Popular word on TV lately. Trump or Hillary will probably go on to break the divisive-meter.
I realize it’s a hazy concept. You’re basically melding something that can be measured, approval rating, with things that can’t--intensity of disapproval, nature of disapproval, etc. (Carter left office with a 30% approval rating, but that seems mostly a function of events; I don’t think of him as especially divisive for most of his presidency.) And you probably have to factor in some kind of sabermetric adjustment for era. Being divisive in 2016 is like hitting home runs in 1998: it’s a lot easier than it was 60 years ago. There’s no right answer.
“Divisive” is not used pejoratively. My favourite Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, would likely win a similar poll up here.
My rough-draft list:
1. Nixon
2. Obama, W. (tie)
3. Clinton, Reagan (tie)
Interested in arguments correcting that.
Poll Results
Option | Votes |
Obama | 11 |
W. Bush | 11 |
Johnson | 8 |
Nixon | 4 |
Reagan | 4 |
Clinton | 1 |
Carter | 1 |
Ford | 0 |
H.W. Bush | 0 |
Kennedy | 0 |
Eisenhower | 0 |
Truman | 0 |
― clemenza, Sunday, 20 March 2016 21:43 (eight years ago) link