Interesting: President Obama 3rd most popular president at this point in last 50 years

[Politics_Guy25]

If you look at this website:

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/popularity.php

You will see that only Presidents Bush 41 and Kennedy were more popular at this point in their 1st term than President Obama is today. Despite all of the howls of the right wing lunatics, President Obama is one seriously popular dude.

9/11 is an extraordinary circumstance and doesn't count. Bush would have been below 50% by this time if 9/11 hadn't happened as he was at just 51% on 9/11 itself.

It's also interesting despite the canonization just how unpopular Ronald Reagan was for most of his 8 years. Re-elected yes but people didn't much like what he did in office.

I should say that President Obama is tied to be the 3rd most popular president in the last 50 years. President Carter had 53% at this point as well according to Gallup but if we assume that CNN/ABC are right and the current president is between 54-58% percent, he would be the 3rd most popular.

Bush and Carter's presidencies show parallels. Popular until nearly the end and then a collapse in their final years.

If health care passes, we're on track to have the most popular democratic presidebnt since JFK.

[Captain Hilts]

1. ...and the stupidest, looniest Republican Party in decades. nt

[Clio the Leo]

2. Why was Poppy Bush so popular?

I dont remember him as being someone that remarkable at this phase in his Presidency.

Was he still riding a Reagan high?

[flor de jasmim]

3. Yes, and this was YUPPY time - lots of $$ before the Savings & Loan meltdown.

[Festivito]

6. Another economy by borrow and look good RepubliCONs--until it busts.

This time they let the big banks borrow and make a bubble that is still exploding. That borrowing started in April of 2004, a few months before the 2004 election and it made the faltering economy look good by November.

Then it exploded BEFORE the 2008 election, and the April change was then reported over FOUR YEARS after it happened in October, 2008 when they knew McCain was going to lose anyway.

They probably took what they could and sit waiting for the big pieces to quit falling.

[unblock]

4. yes, he hadn't broken his "no new taxes" thing yet, no scandals yet, and was competent after reagan.

although his policies were typical republican crap, he seemed to have good intentions and he was very competent after reagan was becoming obviously senile.

[Jennicut]

5. And his popularity went up after the Gulf War

[Johnyawl]

7. Early in his Presidency GWH Bush was seen as a moderate,

as opposed to the hard right wing Reagan Presidency, and had the support and approval of a lot of independents and moderate dems. He failed to live up to those early hopes.

I voted for GHW Bush in '88. I haven't voted for a republican for so much as dog catcher since.