Worst Presidents: A Survey of Major Polls
Ten points awarded to the lowest president on any list; nine to the second-lowest and so on
| President | C-SPAN, 1999 | Wall Street Journal, 2005 | Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., 1996 | Siena Poll, 2002 | Ridings-McIver Poll, 1996 | Total Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Buchanan | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 47 | 1 |
| Warren G. Harding | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 44 | 2 |
| Andrew Johnson | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 42 | 3 |
| Franklin Pierce | 8 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 31 | 4 |
| Millard Fillmore | 4 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 5 |
| John Tyler | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 6 |
| Ulysses S. Grant | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 7 |
| William Harrison | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 8 |
| Herbert Hoover | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | T-9 |
| Richard Nixon | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 10 | T-9 |
| Zachary Taylor | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| Jimmy Carter | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| Calvin Coolidge | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| James Garfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | T-13 |
| Chester Arthur | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T-13 |
Reader Comments
The top three worst presidents
1) Obama has to be the worst president ever. He has spent more of America's money than all the other Presidents combined, committed treason and is a traitor against the people of United States of America, and most importantly his agenda is for his own self-interest or self-gain to be THE world ruler. A very power hungery and evil person.
2) F.D.Roosevelt is the person whom obama has modeled his presidency after. Destroying the constitution of the United States of America for personal gain.
3) A three way tie between L.B.Johnson, J.Carter, and B.Clinton. Pick your own reason. But, before you do, research with an open mind and you might see the truth.
God, family, and then country is the proper order that our forefathers set so we would not have the chaos we have today. We are now a nation with out honor and integrity, void of intelligence and wisdom, looking for a hand-out and waiting for someone else to assume our own responsibilities. This is what these worst presidents have promoted, to bring out the worst in people.
Nixon not among the worst
Polls are just that, opinions, and it's difficult with even the most thoughtful process to average five different polls, all with a different constituency and methodology. This, in addition to the total unreliability of "rating" presidents within our lifetime, makes the Nixon result unreliable at best. Fifty years from now, Nixon will be considered average or better.
Another observer noted that Jimmy Carter should have made the top 10; I would agree based on what I know now (but, again, he is too recent a president to dispassionately evaluate). He failed in Iran, he was a failure as a communicator, he allowed the country to get into a "malaise" in part through lack of leadership, he accomplished little and the voters rejected him after only one term. While Nixon made serious mistakes, was paranoid, and was impeached, he was a serious student of foreign policy and helped confront the Soviet threat (beginning the line that allowed Reagan to declare victory over them) and opened the door to our most important trading partner, China, and as another writer noted, he got us out of Viet Nam that Kennedy and Johnson got us into. Further, Nixon has been called the greatest school desegregator in history and did much to promote racial equality and healing during his presidency.
Energy cost going up Thank you Obama
Here we go again an energy bill is coming America get ready for gasoline and cooling and heating of your home to double under the Obama White House ! you wanted it you are going to get it !
right where you deserve it In the aSSSSSSSSSS . another good screwing from the Liberal Democrats who are supposed to be looking out for the Little guy.
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