Former President Bill Clinton is much better liked than either of his two successors, according to a new Gallup poll. Sixty-one percent of 1,020 adults polled nationwide have a favorable opinion of Clinton, 9 percentage points higher than President Barack Obama and 16 percentage points ahead of former President George W. Bush.Like Clinton, both Bush and Obama are well-regarded by their parties.
Among Democrats, 89 percent have a favorable rating of Clinton and 86 percent hold the same view of Obama.
Bush, meanwhile, is viewed favorably by 85 percent of Republicans.
But Clinton is the only one of the three who has a favorability rating higher than 50 percent among independents, 60 percent.
Clinton also has the highest favorability rating from the opposing party, with 30 percent of Republicans giving him positive marks.
Obama is viewed favorably by 50 percent of independents and 17 percent of Republicans. Bush gets the same rating from 37 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats.
Clinton’s favorability took a major hit during the 2008 presidential campaign, when his favorability rating dropped from 63 percent in early 2007 to 50 percent at the beginning of 2008 because of his support for his wife’s campaign.
Obama’s favorability rating has been in consistent decline since his inauguration, when 78 percent of the country viewed him positively.
Time away from the White House has improved Bush’s numbers. Since bottoming out at 35 percent after he left office, Bush’s current 45 percent approval rating is the same as in early 2007.
The poll was conducted July 8-11 and has margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
{Politico/Matzav.com Newscenter}
