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I do not trust a poll like this due to the impact of timing. The true impact of a President is not known until long after the fact- and even then it is subject to the opinions of the majority of people who let their personal feelings get in the way of analyzing hard facts.
History textbooks have been kinder to Nixon than polls contemporary to his Presidency would suggest- mainly due to his masterful efforts to forge a relationship with China. Kennedy is revered- but for the wrong reasons. There is much to like about him, but the substance of that is forever lost due to the nature of his death. And- incidentally, Kennedy also took some bold moves on foreign policy like Bush has. Kennedy proved very wrong in some ways- though where he was right in idea if not approach (Vietnam) many refuse to discuss that aspect of his Presidency. Carter has proven to have been utterly worthless- and his public life since leaving office supports that. Clinton I think will in the long run prove to be greatly admired.
Bush II has yet to be rightly judged since his most controversial moves- all foreign policy related- will need many years to see their ends. He will either prove to be a great visionary or a complete incompetent. The pre-emptive strike approach to foreign policy is so bold and so unprecedented that even I dare not forecast how it will play out. But I am at least smart enough to know not to dismiss or idolize the man at this point.
Macallan- you are right. Technically we are not in a recession- not even close actually.
But I wonder if maybe the term recession needs re-defining in this era when for the first time in modern history there truly is a global economic infrastructure developing.
Most US companies who have shown really great results this quarter derived much of that from foreign growth. And even many of them have seen a serious slowdown in US sales. Starbucks and McDonalds are two good examples.
Right now we are not technically in a recession under the current definition, but for a great many Americans it is definitely a recessionary time.
And while I think globally things are looking a bit better, here in the US things are going to get far worse in the next 12 months for the average American.
The poverty statistics are off too. They do not take into account housing costs- which are what have risen the most dramatically in the last decade. At a time when foreclosures are rising, rents are up dramatically which really hits the poorest Americans right in the gut.
Point being- the numbers look pretty rosy, and they are for a certain segment of our population. But they also cover up a long-coming crisis for a lot of people.
Last edited by EE-BO; 05-03-2008 at 01:39 AM.
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