April 29, 2009
Posted: April 29th, 2009 08:02 PM ET
when Americans are asked how well things were going in the country under the administration of President George W. Bush, they respond with a grade of D plus.
when Americans are asked how well things were going in the country under the administration of President George W. Bush, they respond with a grade of D plus.

(CNN) - A new national poll suggests that when Americans are asked how well things were going in the country under the administration of President George W. Bush, they respond with a grade of D plus.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday, as the Obama administration marks 100 days in office, asked respondents to use a grading scale of A, B, C, D and F, where A is excellent and F is very poor.

Two percent of those questioned gave a grade of A, 15 percent a B, 25 percent a C, 24 percent a D and 34 percent an F. The grade for how well things were going in the country under the administration of the previous president averaged out to a D plus.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted April 23-26, with 2,019 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus two percentage points.

Filed under: CNN National Report Card


tarheel4ever   April 29th, 2009 11:26 pm ET

President Bush deserved an easy A+ for the tremendous leadership abilities he showed after the 9/11 attack. I will always remember the speech he made to the American people after 9/11 and how he made me believe that he would not rest until we had avenged those who lost their lives that day. It is nothing short of amazing that we have not been attacked since then. It makes me sick to think that Al Gore could have been President at that time. He would have still been trying to use "Diplomacy" and letting the useless U.N. handle it. Our enemies would have used his pacifism against him, just as I'm afraid they will use it against our current version of Neville Chamberlain.

Ripon   April 29th, 2009 10:36 pm ET

F

Squigman   April 29th, 2009 10:22 pm ET

I hope this scum sucker is happy with the mess he left behind. If I had my way, he'd be in jail. And, I'd put Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, Limbaugh and Beck in the same cell block..

Ian   April 29th, 2009 10:14 pm ET

F and anybody who says otherwise is kidding themselves. I was ashamed and embarassed to be an American for the last 8 years.

The torture, the lying, the cheating, the scandals, the starting wars for nothing, the corruption, the financial freewheeling, etc.

It was awful. Huge F. Worst "president" of all time.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF   April 29th, 2009 9:57 pm ET

F

Mayra Carrion   April 29th, 2009 9:56 pm ET

The Bush Administration was one of the worst adm. of the United States. As a president , Bush was seen as a very arrogant and ignorant President.

River Rhim   April 29th, 2009 9:55 pm ET

I would have graded Bush2 with an F-, F minus. Bush was the absolute worst president whose only attribute was that he was not as horrific as Cheney would have been.

Joe MT   April 29th, 2009 9:45 pm ET

Bush gets a big fat F-. Fatter than Rush and Rove. Obese F-. Lie to war,torture,murder and wreck our economy. F F%$^&*G minus.

Jorack Obiden   April 29th, 2009 9:36 pm ET

I'm a proud American, and I give the President an A+. He's a great man, father, husband, and an excellent leader. I believe he's a Christian man too. I never imagined he'd be perfect. But no one reading or commenting on this blog is...now what?

S M R   April 29th, 2009 9:32 pm ET

F-

Disgusted   April 29th, 2009 9:32 pm ET

The last 2 years I would give him a D. Unfortunately Obama isn't doing anything to make things better. He's just putting us further in debt.

liberal gal   April 29th, 2009 9:24 pm ET

Hey noboday called and polled me. I give George W Bush the grade that he deserves.
In school when you cheat you get a F and we all know that he cheated to get in and he never went any further.
Thank god he is back home with the rest of the Village that Voted for him they can all sit around and have Tea Parties:):)

Expat American   April 29th, 2009 9:07 pm ET

To give Bush and the Republicans ‘Patriots’ who voted him into office on a platform of 'values' a 'school grade' shamelessly diminishes the near irreversible damage on so many fronts that the former administration is solely responsible for.

Bush will go the way of Pol Pot – simply a criminal who will never face justice.

There is no grade for that.

Seanie   April 29th, 2009 9:01 pm ET

Wow!! D plus is too high for Bush Administration. They deserve a flat out F or F- if possible. They have run this country into the ground. President Obama is doing a great job with all these issues;he's dealing with from the perivous admin has left.

D Miller   April 29th, 2009 9:00 pm ET

I felt like I had eight years of diahrea under Bush, what a relief that he is gone.
I think that Moe Howard ( 3 stooge fame) would have done a better job!!

Dante   April 29th, 2009 9:00 pm ET

another reliable and objective poll from cnn.........keep up the good work you robotic morons......

Timothy Grandenburg   April 29th, 2009 8:59 pm ET

Good to see Mr. Bush's grades are picking up right where he left off in college. He's still got it! That's it George, you light that world on fire!

Texas Teacher   April 29th, 2009 8:57 pm ET

Strange... this poll does not seem to jive with the ones I have been hearing for days.... can anyone say... Bias? The republican party is all but dead! Pa-Lease... stop dragging them out of the grave and dusting them off as though they are still relevant in any way, shape or form!

JACKED-UP-POLITICS, FLORIDA   April 29th, 2009 8:56 pm ET

The D was for the former President (Bush) and the + was for all of those who left office when he did

YEAHHHHHHHHHHH

Bryan   April 29th, 2009 8:52 pm ET

The Bush years were actually very good. Tons of people owned homes and the economy was doing well. In 2006, it started to fail. I remember a Republican name John McCain that warned Congress to reform the housing legislation but it was ignored. Don't be such sheep people and look at what he did during his presidency.

Proud American   April 29th, 2009 8:51 pm ET

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-

Lawrence Henderson   April 29th, 2009 8:47 pm ET

CNN watchers are 80 percent left and 20 percent center-right watching to see what the left is up to. Bottom line ALL CNN polls will be left leaning and thus inaccurate.

Chenna Benna   April 29th, 2009 8:46 pm ET

F for an epic FAIL.

ellynn sky   April 29th, 2009 8:43 pm ET

B+ At leaste I felt safe for my family and our country! Obama has no experience and showing other dangerous leaders that he has no backbone only puts us at more of a risk then we know. The last two and a half years have been the worst ever and you can't blam that on Bush, for his hands were tied his last two years in office.

Because of all the lies from Obama and stupid impulsive acts, I miss Bush more now then ever!!!

lee reece   April 29th, 2009 8:43 pm ET

D that a little harsh considering he was dealing with a congress that had a lower rating then he did and he still got some things done. The congress fought him from day one because their littlle pet Al Gore lost because Al Gore did not know how to legally contest an election. Throughout the tenure of President Bush many at CNN and other agencies that call themselves fair could not or would not call him President only Mister. It appears to me that everybody would be okay if ex-President Bush would lie cheat and steal like the presses favorite President Bill Clinton. But it's not okay for Ptesident Bush to have protected United States interest o ver the worlds interest which are mostly anti-American.

L.smith   April 29th, 2009 8:42 pm ET

I will give the president an (A) b ecause I am now off onemployment so is not that bad when I can get pay check that is bigger the than onemployment chech. .

RUTY   April 29th, 2009 8:41 pm ET

As a teacher I would give Bush an F

Richard   April 29th, 2009 8:40 pm ET

The Bush administration was a debackled administration from the beginning. I believe that there are still many secrets where the American's saftey and well-fare was at risk. I hope that these will surface soon as government becomes more transparent! I apso hope that GW will be held accountable!

Thinker   April 29th, 2009 8:39 pm ET

Since there is nothing lower than an F, that is what Bush gets.

Obama gets an A . He is a class act. Bush makes a moron look good.

Obelia Parker   April 29th, 2009 8:37 pm ET

He "mangled the job description of "PRESIDENT".....If there was a process for administrative negligence for him and most of the 40 or so neocoms he was actually working for, It should definately should charged to him......In addition to stepting all over the constitution where ever it suited his and Cheyney's needs and or wants....Never in the history of our country has there been a larger gap between the very rich/rich and the working collar stiff and those who make even less than our blue collor workers!!!! He should be impeached!!!

