Latest Survey Ranking U.S. Presidents

[Gunnar]

Results of the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey

This survey included widely respected historians and political scientists from a wide spectrum of political views from Democrats to independents, liberal to conservative. There was not as much disagreement between those of Democrat vs. Republican or liberal vs. conservative views as one might expect. All were mostly agreed on who belonged in the highest rankings and who deserved the lowest rankings, though there were some differences of opinion and the exact placing of the rankings. For example, the overall consensus was that Trump deserved to be in the lowest place. Democrats and independents certainly agreed on that, but even the Republican members ranked Trump as the 41st worst President of all time, and even they ranked Biden significantly above Trump.

#1 was Lincoln, according to both Democrats and the majority, while Republicans gave Washington the #1 rating and Lincoln the #2 rating. Democrats rated Washington #3 and FDR #2, who was #3 for the Republicans. Thus, Republicans and Democrats both agreed on who the top 3 Presidents were -- just not on their exact rankings.

Also, interestingly, Republicans ranked the Democrat, Clinton, higher (#10) than did the Democrats (#12).

Also interesting was that Republicans rated Obama in 15th place, higher than they ranked GW Bush (#19). They ranked GHW Bush #11. Democrats ranked Obama as #6, GHW Bush #19 and GW Bush #33.

I encourage you all to link to the survey I linked to, and to compare the tables and rankings. I'm sure at least some of you will find it interesting.

ETA: I found it interesting that all groups, whether conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat, independent, and moderate agreed on ranking Monroe #17.

[Jersey Girl]

Is that the one where Mr. Shoot Somebody on Fifth Ave. takes his rightful place at rock bottom?

[Gunnar]

Is that the one where Mr. Shoot Somebody on Fifth Ave. takes his rightful place at rock bottom?

Jep! That's the one! Click on the link and look at the various tables and scores. I found them very interesting. Most embarrassing to Trump, perhaps, is the fact that even William Henry Harrison (ranked #41), who served only a month before he died, ranked higher than Trump, who ranked dead last in the ratings! Only Republicans gave Trump a higher rating than W. H. Harrison, just barely, though. Their ranking of Trump was #41, while they rated Harrison #42.

[Dr. Shades]

I wouldn't put much stock into any of this. Rankings may be fine for presidents who served during living memory, but for ones before that? I doubt an assessment can be made that's anywhere near "accurate."

[Morley]

I wouldn't put much stock into any of this. Rankings may be fine for presidents who served during living memory, but for ones before that? I doubt an assessment can be made that's anywhere near "accurate."

Interesting take, Shades. I wonder why you put the word accurate in scare quotes.

Anyway, if by "accurate," you mean accurate, I'd postulate the opposite. Generally speaking, in the age of the printing press, the closer we are to the time when the person served, the worse we are at judging the long term impact of their time in office. Through the lens of history, often more information comes to light that impacts our opinion of the guy (and yeah, stupidly, they were all guys) who was Commander-in Chief.

Case in point: Warren G. Harding. Harding was quite popular in his day. It was mostly only after his death that the scope of his malfeasance was revealed, and his statue was toppled by the opinions of historians.

edit:

Hell. Look at the stuff that we know about Joseph Smith today that many of his contemporaries were blind to. A little cognitive and emotional distance can change everything.

[ajax18]

Results of the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey

This survey included widely respected historians and political scientists from a wide spectrum of political views from Democrats to independents, liberal to conservative. There were was not as much disagreement between those of Democrat vs. Republican or liberal vs. conservative views as one might expect. All were mostly agreed on who belonged in the highest rankings and who deserved the lowest rankings, though there were some differences of opinion and the exact placing of the rankings. For example, the overall consensus was that Trump deserved to be in the lowest place. Democrats and independents certainly agreed on that, but even the Republican members ranked Trump as the 41st worst President of all time, and even they ranked Biden significantly above Trump.

#1 was Lincoln, according to both Democrats and the majority, while Republicans gave Washington the #1 rating and Lincoln the #2 rating. Democrats rated Washington #3 and FDR #2, who was #3 for the Republicans. Thus, Republicans and Democrats both agreed on who the top 3 Presidents were -- just not on their exact rankings.

Also, interestingly, Republicans ranked the Democrat, Clinton, higher (#10) than did the Democrats (#12).

Also interesting was that Republicans rated Obama in 15th place, higher than they ranked GW Bush (#19). They ranked GHW Bush #11. Democrats ranked Obama as #6, GHW Bush #19 and GW Bush #33.

I encourage you all to link to the survey I linked to, and to compare the tables and rankings. I'm sure at least some of you will find it interesting.

ETA: I found it interesting that all groups, whether conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat, independent, and moderate agreed on ranking Monroe #17.

