Presidents Ranked

[TGHusker]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-worst-u-s-president-of-all-time-isn-t-donald-trump-according-to-historians-find-out-who-they-picked/ss-AAYJPDs?cvid=1e94e59928dd45daa238ca4b9823d573&fullscreen=true#image=45

 

 

I thought this was an interesting 'click bait' if you will.  Ranking of presidents.  I believe this is a C-span poll of historians.   They have Trump ranked 3rd worse - may be last once the AG gets done with him.  

I don't have a problem wt the top 10 when you look at all of the factors they are using to judge them by.   I like their estimation of Eisenhower as # 5 as I'm currently reading Ambrose's book on Eisenhower (great read).  Some presidents who I think have been elevated by time  - Truman & Grant (20th - which I agree with), Carter, Nixon   Having read a lot about Grant and Eisenhower, they were like Washington - the right Generals needed at the right time for war and for the presidency.  All 3 were reluctant servants - more than willing to serve their country and do their duty but never expecting or chasing the presidency.  All 3 saw it as their 'duty' - if the nation called, they would serve. But by in large they hated the game of politics. 

 

Top Ten

Lincoln

Washington

FDR

TR

Eisenhower

Truman

Jefferson

Kennedy

Reagan

Obama

Others of note:  Jimmy Carter 26, GWB 29, Clinton 19, GHWB 21,   Nixon 31,  Ford 28, LBJ 11     Worst: Buchanan  - Trump tied for 3rd worse (44th on Moral authority & administrative skills )

 

They (C-Span)  scored each president based on the following criteria.  This is the Reagan score:

 Overall C-SPAN score: 681
--- Political persuasion score: 89.1 (#5)
--- Crisis leadership score: 69.0 (#9)
--- Economic management score: 60.5 (#15)
--- Moral authority score: 65.4 (#13)
--- International relations score score: 73.8 (#9)
--- Administrative skills score: 52.1 (#30)
--- Congressional relations score: 68.4 (#8)
--- Vision/ability to set an agenda score: 84.0 (#5)
--- Pursued equal justice for all score: 46.0 (#22)
--- Performance within context of the times score: 73.0 (#8)

 

Obama's score

 Overall C-SPAN score: 664
--- Political persuasion score: 76.3 (#9)
--- Crisis leadership score: 62.8 (#17)
--- Economic management score: 64.6 (#9)
--- Moral authority score: 75.5 (#6)
--- International relations score score: 56.7 (#21)
--- Administrative skills score: 63.3 (#14)
--- Congressional relations score: 46.9 (#32)
--- Vision/ability to set an agenda score: 71.5 (#12)
--- Pursued equal justice for all score: 78.2 (#3)
--- Performance within context of the times score: 68.2 (#10)

 

Kennedy's score:

 Overall C-SPAN score: 699
--- Political persuasion score: 84.8 (#6)
--- Crisis leadership score: 73.9 (#7)
--- Economic management score: 67.9 (#7)
--- Moral authority score: 61.8 (#16)
--- International relations score score: 65.7 (#15)
--- Administrative skills score: 61.7 (#18)
--- Congressional relations score: 62.0 (#11)
--- Vision/ability to set an agenda score: 80.0 (#7)
--- Pursued equal justice for all score: 71.0 (#7)

--- Performance within context of the times score: 70.0 (#9)

 

Trump Score:

 Overall C-SPAN score: 312
--- Political persuasion score: 43.9 (#32)
--- Crisis leadership score: 26.5 (#41)
--- Economic management score: 42.7 (#34)
--- Moral authority score: 18.7 (#44)
--- International relations score score: 33.3 (#43)
--- Administrative skills score: 22.8 (#44)
--- Congressional relations score: 28.6 (#42)
--- Vision/ability to set an agenda score: 39.6 (#36)
--- Pursued equal justice for all score: 27.6 (#40)
--- Performance within context of the times score: 28.3 (#42)
--- Performance within context of the times score: 70.0 (#9)

[JJ Husker]

I didn’t dig into the criteria or even look at the link but a few that seem out of place; Carter- rated way too high. Clinton prob a bit too low.  GW behind Ford ???  Things seem a bit off.

