December 28, 2011

What man and woman are the "most admired"?

The answers for the past year are predictable, but what's more interesting to hear about in this video are the man and the woman who have made Gallup's top 10 "most admired" list for many decades. There's one of each, and the man has been on the list since the 1940s. Only living individuals can be named.

49 comments:

Steve Burri said...

I guess my votes for Meade and Ann weren't enough to get them in the top 10 this year.

bagoh20 said...

Can someone tell me what Michelle Obama has done that's admirable?

ricpic said...

I admire Barak's awesome chutzpah.

ricpic said...

Michelle has shown admirable restraint not cursing out this selfish selfish land.

rhhardin said...

They should have asked approve, not admire.

David said...

Eisenhower has been dead for years, as has George Marshall. That's about when I stopped admiring political and public figures.

David said...

The woman I most admire is my wife. That's plenty for me.

rhhardin said...

In the story of the ring and the three brothers, the ring being bequeathed to the brother most loved by the others, the judge finally asked the brothers which of them the other two hated least.

bagoh20 said...

Very few of these people have made any substantial sacrifices for the betterment of others - they are simply famous.

For me self sacrifice would be a requirement and self aggrandizement disqualifying.

Ann Althouse said...

I think you're best off if your answer is "my father" or "my mother."

Mark O said...

It's admirable of Michelle not to say all the awful things she clearly thinks and even intimates about her husband. He must be quite something.

He's just not that smart.

Curious George said...

"Ann Althouse said...
I think you're best off if your answer is "my father" or "my mother."

The poll asks "living", and sadly for me, both mine have passed. Weird feeling being an orphan, even at 54.

Amartel said...

Queen Elizabeth for the woman most admired for the longest? Who's the man?

Michelle Obama's on the list? Famous for being famous, I guess.

Amartel said...

Ah, yes, of course. The Rev. Graham. Who are these 1,019 people who were polled? And can we pole them? Or trebuchet them?

Anonymous said...

"That's about when I stopped admiring political and public figures."

Yes, a politician is a politician and doesn't generally warrant admiration (with few exceptions), whatever the party. They are there to do a job. Do you hire a lawyer because you admire him or because you want him to performa a specific task that you need help with? People put way too much faith in politicians when what they should be asking is are they getting their money's worth for the task they hired them to do. Like Bill Nelson, politicians need to be reminded who the boss is. They have plenty of self-admiration to last them a lifetime. They don't need it from others.

Anonymous said...

Agree with bagoh20. It would be hard to imagine a more boring, uninspired list. Not particularly admirable, just famous.

Except possibly Thurman Monson, who I don't know. At first I thought it said Thurman Munson, which, if true, would have made the whole exercise worthwhile.

edutcher said...

The Hildabeast??????

They need to get out of Gotham.

I'd say Lady Thatcher and David Petraeus, although I like David's choice of George Marshall (but then I'd pick Douglas MacArthur over Eisenhower).

PS Steve, we need to try harder.

Known Unknown said...

I have to say I like the reporter. Very simple, straight and reporter-y.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Hillary surely scratched and clawed her way up from being FLOTUS to a seat in the U.S. Senate. What's not to admire about that?

edutcher said...

Problem is, all she did with it was an embarrassingly failed run for POTUS.

bagoh20 said...

Politician has to poll near the bottom of occupations, yet this list is thoroughly fouled with them. Somebody is not thinking clearly. Did they ask people as they were running for a bus and didn't have time to think?

Phil 314 said...

Can someone tell me what Michelle Obama has done that's admirable?

Admiration says more about the admirer than the admired.

William said...

This list does not mention Kim Kardashian, Lada Gaga, nor even a single NFL quarterback. The methodology of the survey is obviously flawed.

Chase said...

Billy Graham in the top 10 since the 40's.

There is still hope for America after all.


My favorite comic comment of all time:
"I see where Madonna won the 'Woman of the Year Award'. I sure am glad she beat out that bitch Mother Teresa".
Jay Leno

Unknown said...

bagoh20: She manages to spend millions of our money for vacations without causing a squeak from the Occupiers; she manages to spend thousands of dollars for a dress that makes her look worse; she manages to ignore her own wagging fingers and eats things that fatten her butt...

The lady is as admirable as her brilliant eloquent teleprompted husband who manages to make cluelessness and ignorance chic.

The Drill SGT said...

I'd go with Angela Merkel and David Petraeus

cfkane1701 said...

Woman: Aung San Suu Kyi, still going up against the thugs in Burma. More nerve than I can imagine.

Man: George Clooney. I disagree with with everything he says. If he said the sky was blue, I'd look up. But still, what a good-lookin' guy with great talent and style.

wyo sis said...

Thomas Monson is the prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints.

rhhardin said...

The Citation jet is still called the Munson burner.

Alex said...

Man - Bill Gates
Woman - Sarah Palin

Freeman Hunt said...

Warren Buffett? I choose to laugh rather than cry.

I had to look up Thomas Monson. Oh.

Freeman Hunt said...

Frank Newport has a phenomenal voice. I want him to read all the news, and that's saying a lot because I have no patience for video or audio over print.

Freeman Hunt said...

Donald Trump and Oprah? What can even be said on these?

DADvocate said...

Hillary surely scratched and clawed her way up from being FLOTUS to a seat in the U.S. Senate. What's not to admire about that?

Can you say, "Riding her husband's coattails?"

cfkane1701 - I know a several people who went to high school with George. They all say he's a good guy. His dad's a little pretentious, but OK. I disagree with their politics. His dad, Nick, ran for Congress and got labeled "Looney Clooney."

Wally Kalbacken said...

Ellen DeGeneres is on top of Queen Elizabeth? Ewwww!

Henry said...

@wyo sis -- You beat me to it. I guess 1% of the respondents were Mormons. Mormons with father issues.

caplight45 said...

Billy Graham. Crack in 3...2...1!

I'm Full of Soup said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
I'm Full of Soup said...

Edutcher & Dadavocate:

I was being sarcastic re Hillary and her down for the struggle climb from the White House all the way down the street to the U.S. Senate.

traditionalguy said...

Two strange thoughts:

Elvis Presley missing from the list implies that he is actually dead?

Barak Obama being named implies that he is an American citizen.

JAL said...

Does anyone really read these lists?

If so --

Why?

Peter Hoh said...

Without looking, I'm guessing Billy Graham.

DADvocate said...

I was being sarcastic

Thank God. I was getting worried.

machine said...

No class...at all...

jacksonjay said...

I noticed Bill Maher was not on the list.

He must really be perplexed that Billy Graham has been admired for so long!

Wasn't Tebow somewhere on the extended list?

clint said...

Sad that Norman Borlaug doesn't even get an honorable mention on lists like these.

Lucien said...

What, no Nelson Mandela?

And I bet Vaclav Havel wasn't even close (while alive).

Freeman Hunt said...

Norman Borlaug is dead.

Joe said...

My granddaughter; she can control my daughter in ways I never could. It's awesome! (And she's cute and smart as hell, which is even more awesome. Well, until she suddenly takes off like a rocket in a store and plays hide.)