President Obama has formally gotten George W. Bush off the hook as the least popular or frankly worst president since World War II according to a Quinnipiac poll. That is saying quite a lot about the nation’s first African-American president since the dubious title as the worst president has him topping some presidents marred by their shortcomings such as Richard Nixon, who was badly tainted by the Watergate Scandal, and Jimmy Carter, who lead the nation to economic malaise and embraced the nation’s decline.
This doesn’t mean that the public has turned rosy on George W. Bush. He is still considered by the worst by 28% of respondents. It just so happens that Obama has surged past him at 33%. After Bush came, Richard Nixon at 13% and Jimmy Carter finished at 8%. In terms of who is considered the greatest post-WWII president, it is without question Ronald Reagan with 35% of the vote. Bill Clinton comes in a distant second at 18%. The late John F. Kennedy still remains beloved and is favored by 15% of respondents.
However, it is questionable how many people participating in the poll actually lived under the older presidents. Younger voters would have their views skewed by how the prior presidents are covered in history books.
As for the Gallup Presidential Approval-Disapproval poll, Obama’s approval rating is dismal at 40%. Historically speaking, presidential approval polls are a very accurate harbingers of how well his party will fare in the mid-term elections. At his current 40% approval rating, his party is heading towards a shellacking in November.