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Posted: Thursday, 01 June 2006 7:06AM

Poll Names Bush Worst President in 61 Years

Steve Marshall Reporting
KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO


HAMDEN, CONN (KNX) -- A new poll by Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, has named President George W. Bush the worse president in the last 61 years. Those surveyed gave the current president nearly twice the negative rating of Richard M. Nixon.
In the polling 34 percent of those surveyed put Mr. Bush at the top of the list of the nation's worst presidents, followed by Nixon at 17 percent and Bill Clinton at 16 percent.
Oddly, Clinton showed up on both the worst president and best president lists.
Ronald Reagan led the list for best president since 1945 with 28 percent, and Clinton scored 25 percent.
Broken down by party affiliation, Mr. Bush is ranked worst by 56 percent of Democrats, 35 percent of independent voters and 7 percent of Republicans, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds. Best ranking for Reagan comes from 56 percent of Republicans, 7 percent of Democrats and 25 percent of independent voters. Among American voters 18 - 29 years old, Clinton leads the "best" list with 40 percent.
"Democrats just plain don't like President Bush. His father, the 41st President, was voted out of the White House after one term. Nixon quit under fire. But most Democrats think Bush 43 wins the worst-president race," said Maurice Carroll, Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
"Kennedy and Truman get big Democratic votes, especially among Baby Boomers (45 - 64 years old) and seniors (over 65), but recent memory counts," Carroll said. "Democrats say Clinton's the best and Republicans say he's the worst. Republicans don't think much of Jimmy Carter either. There's no contest for the GOP favorite: It's the Gipper."
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida and nationwide as a public service and for research purposes.