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Inanity of Facebook Polls About Presidents

by George Jones on April 25, 2011

Now that anyone can create a poll on Facebook, it’s been interesting to see the polls being created – and none is more absurd than the poll results about who has been the worst President the last 30 years.

It’s almost a barometer of how deluded people are – or how partisan we’ve all become. George W. Bush is actually running neck-and-neck with Barack Obama.

George W. Bush chamber potThis stands in stark contrast with George W. Bush’s actual presidential performance – which could only be exceeded in infamy by someone actually trying to be the worst president of all time. Or Sarah Palin.

Clearly, cataloguing all of the stupid things that Bush did would take me hours, but let me hit his low points briefly:

• An unprovoked war in Iraq,
• That he didn’t pay for,
• In fact, he actually cut taxes,
• Twice,
• But pretty much just for rich people,
• Thus turning a projected budget surplus from the Clinton administration into $11 trillion of federal debt.

But, he did excel in other areas.

George BushPerhaps George W. Bush’s greatest achievement was in alienating the American people. In 2008 he attained the lowest approval rating of any president in the 70 years that Gallup had been taking the poll. His achievement in infamy was 28% approval and nearly 70% disapproval. But this is not to suggest that his ability to alienate others did not extend beyond our borders.

By the time George W. Bush left office, most of the world also thought he was the worst president they’d ever experienced. The Nobel Peace Prize given to President Obama signifies the planet’s collective sigh of relief for Bush’s departure from the world stage. Nothing else really explains the befuddling selection of Barack Obama for this honor.

By way of contrast, President Barack Obama saved the country from a total financial calamity (although this was initiated while Bush was still the President), saved the American auto industry, passed the most meaningful healthcare legislation in 40 years, cut taxes twice, and helped end the recession. His Gallup poll numbers, despite the ghastly hand-off from Bush, have never dipped below 40%.

A number of polling organizations from Quinnipiac to Rasmussen, whether surveying average American voters or presidential scholars to rank former presidents, have shown President George W. Bush placing no higher than ‘dismal’ in any of them.

It’s not that Bush was a complete failure. His humanitarian aid to Africa and assistance to tsunami victims are noteworthy aspects of efforts that not only were not blinding failures, but actually worked and helped people.

But the Facebook polls are running counter to what we already know as a historical fact. This makes it apparent that a lot of people are using some other factor (other than actual performance) for their selection.

I can only imagine what this would be.

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Deirdre April 26, 2011 at 4:48 pm

What galls me is folks who said criticizing GW while in office was an “unpatriotic” offense. Yet they have jumped on the bandwagon trashing Obama at every turn.

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George April 27, 2011 at 12:56 am

It’s odd having an entire broadcast network on that same bandwagon. The media pretty much gave GW a pass during his time in office.

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JT April 26, 2011 at 9:00 am

My most favorite thing that “W” did while in office… have telephone solicitors blocked. Something so insignificant to the world as a whole but enhanced my life completely.

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George April 26, 2011 at 12:19 pm

That’s perhaps the most popular piece of legislation – like, ever. 🙂

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