Barack Obama vs George W. Bush
Barack Obama
United States- 44th President of the United States (2009-2017)
- U.S. Senator from Illinois (2005-2008)
Illinois senator who became the first African American president, passed the Affordable Care Act and financial reform after the 2008 crisis, and pursued diplomacy with Iran and Cuba.
Full profile of Barack Obama
George W. Bush
United States- 43rd President of the United States (2001-2009)
- Governor of Texas (1995-2000)
Texas governor and Republican president who cut taxes, led the response to the September 11 attacks, launched the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and expanded Medicare.
Full profile of George W. BushIn short
How they compare
Barack Obama (Born 1961) and George W. Bush (Born 1946) are a 68% match on the 12 axes where both have a clear record.
They differ most on morality (Barack Obama: progressive (moderate); George W. Bush: traditional (moderate)), foreign policy (Barack Obama: cooperation (mild); George W. Bush: strength (strong)) and welfare (Barack Obama: shared (moderate); George W. Bush: self-reliant (mild)). They are closest on structure, trade and culture.
On the economy George W. Bush sits further toward markets; on state and liberty George W. Bush sits further toward authority; on society George W. Bush sits further toward tradition; on the world stage George W. Bush sits further toward nation.
Generated from the two sourced profiles on this site. Each axis placement and its reasoning is on the full profile pages.
★ By family of axes
- Economy3 axes
- Barack Obamaequality (mild)George W. Bushmarkets (moderate)
- State and liberty3 axes
- Barack ObamabalancedGeorge W. Bushauthority (moderate)
- Society4 axes
- Barack Obamaprogress (mild)George W. Bushtradition (mild)
- World2 axes
- Barack Obamaglobal (moderate)George W. Bushnation (mild)
- Barack Obama: petals and stars
- George W. Bush: dashed outline
★ Where they differ most
- Morality110 points apart
Barack Obama: Progressive (moderate). George W. Bush: Traditional (moderate).
- Foreign policy105 points apart
Barack Obama: Cooperation (mild). George W. Bush: Strength (strong).
- Welfare70 points apart
Barack Obama: Shared (moderate). George W. Bush: Self-reliant (mild).
- Authority70 points apart
Barack Obama: Democratic (moderate). George W. Bush: Strong leader (mild).
★ Where they are closest
- Structure · 5 apart
- Trade · 10 apart
- Culture · 25 apart
Axis by axis
George W. Bush
Economy
Equality / Markets- OwnershipMild: Private45%55%PublicPrivate
- MarketsMild: Planned60%40%PlannedFree
- WelfareModerate: Shared73%27%SharedSelf-reliant
State and liberty
Liberty / Authority- AuthorityModerate: Democratic78%22%DemocraticStrong leader
- SecurityMild: Order43%57%LibertyOrder
- StructureModerate: Central30%70%LocalCentral
Society
Progress / Tradition- MoralityModerate: Progressive75%25%ProgressiveTraditional
- ReligionMild: Secular58%42%SecularReligious
- TechnologyMild: Embrace60%40%EmbraceCaution
- CultureModerate: Multicultural70%30%MulticulturalNational identity
World
Global / Nation- TradeModerate: Global73%27%GlobalProtected
- Foreign policyMild: Cooperation65%35%CooperationStrength
★ 12 Axes Political Test ★
Who are you closer to?
Answer plain statements on 12 axes and see your match with Barack Obama, George W. Bush and every other historical figure, axis by axis.
FAQ
Barack Obama vs George W. Bush
What is the difference between Barack Obama and George W. Bush?
They differ most on morality (Barack Obama: progressive (moderate); George W. Bush: traditional (moderate)), foreign policy (Barack Obama: cooperation (mild); George W. Bush: strength (strong)) and welfare (Barack Obama: shared (moderate); George W. Bush: self-reliant (mild)). On the economy George W. Bush sits further toward markets; on state and liberty George W. Bush sits further toward authority; on society George W. Bush sits further toward tradition; on the world stage George W. Bush sits further toward nation.
What do Barack Obama and George W. Bush have in common?
They are closest on structure, trade and culture. Overall their profiles are a 68% match on the 12 axes where both have a clear record.
Who leans more toward free markets, Barack Obama or George W. Bush?
On the economic axes they share, George W. Bush sits further toward markets and Barack Obama further toward equality. Barack Obama reads as equality (mild) overall, George W. Bush as markets (moderate).
Am I closer to Barack Obama or George W. Bush?
Take the 12 Axes Political Test. Your result shows your match with both of them, and with every other historical figure and ideology on the site, axis by axis.