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History News Network Poll: 61% of Historians Rate the Bush Presidency Worst
April 1, 2008
By Robert S. McElvaine
Mr. McElvaine teaches history at Millsaps College. His latest book, Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America, has just been published by Crown.
“As far as history goes and all of these quotes about people trying to guess what the history of the Bush administration is going to be, you know, I take great comfort in knowing that they don’t know what they are talking about, because history takes a long time for us to reach.”— George W. Bush, Fox News Sunday, Feb 10, 2008
A Pew Research Center poll released last week found that the share of the American public that approves of President George W. Bush has dropped to a new low of 28 percent.
An unscientific poll of professional historians completed the same week produced results far worse for a president clinging to the hope that history will someday take a kinder view of his presidency than does contemporary public opinion.
In an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted over a three-week period through the History News Network, 98.2 percent assessed the presidency of Mr. Bush to be a failure while 1.8 percent classified it as a success.
Asked to rank the presidency of George W. Bush in comparison to those of the other 41 American presidents, more than 61 percent of the historians concluded that the current presidency is the worst in the nation’s history. Another 35 percent of the historians surveyed rated the Bush presidency in the 31st to 41st category, while only four of the 109 respondents ranked the current presidency as even among the top two-thirds of American administrations.
At least two of those who ranked the current president in the 31-41 ranking made it clear that they placed him next-to-last, with only James Buchanan, in their view, being worse. “He is easily one of the 10-worst of all time and—if the magnitude of the challenges and opportunities matter—then probably in the bottom five, alongside Buchanan, Johnson, Fillmore, and Pierce,” wrote another historian.
The reason for the hesitancy some historians had in categorizing the Bush presidency as the worst ever, which led them to place it instead in the “nearly the worst” group, was well expressed by another historian who said, “It is a bit too early to judge whether Bush's presidency is the worst ever, though it certainly has a shot to take the title. Without a doubt, it is among the worst.”
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for all the off record closed door meetings. We all trust you...
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for all the deaths on 9/11. We know you are the best at keeping us safe...even when the FBI warns you of possible attacks by planes.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for all the soldiers who died in your quest for oil.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for all the civilians who died in Iraq. Several hundread thousand...minor collateral damage in your books mr president.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for controlling illegal immigration and the open border. The parents of anchor babies have pictures of you in every room in their house.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for alienating the world against the United States. The majority of the world truly loves us it is such genuine love too.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for setting the secret footwork in creating the AMERO.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for such great planning AFTER we invaded Iraq
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for catching Osama bin Laden.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for fixing Social Security
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for fixing Medicare
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for a weak dollar.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for nearly doubling our national debt
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for the outstanding Katrina response
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for allowing poppy seeds to continue to thrive in Afghanistan.
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for nearly 50 million Americans cant afford health insurance
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for our overstretched military
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for a 1 trillion annual trade deficit
Originally posted by solarstorm
Thank you mr president for record high energy prices
Originally posted by solarstorm
I would ALSO like to thank the president for his 7 1/2 years of service to this country.
I ALSO agree there is so much to acknowledge so here are my thanks to the president. History will judge you accordingly mr president. Memories will not fade quickly.
Thank you mr president for all the off record closed door meetings. We all trust you...
Thank you mr president for all the deaths on 9/11. We know you are the best at keeping us safe...even when the FBI warns you of possible attacks by planes.
Thank you mr president for all the soldiers who died in your quest for oil.
Thank you mr president for all the civilians who died in Iraq. Several hundread thousand...minor collateral damage in your books mr president.
Thank you mr president for controlling illegal immigration and the open border. The parents of anchor babies have pictures of you in every room in their house.
Thank you mr president for alienating the world against the United States. The majority of the world truly loves us it is such genuine love too.
Thank you mr president for setting the secret footwork in creating the AMERO.
Thank you mr president for such great planning AFTER we invaded Iraq
Thank you mr president for catching Osama bin Laden.
Thank you mr president for fixing Social Security
Thank you mr president for fixing Medicare
Thank you mr president for a weak dollar.
Thank you mr president for nearly doubling our national debt
Thank you mr president for the outstanding Katrina response
Thank you mr president for allowing poppy seeds to continue to thrive in Afghanistan.
Thank you mr president for nearly 50 million Americans cant afford health insurance
Thank you mr president for our overstretched military
Thank you mr president for a 1 trillion annual trade deficit
Thank you mr president for record high energy prices
Thank you mr president...dictator in chief
Oh yeah you democrats are no better...the list sucks for you too.
[edit on 12-8-2008 by solarstorm]
Originally posted by jprophet420
wow, you blamed the president for the weak dollar. With infallable logic like that I'm supprised youre not pres-o-dent.
Originally posted by Johnmike
You made a fool out of yourself, solarstorm. Can you at least hate Bush for real reasons?