Saturday, February 19, 2011

Gallup: Reagan Rated Best President Ever

Gallup, in a poll released Friday, asked 1,015 adults to name the president they regard as the greatest in history and Ronald Reagan finished first at 19 percent.

Reagan was followed by Abraham Lincoln at 14 percent and Bill Clinton at 13 percent. One in 20 named Barack Obama — who ranked seventh overall — behind Franklin Roosevelt but ahead of his Republican distant cousin, Theodore.

The survey, taken to coincide with Presidents Day, says more about how little historical perspective normal Americans have than about actual historic significance.

Recent presidents tend to dominate the list — in part because their names are easiest for respondents to remember. The four most recent presidents, for example, landed in the poll’s top 10, while Andrew Jackson, the first modern president, was rated No. 1 by less than one half of 1 percent of respondents.

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