Ranking the First Ladies

[wyldwolf]

Doug Wead, a conservative historian and former advisor to two Republican presidents, ranks Democratic First Ladies highly on his list, as does the Dec. 2008 non-partisan Siena College Research Institute rankings.

Hillary Clinton is the Greatest First Lady in American according to Wead. Citing her near loss in the recent presidential race, her success in the U. S. Senate and now her pivotal role in world affairs as the Secretary of State, Wead says the delays of historians and institutions to state the obvious reveals much about the cumbersome and pompous process of historical rankings. “History rewards doers,” says Wead “And it ranks First Ladies that way too. There is no way that she ranks anywhere but number one.”

The list, entitled "Doug Wead's ranking of the top ten first ladies in American history," surprised many coming from a Republican activist with more than a quarter of a century involvement in conservative politics. “None of this has anything to do with politics,” says Wead, “Nor is this about popularity.” Wead points out that if it were the latter Laura Bush would steal the show. A January, 2005 poll gave Laura Bush the highest approval rating of any first lady since such surveys were taken.

Ranking of the top ten First Ladies

1. Hillary Rodham Clinton
2. Eleanor Roosevelt
3. Abigail Adams
4. Edith Bolling Wilson
5. Rosalynn Carter
6. Dolley Madison
7. Sarah Childress Polk
8. Barbara Bush
9. Betty Ford
10. Nancy Reagan

Wead said it was way too early to compare Michelle Obama to other first ladies but as the first African America to rule from the East Wing she is surely headed for the history books.

http://www.1888pressrelease.com/hillary-clinton-ranks-as-greatest-first-lady-pr-121545.html

Additionally, for the fourth time in twenty-five years, Eleanor Roosevelt receives the top spot in the Siena College Research Institute Expert Survey of American First Ladies released (Dec. 2008). Historians and scholars once again see Mrs. Roosevelt best exemplifying the ten characteristics of a First Lady. Abigail Adams finishes second, Jacqueline Kennedy third (up from 4th), Hillary Clinton places fourth (up from 5th) and Lady Bird Johnson (up from 7th) rounds out the top five.

http://www.siena.edu/uploadedFiles/Home/Parents_and_Community/Community_Page/SRI/Independent_Research/FL_2008Release.pdf

[rvablue]

1. Why is Barbara Bush #8? Can't remember a single thing she ever did. And Betty Ford should

be higher up on the list, at least above Babs.

She did a lot, IMO, for bringing attention to the addiction/recovery.

[Robeson]

3. "Doug Wead, a conservative historian and former advisor to two Republican presidents"...

...might have something to do with it.

[beac]

4. But Barbara Bush is VERY 'rank'--- you gotta give her that.,

She'd be Number One on my list of 'First Ladies I'd Like to See Drown Slowly in a Cesspool' that's for sure.

[Silence Dogood]

18. Agreed- Betty Ford was a decent human being..

How can anyone forget BB response to hearing about the firt arrivals of military caskets home from Iraq?

"Why should we hear about body bags and death? It's not relevant. So, why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?"

Barbara Bush shouldn't even be in consideration for the list.

[Uzybone]

2. sorry, Eleanor over Hillary by a mile

Hillary is a solid #2.

[lunatica]

13. Abigail Adams was a real feminist when women had no rights or personhood

I think that the ladies who fought for our present womens' rights when there was no such thing are far more accomplished than those who took it a step further. And that's not to take anything away from the women who took it a step further. I just happen to think that those who go against conventional wisdom centuries before they can possibly win are the true heroes.

[vaberella]

14. Agreed. I felt HRC was a 3. Abigail and Eleanor definitely move up. n/t

[Radical Activist]

20. Absolutely. Eleanor contributed to world peace and social justice,

while Hillary and her cabal spread destructive neo-colonialist trade policies and enabled Bush's wars. I don't place the two in the same league.

[MoonRiver]

43. Why don't you get a life?

I swear, it seems that hating Hillary is your vocation. Pathetic.

[sarah553807]

5. where the hell is Jacqueline Kennedy on the list

[mod mom]

6. Here is a survey that asks history professors from America's colleges & universities:

Ranking America’s First Ladies
Eleanor Roosevelt Still #1
Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place


Loudonville, NY - After the scrutiny of three expert opinion surveys over twenty
years, Eleanor Roosevelt is still ranked first among all other women who have served as
America’s First Ladies, according to a recent expert opinion poll conducted by the Siena
(College) Research Institute (SRI). In other news, Mary Todd Lincoln (36th) has been
bumped up from last place by Jane Pierce (38th) and Florence Harding (37th).

The Siena Research Institute survey, conducted at approximate ten year
intervals, asks history professors at America’s colleges and universities to rank
each woman who has been a First Lady, on a scale of 1-5, five being excellent,
in ten separate categories:

*Background *Integrity *Intelligence *Courage
*Value to the
country
*Leadership *Being her own
woman
*Public image
*Accomplishments *Value to the
President

“It’s a tracking study,” explains Dr. Douglas Lonnstrom, Siena College professor
of statistics and co-director of the First Ladies study with Thomas Kelly, Siena
professor-emeritus of American studies. “This is our third run, and we can chart
change over time.”

-snip

http://www.siena.edu/uploadedFiles/Home/Parents_and_Community/Community_Page/SRI/First_Ladies_2003.pdf

I know you like Hillary but as first lady, she was very controversial in how she approached getting healthcare reform as well as belittling stay-at-home moms (remember the baking cookies comment).

[wyldwolf]

8. Read much?

I mentioned the Sienna poll TWICE in the OP AND put those results in it.

I know you DON'T like Hillary but that's no excuse to skim over the OP.

[mod mom]

9. I think Hillary & her husband are corporatist opportunists, here's one reason why:

Ask Hillary About This Tonight. I Dare You.
by Zwoof

Thu Jan 31, 2008 at 03:40:46 AM PST

Several days ago I posted a diary about the WTI and Von Roll Toxic Waste Incinerator. Because I posted it the same day as the South Carolina Primary, several Kossacks have asked me to repost.
Instead of duplicating the diary, I have added some new developments, and data.

While I was writing the original piece on the history of this foul project, a new ruling from the Ohio EPAallowed this incinerator, located 1,100 feet from an elementary school, to accept even more hazardous waste (anthrax, radioactive waste, infectious medical waste and mixed hazardous waste from Hurricane Katrina) than the original permit that was shrouded in corruption and approved by the Clinton Administration

Clinton and Al Gore promised the residents of East Liverpool, Ohio that they would not allow this incinerator originally approved by Bush '41 to operate. However, a Clinton EPA appointee, recommended by his classmate Hillary Clinton, approved the permit.

This is a tangled tale of corporatism, broken promises and an environmental disaster waiting to happen.

-snip

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/1/31/21045/9822/688/446786

I believe the damage they've done to my state of Ohio and all those down river (Ohio River) from East Liverpool should factor into the ranking, but hey they did it for their financier Jackson Stephens (financier for BCCI/Wal-Mart? both Bushs so I guess it's okay, right?

[wyldwolf]

10. of course you do. But that has nothing to do with the ability to read an OP

I put the Sienna College survey in the OP twice as vehicle to comparing the results of the other survey. But whoa now! Here comes Mod Mom gonna show that damn Clinton lover that there's this other survey (the one I mentioned twice) that shows her WAAAAAY down at #4 (out of all First Ladies)! :rofl:

[denem]

12. Diplomats are nothing if not opportunists.

An opportunist Secretary of State is a tautology.

[mod mom]

17. I saw who posted it and figured it was more pro Clinton tripe...

and I was correct. You selected the survey that put Clinton first based one former advisor to two Republican presidents as what you presented first. Telling isn't it (a republican historian-a true oxymoron)? My point is, I've come to realize some who post here are unapologetic clinton supporters despite the facts. I'm just thankful Hillary is off carrying out the Obama foreign policy instead of putting up resistance like say Senators Bayh or Nelson.

I'm sure not all those surveyed have researched just what the Clinton's have done while in power. I more I read, the stronger my dislike of them. Can you still defend Bill here? (I'd love to hear it :eyes:)

After Mining Deal, Financier Donated to Clinton

By JO BECKER and DON VAN NATTA Jr.
Published: January 31, 2008
Late on Sept. 6, 2005, a private plane carrying the Canadian mining financier Frank Giustra touched down in Almaty, a ruggedly picturesque city in southeast Kazakhstan. Several hundred miles to the west a fortune awaited: highly coveted deposits of uranium that could fuel nuclear reactors around the world. And Mr. Giustra was in hot pursuit of an exclusive deal to tap them.

Unlike more established competitors, Mr. Giustra was a newcomer to uranium mining in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic. But what his fledgling company lacked in experience, it made up for in connections. Accompanying Mr. Giustra on his luxuriously appointed MD-87 jet that day was a former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.

-snip

snip

"Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, whose 19-year stranglehold on the country has all but quashed political dissent."

"Mr. Nazarbayev walked away from the table with a propaganda coup, after Mr. Clinton expressed enthusiastic support for the Kazakh leader’s bid to head an international organization that monitors elections and supports democracy."

-snip

Just months after the Kazakh pact was finalized, Mr. Clinton’s charitable foundation received its own windfall: a $31.3 million donation from Mr. Giustra that had remained a secret until he acknowledged it last month. The gift, combined with Mr. Giustra’s more recent and public pledge to give the William J. Clinton Foundation an additional $100 million, secured Mr. Giustra a place in Mr. Clinton’s inner circle, an exclusive club of wealthy entrepreneurs in which friendship with the former president has its privileges.

LINK:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/us/politics/31donor.html

[wyldwolf]

25. ha ha! WRONG!

You selected the survey that put Clinton first

I selected the survey that was MOST RECENT (this month!) :rofl:

based one former advisor to two Republican presidents

Making the point that it was from a Republican putting DEMOCRATIC first ladies highest (another example of your poor comprehension skills!)

