CNN just ran a graphic (I’m at work, no screenshot) that showed that Clinton had an approval rating of 42% in Feb 2001 compared to 60% now. What poll were they looking at? First, he was out of office in January of 2001, so it can’t be job approval ratings. Second, his job approval ratings were in the mid 50s to mid-60s in January. Heck, they were that high at the height of the Lewinsky scandal.

CNN must’ve been comparing his personal approval ratings, as in “Do you like Bill Clinton?” sort of thing so they could compare it to his current rating.

Haven’t we learned anything from the Bush presidency? Don’t elect the person you’d want to have a beer with, elect the person who’ll do a good job. If they’re the same person, great. If they’re not, like George Bush, pass on them.

I’m not really sure what the CNN point was? Voters sure didn’t forgive him for the scandal. They looked back at the job he was doing. And, quite frankly, that’s all that matters.

Update: I found the transcript:

SCHNEIDER: We call it voter’s remorse. It happens a lot. When Bill Clinton left office in 2001, only 42 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of him. That number has climbed to 60 percent.

The more people turn against President Bush, the better they remember his predecessor. The economy was booming; the rest of the world liked us. So what if he got impeached?

…

SCHNEIDER: Voter’s remorse also benefited George W. Bush in 2000. Forty-nine percent of voters held a favorable opinion of the first President Bush just before they fired him in 1992. By 2000, that number had climbed to 73 percent. So what if the economy was a disaster when he left office? People remembered the first President Bush as a man of good character, who didn’t carry on like his successor.

I think this goes straight back to my point above. Approval ratings for the President are interesting, I guess, in the sense of “Will he hurt Hillary’s chances” or not, so I’m not crying foul exactly. It just seems as important to mention the job approval ratings for both as well. Bush will likely never get above the mid-40s without something dramatic happening.

The fact of the matter is that Clinton was a good President. While his personal approval ratings were low, his job approvals were in the 60’s. He has the highest approval ratings at the end of his time in office of all the recent presidents (yes, higher than Reagan). The fact that his personal approval ratings were low go to the fact that many Americans could look past his personal problems to understand that he was doing a decent job as a President. Maybe (wow!) they realized his problems were personal and not affecting or part of his job. Shocking, that…