# Who was the most generaly hated U.S. President from 1969-2005? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 19, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780 "2005-08-19T18:32:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/121 "2005-08-25T15:49:25Z")
The poll numbers are interesting, but they lack a dimension. Perhaps Carter was indeed approved by only 34% of the people (I’m proud to be among them). But of the 66% that did not approve, how many of them actually hated him? Similarly, only 53% approved of Ford but I dare say that few of the other 47% hated him. Although Clinton’s approval numbers are much better than Ford’s, I believe that the percentage of people that hated Clinton exceeds those that hated Ford. What I see in Reagan, Clinton, and Bush II is that many more people have strong feelings one way or another. You don’t feel neutral about those 3, you either love them or hate them. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/122 "2005-08-25T15:54:10Z")
I have to agree with **Bob**. The polling numbers would be a better measure if they split responses into more categories-- eg, “strongly disaprove”, “disaprove”, etc. Then we might look at who had the highest numbers in te extreme categories. But, even then they suffer from the problems pointed out by **Xtisme**. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/123 "2005-08-25T16:15:22Z")
I said it was a good metric, not the only one. And this thread is pretty full of opinions and short on metrics of any sort, so it’s a start. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/124 "2005-08-25T17:18:56Z")
[Gallup data](http://www.gallup.com/poll/content/default.aspx?ci=10534) on historical disapproval ratings (of whatever intensity) - not the same as lowest approval ratings. > [@](#): > > Bill Clinton’s highest disapproval rating was 54% in September 1994. In fact, several polls that year found at least 50% of Americans disapproving of Clinton’s performance as president. > > In the summer of his re-election bid, 60% of Americans told Gallup they disapproved of the way George H.W. Bush was handling the presidency. Across the 14 polls conducted from May 1992 through October 1992, a majority of Americans expressed disapproval in Bush. > > In January 1983, 56% of Americans said they disapproved of Ronald Reagan. Five polls conducted from December 1982 through February 1983 found at least 50% of Americans disapproving of Reagan. > > Many of the polls conducted in 1979 and 1980 found majority disapproval of Jimmy Carter’s performance. His highest disapproval was 59% in June and July 1979. > > Just prior to his resignation as president, 66% of Americans said they disapproved of the way Richard Nixon was handling the presidency. > > In March 1968, Gallup found that 52% of Americans disapproved of Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson’s disapproval ratings were at 50% or higher only four times in his presidency. > > Harry Truman scored the highest disapproval rating in Gallup’s history – 67% – in January 1952. Truman also scored the lowest approval rating in Gallup’s history, 23%, in the same poll. For the time frame specified in the OP, measured at peak, the least-approved-of rankings would be Nixon 66% GHWB 60 Carter 59 GWB 58 (yesterday’s Harris poll) - no sign of bottoming out yet, trend still down Reagan 56 Clinton 54 Ford not available ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/125 "2005-08-25T17:30:08Z")
So is the question who was hated by more people or hated the most intensely or some multiple of each? Or do you offset the positive feelings too? (It’s so to quantify this stuff. :)) Seriously, I think that the Presidents in closely divided electorates often had the most intense feelings generated. Clinton was loved and hated, so was Nixon and so is Dubya. By the end few still loved Nixon so all you had left were the haters, a few who just disappointed, and a very few who stood by their man. Clinton kept his lovers and haters both, and more loved him than not. Bush Jr. has always been a near split between the intense lovers and haters, but some of the lovers are falling off his wagon, and some of the mild likers are turning to mild dislikers. So I’ll vote Nixon, even though he wasn’t really so much a bad President, as just a vile despicable amoral person throughout both his personal and professional lives. And Bush Jr. is gaining, only because he’s losing some of the positive feeling offsetters as he goes. Clinton third because his haters hated him so very much, even though his lovers offset them quite a bit. Few people hated Ford or Carter or even LBJ even if many disapproved or even disliked them. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/126 "2005-08-25T18:02:14Z")
On a related tangent: Many, including myself feel Nixon was a despicable person but an OK to Good President. On this note; maybe comment on this: effectiveness as President vs. the Person of the President vs. Have over for a large BBQ (please have a small sense of humor on this) Nixon\_\_Good\_\_\_\_Rotten to the Core\_\_\_\_Never. He was basically Evil Ford\_\_\_Poor\_\_\_\_Ok, nice guy\_\_\_\_Definitely, He would probably bring the beer Carter\_\_Poor\_\_\_\_Great and honest man\_\_\_Ok, but probably boring Engineering Nerd type Reagan\_Good\_\_\_\_Little Crazy then Senile\_\_Ok, but can he leave the wife at home? Bush Sr.\_Poor\_\_\_\_Out of touch\_\_\_Pass on him, Projectile Vomit. Clinton\_\_Very Good\_Sleazebag liar\_\_He would hit on everyone’s wife & daughter, but he plays a mean sax Bush Jr.\_Very Bad\_On the dumb side and belligerent\_\_He can talk baseball forever and I bet he’s great on the Grill. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/127 "2005-08-25T18:25:29Z")
I like that scale, jrfranci. My president/person/bbq scale: Nixon: Semi-competent / untrustworthy / I’d rather have ants Ford: Not up to job / Decent enough / Sure Carter: Underrated and unlucky / most moral in history / Sure Reagan: Overrated and lucky / Affable outside, dark inside / Sure Bush I : Forgettable / prissy and shrill / Not on your life Clinton: Competent / fun guy / Sure Bush II: Worst in history / Worst in history / only if he sits in dunk tank ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/128 "2005-08-25T18:32:46Z")
