New poll by The Economist & YouGov: 53% of Republicans say Trump is better president than Lincoln.

[progressoid]

Americans in general aren’t anywhere near as enthusiastic as Republicans are about Donald Trump: his overall approval rating of 41% is less than half his 87% approval rating among Republicans, and fewer than half the public chooses President Trump when asked to choose between him and each of the GOP Presidents since the 1950s. When comparing Trump with Richard Nixon — the only President to have resigned from office — a majority of Americans, 56%, call Nixon the better President of the two. Even more say that about Dwight Eisenhower (69%), Gerald Ford (59%), George H.W.Bush (63%), and George W. Bush (62%).

But 86% of Republicans rank Trump higher than Nixon. And majorities of Republicans rank the current President above Eisenhower (65%), Ford (82%) and both Bushes (71% for each).

Asked to rank all six GOP post-war Presidents (along with Abraham Lincoln), half the public puts the current incumbent dead last. One in three Republicans rank him first, though a majority of them choose either Reagan or Lincoln as the best.

https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2019/12/02/greatest-republican-president

[genxlib]

1. In fairness

That is about the same percentage who would still like to own slaves...so it computes.

[harumph]

2. All opinion polling of republicans should be suspect because

they're natural born liars and trolls. They'd pick DT over Lincoln just to trigger libs.

[StClone]

6. Yeah they spend a lot of time here doing that

I have been here for 15 years and seen a lot. Paid "Truth Assassins" and self-loathing creatures setting out to attack those FOX, Rush, Hannity and Trump call their enemies. Dumb and dangerous coprolite.

[Locutusofborg]

3. Its all about defensiveness

Deep in what laughingly passes for their "hearts" they know Trump is scum but they can't admit that publicly so they reflexively come to his defense.

[Hortensis]

4. I'm not sure I want them to realize Lincoln wasn't one of them.

By a very long shot. But they have no great men of their own, or even anything close, and he's something to inspire better in them.

[0rganism]

5. the GOP "old guard" is fading away

dying off or defecting, leaving behind this alt-right cult masquerading as a political party.