Ed's Kate   April 29th, 2009 8:35 pm ET

How anyone could give the Bush Administration any grade other than an "F" should boggle one's mind. President Bush and Vice-President Cheney and their cohorts should hang their heads in shame for all the damage they have done to this country. Hopefully, like Scrooge, they will all have nightmares every single day and night of their lives over all the military that have died and those who are permanently disabled because of the decisions they made over the past 8 years.
Then again, the likes of these men have no conscience

Hey Mike   April 29th, 2009 8:35 pm ET

Read those results again, and this time pay attention. It was BUSH, not Obama, who received a grade of F from 34% of those polled.

Under the circumstances, I thought it would be higher too.

Samuel   April 29th, 2009 8:29 pm ET

I thought the Reagan administration deserved an F. After the last eight years, I'm prepared to change my grading curve and raise Reagan to a D+. The Bush administration has surpassed the Reagan administration in arrogance, ineptitude, and putting politics above the welfare of the country.

Definitely deserving of an "F".

William   April 29th, 2009 8:29 pm ET

JUST A D!!!!!!! Come on look at the mess we're in. It's okay, people feel bad for this loser, but truth be told he deserves a G

Corliss R. Wall   April 29th, 2009 8:28 pm ET

F – Thank goodness he could not be reelected! I spent 8 years being ashamed that he claimed Texas as his home...and he has come home to roost. It's like a nightmare that won't go away!

Liberal and Proud of It dot com   April 29th, 2009 8:25 pm ET

This survey demonstrates that 17% of all Americans (those who gave Bush an A or B) are delusional. These are the hard-head Conservatives who believe that no matter how many times Conservatives leads American off a cliff (Iraq, the current economic crisis, etc.), that Conservative beliefs must still be correct. They blame Liberals, moral decay, or whatever for Conservative failures. Or they say, "We need to elect a TRUE Conservative."

D+ is a pretty high grade for a president who sent 150,000 American soldiers to a war for no reason. If Obama proposed that we invade Argentina or Madagascar, I would give him an F.

Mike   April 29th, 2009 8:22 pm ET

Can you imagine Obama on 9/11/01 if he were President?
He'd wet his pants and go cry under his desk.
America is a weaker country for letting the Kenyan get elected.

SLM   April 29th, 2009 8:22 pm ET

A – Actually the Bush years were very productive and lucrative. Anyone who didn't have a job, it was because they didn't want one. Business and the economy were booming until after the 2006 elections when the Democrats took over and things started to slow. The housing mess started under Clinton Policies, he felt everyone should have the opportunity for home ownership and the policy continued through Bush, fell apart in 2008. Several years earlier there were attempts to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but Dems like Barney Frank blocked that. People who claim the economy was terrible for the last 8 years are very misguided.

Veronica   April 29th, 2009 8:22 pm ET

A big, fat "F"!!

ktina72@windstream.net   April 29th, 2009 8:22 pm ET

Obama can undo the damage of 8 years in 100 days.

this grading is way out of hand   April 29th, 2009 8:22 pm ET

first I need to say: CNN you suck

second: that grade is about correct, Bush also sucks

Sherry Holder   April 29th, 2009 8:20 pm ET

C+

At least we had jobs! If you wanted to work for a living, u had a job.
We also had something called morals!

CYST/Cincinnati   April 29th, 2009 8:20 pm ET

D-
The only good thing about Bush...my stimulus check. He was an embarrassment to our country.

william t o'oconnor   April 29th, 2009 8:19 pm ET

the pres is a ass geithner is a big ass

P. Y.   April 29th, 2009 8:18 pm ET

F

I was miserable the whole 8 years. It started when the Supreme Court put Bush and Cheney in office. The administration was a disgrace to our country and set us back many, many years.

David Olson   April 29th, 2009 8:17 pm ET

"F" Worst ever!
Worse than Hoover!

