If people hated Clinton so much, why was his approval rating so high?

Question

Clinton left office with polls revealing that most questioned his morals and ethics; however, he also retained a 65% approval rating, the highest end-of-presidency rating among all the Presidents that came into office after World War II.

Answer 1

I think it's because the media including newspapers and tv media is leaning toward the right. Most talk radio stations are run by right wing chicken hawks like Rush Limbaugh who has never spent a minute in the military.
Most intelligent people don't listen to the screamers on the radio and learn to delve into issues and develop thoughtful conclusions of their own.
Reality speaks for itself! People may moraly object to sexual shenanigans in the White House but what really counts is safety and security of the nation and world recognition of the benefits of Democracy.
We have an example of the very opposite of Clinton in the White House right now. A wasted military effort that has revealed our military weaknesses and strategic failures in Iraq and the needless expenditure of young American military men and women and countless Iraq lives and billions of US dollars.
Thanks

Answer 2

You can fool all of the people some of the time. . .

Clinton was a classic example of "the times make the man". He took office after a recession under Bush 41 that had already started to turn around before he took office. He got the benefits of "the peace dividend" after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He was in office during the Internet boom in the stock market. There were no major spikes in oil/gas prices during that time. It was a good run for the economy, but almost all of the factors that created it had nothing to do with him.

In fairness, Clinton deserves some credit for not blowing it. He presided over a good economy and did nothing that would send it into a tailspin. However, ask yourself this question, "What did Bill Clinton actually do to bolster the economy?" If you can find a substantial answer, you are a better person than I am.

Answer 3

Only a small minority hated Clinton. However, that minority was very vocal, very visable, and very powerful.

While many may not have approved of the things Clinton did in his personal life, or that he brought those things into the Oval Office, the vast majority thought him to be a good President.

Answer 4

This only goes to show that Americans disapproved of Clinton and his personal life but approved of his public policy.

This means that we loved Clinton as a politician but not as a role model.

Answer 5

Witch Clinton?

Answer 6

People didn't. It's just been the rhetoric used under current propaganda machines to try to discredit Clinton with the current hate for Bush running so high.

Answer 7

Nobody hated Bill Clinton. We all know Lady Hillary is too good to get on her knees; hence, dear Monica.
The religious Right all wish they could get some mouth-lovin'!

Answer 8

Because most people don't care what the president does in his personal life. It's about what he does in public office that matters to them.

Answer 9

Only delusional right wingers hated him. Mostly because his policies never lived up to the hyperbole and conjecture that the GOP said would happen from them. He made them look ridiculous.

Answer 10

Cuz when it came to his job...He did it well. Made a LOT of improvements. Economy was phenomenal.

Few cared what he did in his personal life. They realized that is a horndog, but an intelligent, hard working horndog-President.