Bill Clinton Is Officially the Most Admired President of the Last 25 Years
Politics is a rough game. People can enter it with the best intentions, but crawl away mired in corruption and controversy. Almost nobody emerges from the political system unscathed; reputations tarnished, personal relationships destroyed. But some people can endure a long and complicated political career, and still manage to walk away with the admiration of the general public (scandals and controversy notwithstanding). Former President Bill Clinton is one such individual.
According to a survey, Bill Clinton is by and far the most admired president to emerge in the last 25 years. Conducted by The Wall Street Journal, NBC News, and the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the poll determined that Clinton is the most beloved of recent American presidents by a shockingly wide margin.
Clinton walked away with 42 percent of votes for most popular president. Current President Barack Obama came in at a distant second with 18 percent. George W. Bush came in at 17 percent, beating out his father George H. W. Bush by a single percentage point.
Bill Clinton didn’t exactly have a boring presidency; his two terms dealt with international turmoil and sexual scandals in the Oval Office. Yet most people remember Clinton’s time in office as a period of great economic prosperity for the country, and a time of relative peace in the era before September 11th.
Additionally, Clinton hasn’t faded from the public eye since his time as Commander in Chief; while many former presidents prefer to go back to a quiet civilian life after their time in the Oval Office has ended, Clinton has continued to travel the world and contribute to society. He’s been an advocate for global health, a powerful proponent for climate change awareness, and donating substantial sums of money to numerous charities.
And of course, there’s the fact that his wife has already made one run for the presidency, and could very well win this year. While Hillary Clinton has tackled tough issues and stood firm in political maelstroms, her husband has been a loyal cheerleader, enthusiastically advocating for his wife. But when Hillary Clinton lost her bid for the Democratic ticket in 2012, both Clintons put aside thier differences to rally behind President Obama — and this display of class and party unity made a lasting impression on the American people.
But not everyone agrees with these results. There is one name glaringly absent from this list of former recent presidents: Ronald Reagan. The Republican president who remained in office for two terms remains widely admired from both sides of the political aisle, and could have proven a serious contender for the top spot. So why didn’t Reagan get a shot at the title? It all comes down to semantics: Reagan’s term ended a few weeks before the 25-year cutoff date began, thus making him ineligible to appear in the poll. If Reagan had appeared as an option on the poll, many believe Clinton’s overwhelming triumph wouldn’t have been so secure.
We’re not so sure any recent president could compete with media darling Bill Clinton. Few recent politicians have ever been capable of charming the public with such natural ease as Clinton. True, other presidents have endured crippling wars, economic turmoil, and international crises. But Bill Clinton played the saxophone and had the most beloved of all White House pets: Socks the cat. Really, how could any other president compete with that?
[Pic via Flickr - Kate Wellington]
