EnglishLady
Veteran Expediter
Now before anyone lynches me 
........this was a survey done by 47 UK specialists, with the analysis written by Iwan Morgan (Director of the United States Presidency Centre)
I thought you might find it interesting or just good for a laugh
A New Survey of US Presidents
Richard Neustadt began his classic study, Presidential Power (1960), with the observation:
"In the United States we like to 'rate' a President. We measure him as 'weak' or 'strong' and call what we are measuring his 'leadership'. We do not wait until a man is dead; we rate him from the moment he takes office."
In the half century that has elapsed since Neustadt wrote these words, systematic presidential rating has become a regular academic exercise, but one effectively monopolized by US scholars. Over the same period, however, study of and research in US history and politics has expanded dramatically in UK universities. Accordingly, the lack of a UK rating of US presidents is a surprising omission that needs to be put right.
Through the agency of its United States Presidency Centre [USPC], the Institute for the Study of the Americas (located in the University of London’s School of Advanced Study) has undertaken the first ever UK academic survey to rate US presidents. This polled the opinion of UK specialists in US history and political studies to assess presidential performance and produced an overall rating on the basis of the responses. They also gave an interim assessment of Barack Obama but his unfinished presidency was not included in the survey.
Professor Iwan Morgan, Director of the United States Presidency Centre, has written an analysis of the results
UK Survey of US Presidents: Results and Analysis
In 1960, US political scientist Richard Neustadt began his seminal book, Presidential Power,
with the observation: “In the United States we like to ‘rate’ a President. We measure him as
‘weak’ or ‘strong’ and call what we are measuring his ‘leadership.’” In the half century since
then, systematic presidential rating has become a regular exercise for US scholars. Over the
same period, study and research of US history and politics expanded dramatically in UK
universities. Until now, however, there has been no UK poll of US presidents.
The United States Presidency Centre [USPC] of the Institute for the Study of the Americas
(part of the University of London’s School of Advanced Study) has made good this omission
by conducting the first ever UK scholarly survey of US presidents from George Washington
to George W. Bush, with an interim assessment of Barack Obama.
The survey
In total, 47 UK specialists on American history and politics took part in the poll that was
conducted in September/October 2010. They were asked to rate the performance of
presidents (*) in five categories: (i) vision/agenda-setting – did the president have the clarity
of vision to establish overarching goals for his administration and shape the terms of policy
discourse? (ii) domestic leadership – did the president display the political skill needed to
achieve his domestic objectives and respond effectively to unforeseen developments? (iii)
foreign policy leadership – was the president an effective leader in promoting US foreign
policy interests and national security? (iv) moral authority – did the president uphold the
moral authority of his office through his character, values, and conduct? (v) positive
historical significance of their legacy – did the president’s legacy have positive benefits for
America’s development over time?
*The survey was confined to 40 of the 42 holders of the office from 1789 to 2009. William
Henry Harrison (1841) and James Garfield (1881) were not rated because they died shortly
after taking office.
Methodology
Participants were asked to score the presidents in each category, which was equally weighted,
from one (“not effective”) to ten (“very effective”). They were guaranteed that individual
survey results would remain confidential. Survey responses were tabulated by averaging all
the responses in a given category for each president (i.e. blank scores were not counted) and
aggregate scores were multiplied by ten to give the final overall score.
Analysis of results
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) was placed first overall in the poll, with Abraham
Lincoln (1861-1865) second and George Washington (1789-1797) third. Roosevelt came
first in three categories: vision/agenda-setting; domestic leadership; and foreign policy
leadership; Washington came first for moral authority; and Lincoln did so for the positive
significance of his legacy.
Only one president who has held office since 1960 – Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) – made the
overall top ten, coming at No 8. Most of the recent presidents held middling positions in the
poll: Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) was placed at No 18, Bill Clinton (1993-2001) at No 19,
George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) at No 22, Richard Nixon (1969-1974) at No 23, and
Gerald Ford (1974-1977) at No 24. However, George W. Bush (2001-2009) at No 31 came
in the bottom ten and was the lowest rated president of any who has held office since the
scandal-hit Warren Harding (1921-1923), placed at No 38.
Other than Harding, the bottom five presidents held office just before and just after the Civil
War (1861-1865). These were: Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) at No. 36, John Tyler (1841-
1845) at 37, Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) at No 39, and James Buchanan (1857-1861), the
last placed at No 40.
Significantly, Barack Obama (2009 - ) is held in high esteem by British scholars. He
received an interim assessment that would have put him in eighth place overall had he been
fully included in the poll. His total score was higher than for any post-1945 president
excepting Harry S. Truman (1945-1953), who was placed seventh.
