Modern Presidents Poll

I saw this poll on modern presidents today. Kennedy is still the highest followed by Reagan. Nixon was last.

George H.W. Bush's ratings have gone up:
Bush Appears to Be Vindicated, writes James Hohmann at Politico: "Bush's 47 percent
approval rating also raises serious questions about the wisdom of the White House decision to relentlessly attack him in the months before the Democrats' historic losses in the midterm elections." The "rebound," he continues, also "gives some credence to what he has long said--that history will eventually judge his presidency."

The surprise, according to this article, was Clinton and Carter:
"The most noticeable change in this year's survey is the rise of Bill Clinton and fall of Jimmy carter," says Bruce Drake at Politics Daily:

Carter had left office with a dismal 34 percent approval rating in a Gallup poll after his one term, compared to Clinton's rebound to 66 percent in 2001 despite the cloud over his presidency from the 1998 Monica Lewinsky affair. Clinton ended his term on a high approval note, thanks to a booming economy that offset the damage from the Lewinsky scandal. Gallup surveys at the time suggested that the public separated in its mind how he was doing his job as president compared to its opinion of Clinton's personal behavior (only 24 percent considered him "honest and trustworthy" in January 1999).

Presidential Teeth

Dentists were on my mind today (not because of anything fun I assure you), so I looked up the dental history of the presidents.

This picture of Woodrow Wilson shows his bad teeth. According to the site, this could have contributed to his stroke.

Washington's false teeth are well documented, but Adams refused them:

When Adams lost his teeth, he refused to wear false ones. As a result, he had a lisp when speaking. In later years Adams had trouble speaking. After encountering a fellow senior citizen in 1811, Adams wrote: "He is above 80. I cannot speak, and he cannot hear. Yet we converse".

The other bit that amused me was this on Lincoln:
A dentist broke off part of Lincoln's jaw bone while pulling a tooth -- without anesthesia [2c]. The extraction may have taken place in Louisville, KY in Sept. 1841.

It has been said that Lincoln was afraid of dentists (see episode above for a good reason why he might have been). In 1862 Lincoln developed a severe toothache and consulted Dr. G. S. Wolf, who had an office near the White House. As Wolf prepared to pull the tooth, Lincoln asked him to wait. Lincoln "took a container of chloroform from his pocket, inhaled it deeply, and sleepily gave the signal for the dentist to proceed".

George W Bush released dental records that you can check out online as well from 1973.

White House Christmas Prep

Check out this video on setting up the White House Christmas! If you can't tell, I'm in the holiday mood!

I found this site on presidential Christmas cards. The site had this to say about Taft and Christmas giving:
During his time in office, Taft’s famously generous nature was apparent in the scope and number of Christmas gifts he sent out. The president believed more in the act of giving than in the essential value of the gifts themselves. As did not limit his gifts to family and friends, his Christmas list often climbed into the hundreds. He would send out presidential Christmas cards to accompany the gifts. Oftentimes, his aides would have to scramble to acquire more White House cards as the list grew to ungainly lengths. Mr. Taft would usually devote several days of his own time to going Christmas shopping from store-to-store. Among his favorite items to send were books and jewelry, and he always made his own selections. On each of the books he sent, he would write a personal sentiment inside the cover, lending these objects a lasting historical value. In addition to friends and relatives, President Taft presented Christmas gifts to all of the White House clerks. He also sent a Christmas turkey to all married White House employees – usually just over 100 turkeys for a total cost of $350 – $400. He would also give a personal holiday remembrance to each of the Secret Service men assigned to protect him.

The Taft’s were also the initial First Family to display the White House Christmas tree and hold the presidential Christmas party in the Blue Room, a location previously considered sacred to official entertaining. Previous trees and holiday celebrations held by Grover Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt had been held in the Upper Corridor, a less-formal living room-like chamber in the executive mansion.

White House Christmas Tree

If you are like me, your Christmas tree went up this weekend, so that, of course, got me thinking about the White House Christmas tree! This year's tree is 18.5 foot Douglas fir from Lehigton, PA. It was donated by Christopher Botek from his family farm - this is actually the second time they've donated a White House tree. I'm looking forward to seeing the White House decorated for the holidays! You can check out this blog post for inormation on this year's Christmas details.