<---- snip of your whiney anti-clinton tripe ---->

[mod mom]

27. most people i know

consider Clinton one of the best REPUBLICAN presidents of the last century. Funded by Jackson Stephens (who also financed the bushs), handing the GOP victories w the Telecom Act of '96, repeal of Glass Steagall, NAFTA and most favored trade status for China, I would suggest that it was Clinton that lead GOPs business agenda that has crippled this country so terribly. Yes he place a D after his name, but as many say "in name only". Ignore the fcts, if you like, but they remain the same. There is a reason by folks who are well informed such as here on DU, Daily Kos, Air America and Huff Po for example were so adamantly against Hillary and equally shun Bill. I am embarassed to say I did vote for Bill but certainly NOT in any primary. He's just lucky Ross Perot ran.

[Beacool]

29. Same old story with the kooks on the left.

:eyes:

[mod mom]

45. You mean the "kooks" who overwhelmingly backed Obama OVER the must more known

Clinton. Call us what you want but the American people spoke loud and clear they supported Obama over more of the same.

[Beacool]

46. Overwhelmingly?

Hillary won must primaries from March - June. The popular vote was very close and so was the pledged delegate count. His advantage was in the caucuses. So I don't see the "overwhelming" part of your comment. As for the GE, any Democrat would have won this election after 8 years of Bush, McCain picking Palin as his running mate and the economic implosion of last September.

;-)

[wyldwolf]

37. you have a very small circle of acquaintances

Clinton one of the best REPUBLICAN presidents of the last century.

Stupid when it was first said, stupid now

<------- snip of 'same old leftwing shit -------->

[Captain Hilts]

39. Our assoications are very self-selecting and not representative of the general population. nt

[Captain Hilts]

33. Well, Eleanor Roosevelt is certainly the greatest woman of the 20th Century. Harry Truman said

she was among the greatest people who ever lived.

And he didn't throw praise around lightly.

[Captain Hilts]

36. It's funny this survey comes from Loudonville, NY...

that's where the house Eleanor bought for her boyfriend after his 1932 marriage to squelch rumors during the campaign of his relationship with Eleanor dissolved was located.

[denem]

7. Umm. Eleanor Roosevelt, coauthored the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

alliterating FDR's four freedoms, as the foundation of International Relations. Hillary has a unique opportunity to advance Women's Rights (as Human Rights) but she's standing on the shoulder's of giants.

[Captain Hilts]

32. Helped get Jews out of Europe, fought for equality of women and blacks -

helped write the telegram that folks received when informed their kin had been killed in WWII, etc.

[demhistorian]

11. like dumping a bleeding bovine carcass in shark infested waters, the Clinton haters are coming!

oops! Missed post #9!

And how long before someone makes a Clinton-bovine reference? So predictable!

[Silence Dogood]

23. actually, it was a bleeding Anchovy!

:rofl:

[vaberella]

15. I don't agree with the first ranking at all. I agree with the Sienna College research one. n/t

[Kaleva]

16. Eleanor Roosevelt sets the standard

but my knowledge of First ladys is quite limited. I can not, for instance, come up with a single reason as to why Sarah Polk ought to ranked higher then the vast majority of First Ladys.

[MadBadger]

19. Id put Eleanor 1, Abigail 2, and HRC 3.

[Radical Activist]

21. I'd place Lady Bird higher

I like the Siena Survey results better than this conservative professor's results.

[Captain Hilts]

34. Me too. nt

[book_worm]

22. If this is a most effective first ladies poll then Eleanor should win hands down.

[goclark]

24. Jackie Kennedy would be way up there on my list

[AwakeAtLast]

26. A list that includes Babs and does not include Jackie is suspect to me

:shrug:

[goclark]

28. This poll is way off the mark IMO nt

[Captain Hilts]

35. She really disliked being first lady, dodged a lot of events and they'd call in Ethel K

to do them, etc.

Yeah, overall, she was good, but I don't know if she's top ten.

[goclark]

41. If Barbara Bush could be # 8, Jackie Kennedy

could be #1.

[Captain Hilts]

42. Indeed! BB's Claim to Fame is being Not Nancy. nt

[Captain Hilts]

30. It's too 20th Cent. heavy. Sarah Polk?!?! Eleanor is tops. Then Madison or Adams. nt

[Beacool]

31. There have been some great first ladies,

but Hillary is the most accomplished First Lady in US history up to this point.

First one to be:

- Senator

- Secretary of State

- And to run for president

:-)

[Captain Hilts]

38. Being 'accomplished' and being 'great' are different standards. Ideally, they overlap...

but HRC had opportunities that the others did not have. I think Lou Hoover was the first with a college degree and we didn't see another until JackieK, I don't think. LadyBird graduated from UT, I believe.

This list is too 20th century heavy.

And a list of first ladies perfectly capable of being president would be another interesting list.

[Beacool]

40. True.

I think the presidential list should start with Abigail Adams. She would have kicked some 18th century butt if she had been in power.

:D

[Captain Hilts]

44. I encourage folks to click on the Siena College link and read the six page release that ranks them

by category:

background
intelligence
value to country
'own woman'
integrity
accomplishments
leadership
Courage
public image
value to the president