The results show some interesting differences between UK and US presidential rankings. US
polls habitually place Abraham Lincoln first because of his achievements as Civil War
leader in restoring the Union and ending slavery. In addition, they often put George
Washington second ahead of FDR because of his significance in establishing the authority of
the presidency. UK scholars, by contrast, have elevated Franklin D Roosevelt to first place
in recognition of the breadth of the challenges he faced as president during the Great
Depression and World War II, his confident and inspirational leadership in both of these
crises, and the enduring significance of his New Deal legacy. It is also likely that Roosevelt’s
stock rose because the poll was conducted against the background of the worst economic
troubles since the 1930s.
Abraham Lincoln was a very close second overall in the UK poll. His historical achievement
is further highlighted by the presence of very lowly rated presidents before and after him (as
is the case in most US surveys). Clearly, the United States was fortunate to have a president
with his immense skill, vision, and humanity to maximize the leadership potential of the
office at the moment of greatest crisis in American history.
There are also significant differences between US and UK rankings of individual presidents
outside the trio of universally rated greats. The most notable case is that of John F. Kennedy
(1961-1963), ranked sixth in the detailed poll of American historians conducted by C-Span in
2009, but placed fifteenth in the UK survey. UK academics seemingly faulted JFK for the
gap between his rhetoric and his substantive achievements as president. Bill Clinton (1993-
2001), who has fared well in recent US polls (coming 15th in the C-Span survey), slipped
somewhat in the UK survey – mainly because of a very low rating for moral authority but
also because his legacy, particularly his economic achievement, looks less robust ten years on
from the time he left office.
One of the criticisms often levelled against US presidential surveys is that the participants are
driven by liberal bias to give high ratings to presidents who expanded the role of government.
At first sight the UK survey looks to have a similar leaning. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the
architect of the modern state, is ranked first. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) and Woodrow
Wilson (1913-1921), the early twentieth century Progressives whose agendas foreshadowed
the New Deal, are placed fifth and sixth respectively. FDR’s legatees, Harry Truman and
Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969), come seventh and eleventh respectively – the latter would
have been placed much higher in recognition of his civil rights achievement but for the
corrosive effect of Vietnam on his foreign policy and moral authority scores. Nevertheless,
countering possible charges of bias, the UK survey places some small government advocates
higher than recent US polls have done. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) was ranked fourth,
Ronald Reagan was eighth, and Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) was ninth (compared to their
C-Span 2009 rankings of 7th, 10th, and 13th respectively).
Of course, complete objectivity in surveys of this kind is impossible. No less than their US
counterparts, the views of UK scholars are influenced by not only their own times but also
their perceptions of how America’s leaders have represented that nation’s best values both at
home and abroad. The passions of the present have evidently affected the lowly position of
George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s high interim score. Memories are still raw regarding
Bush’s Iraq war policy and his expansion of the ‘imperial presidency,’ but his position in the
bottom ten arguably underestimates the strength of his vision/agenda setting and his success
in achieving his domestic objectives. Obama’s score reflects his substantive legislative
achievements, his different style of leadership from Bush’s, and what he symbolically
represents as the first African American president. Nevertheless, it is well to note with regard
to his ultimate (rather than interim) rating that no president in the UK survey top ten failed to
win re-election to a second term.
Regardless of differences between the UK and US surveys, one similarity of great
significance stands out – the relatively low position of the most recent presidents compared to
the earliest ones. Of the five presidents who held office from 1977 to 2009, only Ronald
Reagan makes the top ten and no one else makes the top 15 in the UK poll. In contrast, the
nation’s first five presidents (who held office from 1789 to 1825) made a much stronger
showing. Two of these, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were placed at No. 3
and No. 4 respectively, and the other three made the top 15 – John Adams (1797-1801) at
No. 12, James Monroe (1817-1825) at No 13, and James Madison (1809-1817) at No. 14. It
might be concluded from this that the early republic simply possessed a superior political
leadership class. The more likely explanation for the discrepancy lies elsewhere, however.
The massive political, organizational, and policy challenges of the modern presidency make it
a far more difficult job than in the past. Our expectations as to what recent presidents could
achieve may well be unrealistic when set against the many obstacles that inhibit their success.
Presidential surveys will in all likelihood continue to hold a fascination for scholars on both
sides of the Atlantic for many years to come because of the presidency’s position as the focal
point of the US political system. Presidents are expected to be strong leaders and to use their
leadership qualities for doing good – so rating them is one way of assessing their
performance. This first UK scholars’ survey testifies to the enduring British interest in
American politics and history in general and US presidents in particular.
