What do presidential rankings say about America? Apparently, we are nostalgic — for better economic times (see: Bill Clinton, ranked third) and happier, sun-drenched days aboard the presidential yacht (JFK).
Gallup likes to take America’s pulse every year on how we perceive as we look back. Here are the current Gallup rankings:
Kennedy, 85 percent
Reagan, 74 percent
Clinton, 69 percent
G. H.W. Bush, 64 percent
Ford, 61 percent
Carter, 52 percent
LBJ, 49 percent
GW Bush, 47 percent
Nixon, 29 percent
Huh. Carter more than Bush? And…Ford’s 61 percent? Gallup noted that Kennedy has ranked first since 1990. Also:
Is Carter suffering from frequent comparisons to Obama? We always believed history would be kind to George W. Bush — who left office with an approval rating in the 20s. Gallup concurs, noting that opinions about presidents tend to “soften” once they are out of our hair and building their libraries/writing their memoirs or whatever.
