Poll: Bill Clinton More 'Liked' than Obama for First Time
Posted by David Paul Kuhn | Email This | Permalink | Email Author
For the first time, a new poll finds that Americans have a more “favorable” view of Bill Clinton than Barack Obama.
About six-in-ten Americans have a favorable view of Clinton; about half the public says the same about Obama, according to the Gallup Poll.
George W. Bush's favorable rating has also risen. His standing, 45 percent, is 10 points higher than his standing in March 2009.
The “favorable” measure is used to capture Americans' views of the personal presidency, less than job performance. The favorable rating generally exceeds a president's job approval, as with Obama today. Unusually, at the height of the Lewinsky scandal, Clinton's approval soared above his favorable rating. At the time, Americans approved of his job performance but not his personal behavior.
It's common for the public to take a kinder view of ex-presidents, in part because they are out of the trenches and partly because there is an American desire to venerate the presidency.
--------------------------------------------
Follow the RCP Blog on Twitter.
Become a fan of RCP on Facebook.
--------------------------------------------
