Historians rank Obama the 12th best president ever


Former President Barack Obama is ranked as the 12th best U.S. president in C-SPAN's new survey of presidential historians, The Washington Examiner reports. It is Obama's first time appearing in the rankings, which do not include presidents who are currently serving.
"Although 12th is a respectable overall ranking, one would have thought that former President Obama's favorable rating when he left office would have translated into a higher ranking in this presidential survey," historian Edna Greene Medford said in a statement.
Another historian, Douglas Brinkley, called Obama's appearance at number 12 "impressive." As Medford noted, his relatively "low" number could be because "historians prefer to view the past from a distance, and only time will reveal his legacy."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The presidents were also ranked on their individual skills. Regarding Obama, Medford wrote: "I am especially surprised that he was ranked at 7th in moral authority (despite heading a scandal-free administration); 19th in administrative skills; and 8th in economic management (despite having helped to save the auto industry and significantly reducing unemployment)."
The top five presidents are Abraham Lincoln in the first spot, followed by George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, with "the golden age of the American presidency, according to this survey, [being] 1933-1969," historian Richard Norton Smith wrote.
As for the worst president? That goes to James Buchanan, who saw seven states secede from the Union under his watch. See the full rankings at C-Span here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Quiz of The Week: 30 August – 5 September
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A quick escape, an underground classroom, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: What does Bake Off say about Channel 4?
Podcast Plus, why are Scottish drug deaths so stubbornly high? And are women in their 30s too anxious about their eggs?
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer