timschochet
Footballguy
Yeah, I'm regretting my low ranking of Andrew Carnegie. I didn't know too much about him before I started this. I may have to revise that.
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timschochet's thread- Mods, please move this thread to the Politics Subforum, thank you (2 Viewers)
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Cold Dead Hands
Footballguy
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Cold Dead Hands
Footballguy
jwb
Footballguy
I think it's an inspired pick, and I definitely get where he's going. It's not textbook "most important to history". If that was the case, it'd be a pretty boring list.
This is the Time Magazine version of the list. It's not People Magazine, and it's not The Atlantic.
timschochet
Footballguy
People who aren't on my list but whom I have to find a way to make room for:
Hillary Clinton
Kobe Bryant
Ben Roethlisberger
Roman Polanski
Huma Abden
Mike Trout
Dagny Taggart
Icon
Ray Nagin
Johnny Whitaker
Rachel Maddow
Yoko Ono
Hillary Clinton
Kobe Bryant
Ben Roethlisberger
Roman Polanski
Huma Abden
Mike Trout
Dagny Taggart
Icon
Ray Nagin
Johnny Whitaker
Rachel Maddow
Yoko Ono
Cold Dead Hands
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
I don't like Subway.
Cold Dead Hands
Footballguy
Gawain
Footballguy
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
I can understand Hillary Clinton on the list already even if she doesn't win the White House. She would already be ranked way too high, but for example, she should be higher than MAdonna dn Billy Jean King.
timschochet
Footballguy
No she shouldn't. If she gets elected then yeah. But my list will be over by then (I hope!)
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Are you seriously going to have me argue for Hillary Clinton?
For as much as Billy Jean gets credit for beating an old fat guy at a game that less than 10% of the country truly cares about in a match that didn't count, and then she turned out to be gay and an icon to a small subset of people in the country for a time that has long since past, Hillary Clinton has been pretty much on the tip of American culture and politics since 1992 and in that roughly 25 year period she has amassed a great deal of power and station in culture. From First Lady that actually was put in charge of arguing for some policy, to political operative, to Senator, to Secretary of State to front runner for the Office of President as the first woman, frankly there is no comparison between the two.
History is going to forget Billy Jean King a lot quicker (if it hasn't already done so) then it ever will Hillary Clinton, win or lose next year.
timschochet
Footballguy
I knew I could get Yankee to defend Hillary. Awesome!
FWIW I agree with you to an extent. Sometimes it's more difficult when history unfolds before your eyes.
FWIW I agree with you to an extent. Sometimes it's more difficult when history unfolds before your eyes.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Yeah, but we know what history remembers for the most part. 50 years from now, the story of woman's liberation/equal rights and whatever it is called by then isn't going to reference BJK anymore than with a foonote. But that same story is going to mention Hillary Clinton, and she is also going to be mentioned throughout 2 presidencies and possibly her own.
I'll defend anyone if they can pay my retainer.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
When I finish Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter I'm going to take a break from the Presidents stories and rankings to go back and do a synopsis of the electoral issues of each election as requested and then I will also tackle the relationships of the Presidents with their Vice Presidents, as requested. Both topics will take several posts, broken down into certain timelines for the sake of "clarity."
And then tackle Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama. They will take more work than all the other Presidents. I am having slightly more fun with this than I should.
And then tackle Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama. They will take more work than all the other Presidents. I am having slightly more fun with this than I should.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Public Acumen/Persuasion
The best part about Eisenhower and his Vice President, Richard Nixon? Nixon’s daughter married Eisenhower’s Grandson. They didn’t like each other but their families are connected now for all time. Funny.
Eisenhower was begged to run for President in 1948 – from both parties. The guy had never even voted in an election up to that time, let alone run for office, but coming off the heels of World War II, he was a national icon. He rebuked Truman and didn’t run in ’48, and then rebuked him further in ’53 when he announced that he was a Republican. In making the announcement that he would run for the Republican nomination, he was months behind Governor Taft’s candidacy. At first, while Eisenhower had the national love of the people, the party wasn’t quite ready to just crown him. However, once he decided to run he ran his campaign like the general he was and shortly – with the able assist from Richard Nixon – got all problems in the Republican convention worked out and was given the nomination on the first ballot. Nixon was rewarded with the second spot.
Eisenhower ran a pretty perfect first campaign, even by today’s standards. He never once mentioned his opponent by name (Governor Stevenson) ran on three primary issues and focused all negativity and attacks on Harry Truman. The campaign wasn’t without issue though and Nixon was accused of using campaign money for his own use, which resulted in the Checkers speech. Nixon survived, Eisenhower continued on and slaughtered Stevenson in the election taking southern states like no republican did in a long time.
Eisenhower’s first term was deemed massively successful and by the time of re-election. AT first he wasn’t going to run, but of course he did, ran against Stevenson again and then even beat him more taking more southern states. The only problem Eisenhower’s elections had though was that his victories never carried Congress with it for some reason in the same scope that he took the nation with. Regional elections for those House and Senate seats began truly being different elections than the national election.
