Today is Presidents’ Day. The federal holiday was implemented by the United States Congress in 1880 honoring the similarly dated birthdays of two of America’s greatest President’s and statesmen. Although the vast majority of Americans remain high on the legacy of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln few rank the holiday that celebrates their birth and life each year as being among the most important. Rasmussen Reports shows that just 14% think President’s Day is one of the nation’s most important holidays. A third (33%) believe it to be one of the least important with nearly half (49%) suggesting it falls somewhere in between. Only nine-percent of Americans plan to celebrate Presidents’ Day in some fashion which probably corresponds to the fact that only a third of adults (33%) claim to be off from work today.
Over 210-years since the death of Washington and 145 removed from the Lincoln assassination Americans continue to hold George and Abe in the highest regard. 93% of American adults have a favorable view of Abraham Lincoln with 63% claiming a “very” favorable opinion. The numbers for Washington are only slightly less impressive with a favorability of 89% and a very favorable at 54%.
When asked the question of which U.S. President is most influential in terms of their impact on the nation’s history Lincoln and Washington again finish one and two respectively. The 16th President draws 30% support from the Rasmussen poll sample and America’s greatest Founding Father ranks second at 21%. 20th Century President’s Ronald Reagan (17%) and Franklin Roosevelt (16%) are next on the list followed by the country’s third Commander in Chief, Thomas Jefferson with ten-percent support.
Male responders rank Washington slightly higher with women more supportive of Lincoln. Perhaps interestingly Lincoln only ranks second among polled Republicans, behind Washington and barely ahead of Reagan, in spite of his reputation as being the greatest member of his party. Democrats rank Lincoln first, Roosevelt second and Washington at a distant third. Unaffiliated adults meanwhile also side with Lincoln, followed by Reagan and then Washington.
Washington remains the country’s greatest Founding Father in the view of a majority (53%) of Americans. Around half of that total (27%) honors Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, with that distinction. John Adams (7%) and James Madison (3%), the primary author of the U.S. Constitution, are a distant third and fourth in the poll. In a showdown between which President had the more lasting impact on U.S history Lincoln defeats Washington handedly 64-25%.
Moving from our greatest Presidents to the topic of Valentine’s Day Rasmussen finds Americans have a love-hate relationship with the holiday. Established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 the holiday was named after Christian martyrs Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. The modern practice of card giving began around the middle 19th century in the U.S and U.K. 
According to Rasmussen 36% of adults look forward to Valentine’s Day, 20% dread the holiday and a 43% plurality are indifferent. Ranking with St. Patrick’s Day near the bottom of the list 51% of Americans consider Valentine’s Day one of the nation’s least important holidays, with just five-percent of the opinion that it’s one of the most important. Somewhat oddly men look forward to V-Day more than women and single adults think the holiday is more important than those who are married.
67% prefer to spend the day having dinner with someone “special”. In the event that the meal will be at a restaurant it appears that men will more often than not be picking up the check. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that men spend twice the amount on average that women do for Valentine’s Day. The same organization also suggests that over one-billion Valentine’s cards are sent each year worldwide ranking the holiday second behind only Christmas.
PHOTO CREDITS: ASSOCIATED PRESS / CRAIG HARMON / HADI MIZBAN
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