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WASHINGTON
- Apparently "absence makes the heart grow fonder" works in politics,
too. According to a new Quinnipiac University national poll, pluralities
of Americans think the last two presidents have been the worst since
World War II.
New poll says Obama, Bush, worst of post-World War II presidents
Poll
after poll shows President Obama’s approval rating dipping recently,
and one new Quinnipiac University Poll finds that voters say Mitt Romney
would have been a better choice in 2012.
WASHINGTON
• Apparently "absence makes the heart grow fonder" works in politics,
too. According to a new Quinnipiac University national poll,
pluralities of Americans think the last two presidents have been the
worst since World War II.
The poll, released this morning, says that 33 percent of respondents called Barack Obama the worst president since over the last 70 years, and 28 percent said that of George W. Bush. They outranked all other presidents for that dubious distinction.
Ronald Reagan (35 percent), Bill Clinton (18) and John F. Kennedy (15) scored best when respondents were asked to name the best president since World War II. Some 8 percent said that of Obama.
Missourian Harry S. Truman came in sixth best of the 12 presidents since World War II, with 4 percent calling him the best (a point behind Dwight Eisenhower). Truman and Kennedy had virtually no respondents calling them the worst, and therefore came across best in that category. Richard Nixon (13 percent) and Jimmy Carter (8 percent) were chosen as the third- and fourth-worst presidents in this poll.
Of the two judged worst, respondents were split when asked who was better - Obama (39 percent) or George W. Bush (40 percent).
Adding to the election-year woes for Obama and Democrats in the 2014 congressional races, 45 percent of respondents said the country would have been better off had Mitt Romney defeated Obama in 2012, while 38 percent said the United Sates would have been worse off.
If there is any consolation for Obama, it is that 34 percent of respondents called George W. Bush the worst president since World War II when a similar question was asked in 2006, the sixth year of Bush's presidency. Obama is now in the sixth year of his.
Obama's job-approval in this new poll is 40 percent; 53 percent disapproved.
Obama gets overall negative marks on handling of most issues, except for the environment, according to the poll. The highest disapproval - 58 percent - came on his handling of health care, as the rollout of "Obamacare" continues to be controversial.
Quinnipiac says it surveyed 1,446 registered voters nationwide by cell phone and land line, June 24-30, and that the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
The poll, released this morning, says that 33 percent of respondents called Barack Obama the worst president since over the last 70 years, and 28 percent said that of George W. Bush. They outranked all other presidents for that dubious distinction.
Ronald Reagan (35 percent), Bill Clinton (18) and John F. Kennedy (15) scored best when respondents were asked to name the best president since World War II. Some 8 percent said that of Obama.
Missourian Harry S. Truman came in sixth best of the 12 presidents since World War II, with 4 percent calling him the best (a point behind Dwight Eisenhower). Truman and Kennedy had virtually no respondents calling them the worst, and therefore came across best in that category. Richard Nixon (13 percent) and Jimmy Carter (8 percent) were chosen as the third- and fourth-worst presidents in this poll.
Of the two judged worst, respondents were split when asked who was better - Obama (39 percent) or George W. Bush (40 percent).
Adding to the election-year woes for Obama and Democrats in the 2014 congressional races, 45 percent of respondents said the country would have been better off had Mitt Romney defeated Obama in 2012, while 38 percent said the United Sates would have been worse off.
If there is any consolation for Obama, it is that 34 percent of respondents called George W. Bush the worst president since World War II when a similar question was asked in 2006, the sixth year of Bush's presidency. Obama is now in the sixth year of his.
Obama's job-approval in this new poll is 40 percent; 53 percent disapproved.
Obama gets overall negative marks on handling of most issues, except for the environment, according to the poll. The highest disapproval - 58 percent - came on his handling of health care, as the rollout of "Obamacare" continues to be controversial.
Quinnipiac says it surveyed 1,446 registered voters nationwide by cell phone and land line, June 24-30, and that the survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
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