In the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns, much was made of George Bush’s likability factor. Nevermind that he couldn’t properly pronounce “underestimate” or, find Iowa on a map or, that he took the nation to war based on falsehoods, his handlers were quick to tell anyone who would listen that Mr. Bush was likable — something they said both Al Gore and John Kerry lacked and somehow this single fact made Mr. Bush more qualified to be the next president.
Likability? If likability is now the gold standard all future presidents must meet, then the latest Quinnipiac survey provides a fascinating glimpse into who is endowed with enough likability to be the next president of the United States.
The survey, taken the week after the Democrats won back Congress, asks voters to rate the warmth of their feelings for leaders on a scale of 0 – 100:
1.) Rudolph Giuliani – 64.2
2.) Sen. Barack Obama – 58.8
3.) Sen. John McCain – 57.7
4.) Condoleezza Rice – 56.1
5.) Bill Clinton – 55.8
6.) Sen. Joseph Lieberman – 52.7
7.) NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg – 51.1
8.) John Edwards – 49.9
9.) Sen. Hillary Clinton – 49.0
10.) N.M. Gov. Bill Richardson – 47.7
11.) Sen. Joseph Biden – 47.0
12.) Rep. Nancy Pelosi – 46.9
13.) Gov. Mitt Romney – 45.9
14.) Former VP Al Gore – 44.9
15.) President George Bush – 43.8
16.) Sen. Evan Bayh – 43.3
17.) Newt Gingrich – 42.0
18.) Sen. Bill Frist – 41.5
19.) Sen. Harry Reid – 41.2
20.) Sen. John Kerry – 39.6
It’s interesting to note that former President Bill Clinton and current Illinois senator Barack Obama are both seen as more likable than the presumptive Democratic front runner for president, Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Also, the survey finds former Vice President Al Gore more likable than President George Bush.
Perhaps, the most sobering finding is the last place finish for Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), who is seen as even less likable than Newt Gingrich.
From the Left 
I never understood the claims that the Idiot Bush was likable. I remember republicans asking people who you would prefer to have a beer with, Bush or Gore? Well, I don’t want to have a beer with my president. I want a president who is smarter than me and able to take care of the business of leading the nation. I have friends to drink with, even though I no longer drink alcohol.
Poor John Kerry. He just doesn’t get it.
People view him – rightly or wrongly, as a Massachusetts elite, very wealthy, patrician, hoity-toity, and too senatorial. He has that horrible tendency to lapse into that countryclub, lock jaw speech pattern and how he loves to hear himself blather on and on and on. Newport, RI doesn’t play well in Gallup, NM or Duluth, MN.
I have a friend, a man you might describe as an “old hippy.” He lives out in Santa Cruz, CA and he hates Kerry. I asked him why and he said, “Kerry is too Yale for me.”
That pretty well sums up John Kerry’s problem and explains why he won’t be the next president in 2008.
I don’t like any of them. I like Russ Feingold and Lou Dobbs.
What’s wrong with this country?
Bush; Clinton; Bush; Clinton? Two decades of two families? This shit is beginning to border on banana republic politics where one or two families control the entire government.
An interesting survey, but I’m surprised at Harry Reid’s low likability ranking. I mean, he’s a former boxer or wrestler and I would think this would appeal to men. But I find it a riot that Bush is now viewed as less likable than Bush. Poor little George. No one likes anymore except Jeff Gannon and Barney.
One definition of leadership goes:
House defines “leadership” organizationally and narrowly as “the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members.
Another definition of leadership goes:
Who you would most want to get drunk with.
Have American voters become so dumbed down, so numb, that they prefer the latter definitition? If so, we’re in serious trouble.
While reading this thread I kept thinking of Sallie Field’s plantiff acceptance speech, when she kept repeating, “You like me, you really like me!”
Re: Ridgeman’s comments about the endless cycle of Bush;Clinton, Bush;Clinton:
what about Yale… Is it possible any longer to elect a president who did NOT go to this “elite” factory?
Also, one must ponder, how elite can anyplace be that produced such a titan of intellect as George W. Bush.
Yale, now THAT’S funny.
I like George Bush the same way I like diarrhea or a tooth ache. Maybe even less.
I hear Ya’ Brigadoon. I like Bush as much as I like my ex-wife and I hate my ex-wife.
Bush is falling on the all-important likability chart and will soon find he’s even less popular than either Kerry or Gingrich. All he cares about is his “legacy” and his legacy is the worst of any president in modern history.
War, debt, divisiveness is what this coke-headed, drunkard has managed to accomplish after 6 years in office. Oh, and he managed to loose the Congress for his party. How could I forget that?
Bush is an arrogant, sociopath and I truly believes he hates America and resents the American people. This swell never wanted to be president – he was pushed into it by his ambitious mother and father, who couldn’t relinquish the reigns of power after all those years daddy Bush was out of office.
Make no mistake. When the history of Bush II is written he will go down as the worst president ever. He’s a stupid, bumbling, privileged brat and is living an inauthentic life pretending to be straight when everyone knows he is as gay as Jack McFarland on Will and Grace.
I will never understand why the voters didn’t send him home in 2004, but they chose to reward him with another 4 years to destroy the country, our Constitution and peoples around the globe. I hope Americans are happy with their decision.
Junior high school girls worry about whether they are liked or not. A grown man, particularly the president of the USA, should have a healthy enough ego that he doesn’t concern himself with such foolishness. But no one will ever confuse George Bush for a healthy individual – let alone a man. He’s a wus and a daddy’s boy.
The funny thing is, any normal person would see a survey like this and instantly understand the import and its meanings.
Sen. John Kerry, by contrast will see this survey and compartmentalize the findings and deny its implications for his 2008 presidential aspirations.
I have a friend, a lawyer who spent 15 years working as a lobbyist in Washington and he remarked that Congressmen live in an alternate universe. Even when confronted by facts, they have an uncanny ability to see what they want to see. Reality doesn’t apply to them.
Great post, thank you. I’ve written about a possible Bloomberg ’08 candidacy on my blog at http://www.minor-ripper.blogspot.com. I think with his money and smarts–along with the country’s yearning for another alternative to the two party system, it might just work for him
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