The public was willing to follow Eisenhower for most of his time in office. He only had a majority Congress for two years, but even with that he was an effective President. He fought the hard right of the party and publically stated that he was going to make the Republicans progressive or he was going to leave the party. He didn’t attack New Deal programs like the hard right wanted him to as a result. And he managed the country as he managed his office(s) in the military with an able body of advisors and focused on the issues of the day. He gets solid grades here.
War & Crisis
There were a few obviously. He fought the right of his party and was fairly successful in doing it. He stood up to Senator McCarthy and in doing so Eisenhower ultimately pulled the rug out of from under him. When McCarthy demanding the testimony of Eisenhower staffers and cabinet members in his anti-communist hearings, Eisenhower issued an executive order refusing the request which has become the basis of Executive Privilege. It was what ultimately doomed McCarthy.
There were very mild recessions three times during his Presidency but the economy quickly recovered from each and never became a massive problem. But most of his crisis’ were foreign policy related. The immediate one being Korea. Based on a campaign promise Eisenhower traveled to Korea after he won but before he was sworn in to talk to people on the ground and come up with a solution. As a result of that trip, where no clear solution was made known at the time in public, behind the scenes Eisenhower’s national security team started making quiet threats that Eisenhower was going to increase military strength there and with it he was no going to remove a nuclear option from the table.
The Chinese got the hint. At the same time the death of Stalin helped. The new Soviet leadership was growing tired of the war and didn’t want to see America escalate it while China was not going to allow nuclear weapons to be used in China. The various events led to Eisenhower being able to negotiate the armistice that returned Korea to the 38th Parallel and in the end showed the war to be the stalemate that Truman fought for and that future presidents would use with the Soviet Union.
American Chinese diplomacy was severely damaged as a result though. Eisenhower refused to acknowledge the communist government. When the communist government and nationalist government of China clashed over the Taiwan Straight, Congress granted Eisenhower’s request to use American military power in the region. On public television Eisenhower made clear that if war broke out in East Asia he would use nuclear weapons like they were bullets from a gun. The first Taiwan crisis was averted but there would be another one.
When Kruschchev took over the Kremlin there was talk of a better relationship between America and Russia. Eisenhower was skeptical and to show a willingness to talk, Russia ended a stalemate in peace discussions with Austria. In response Eisenhower agreed to the Geneva Conference of 1954. No true agreement was entered but it did ease tensions. When Russia balked at Eisenhower’s plan for open skies for survalliance of the world, Eisenhower responded with tasking the CIA to fly secret missions to spy on the Soviet Union. The U-2 spyplane incident resulted from those missions.
When Russia took Hungary the next year Eisenhower didn’t do anything to start another war in Europe as now nuclear war was very much a reality. U-2 really hurt any long term chances of a better relationship with Eisenhower and Russia. Eisenhower even considered resigning his office as result of the incident knowing what it meant to international relations.
Then he had to deal with the Middle East and growing disputes in the region and with Britain and France. With Egypt nationalizing the Suez Canal, Britain France and Israel began work on military options. Without consulting Eisenhower, they planned and Israel staged an attack in October 1956. Eisenhower condemned the attack and issued his Eisenhower Doctrine granted aide to nations in the middle east to stop communist aggression into their territories.
Eisenhower was a cold warrior for sure and handled all of these crisis’ with able hands, threatening force when necessary, using it when necessary, backing off when necessary. He never closed diplomatic channels and never allowed, even against his own talk, the release of nuclear weapons in the conflicts he dealt with. However, to be fair to our history and what has become of the world since Eisenhower’s presidency, you need to hit him somewhat for his use of the CIA in overthrowing governments. It was a basis of problems that would only get worse.
Economy
Eisenhower was mostly hands off with the economy but he believed that the government should help people as much as possible and with that he got passed expanded Social Security, increased minimum wage laws, and supported government construction of affordable housing. He also fought for and got passed the International Highway System which was a brilliant piece of legislation. Inflation stayed low, the economy grew and Eisenhower balanced the budget. Personal buying power in America rose 45% during his term – the effects of the post WWII economy. With such a booming economy, the American people were given a new gift as a way to spend money – the credit card.
But behind all this poverty was still a problem. It decreased under Eisenhower but it didn’t go away and future President’s had to deal with it. Overall though, it’s hard to find a better economy under a two term President.
Foreign Policy
Relations with Russia ebbed and flowed but didn’t get demonstrably better on the heals of the U-2 fiasco. China considered America weak an unable to back up its talk, but also didn’t do anything so overt as to test Ike’s resolve. He sat back and didn’t do anything in Hungary.
But he also used the CIA to stage a coup in Iran to put the Shah in power. The result was America’s use of Iranian oil along with Britain. He authorized the same in Guatemala. In the aftermath of Guatemala, Eisenhower also determined to use that land as the base of operation for the overthrow of another madman in the region, Fidel Castro. Eisenhower started the process but didn’t the conclusion of the attempted coup, now known as the Bay of Pigs that Kennedy had to deal with years later.
And then Vietnam. With America paying almost 70% of Frances bills in the fight in Southeast Asia, France couldn’t win and wanted America to start using military power. Eisenhower was ready to but Congress wasn’t. Without the American military France had no choice but to basically surrender the fight and granted independence to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Hoping to stop Vietnam from falling into communist hands, Eisenhower supported the creation of a non-communist government in what was to become South Vietnam. In that act, Eisenhower started us down the path of the Vietnam War.