I have what I call the “elevator test”: Which president would you prefer to be stuck in a broken elevator with for six hours? I think that many people are actually answering this question asked how good a president someone was. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/129 "2005-08-25T18:35:21Z")
The second sentence above should read: “I think that many people are actually answering this question when asked how good a president someone was.” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/130 "2005-08-25T18:37:54Z")
> [@F. U. Shakespeare](#): > > I have what I call the “elevator test”: Which president would you prefer to be stuck in a broken elevator with for six hours? > > I think that many people are actually answering this question asked how good a president someone was. Stuck in Elevator, Clinton would be the most entertaining unless you could get Ronny talking about old Hollywood. But I am a rabid Baseball fan and I would probably be able to talk Baseball with Bush Jr. for 6 hours. So while I think he is the worst Pres, I would have to pick Bush Jr. for the stuck in the elevator poll. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/131 "2005-08-25T19:08:57Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Carter: Underrated and unlucky / **most moral in history** / Sure Emphasis added. I don’t get this. Why is it such a popular opinion? Do people mean: most adhering to Christian morals? I’m genuinely confused over this meme, except that he’s done lots of charity work since he was president. But even then, what does that have to do with his actual presidency? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/132 "2005-08-25T19:12:01Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Emphasis added. I don’t get this. Why is it such a popular opinion? Do people mean: most adhering to Christian morals? I’m genuinely confused over this meme, except that he’s done lots of charity work since he was president. But even then, what does that have to do with his actual presidency? It was talking about the man not his presidency. Read over what he was replying too. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/133 "2005-08-25T19:12:25Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Reagan\_Good\_\_\_\_Little Crazy then Senile\_\_Ok, but **can he leave the wife at home**? Emphasis added. :). But talk about someone whose favorability rating has changed since the associated presidential term!! Many of her detractors have come around to seeing her in a much more favorable light. Apparently she makes a much better ex-first lady than an incumbent first lady. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/134 "2005-08-25T19:16:10Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > It was talking about the man not his presidency. Read over what he was replying too. Then that’s even more confusing. The most moral man in history??? Surely not… ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/135 "2005-08-25T19:23:44Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > Then that’s even more confusing. The most moral man in history??? Surely not… 😉 Most moral President. Which I would actually agree with. He was actually too nice for the job. Based on Nixon & Clinton I would say you can be Evil or a SLeaze and still be a good President. Carter has appeared to be an honest to God nice man and honest politician. (I would say he’s the only one I know of) He was a terrible President with some wonderful ideas. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/136 "2005-08-25T19:33:05Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > 😉 Most moral President. Which I would actually agree with. He was actually too nice for the job. Based on Nixon & Clinton I would say you can be Evil or a SLeaze and still be a good President. > Carter has appeared to be an honest to God nice man and honest politician. (I would say he’s the only one I know of) He was a terrible President with some wonderful ideas. :), OK, we’ve come full circle then. But you still haven’t answered my “why” question. All you’ve done is restated the premise. Why is he considered so moral? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/137 "2005-08-25T19:36:22Z")
I’d think being ‘moral’ would be a huge strike against the man on this board. 😉 It is interesting to debate with folks who actually have fond memories of Jimmy the Peanut Man. The only thing I can think of favorable about Jimmy was the rabbit incident. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/138 "2005-08-25T19:36:50Z")
Clinton would be my pick – not only interesting to talk to, but I wouldn’t have to choose words around him. Heck, we could trade dirty jokes. (Picture doing that with Carter! :eek: ) Reagan when he was younger would have been an interesting man to talk to – a book of his letters showed him as very articulate, even poetic sometimes. (Less so as president, but who isn’t at 70+). William F. Buckley once said RR was the smartest person he’d ever met, and while I know Buckley is ideological brethren to RR, he doesn’t throw comments like that around – AFAIK, he’s never said anything similar about GWB. I can’t imagine Bush being an informative conversationalist, whether you agree with his views or not. Information and ideas seem like means to the end of politics for him. I _might_ be able to talk about baseball with him (I was a baseball fanatic when young, but haven’t followed it much in decades – it would depend on whether our knowledge overlapped). But the minute he brought up religion, this atheist would get _really_ quiet. On the upside, if I had a bottle on me, I wouldn’t have to share it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/139 "2005-08-25T19:37:18Z")
He was perceived as honest before election which helped him get elected after the Nixon “I am not a liar” years. He never had any scandal associated with him, and minimal Cabinet scandals. His Ex-Presidency he has cemented his Rep as the Honest and moral man. Whether building homes, or over-seeing elections overseas or brokering peace accords. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/140 "2005-08-25T19:41:23Z")
And even though that killer rabbit was coming straight at him he bravely pushed it away with a paddle instead of giving it a wack. Of course, what about the whole Playboy thing…? 😉 -XT [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780.md?page=8)