Here's the thing about Obama's legacy. To political scientist and such, he'll probably end up just ahead of the curve, probably around the 20 spot. To historians, maybe a little higher to around the 15 spot. BUT ... to the populous as a whole, we're probably looking at Obama being in the top 5 for at least the next 20 to 30 years, probably longer. He'll probably be ranked as the greatest modern President for a good part of that. There's no doubt that there will be schools and streets and such named after him, that he'll be a very popular ex-President, and when he dies it'll probably surpass the kind of attention in scope and size that Reagan got. In a hundred years and more, he'll probably be one of the few Presidents that the general public will be able to name from this area.
Good analysis. It's easy to assume Obama will be unpopular for good because he is so polarizing right now, but people have to keep in mind that Harry Truman, for example, had horrendously low approval ratings for the better portion of his presidency and is now ranked in the top 5. Eisenhower is another example of a President to whom history has been very kind. I agree with the general sentiment that Obama is "Nixon done right," in that he assembled a winning political coalition based on the fastest growing groups while also picking up other groups, has an antagonistic relationship with a radicalized opposition party, and is a polarizing figure. Had Watergate never happened and Nixon finished his presidency, I have no doubt he'd be a very popular figure right now as well.
