Nixon’s heels for most unpopular is the current President, George W. Bush. Fifty-nine percent (59%) have an unfavorable opinion of him.
It’s probably worth clarifying that the favorable/unfavorable rating was a combined score — Rasmussen gave respondents a choice between “very favorable, “somewhat favorable,” “somewhat unfavorable,” and “very unfavorable.” Nixon’s “very unfavorable” was 25%. George W. Bush’s was 40%.
I had two random questions, though. First, the only president who came close to George W. Bush for “very unfavorable” was William McKinley, who also got a 40%. Was this some kind of printing error? Does McKinley really have that many critics?
And second, who are the 6% of Americans who are reluctant to give George Washington the thumbs up? Is there some kind of anti-Washington contingent out there that’s gone largely unnoticed?
