Historians rank Barack Obama 12th best President: survey
BY JESSICA SCHLADEBECK
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, February 18, 2017, 12:57 PM
Tweet
email
X
It’s only been a few weeks since former President Barack Obama left the White House, but presidential historians have already placed him on the right side of history.
AC-SPAN survey of 91 historians and presidential experts ranked the Democrat the 12th best leader in United States presidential history — just ahead of James Monroe and right behind Woodrow Wilson.
Another Illinois politician, former President Abraham Lincoln, claimed the survey’s top spot. He’s followed closely by George Washington, with Franklin D. Roosevelt rounding out the top three.
Experts who participated in the survey were asked to grade the presidents on 10 different facets of their terms in office, like “Crisis Leadership” and “International Relations.”
Obama and all of us: The President changed the spirit of America
Former President Barack Obama earned high marks among historians and other presidential experts.
Former President Barack Obama earned high marks among historians and other presidential experts. (KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS)
Obama earned high marks for his pursuit of “Equal Justice for All,” ranking third in the category behind Lincoln and former President Lyndon B. Johnson. He also cracked the top 10 for his “Moral Authority” and “Economic Management,” ranking seventh and eighth, respectively.
The 44th president’s lowest mark is for his relationship with Congress. Historians ranked him 39th, ahead of only a few others including former presidents Franklin Pierce and Andrew Johnson, who was ranked last.
Experts said the passing of time will likely effect Obama’s rankings in the future and remained mixed on whether the former President’s marks were higher or lower than expected, Politico reported.
First lady Michelle Obama, daughter Sasha Obama, President Barack Obama and daughter Malia Obama appear after Obama's victory speech on election night at McCormick Place on November 6, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.
49 PHOTOS
VIEW GALLERY
Barack Obama's most memorable milestones
“Although 12th is a respectable overall ranking, one would have thought that former President Obama’s favorable rating when he left office would have translated to a higher ranking,” Howard University professor Edna Green Medford told the news outlet.
The President of resentment
Douglas Brinkley, a Rice University professor and C-SPAN adviser, was a bit more impressed with the Democrat’s ranking.
“That Obama came in at number 12 his first time out is quite impressive,” he said in a press release cited by Politico.
Former President Abraham Lincoln has claimed the top spot since the survey began in 2009.
Former President Abraham Lincoln has claimed the top spot since the survey began in 2009. (ALEXANDER GARDNER/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Medford, also a member of C-SPAN’s historical advisory board, emphasized only the passing of time can truly show the impact of Obama’s term in office.
“Of course historians prefer to view the past from a distance,” she said. “And only time will reveal his legacy.”
__________________ |
| |
|