Executive Skills/Congress
Ike pretty much got whatever he wanted with Congress for his first 6 years in office. The highway system was a massive legislative win and his foreign policy was mostly supported and supplied. Coming from his experience in the Army he was the first President to name a Chief of Staff, a position that still exists today and basically is the person that runs the country on a daily basis. His biggest fights with Congress were with Senator McCarthy.
Also, true story, President Eisenhower was aboard a military plane, designated Colimbine, which was an Air Force flight. A commercial plane almost hit it. As a result Congress approved a plan with military backing to designate the plane that the President was on as Air Force One and give it the clear sky policy that it has to this day, taking all priority over any flight in the area while it is in the air.
Justice/Rights
He used the power of the purse to finally integrate the armed forces that Truman ordered. He declared racial discrimination a national security issue. He demanded that schools in Washington DC be desegregated and fought for and passed the Civil Rights Acts of 1958 and 1960. And of course, on the back of Brown v. Board of Education, Eisenhower was left no choice but to use the military to allow entrance into an Arkansas public school of 9 black students. But he wasn’t a complete supporter of civil rights either, wishing for a slower process. And the failure to lead on the issue helped to advance the problems of the 60’s.
Context
Coming off of the cold war issues that Truman handled very well, having a general in the White House to take the next step was a solid choice by the American people. Eisenhower’s presidency was a success by almost every measure. He stood up to the Soviet Union, though used the CIA a ton to control the destiny of several nations. He managed a massively growing economy well. He handled civil rights well. He handled Congress well. There are only a few administrations more successful in the long run than Ike’s.
But there are the beginnings of problems that he started. The CIA overturning countries would come back to bite us. Middle East policy controlled by oil would come back to bite us. Vietnam would come back to bite us big time. And while the economy was booming, some were left behind. For the President that warned us about the military industrial complex, he certainly used it around the world whenever he felt it necessary.
Conclusion
On persuasion he gets a 8, on crisis he gets a 8, economy 10, foreign policy 7, Congress 9, civil rights 7 and context 8. 57 total points. Eisenhower is a top 10 guy by pretty much all measure. The country was going to start to change drastically after he left office though.
Public Acumen/Persuasion
The best part about Eisenhower and his Vice President, Richard Nixon? Nixon’s daughter married Eisenhower’s Grandson. They didn’t like each other but their families are connected now for all time. Funny.
Eisenhower was begged to run for President in 1948 – from both parties. The guy had never even voted in an election up to that time, let alone run for office, but coming off the heels of World War II, he was a national icon. He rebuked Truman and didn’t run in ’48, and then rebuked him further in ’53 when he announced that he was a Republican. In making the announcement that he would run for the Republican nomination, he was months behind Governor Taft’s candidacy. At first, while Eisenhower had the national love of the people, the party wasn’t quite ready to just crown him. However, once he decided to run he ran his campaign like the general he was and shortly – with the able assist from Richard Nixon – got all problems in the Republican convention worked out and was given the nomination on the first ballot. Nixon was rewarded with the second spot.
Eisenhower ran a pretty perfect first campaign, even by today’s standards. He never once mentioned his opponent by name (Governor Stevenson) ran on three primary issues and focused all negativity and attacks on Harry Truman. The campaign wasn’t without issue though and Nixon was accused of using campaign money for his own use, which resulted in the Checkers speech. Nixon survived, Eisenhower continued on and slaughtered Stevenson in the election taking southern states like no republican did in a long time.
Eisenhower’s first term was deemed massively successful and by the time of re-election. AT first he wasn’t going to run, but of course he did, ran against Stevenson again and then even beat him more taking more southern states. The only problem Eisenhower’s elections had though was that his victories never carried Congress with it for some reason in the same scope that he took the nation with. Regional elections for those House and Senate seats began truly being different elections than the national election.
The public was willing to follow Eisenhower for most of his time in office. He only had a majority Congress for two years, but even with that he was an effective President. He fought the hard right of the party and publically stated that he was going to make the Republicans progressive or he was going to leave the party. He didn’t attack New Deal programs like the hard right wanted him to as a result. And he managed the country as he managed his office(s) in the military with an able body of advisors and focused on the issues of the day. He gets solid grades here.
War & Crisis
There were a few obviously. He fought the right of his party and was fairly successful in doing it. He stood up to Senator McCarthy and in doing so Eisenhower ultimately pulled the rug out of from under him. When McCarthy demanding the testimony of Eisenhower staffers and cabinet members in his anti-communist hearings, Eisenhower issued an executive order refusing the request which has become the basis of Executive Privilege. It was what ultimately doomed McCarthy.
There were very mild recessions three times during his Presidency but the economy quickly recovered from each and never became a massive problem. But most of his crisis’ were foreign policy related. The immediate one being Korea. Based on a campaign promise Eisenhower traveled to Korea after he won but before he was sworn in to talk to people on the ground and come up with a solution. As a result of that trip, where no clear solution was made known at the time in public, behind the scenes Eisenhower’s national security team started making quiet threats that Eisenhower was going to increase military strength there and with it he was no going to remove a nuclear option from the table.
