Americans Agree: We Have A National Crisis.

Americans long for the leadership qualities of the most popular Democratic and Republican presidents of the modern era to solve what a wide majority considers a national crisis, a new Zogby International telephone poll shows.

The survey of 843 likely voters nationwide was conducted Jan. 5-9, 2007, and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

Offered thumbnail descriptions of the presidential qualities, including the names of five of the greatest American Presidents – George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan – respondents nationwide said Reagan’s qualities are most sought after, with FDR a very close second. Twenty–eight percent said they would prefer someone like Reagan, whose “far-sighted vision” and who “persevered despite harsh criticism from enemies and was firm in pursuing his agenda.” Nearly as many (26%) said they preferred the “pragmatism and hopefulness of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who inspired a nation in trouble and championed the needs of the downtrodden.”

Another 21% said they think this is a time for Democrat John F. Kennedy, while 16% reached back to Abraham Lincoln in search of a leader to solve today’s modern problems. Just 6% said they think the nation – now at war around the world for five years – would be best served by George Washington, the man who led the war for independence.

It comes as no surprise Republican respondents overwhelmingly believe America is most in need of the guidance Reagan would provide – 57% of Republicans say the nation needs a president like Reagan, while 18% said it is time for a president with Lincoln’s attributes. But only 9% of Democrats believe the nation is in need of a president like Reagan. They would instead turn to Democratic presidents of the past to help solve the nation’s problems – 35% want to have a president like FDR, while 32% believe a president like Kennedy would be best able to lead America today.

Both women and men most favor a president like Reagan to deal with today’s issues – men somewhat more (32%) compared to 25% of women. FDR comes in as the second choice for men (28%) while 19% would turn to a president with JFK’s qualities. Women gave equal support (23%) to Roosevelt and Kennedy as their second choice for a president with the qualities the nation most needs now.

Our nation’s first president ranked far behind others -- only 6% who said America needs a president who possesses “the firm resolve yet humble spirit” of George Washington.
Libertarians were twice as likely to believe there is a need for a person in the White House like Washington – 12% said they feel this way as well as 11% of those who identify themselves as very conservative.

There is widespread agreement among Americans surveyed that the nation is in a state of crisis.

Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to say the nation is currently facing a crisis – 86% of Democrats feel this way, and though less so, a majority of Republicans (56%) agreed.

While 82% of progressives and 80% of moderates said a crisis now looms in America, 57% of conservatives said the nation faces a crisis.

More than half (59%) of respondents said they believe the nation is off on the wrong track – that figure jumps to 83% for liberal respondents. Conservatives were more likely to say the nation is headed in the right direction – 44% have a positive view of where the nation is headed, compared to just 30% of overall respondents.

War was Americans’ top issue heading into the 2008 presidential election for 37% of respondents – widely beating out other concerns such as the economy, healthcare, immigration issues and taxes. Asked what issue will be most important to the nation in the next presidential election, half (50%) cited war-related issues in Iraq, Afghanistan and with the troops – again trumping any other issue by a significant margin.

For a detailed methodological statement, please visit:http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1161