Former President Barack Obama has been compared to Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, which may explain why he was the runaway winner in a newly released poll of conservative thinkers on the most overrated political figures.
Mr. Obama topped the rankings of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity survey, which compiled responses from 120 “influential conservative thought makers,” including lawmakers, governors, scholars, business leaders and writers.
“For the most overrated category, the person who was far and away the leading choice was Barack Obama,” said the report by the free-market committee.
Former President Calvin Coolidge, “whose tax cuts and limited government policies helped create the roaring 1920s,” was deemed the most underrated figure, followed by former President Donald Trump.
Economist Stephen Moore, a committee principal, undertook the survey to counter the “liberal/progressive historical view of political figures,” citing a recent poll of historians that ranked Mr. Obama among the greatest presidents and Mr. Trump as one of the worst.
The report released Friday was careful to point out a difference between designations of best versus worst and underrated versus overrated.
“Note, the respondents were NOT asked to choose the best and worst political leader, but rather, who do they believe the history books over- and underrate?” said the report. “George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, for example, were only selected by a few as underrated, because they are generally rated highly already.”
On the other hand, “Joe Biden only received a few votes for most overrated, because he is generally rated poorly already.”
We did an informal poll of conservative leaders on who the most overrated/underrated political figures of all time are. Some great results to take you into the weekend! https://t.co/wliH1sZ5Vo
— Unleash Prosperity (@Comm4Prosperity) December 29, 2023
Mr. Obama easily surpassed the overrated competition with 40 points, followed by former President Franklin D. Roosevelt with 22 points, former President Woodrow Wilson with nine, former President John F. Kennedy with five and President Biden with four.
Rounding out the most overrated list were Lincoln, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, Latin American Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Coolidge scored 29 points on the underrated list. Former President Ronald Reagan scored 21 points, while former President Dwight Eisenhower drew seven.
Making both the overrated and underrated lists were former Presidents Trump and Bill Clinton. The Republican came in second on the underrated rankings with 22 points, but also received three points on the overrated list.
Mr. Clinton placed fifth on the underrated list with five points and scored three on the overrated list.
Figures other than elected officials making the most underrated list included Jesus Christ, who scored two points, and Pope John Paul II with three.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.