The Chinese got the hint. At the same time the death of Stalin helped. The new Soviet leadership was growing tired of the war and didn’t want to see America escalate it while China was not going to allow nuclear weapons to be used in China. The various events led to Eisenhower being able to negotiate the armistice that returned Korea to the 38th Parallel and in the end showed the war to be the stalemate that Truman fought for and that future presidents would use with the Soviet Union.
American Chinese diplomacy was severely damaged as a result though. Eisenhower refused to acknowledge the communist government. When the communist government and nationalist government of China clashed over the Taiwan Straight, Congress granted Eisenhower’s request to use American military power in the region. On public television Eisenhower made clear that if war broke out in East Asia he would use nuclear weapons like they were bullets from a gun. The first Taiwan crisis was averted but there would be another one.
When Kruschchev took over the Kremlin there was talk of a better relationship between America and Russia. Eisenhower was skeptical and to show a willingness to talk, Russia ended a stalemate in peace discussions with Austria. In response Eisenhower agreed to the Geneva Conference of 1954. No true agreement was entered but it did ease tensions. When Russia balked at Eisenhower’s plan for open skies for survalliance of the world, Eisenhower responded with tasking the CIA to fly secret missions to spy on the Soviet Union. The U-2 spyplane incident resulted from those missions.
When Russia took Hungary the next year Eisenhower didn’t do anything to start another war in Europe as now nuclear war was very much a reality. U-2 really hurt any long term chances of a better relationship with Eisenhower and Russia. Eisenhower even considered resigning his office as result of the incident knowing what it meant to international relations.
Then he had to deal with the Middle East and growing disputes in the region and with Britain and France. With Egypt nationalizing the Suez Canal, Britain France and Israel began work on military options. Without consulting Eisenhower, they planned and Israel staged an attack in October 1956. Eisenhower condemned the attack and issued his Eisenhower Doctrine granted aide to nations in the middle east to stop communist aggression into their territories.
Eisenhower was a cold warrior for sure and handled all of these crisis’ with able hands, threatening force when necessary, using it when necessary, backing off when necessary. He never closed diplomatic channels and never allowed, even against his own talk, the release of nuclear weapons in the conflicts he dealt with. However, to be fair to our history and what has become of the world since Eisenhower’s presidency, you need to hit him somewhat for his use of the CIA in overthrowing governments. It was a basis of problems that would only get worse.
Economy
Eisenhower was mostly hands off with the economy but he believed that the government should help people as much as possible and with that he got passed expanded Social Security, increased minimum wage laws, and supported government construction of affordable housing. He also fought for and got passed the International Highway System which was a brilliant piece of legislation. Inflation stayed low, the economy grew and Eisenhower balanced the budget. Personal buying power in America rose 45% during his term – the effects of the post WWII economy. With such a booming economy, the American people were given a new gift as a way to spend money – the credit card.
But behind all this poverty was still a problem. It decreased under Eisenhower but it didn’t go away and future President’s had to deal with it. Overall though, it’s hard to find a better economy under a two term President.
Foreign Policy
Relations with Russia ebbed and flowed but didn’t get demonstrably better on the heals of the U-2 fiasco. China considered America weak an unable to back up its talk, but also didn’t do anything so overt as to test Ike’s resolve. He sat back and didn’t do anything in Hungary.
But he also used the CIA to stage a coup in Iran to put the Shah in power. The result was America’s use of Iranian oil along with Britain. He authorized the same in Guatemala. In the aftermath of Guatemala, Eisenhower also determined to use that land as the base of operation for the overthrow of another madman in the region, Fidel Castro. Eisenhower started the process but didn’t the conclusion of the attempted coup, now known as the Bay of Pigs that Kennedy had to deal with years later.
And then Vietnam. With America paying almost 70% of Frances bills in the fight in Southeast Asia, France couldn’t win and wanted America to start using military power. Eisenhower was ready to but Congress wasn’t. Without the American military France had no choice but to basically surrender the fight and granted independence to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Hoping to stop Vietnam from falling into communist hands, Eisenhower supported the creation of a non-communist government in what was to become South Vietnam. In that act, Eisenhower started us down the path of the Vietnam War.
Executive Skills/Congress
Ike pretty much got whatever he wanted with Congress for his first 6 years in office. The highway system was a massive legislative win and his foreign policy was mostly supported and supplied. Coming from his experience in the Army he was the first President to name a Chief of Staff, a position that still exists today and basically is the person that runs the country on a daily basis. His biggest fights with Congress were with Senator McCarthy.
Also, true story, President Eisenhower was aboard a military plane, designated Colimbine, which was an Air Force flight. A commercial plane almost hit it. As a result Congress approved a plan with military backing to designate the plane that the President was on as Air Force One and give it the clear sky policy that it has to this day, taking all priority over any flight in the area while it is in the air.
Justice/Rights
He used the power of the purse to finally integrate the armed forces that Truman ordered. He declared racial discrimination a national security issue. He demanded that schools in Washington DC be desegregated and fought for and passed the Civil Rights Acts of 1958 and 1960. And of course, on the back of Brown v. Board of Education, Eisenhower was left no choice but to use the military to allow entrance into an Arkansas public school of 9 black students. But he wasn’t a complete supporter of civil rights either, wishing for a slower process. And the failure to lead on the issue helped to advance the problems of the 60’s.
