Obama is more popular than anyone in the known universe, including God. Actually Obama is much more popular than God. Here are America's greatest heroes, in order of popularity:
1. Barack Obama
2. Jesus Christ
3. Martin Luther King, Jr.
4. Ronald Reagan
5. George W. Bush
6. Abraham Lincoln
7. John McCain
8. John F. Kennedy
9. Chesley Sullenberger
10. Mother Teresa
God did not make it into the top ten.
The list was based on the results of a new Harris interactive poll in which 2,634 Americans were asked to say whom they admire enough to call their heroes. What Makes a Hero? The public gives multiple reasons to explain their choice of heroes. Those mentioned most often included:
- “Doing what’s right regardless of personal consequences” (89%)
- “Not giving up until the goal is accomplished” (83%)
- “Doing more than what other people expect of them” (82%)
- “Overcoming adversity” (81%)
- “Staying level-headed in a crisis” (81%)
God shouldn't feel too bad about not making it into the top ten—at least he's more popular than Hillary Clinton. Here are America's "second-tier" heroes:
11. God
12. Hillary Clinton
13. Billy Graham (tie)
13. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (tie)
15. Mahatma Gandhi
16. Colin Powell (tie)
16. George Washington (tie)
16. Bill Clinton (tie)
19. Condoleeza Rice
20. Oprah Winfrey
21. Sarah Palin
22. General George S. Patton (tie)
22. Bill Gates (tie)
Some interesting trends should be noted when comparing the latest poll results with those from July 2001:
- Jesus was #1 in 2001.
- God has risen to number 11 in 2009, from relative obscurity (with less than 1% of the vote) in 2001.
- George Bush was number 19 in 2001 and now ranks 5th.
- Michael Jordan was number 9 and is no longer in the top 20.
Some conservatives may be disheartened by the fact that the Obamessiah is the most popular person in the universe. But there are several reasons to be encouraged. For example, despite the fact that he is dead, and his presidency ended 20 years ago, Ronald Reagan is still extremely popular. Other encouraging observations:
- There are five Republicans in the top ten, but only two Democrats (yes, MLK was a Republican).
- George Bush is more popular than either of the Clintons.
- Condoleeza Rice is the most popular black woman in the universe, even more popular than Oprah.
- JFK dropped from number 4 to number 8, making way for Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln and John McCain, who all ranked lower than JFK in 2001.
- Since endorsing Obama, Colin Powell has dropped from number 3 in 2001 to number 16 in 2008. Correspondingly, Powell is #1 on the list of fallen heroes (see below).
We thought you were a hero, but now we know you better. You're not a leader, you're too concerned about personal recognition, you're not interested in helping others, and you're immoral. Bottom line: we don't like you anymore.
When asked to name people who used to be their heroes but who they no longer consider as heroes, the people mentioned most often are Colin Powell, George W. Bush, John McCain, Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy.
Colin Powell
George W. Bush
John McCain
Bill Clinton
John F. Kennedy
Jimmy Carter
Hillary Clinton
O.J. Simpson
Barack Obama
Ronald Reagan
Martin Luther King
Jesse Jackson
Oprah Winfrey
How did they go from hero to zero? Major reasons for thinking former heroes are no longer heroes:
- Do not demonstrate leadership
- Became too concerned about getting personal recognition
- Conduct themselves in an immoral or unethical way
- Are no longer interested in helping others
- Are no longer setting goals for themselves
- Were replaced by someone else you now consider your hero
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