It's hard to believe that any person living in today’s 24/7 media world would fail to recognize the name of the commander-in-chief. Things aren't that bad in the recognition department for Sarah Palin, who does twice as better as Obama. She is an unknown quantity to only two percent of Americans. Michelle Obama does better than Alaska's ex-Governor. A mere one percent draws a blank when it comes to the First Lady. That's the best of the 13 politicos and one general (David Petraeus) on the roster.
At 31 percent, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal scores the highest "never heard of" rating. The Gulf oil spill doesn't seem to have bolstered Jindal's profile. He is trailed by Petraeus (24 percent), Mike Huckabee/Mitt Romney (18 percent) and Newt Gingerich (13 percent).
The Gallup respondents give the biggest thumbs-down to former Vice President Dick Cheney. He tops the "unfavorable" ranking, scoring 52 percent. George W. Bush follows Cheney at 51 percent. Al Gore (49 percent), Palin (47 percent) and Barack Obama (44 percent) round out the Top Five unfavorables.
Gallup's people are big fans of the Clintons. Bill and Hillary each get a 61 percent favorability score. Their unfavorable ratings are 34 percent and 35 percent, respectively.
Only Michelle Obama is viewed more favorable than the Clintons. She gets a 66 percent score. That’s impressive but the First Lady had a 72 percent positive rating in March 2009.
A quarter of the respondents have an unfavorable view of Michelle Obama.