Context
Coming off of the cold war issues that Truman handled very well, having a general in the White House to take the next step was a solid choice by the American people. Eisenhower’s presidency was a success by almost every measure. He stood up to the Soviet Union, though used the CIA a ton to control the destiny of several nations. He managed a massively growing economy well. He handled civil rights well. He handled Congress well. There are only a few administrations more successful in the long run than Ike’s.
But there are the beginnings of problems that he started. The CIA overturning countries would come back to bite us. Middle East policy controlled by oil would come back to bite us. Vietnam would come back to bite us big time. And while the economy was booming, some were left behind. For the President that warned us about the military industrial complex, he certainly used it around the world whenever he felt it necessary.
Conclusion
On persuasion he gets a 8, on crisis he gets a 8, economy 10, foreign policy 7, Congress 9, civil rights 7 and context 8. 57 total points. Eisenhower is a top 10 guy by pretty much all measure. The country was going to start to change drastically after he left office though.
Ditkaless Wonders
Footballguy
He is derivative and vapid. He is no more important than the chick who writes all of those romance novels.
timschochet
Footballguy
71. Henry Clay
Statistics are no substitute for judgment.
Henry Clay of Kentucky was arguably the greatest American statesman who ever served as Senator or Congressman but was not President. Not that he didn't try: he lost Presidential elections 3 times: 1824, 1832, and 1844. Yankee can correct me if I'm wrong about this, but I think that puts him in rare company: only William Jennings Bryan also lost 3 times. It's a bit like being the Buffalo Bills of Presidential politics. But Clay was far more than that.
He was essential to American politics, and often the dominant figure, from the War of 1812 (in which he was a hawk) to the Compromise of 1850, his last great political effort, which was an attempt to save the country from disunion. (It did save it, but only for another 10 years.) In between Clay was Speaker of the House 3 non-consecutive times, Secretary of State, and, most prominently, a United States Senator. Historians typically rank Clay as the best senator in US history.
Clay was the founder of the Whig Party, which was the dominant political party throughout his lifetime. He fought for tariffs and the protection of American industry. Clay was opposed to the annexation of Texas, believing (correctly) that it would inject slavery into American politics. Clay was a master at political compromise, being the main figure behind the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the aforementioned Compromise of 1850. He will always be associated with two other giants of the time- one of them has also made this list, so I'll leave him aside for the moment. The other, John C. Calhoun, did not make the my top 100, though I wrestled with it. Calhoun didn't make the cut because his influence was largely regional rather than national.
One would think, given this impressive record, that I would have ranked Clay much higher on this list. I didn't because as dominant as Clay's influence and achievement was during his lifetime, little of what he created lasted. His great compromises were only temporary solutions and were made moot by the Civil War and it's aftermath. The "American System" that Clay promoted, based on the ideas of Alexander Hamilton, had as its main features both tariffs and a national bank. That bank, the Second Bank of the United States, was dissolved during Clay's lifetime, in 1841. The tariffs didn't last either. The Whig Party that Clay put together also faded and was replaced by the Republican Party, which was anti-slavery. Thus, Clay's tenure in Washington can be looked upon, sadly, as ultimately a failure. Even so, he was such a powerful figure while he was there that he is doubtless deserving of this spot.
Next up: the founder of America's greatest dynasty...
Statistics are no substitute for judgment.
Henry Clay of Kentucky was arguably the greatest American statesman who ever served as Senator or Congressman but was not President. Not that he didn't try: he lost Presidential elections 3 times: 1824, 1832, and 1844. Yankee can correct me if I'm wrong about this, but I think that puts him in rare company: only William Jennings Bryan also lost 3 times. It's a bit like being the Buffalo Bills of Presidential politics. But Clay was far more than that.
He was essential to American politics, and often the dominant figure, from the War of 1812 (in which he was a hawk) to the Compromise of 1850, his last great political effort, which was an attempt to save the country from disunion. (It did save it, but only for another 10 years.) In between Clay was Speaker of the House 3 non-consecutive times, Secretary of State, and, most prominently, a United States Senator. Historians typically rank Clay as the best senator in US history.
Clay was the founder of the Whig Party, which was the dominant political party throughout his lifetime. He fought for tariffs and the protection of American industry. Clay was opposed to the annexation of Texas, believing (correctly) that it would inject slavery into American politics. Clay was a master at political compromise, being the main figure behind the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the aforementioned Compromise of 1850. He will always be associated with two other giants of the time- one of them has also made this list, so I'll leave him aside for the moment. The other, John C. Calhoun, did not make the my top 100, though I wrestled with it. Calhoun didn't make the cut because his influence was largely regional rather than national.
