President Clinton had a pretty good summer, politically speaking. But did he overcome one of his worst problems, lack of trustworthiness? That’s what we asked pollster Frank Luntz to find out for us last month: Of the last five presidents — Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton — who has been the most dishonest with the American people?
The bad news for Clinton is that he finished first — or is it last? — with 29 percent. The good news for Clinton is that he was only a whisker ahead of Reagan, who stood at 28 percent. The others: Bush (8), Carter (7), Ford (4). All of this suggests to us the extent to which Reagan and Reaganism remain fault lines in American politics — and that conservative realignment has a ways to go.
But so does Clinton. Those over the age of 30 — folks who were adults during the 1980s — found Clinton even more dishonest (31 percent). And among men, 33 percent said Clinton is the most dishonest.
