Jimmy Carter:Most Liberal/Socialist president. Dubya: Most conservative president

[Kucinich Feingold]

And Gerald Ford most centrist president





I was surprise by this graph since I thought FDR and LBJ were the most liberal presidents we Americans have had. And anyone else find it odd that two of the most dislike presidents of modern times were the most right-wing and left-wing, where the most centrist was the most forgettable president of the 20 Century.

[brewens]

1. Why does your title say Liberal/Socialist and then just Conservative?

Shouldn't it be Conservative/Fascist?

[Kucinich Feingold]

2. Hahahahaha

[Leithan]

18. W was a conservative?

I thought conservatives were actually against turning surpluses into deficits.

[Kucinich Feingold]

21. Just bullshit from the Neo-Cons

They sure aren't conservative in the true sense of the word.

[karynnj]

3. The reason is the strange axis - this is NOT about liberalness at all

This really does not measure "liberalness", but rather some combination of of "moral rules" and "moral order". The meaning of either and how you measure them is likely in some NOT SUPPLIED link.

You do realize that you can plot anything on two axis, but the top left quarter will not always by liberal. (ie you could plot color of hair (light to dark)- x axis vs height of the Presidents - y axis. Note that the Clinton and DWB would be in the "liberal" area as they had light colored hair and are relatively tall.

When you look at the labels, it makes sense - the republicans, who are not libertarians, are the ones that have often tried to encode their view of morality into law - which might be what "moral order" measures. The other axis notes that Carter was highest in moral rules.

[rfranklin]

5. Here's the Home Page for the Moral Test

http://www.moral-politics.com/xpolitics.aspx?menu=Home

[karynnj]

7. Note they say:

Note that moral values is not the same as 'traditional values'. Moral values can be of any political flavor. Everyone has moral values.

This has nothing to do with left and right.

[ejbr]

12. Thanks! n/t

[ProSense]

4. Hmmm?

"anyone else find it odd that two of the most dislike presidents of modern times were the most right-wing and left-wing"

What's odd is claiming that Carter is the most left-wing President.

Even more odd is claiming that he's the most disliked.



link

[rfranklin]

6. The Fox propaganda machine is working overtime on Carter...

The fact that he dropped 9 points in 4 years. And the astounding fact that Bush Jr. is that close to 50% is flabbergasting.

[Marsala]

11. And yet W is still the lowest with the exception of Nixon

Presidential approval ratings tend to go up once they leave office. Bush and Carter's ratings being close to 50% is probably due to the immense partisan divide of our country.

[Kucinich Feingold]

8. You couldn't called * the most con either

Not in the sense that Goldwater was. That was just based on the graph, not my opinion on the most right wing or left wing president. I know Nixon and Johnson weren't popular but I have heard more positive views from historians than Carter.

[ProSense]

9. "I know Nixon and Johnson weren't popular

but I have heard more positive views from historians than Carter."

Historians rank Nixon below Carter in most instances, and Johnson is consistently among the top 15 Presidents.

[Kucinich Feingold]

10. I got one part wrong

Nixon wasn't very popular and still isn't, although I have seen some fans of his on forums. but Johnson is getting more popular over the years with more historians forces on his positive things such as Great Society. Nixon

[dsc]

15. I like Carter as much as anyone

but that poll really is worthless. It is impossible to separate the positive feelings generated by his ex Presidency from this Presidency especially considering that a significant number of responders would have no or vague memories of his Presidency.

[Ter]

13. What a crock of crap

George HW Bush to the right of Reagan? Nonsense.

[boppers]

14. As others have noted:

The graph has one set of measures for X/Y, while the editorial content of the OP has a different set of measures.

I have this to say about that:

[Drunken Irishman]

16. I'll see your graph and raise you...

[GSLevel9]

20. lol... nt

[WI_DEM]

17. boy, nobody thought of Carter as the most socialist/liberal president during his presidency--that's

why Ted Kennedy challenged him because he thought he was "the most conservative democratic president since Grover Cleveland."

[Kucinich Feingold]

19. .

That the most irony part of this graph.