[TGHusker]

15 minutes ago, JJ Husker said:

I didn’t dig into the criteria or even look at the link but a few that seem out of place; Carter- rated way too high. Clinton prob a bit too low.  GW behind Ford ???  Things seem a bit off.

The ratings tell why each president was ranked as they were. Carter gets bumped up due to equal justice & moral authority 

 

I thought Ford was a bit too high.  GWB got hit wt Iraq but not for his initial response after 911.  

 

Quote

Though Carter rated highly for the pursuit of equal justice as seen through his domestic achievements and employment of minorities, he fell short in his crisis leadership skills; his SALT II negotiation ultimately caused the Iran hostage crisis.

Carter

 Overall C-SPAN score: 506
--- Political persuasion score: 43.0 (#35)
--- Crisis leadership score: 39.5 (#35)
--- Economic management score: 37.8 (#37)
--- Moral authority score: 71.7 (#7)
--- International relations score score: 50.0 (#28)
--- Administrative skills score: 49.2 (#34)
--- Congressional relations score: 44.9 (#34)
--- Vision/ability to set an agenda score: 50.5 (#24)
--- Pursued equal justice for all score: 72.0 (#5)
--- Performance within context of the times score: 47.8 (#30)

[TGHusker]

It might be my bias  but I think Kennedy and Reagan should be flipped.  Reagan is scored too low in economic mgmt section IMHO- when he just pulled the country out of what was at that time the worse economic time since the depression and created the longest peace time economic expansion in our country's history.   He rightly takes an administrative skill hit most likely due to Iran/Contra.   But both Kennedy and Reagan are in right spot of being 8-9.  One often wonders what Kennedy's admin would have been like if he was not killed and was re-elected.  Would it have been bogged down by Vietnam or would we have have avoided the mess and avoided the riots of the mid to later 1960s.  

[BigRedBuster]

34 minutes ago, TGHusker said:

It might be my bias  but I think Kennedy and Reagan should be flipped.  Reagan is scored too low in economic mgmt section IMHO- when he just pulled the country out of what was at that time the worse economic time since the depression and created the longest peace time economic expansion in our country's history.   He rightly takes an administrative skill hit most likely due to Iran/Contra.   But both Kennedy and Reagan are in right spot of being 8-9.  One often wonders what Kennedy's admin would have been like if he was not killed and was re-elected.  Would it have been bogged down by Vietnam or would we have have avoided the mess and avoided the riots of the mid to later 1960s.  

As I’ve aged, I’ve admired Kennedy more and more. But, I’ve always wondered if he’s built up more because he was assassinated. However, our views are lining up more and more. 

[Guy Chamberlin]

What's timely to note in this moment of "what can Presidents take credit/blame for?" is that Ford and mostly Carter were handed the bill for the Vietnam War, while Reagan got the benefit of an economic recovery already in the works. GHW Bush had one of the highest approval ratings of all time after his handling of the Gulf War, but was denied a second term for a Recession he had little to do with. Clinton got to take credit for that modest recovery. Johnson is given mostly worthy credit for ushering in Civil Rights and ambitious social programs, but the folly of Vietnam is kinda like flunking your final exam. Kennedy will always be 50% myth to me, but it really was a shining moment of what America COULD be. Having your national hopes get shot to death in Texas still resonates, don't it? 

 

Eisenhower's stock has really gone up in my lifetime. He's got some of the best quotes in the political meme business, and they're shared a lot more by Democrats than Republicans these days. Fascinating guy with a keen understanding of power. 

 

I'd like Reagan to be dropped a few pegs because history has since proven that his economic policies have been an unfolding disaster.