I'd like to know exactly which Uniparty RINOs were considered the historical experts on this question? Trump is on his way to a landslide victory for the Republican nomination with much less money than Nicky Haley. How many Republicans are voting for her over Trump? RINOs are likely way overrepresented among conservative respondents of this presidential ranking. I'm sure even Mitt Romney considers himself somewhat conservative, as do the founders of the Lincoln project. Heck Schmo even calls himself a conservative at times. All this proves is that most RINOs are just as fascist as the Democrats with their willingness to sink to any level of lawfare to bankrupt, silence, and imprison their political opponents in a Putin-light manner.

[Morley]

Results of the 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey

This survey included widely respected historians and political scientists from a wide spectrum of political views from Democrats to independents, liberal to conservative. There were was not as much disagreement between those of Democrat vs. Republican or liberal vs. conservative views as one might expect. All were mostly agreed on who belonged in the highest rankings and who deserved the lowest rankings, though there were some differences of opinion and the exact placing of the rankings. For example, the overall consensus was that Trump deserved to be in the lowest place. Democrats and independents certainly agreed on that, but even the Republican members ranked Trump as the 41st worst President of all time, and even they ranked Biden significantly above Trump.

#1 was Lincoln, according to both Democrats and the majority, while Republicans gave Washington the #1 rating and Lincoln the #2 rating. Democrats rated Washington #3 and FDR #2, who was #3 for the Republicans. Thus, Republicans and Democrats both agreed on who the top 3 Presidents were -- just not on their exact rankings.

Also, interestingly, Republicans ranked the Democrat, Clinton, higher (#10) than did the Democrats (#12).

Also interesting was that Republicans rated Obama in 15th place, higher than they ranked GW Bush (#19). They ranked GHW Bush #11. Democrats ranked Obama as #6, GHW Bush #19 and GW Bush #33.

I encourage you all to link to the survey I linked to, and to compare the tables and rankings. I'm sure at least some of you will find it interesting.

ETA: I found it interesting that all groups, whether conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat, independent, and moderate agreed on ranking Monroe #17.

I'd like to know exactly which Uniparty RINOs were considered the historical experts on this question? Trump is on his way to a landslide victory for the Republican nomination with much less money than Nicky Haley. Somehow I don't think these RINOs are a small minority in the Reppublican party. All this proves is that most RINOs are just as fascist as the Democrats with their with their willingness to sink to any level of lawfare to bankrupt, silence, and imprison their political opponents in a Putin-light manner.

I'm genuinely interested in how you would rank the list, Ajax.

Edit: I'm guessing you'd put FDR dead last. How about names like Lincoln, Washington, Buchanan, Monroe, Madison, Trump, Bush one and two, Reagan, Teddy, Truman, Jackson, etc?

[Gunnar]

Interesting take, Shades. I wonder why you put the word accurate in scare quotes.

Anyway, if by "accurate," you mean accurate, I'd postulate the opposite. Generally speaking, in the age of the printing press, the closer we are to the time when the person served, the worse we are at judging the long term impact of their time in office. Through the lens of history, often more information comes to light that impacts our opinion of the guy (and yeah, stupidly, they were all guys) who was Commander-in Chief.

Case in point: Warren G. Harding. Harding was quite popular in his day. It was mostly only after his death that the scope of his malfeasance was revealed, and his statue was toppled by the opinions of historians.

Edit:

Hell. Look at the stuff that we know about Joseph Smith today that many of his contemporaries were blind to. A little cognitive and emotional distance can change everything.

I am more inclined to believe your take on the relative accuracy of the list than Shades' take. I have extreme doubt, though, that future historians will ever rate Trump highly. He is surely destined to be ranked as one of the most corrupt, dishonest and bigoted Presidents as long as there still exist honest, well-informed historians. I predict, if anything, that disdain for him and what he did and tried to do will only grow in time, even by conservative scholars of political science and history, perhaps even especially by conservative historians. To believe otherwise one has to be as ignorant and blind as a bat, or even worse, as blind and historically and willfully ignorant as ajax.

[Doctor Steuss]

I'd like to know exactly which Uniparty RINOs were considered the historical experts on this question?

The linked paper in the OP gives the selection criteria for respondents. Curiously, it didn't include "must be a Uniparty RINO."

[Dr. Shades]

I wouldn't put much stock into any of this. Rankings may be fine for presidents who served during living memory, but for ones before that? I doubt an assessment can be made that's anywhere near "accurate."

Interesting take, Shades. I wonder why you put the word accurate in scare quotes.

Because criteria that might make a former president look good to one person might be the very same criteria that makes a former president look bad to another. Hence why it’s no more possible to make an “accurate” list of presidents from best to worst than it is to make an “accurate” list of songs from best to worst.