# Who was the most generaly hated U.S. President from 1969-2005?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 9

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**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/161 "2005-08-27T08:43:13Z")

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A quick point - is the rest of the world allowed to hate (or love) US Presidents? Because perceptions outside the US may be very different from those at home.

I recall growing up in Australia that Richard Nixon was considered a great statesman and the embodiment of American power (Watergate was perceived, like Lewinskygate a silly “only in America” soap opera 🙂 ), while Regan was loathed and pilloried as a bloodthirsty maniac. Jimmy Carter was seen as a man of peace. The current incumbent is widely perceived (and/or almost universally portrayed in the mass media) as being stupid, mean and dangerous. Even my most right wing friends cringe at our Prime Minister’s slavish devotion to him.

mm

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**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\
**Post date:** [August 27, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/162 "2005-08-27T20:42:24Z")

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> [@John Mace](#):
>
> Lobotomies were given to address psychological problems and generally didn’t make a person “stupid”.

Lobotomies fixed behavior problems by DESTROYING (or disconnecting) PART OF THE BRAIN! It was about turning people into dull, managable zombies.

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**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 28, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/163 "2005-08-28T00:21:25Z")

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Another [set of data points](http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/cgi-bin/hsrun.exe/Roperweb/PresJob/PresJob.htx;start=HS_index): the highest _and_ lowest approval rating for every president since Roosevelt.

Sorting the lowest approvals (worst to less-worse), we get:

Truman 22  
Nixon 23  
Carter 28  
GHW Bush 29  
LJB 35 (tie)  
Reagon 35 (tie)  
Clinton 36  
Ford 37  
GW Bush 41  
Eisenhower 48 (tie)  
Roosevelt 48 (tie)  
Kennedy 56

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [August 28, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-most-generaly-hated-u-s-president-from-1969-2005/317780/164 "2005-08-28T00:53:11Z")

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That pretty much answers the OP.

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