Bill Clinton At The Height Of His Popularity Heading Into DNC Speech

By Connor Adams Sheets | September 05 2012 9:23 PM

Bill Clinton may have been impeached while he was president of the United States, but he's still one of the most widely beloved politicians in the land. In fact, even as he readied to give his highly anticipated address Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention, he was getting praise from the likes of ultra-conservative GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and other world leaders announced Wednesday they struck a deal with a drug company to halve the price of a long-acting contraception implant for millions of women in developing nations.

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According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, a whopping 69 percent of Americans hold a favorable opinion of the former president as of Wednesday, which is the highest rating he has ever notched in his career since first being elected president in 1992, according to the conservative Daily Caller, which dubbed him "Mr. Popular" on Wednesday. He had never topped 66 percent before this new poll emerged and only 27 percent of voters said they have an unfavorable opinion of Clinton

And even Paul Ryan had kind words for Bill Clinton, which he delivered during a Wednesday taping that CNN will air in between other parts of its convention coverage, meaning that not only has Bubba maintained the admiration of his adoring fans, but he is also staying in high esteem with one of the most powerful conservatives in the nation.

"Bill Clinton was a different kind of Democrat than Barack Obama," Ryan will say in the video, according to the Boston Globe. "Bill Clinton gave us welfare reform ... Bill Clinton worked with the Republicans to cut spending. Bill Clinton did not play the kind of political games that President Obama's playing."

Meanwhile, an ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that Barack Obama is the least popular incumbent president at this time in a presidential race since 1984, with only 47 percent of registered voters seeing him favorably, which is down 7 percent from April. His 49 percent unfavorability rating makes this the first time since February he has seen less favorability than unfavorability since February, Newsmax reports.

Bill Clinton is one of the most highly anticipated guests speaking during the 2012 DNC this week in Charlotte, N.C., one of several swing states Obama won in 2008 that he is banking on winning again this November.

Bill Clinton and Obama have had a rocky relationship at times, particularly in 2008, when Obama was on his way to defeating Clinton's wife, Hillary, and winning the 2008 Democratic nomination for president.

Still, Clinton's speech is expected to be a full-throated endorsement of Obama and a discussion of why he is the best man to lead the country for the next four years, according to Reuters.