Joanna   April 29th, 2009 8:15 pm ET

CNN why do you give the final grade for all of the other catagories, but for Pres Obama you do not give us the grade. You repeat twice what it was for Pres. Bush. You don't give us the breakpoints for each grade so it's hard to figure on our own. But I can surmise that Pres Obama's grade is far lower than VP Biden's as his numbers were better.

Nancy   April 29th, 2009 8:15 pm ET

George Bush understood the importance of keeping America safe. The Obama administration is cutting defense while North Korea launches missles – this doesn't make any sense at all. Obama doesn't have good sense when it comes to dangers in our world & I feel very unsafe under his leadership.

Shelley   April 29th, 2009 8:15 pm ET

I think that grade is about right......... No hope........ no direction........ lies to send our service men and women into harms way........ Pathetic.

Although, I always felt like Rove was President actually.......... and I'm not far off.

Don't think "W" could think of anything original... maybe cept' "Good job Brownie"!

I'm willing to give Obama a chance to rebuild this country after all the damage.

akdmac   April 29th, 2009 8:14 pm ET

D And that is deserved. The whole time was a conflict of emotions and issues. He made comments that made him look worse than he actually was (i hope). You never new when tomorrow came, where we would be, who we'd be fighting or why. No confidence = no respect

m smith   April 29th, 2009 8:14 pm ET

IM surprised he got a D. The republican party is a mess and getting worse. Limbaugh is the mouth piece. They have token minorities spouting the same ol retoric . No we can't and hate and more hate. They are now whineing about ipartisanship and how President Obama hasen't reached out to them Did anyone see todays vote. THey can't keep playing the games and have anyone take them seriously

Petr Buben   April 29th, 2009 8:13 pm ET

com on, put that poll right here .. :] .. what is the problem? :]

Shonna   April 29th, 2009 8:12 pm ET

I was talking to a client of mine that swears that FOX News was the only correct, reliable news station. Those in the 15% percent must be the same mind set.

Minnesota man   April 29th, 2009 8:12 pm ET

I gave the president an " A"

Mari( maybe one of my comments will be posted)   April 29th, 2009 8:12 pm ET

Poor Bush....... had I been asked, as early as 2001 I would have said F, because he & his administration ...... missed, did not heed the warnings of the impending September 11th.

His LIES about Iraq...... were bad, but worse is the fact that he broke National and International laws on torture.

andrea maddox   April 29th, 2009 8:11 pm ET

Obama gets an B+ . He is visible, accountable and eager to resolve the country's problem. Although I may not agree on the process of resolutions or the methods, I am quite pleased with his efforts. This president is a president for ALL Americans not just some!

Pat Makowski   April 29th, 2009 8:10 pm ET

Life under the Bush admin. was certainly a lot better than it is now under this guy. We had a healthy 401K, our job was pretty secure, now it's in doubt. Corporations cannot stand any more taxes. They are closing and people are losing their jobs. Wake up, America.

mike   April 29th, 2009 8:09 pm ET

34% gave BO an F. I thought it would be higher.

J S Ragman   April 29th, 2009 8:06 pm ET

I did ok financially during Bush's years but it had nothing to do with him. Overall I would give those years an F because not one day went by that I wasn't embarassed that he was our president.

malclave   April 29th, 2009 8:05 pm ET

B

Things were pretty good until the Democrats took control of the purse strings.

Now, the media such as CNN made a deliberate effort to bias people against Bush (remember when CNN decided to post the Al Qaeda recruitment video as "news", without revealing the source?), which no doubt leads to grade deflation.

Of course, my comment doesn't meet CNN's standards of orthodoxy, so this will never be approved.

Lynda/Minnesota   April 29th, 2009 8:04 pm ET

D

Karen Glenday   April 29th, 2009 8:04 pm ET

Thank God it's over! I feel like I have been let out of prison! The Bush Administration will definitely go down in history as the worst in U.S. history. A "catastrophe" in the words of Donald Trump.

truth is liberal sort of   April 29th, 2009 8:04 pm ET

2 minutes into his speech and the telepromter glitched.

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