One would think, given this impressive record, that I would have ranked Clay much higher on this list. I didn't because as dominant as Clay's influence and achievement was during his lifetime, little of what he created lasted. His great compromises were only temporary solutions and were made moot by the Civil War and it's aftermath. The "American System" that Clay promoted, based on the ideas of Alexander Hamilton, had as its main features both tariffs and a national bank. That bank, the Second Bank of the United States, was dissolved during Clay's lifetime, in 1841. The tariffs didn't last either. The Whig Party that Clay put together also faded and was replaced by the Republican Party, which was anti-slavery. Thus, Clay's tenure in Washington can be looked upon, sadly, as ultimately a failure. Even so, he was such a powerful figure while he was there that he is doubtless deserving of this spot.
Next up: the founder of America's greatest dynasty...
With criteria that broad, if Wallace Carothers and John Bardeen don't make the top 50, this list is flawed. And I'd think we'd have gotten to J. Willard Gibbs by now as well.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Clay should be higher. When you get to Michael Jordan, I'm going to yell at you about Clay being this far back.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Public Acumen/Persuasion
I personally find John Kennedy to be the most overrated President in our history. Far too often he is given deity status in this lists and ends up being way too high and ranked over Presidents that had much profound impacts on our history.
But for this specific category, he will get a top score. The election of 1960 was a first for our nation. The two main contenders were born in the 20th century. American culture after the boom of the 50’s was changing and younger people were gaining more steam in electoral politics. Television was invading American homes and with it defining American politics. And no one was rewarded more for his television presence then John Kennedy, who by pretty much any account, and there are such lists, is still considered the most handsome and attractive man to ever hold the office. But he wasn’t just looks. With a dynasty behind him, John Kennedy was a very good orator and he was an exceptional politician. The dawn of Camelot and his administration was beloved by many and is still mourned to this day.
War & Crisis
He wasn’t without his share of crisis’ though. In fact his presidency was full of them. Civil Rights were now an American crisis and not such a subject of policy. The black laws of the south were reaching a fever pitch and new leaders of the civil rights era were bringing the problem into every avenue of American culture. He was forced to federalize the Mississippi National Guard to allow a black man access to university and it resulted in a clash that saw thousands injured and two dead. Martin Luther King gave his I Have a Dream Speech in Washington and a church in Birmingham, Alabama was firebombed forcing Kennedy to intervene again.
Kennedy’s largest crisis though was the Bay of Pigs invasion and subsequent clash with the Soviet Union over the Cuban Missile Crisis which continues to stand as the closest the world has ever come to global nuclear war. Just two months into office, Kennedy was informed of a plan started under Truman and given teeth under Eisenhower to overthrow Castro in Cuba. Kennedy watered down the plan for the invasion and then gave it the go ahead. The result was catastrophic failure and though he denied American involvement at first, Kennedy had no choice but to allow it to be known that America was involved. Russia was furious. On the hells of the failed coup, Kennedy met with Soviet Premiere Krushchev in Vienna where the Soviet Union made it clear that it was going to solve the ongoing Berlin question unilaterally. This force Kennedy to threaten that any further action in Berlin by the Soviet Union would be considered an act of war and Kennedy would use everything at his disposal to counter the advance, including nuclear weapons. In response, the Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall. By the end of 1961 Kennedy was getting his hat handed to him on the foreign stage.
And then on the heels of the Soviet seeing his weakness and failure they began sending nuclear weapons to Cuba to balance the threat of American weapons. Kennedy had few options to counter the move once it was clear what Russia was doing and his ultimate choice was to blockade the island of Cuba and refuse entry to Soviet ships. Kennedy went on national television and informed the American people of the threat of nuclear war. The world braced for nuclear annihilation. Over two weeks of tense diplomatic discussions between Washington and Moscow, and the growing threat that the soviets would run the blockade giving Kennedy no choice but to fire on the ships, a backdoor deal was made. At the same time, Kennedy worked with United Nations to globally attack the Soviet Union and their lies that the work in Cuba had nothing to do with missiles. A deal was ultimately reached to settle the problem where Russia would pull the weapons, America agreed to never again invade Cuba, and America also agreed to remove tactical weapons from Turkey, which was a slight to the agreements with had with allies in Europe and NATO. The flip side of the argument there is that the weapons in Turkey were obsolete and set to be replaced anyway. Regardless, Kennedy managed to bring us to the brink of nuclear war and then managed to stop it with a diplomatic solution.
As a result of the true real threat that someone was going to push the button during the crisis, diplomats in Washington and Moscow agreed to a secret communication system that linked the American President to the Soviet Premiere so that instant communication between the leaders and not through subordinates could be used when a crisis reached the point that nuclear weapons could be in play.
Economy
Entering 1961 the country was entering a recession after the boom decade. Kennedy focused on cutting taxes, increasing the minimum wage, developing more unemployment protections, and focused investment in the housing sector to create jobs. By the end of his first year in office the economy steadied itself.
Foreign Policy
Kennedy screwed up the Cuban invasion, gave the Soviet Union a renewed sense of power that led to the erection of the Berlin Wall and blockaded Cuba almost bringing the world to nuclear war. The blockade, however, was the least problematic of his choices and it bought him time to deal with the issue instead of just sending troops into Cuba. At the same time, Kennedy began increasing America’s footprint in Vietnam authorizing the training of South Vietnamese troops to fight their northern counterparts. By the time he was killed, America had 17,000 troops in Vietnam.