Remember ... its be nice to each other week this week
........this was a survey done by 47 UK specialists, with the analysis written by Iwan Morgan (Director of the United States Presidency Centre)I thought you might find it interesting or just good for a laugh
A New Survey of US Presidents
Richard Neustadt began his classic study, Presidential Power (1960), with the observation:
"In the United States we like to 'rate' a President. We measure him as 'weak' or 'strong' and call what we are measuring his 'leadership'. We do not wait until a man is dead; we rate him from the moment he takes office."
In the half century that has elapsed since Neustadt wrote these words, systematic presidential rating has become a regular academic exercise, but one effectively monopolized by US scholars. Over the same period, however, study of and research in US history and politics has expanded dramatically in UK universities. Accordingly, the lack of a UK rating of US presidents is a surprising omission that needs to be put right.
Through the agency of its United States Presidency Centre [USPC], the Institute for the Study of the Americas (located in the University of London’s School of Advanced Study) has undertaken the first ever UK academic survey to rate US presidents. This polled the opinion of UK specialists in US history and political studies to assess presidential performance and produced an overall rating on the basis of the responses. They also gave an interim assessment of Barack Obama but his unfinished presidency was not included in the survey.
Professor Iwan Morgan, Director of the United States Presidency Centre, has written an analysis of the results
UK Survey of US Presidents: Results and Analysis
In 1960, US political scientist Richard Neustadt began his seminal book, Presidential Power,
with the observation: “In the United States we like to ‘rate’ a President. We measure him as
‘weak’ or ‘strong’ and call what we are measuring his ‘leadership.’” In the half century since
then, systematic presidential rating has become a regular exercise for US scholars. Over the
same period, study and research of US history and politics expanded dramatically in UK
universities. Until now, however, there has been no UK poll of US presidents.
The United States Presidency Centre [USPC] of the Institute for the Study of the Americas
(part of the University of London’s School of Advanced Study) has made good this omission
by conducting the first ever UK scholarly survey of US presidents from George Washington
to George W. Bush, with an interim assessment of Barack Obama.
The survey
In total, 47 UK specialists on American history and politics took part in the poll that was
conducted in September/October 2010. They were asked to rate the performance of
presidents (*) in five categories: (i) vision/agenda-setting – did the president have the clarity
of vision to establish overarching goals for his administration and shape the terms of policy
discourse? (ii) domestic leadership – did the president display the political skill needed to
achieve his domestic objectives and respond effectively to unforeseen developments? (iii)
foreign policy leadership – was the president an effective leader in promoting US foreign
policy interests and national security? (iv) moral authority – did the president uphold the
moral authority of his office through his character, values, and conduct? (v) positive
historical significance of their legacy – did the president’s legacy have positive benefits for
America’s development over time?
*The survey was confined to 40 of the 42 holders of the office from 1789 to 2009. William
Henry Harrison (1841) and James Garfield (1881) were not rated because they died shortly
after taking office.
Methodology
Participants were asked to score the presidents in each category, which was equally weighted,
from one (“not effective”) to ten (“very effective”). They were guaranteed that individual
survey results would remain confidential. Survey responses were tabulated by averaging all
the responses in a given category for each president (i.e. blank scores were not counted) and
aggregate scores were multiplied by ten to give the final overall score.
Analysis of results
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) was placed first overall in the poll, with Abraham
Lincoln (1861-1865) second and George Washington (1789-1797) third. Roosevelt came
first in three categories: vision/agenda-setting; domestic leadership; and foreign policy
leadership; Washington came first for moral authority; and Lincoln did so for the positive
significance of his legacy.
Only one president who has held office since 1960 – Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) – made the
overall top ten, coming at No 8. Most of the recent presidents held middling positions in the
poll: Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) was placed at No 18, Bill Clinton (1993-2001) at No 19,
George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) at No 22, Richard Nixon (1969-1974) at No 23, and
Gerald Ford (1974-1977) at No 24. However, George W. Bush (2001-2009) at No 31 came
in the bottom ten and was the lowest rated president of any who has held office since the
scandal-hit Warren Harding (1921-1923), placed at No 38.
Other than Harding, the bottom five presidents held office just before and just after the Civil
War (1861-1865). These were: Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) at No. 36, John Tyler (1841-
1845) at 37, Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) at No 39, and James Buchanan (1857-1861), the
last placed at No 40.
Significantly, Barack Obama (2009 - ) is held in high esteem by British scholars. He
received an interim assessment that would have put him in eighth place overall had he been
fully included in the poll. His total score was higher than for any post-1945 president
excepting Harry S. Truman (1945-1953), who was placed seventh.
