If they had the choice, more Americans would prefer Ronald Reagan than Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the White House right now. That’s according to a new CBS News/Vanity Fair poll which asked Americans who they would trust to lead the country out of our current dire economic straits.

Thirty-six percent of those polled said they wanted the Gipper to lead America out of the economic crisis, while 29 percent picked Roosevelt. Thomas Jefferson came in third place with the support of 14 percent of those polled, followed by Roosevelt’s successor Harry Truman at 8 percent. William Henry Harrison, who was inaugurated in March 1841 and died one month later, came in last with 1 percent support.

Really? 1% of the population hears “we need someone in the White House to bring about prosperity” and thinks “William Henry Harrison”? The guy who was in office for (literally) about a month? Okay then.

Interestingly enough, Reagan is preferred by 68% of Republicans, 16% of Democrats, and 34% of Independents. Roosevelt is only favored by 16% of Republicans, 43% of Democrats, and 26% of Independents.

It seems the myth of a Roosevelt economic miracle is dying off and deservedly so. Anyone who has read Amity Shlaes’ The Forgotten Man knows the New Deal was a disaster. Much of Roosevelt’s plan was stricken down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional, and the rest failed to make a significant dent in the unemployment rate. It wasn’t until World War II that we started seeing a turnaround.

Anyway, on an unrelated note, how are the mainstream media’s attacks on Marco Rubio working out?

When asked what words they thought of when the heard the name Marco Rubio, 25 percent said “U.S. Senator” while 14 percent said “Major League Baseball player” and 7 percent said “Cuban musician.”

It seems the media was premature in attempting to destroy his reputation. It seems a chunk of the population doesn’t even know who he is. Twenty-one percent think he’s a baseball-playing Cuban musician, or something. Which is good, giving him an opportunity to shape his reputation on the national stage.