He also created the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress to assist Latin America in social and economic progress. Shortly before his death Kennedy also negotiated an agreement with Russia and England to reduce the amount of nuclear testing in the atmosphere.
Kennedy also authorized a coup by the CIA in Iraq which led to the brutal murder of the upper class in Iraq.
Executive Skills/Congress
Kennedy had a solid cabinet that would take center stage after his death and one of the more powerful Vice President’s in American history. But Congress was never his strong ally. Beyond his economic plans, Kennedy also pushed for more education spending, medical insurance for the elderly, sweeping mass transit legislation and economic investment in the Appalachian region. Almost all of his proposals had tepid congressional support and were either watered down or killed. The Appalachian plan was approved and helped for decades in the region.
And then civil rights. Kennedy knew he wasn’t going to get any civil rights legislation passed in his first term given that Congress didn’t support him strong enough on the issue so his plan was to wait until a second term. But the growing tension over the issue forced his hand and shortly before his death he introduced his Civil Rights bill that he never saw passed.
Justice/Rights
Kennedy focused more on trying to enforce existing laws instead of creating new ones as referenced. Black leaders continued to pound him on the issue and events in the country forced his hand, leading to his introduction of the Civil Rights Act in 1963.
He also led the charge for a new immigration policy that focused on immigration from Latin America and not Europe.
Context
America was undergoing a cultural sea-change in the early 1960’s that would only get “worse” in the coming decade. The children of WWII would begin having new ideals and notions of American liberty and power. At the turn of the ‘60’s Kennedy embodied that new culture and had a grand plan to move America forward. He continued cold war policies aimed at keeping the Soviet Union from expanding power and was ultimately a friend to the civil rights movement, though not forceful enough in bringing about true change during his time in office.
Conclusion
On persuasion Kennedy gets a 10, on crisis 7,economy 7, foreign policy 5, congress 5, civil rights 5, context 6. Kennedy needed to use his power better and with more force in the civil rights fights, elections be damned. He initial foray into international relations were bad, but he managed to salvage the crisis in Cuba and didn’t start a nuclear war. He increase America’s footprint in Vietnam which had awful consequences. 45 total points in higher than I would have given him before I started this exercise. He may get bumped in one way or the other when the final list is worked on. His assassination and the upheaval that the ‘60’s caused in this nation was a turning point for much of America. An innocence that the ‘50’s seemed to nurture was destroyed. America faced minority groups rising in influence and a massive backlash that lasted until the ‘80’s and beyond, a new perception of politics and Washington, an increased in media investigation into Washington, a lack of trust with our leaders and ultimately the Vietnam War.
But Kennedy could inspire. Whether it was going to the moon, claiming that he was a german donut on a stage in Berlin or simply speaking directly to the American people with that Kennedy smile, he moved a nation and his death was mourned like no President since Lincoln.
Public Acumen/Persuasion
I personally find John Kennedy to be the most overrated President in our history. Far too often he is given deity status in this lists and ends up being way too high and ranked over Presidents that had much profound impacts on our history.
But for this specific category, he will get a top score. The election of 1960 was a first for our nation. The two main contenders were born in the 20th century. American culture after the boom of the 50’s was changing and younger people were gaining more steam in electoral politics. Television was invading American homes and with it defining American politics. And no one was rewarded more for his television presence then John Kennedy, who by pretty much any account, and there are such lists, is still considered the most handsome and attractive man to ever hold the office. But he wasn’t just looks. With a dynasty behind him, John Kennedy was a very good orator and he was an exceptional politician. The dawn of Camelot and his administration was beloved by many and is still mourned to this day.
War & Crisis
He wasn’t without his share of crisis’ though. In fact his presidency was full of them. Civil Rights were now an American crisis and not such a subject of policy. The black laws of the south were reaching a fever pitch and new leaders of the civil rights era were bringing the problem into every avenue of American culture. He was forced to federalize the Mississippi National Guard to allow a black man access to university and it resulted in a clash that saw thousands injured and two dead. Martin Luther King gave his I Have a Dream Speech in Washington and a church in Birmingham, Alabama was firebombed forcing Kennedy to intervene again.
Kennedy’s largest crisis though was the Bay of Pigs invasion and subsequent clash with the Soviet Union over the Cuban Missile Crisis which continues to stand as the closest the world has ever come to global nuclear war. Just two months into office, Kennedy was informed of a plan started under Truman and given teeth under Eisenhower to overthrow Castro in Cuba. Kennedy watered down the plan for the invasion and then gave it the go ahead. The result was catastrophic failure and though he denied American involvement at first, Kennedy had no choice but to allow it to be known that America was involved. Russia was furious. On the hells of the failed coup, Kennedy met with Soviet Premiere Krushchev in Vienna where the Soviet Union made it clear that it was going to solve the ongoing Berlin question unilaterally. This force Kennedy to threaten that any further action in Berlin by the Soviet Union would be considered an act of war and Kennedy would use everything at his disposal to counter the advance, including nuclear weapons. In response, the Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall. By the end of 1961 Kennedy was getting his hat handed to him on the foreign stage.