The results show some interesting differences between UK and US presidential rankings. US
polls habitually place Abraham Lincoln first because of his achievements as Civil War
leader in restoring the Union and ending slavery. In addition, they often put George
Washington second ahead of FDR because of his significance in establishing the authority of
the presidency. UK scholars, by contrast, have elevated Franklin D Roosevelt to first place
in recognition of the breadth of the challenges he faced as president during the Great
Depression and World War II, his confident and inspirational leadership in both of these
crises, and the enduring significance of his New Deal legacy. It is also likely that Roosevelt’s
stock rose because the poll was conducted against the background of the worst economic
troubles since the 1930s.
Abraham Lincoln was a very close second overall in the UK poll. His historical achievement
is further highlighted by the presence of very lowly rated presidents before and after him (as
is the case in most US surveys). Clearly, the United States was fortunate to have a president
with his immense skill, vision, and humanity to maximize the leadership potential of the
office at the moment of greatest crisis in American history.
There are also significant differences between US and UK rankings of individual presidents
outside the trio of universally rated greats. The most notable case is that of John F. Kennedy
(1961-1963), ranked sixth in the detailed poll of American historians conducted by C-Span in
2009, but placed fifteenth in the UK survey. UK academics seemingly faulted JFK for the
gap between his rhetoric and his substantive achievements as president. Bill Clinton (1993-
2001), who has fared well in recent US polls (coming 15th in the C-Span survey), slipped
somewhat in the UK survey – mainly because of a very low rating for moral authority but
also because his legacy, particularly his economic achievement, looks less robust ten years on
from the time he left office.
One of the criticisms often levelled against US presidential surveys is that the participants are
driven by liberal bias to give high ratings to presidents who expanded the role of government.
At first sight the UK survey looks to have a similar leaning. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the
architect of the modern state, is ranked first. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) and Woodrow
Wilson (1913-1921), the early twentieth century Progressives whose agendas foreshadowed
the New Deal, are placed fifth and sixth respectively. FDR’s legatees, Harry Truman and
Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969), come seventh and eleventh respectively – the latter would
have been placed much higher in recognition of his civil rights achievement but for the
corrosive effect of Vietnam on his foreign policy and moral authority scores. Nevertheless,
countering possible charges of bias, the UK survey places some small government advocates
higher than recent US polls have done. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) was ranked fourth,
Ronald Reagan was eighth, and Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) was ninth (compared to their
C-Span 2009 rankings of 7th, 10th, and 13th respectively).
Of course, complete objectivity in surveys of this kind is impossible. No less than their US
counterparts, the views of UK scholars are influenced by not only their own times but also
their perceptions of how America’s leaders have represented that nation’s best values both at
home and abroad. The passions of the present have evidently affected the lowly position of
George W. Bush and Barack Obama’s high interim score. Memories are still raw regarding
Bush’s Iraq war policy and his expansion of the ‘imperial presidency,’ but his position in the
bottom ten arguably underestimates the strength of his vision/agenda setting and his success
in achieving his domestic objectives. Obama’s score reflects his substantive legislative
achievements, his different style of leadership from Bush’s, and what he symbolically
represents as the first African American president. Nevertheless, it is well to note with regard
to his ultimate (rather than interim) rating that no president in the UK survey top ten failed to
win re-election to a second term.
Regardless of differences between the UK and US surveys, one similarity of great
significance stands out – the relatively low position of the most recent presidents compared to
the earliest ones. Of the five presidents who held office from 1977 to 2009, only Ronald
Reagan makes the top ten and no one else makes the top 15 in the UK poll. In contrast, the
nation’s first five presidents (who held office from 1789 to 1825) made a much stronger
showing. Two of these, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were placed at No. 3
and No. 4 respectively, and the other three made the top 15 – John Adams (1797-1801) at
No. 12, James Monroe (1817-1825) at No 13, and James Madison (1809-1817) at No. 14. It
might be concluded from this that the early republic simply possessed a superior political
leadership class. The more likely explanation for the discrepancy lies elsewhere, however.
The massive political, organizational, and policy challenges of the modern presidency make it
a far more difficult job than in the past. Our expectations as to what recent presidents could
achieve may well be unrealistic when set against the many obstacles that inhibit their success.
Presidential surveys will in all likelihood continue to hold a fascination for scholars on both
sides of the Atlantic for many years to come because of the presidency’s position as the focal
point of the US political system. Presidents are expected to be strong leaders and to use their
leadership qualities for doing good – so rating them is one way of assessing their
performance. This first UK scholars’ survey testifies to the enduring British interest in
American politics and history in general and US presidents in particular.
Remember ... its be nice to each other week this week