The new list, prepared by the Federalist Society and the Wall Street Journal, not only gave Reagan higher ranking but placed him among the "Near Great" presidents, along with such presidential heroes as Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, James Polk and Woodrow Wilson.
The only presidents ranked as "great" on the list are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt.
According to the Federalist Society’s James Lindgren and Steven G. Calabresi:
"Our primary reason for undertaking a new survey was to get a fairer and more balanced assessment than had been achieved by past presidential surveys. Unlike most prior studies, which had surveyed primarily either liberals or conservatives but not both, our new study surveyed a balanced panel of experts. Toward that end, we asked a panel of two historians, two law professors, and two political scientists to select a balanced group of prominent scholars to be surveyed.
Among their findings:
The society said the study of presidential rankings was important because it suggested that Reagan has been seriously underrated in past studies, while for presidents such as Kennedy, "ours is only the most recent study to have somewhat downgraded his reputation."
As for Clinton, the society notes that it was "striking that in the wake of his impeachment trial Bill Clinton is the lowest ranked two-term president other than Ulysses S. Grant."
The two scholars concluded: "Who a society’s heroes are tells us a great deal about that society. For that reason, if for no other, it is important that we give Ronald Reagan his due. As for Bill Clinton, our exit polling suggests that it is still too early to call the race."
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