UK scholars assess U.S. presidents: Roosevelt tops list
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?...
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....