And then on the heels of the Soviet seeing his weakness and failure they began sending nuclear weapons to Cuba to balance the threat of American weapons. Kennedy had few options to counter the move once it was clear what Russia was doing and his ultimate choice was to blockade the island of Cuba and refuse entry to Soviet ships. Kennedy went on national television and informed the American people of the threat of nuclear war. The world braced for nuclear annihilation. Over two weeks of tense diplomatic discussions between Washington and Moscow, and the growing threat that the soviets would run the blockade giving Kennedy no choice but to fire on the ships, a backdoor deal was made. At the same time, Kennedy worked with United Nations to globally attack the Soviet Union and their lies that the work in Cuba had nothing to do with missiles. A deal was ultimately reached to settle the problem where Russia would pull the weapons, America agreed to never again invade Cuba, and America also agreed to remove tactical weapons from Turkey, which was a slight to the agreements with had with allies in Europe and NATO. The flip side of the argument there is that the weapons in Turkey were obsolete and set to be replaced anyway. Regardless, Kennedy managed to bring us to the brink of nuclear war and then managed to stop it with a diplomatic solution.
As a result of the true real threat that someone was going to push the button during the crisis, diplomats in Washington and Moscow agreed to a secret communication system that linked the American President to the Soviet Premiere so that instant communication between the leaders and not through subordinates could be used when a crisis reached the point that nuclear weapons could be in play.
Economy
Entering 1961 the country was entering a recession after the boom decade. Kennedy focused on cutting taxes, increasing the minimum wage, developing more unemployment protections, and focused investment in the housing sector to create jobs. By the end of his first year in office the economy steadied itself.
Foreign Policy
Kennedy screwed up the Cuban invasion, gave the Soviet Union a renewed sense of power that led to the erection of the Berlin Wall and blockaded Cuba almost bringing the world to nuclear war. The blockade, however, was the least problematic of his choices and it bought him time to deal with the issue instead of just sending troops into Cuba. At the same time, Kennedy began increasing America’s footprint in Vietnam authorizing the training of South Vietnamese troops to fight their northern counterparts. By the time he was killed, America had 17,000 troops in Vietnam.
He also created the Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress to assist Latin America in social and economic progress. Shortly before his death Kennedy also negotiated an agreement with Russia and England to reduce the amount of nuclear testing in the atmosphere.
Kennedy also authorized a coup by the CIA in Iraq which led to the brutal murder of the upper class in Iraq.
Executive Skills/Congress
Kennedy had a solid cabinet that would take center stage after his death and one of the more powerful Vice President’s in American history. But Congress was never his strong ally. Beyond his economic plans, Kennedy also pushed for more education spending, medical insurance for the elderly, sweeping mass transit legislation and economic investment in the Appalachian region. Almost all of his proposals had tepid congressional support and were either watered down or killed. The Appalachian plan was approved and helped for decades in the region.
And then civil rights. Kennedy knew he wasn’t going to get any civil rights legislation passed in his first term given that Congress didn’t support him strong enough on the issue so his plan was to wait until a second term. But the growing tension over the issue forced his hand and shortly before his death he introduced his Civil Rights bill that he never saw passed.
Justice/Rights
Kennedy focused more on trying to enforce existing laws instead of creating new ones as referenced. Black leaders continued to pound him on the issue and events in the country forced his hand, leading to his introduction of the Civil Rights Act in 1963.
He also led the charge for a new immigration policy that focused on immigration from Latin America and not Europe.
Context
America was undergoing a cultural sea-change in the early 1960’s that would only get “worse” in the coming decade. The children of WWII would begin having new ideals and notions of American liberty and power. At the turn of the ‘60’s Kennedy embodied that new culture and had a grand plan to move America forward. He continued cold war policies aimed at keeping the Soviet Union from expanding power and was ultimately a friend to the civil rights movement, though not forceful enough in bringing about true change during his time in office.
Conclusion
On persuasion Kennedy gets a 10, on crisis 7,economy 7, foreign policy 5, congress 5, civil rights 5, context 6. Kennedy needed to use his power better and with more force in the civil rights fights, elections be damned. He initial foray into international relations were bad, but he managed to salvage the crisis in Cuba and didn’t start a nuclear war. He increase America’s footprint in Vietnam which had awful consequences. 45 total points in higher than I would have given him before I started this exercise. He may get bumped in one way or the other when the final list is worked on. His assassination and the upheaval that the ‘60’s caused in this nation was a turning point for much of America. An innocence that the ‘50’s seemed to nurture was destroyed. America faced minority groups rising in influence and a massive backlash that lasted until the ‘80’s and beyond, a new perception of politics and Washington, an increased in media investigation into Washington, a lack of trust with our leaders and ultimately the Vietnam War.
But Kennedy could inspire. Whether it was going to the moon, claiming that he was a german donut on a stage in Berlin or simply speaking directly to the American people with that Kennedy smile, he moved a nation and his death was mourned like no President since Lincoln.
timschochet
Footballguy
Slight correction on your last sentence: FDR's death was mourned as much as Lincoln's and JFK.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969)
Public Acumen/Persuasion
LBJ is a complicated yet blunt guy. He could lead leaders, but did he ever have the people at his back? The answer is yes, for a time. His sweeping domestic agenda is still being felt today – the nature of our social and domestic programs in 2015 are very much shaped and discussed in the language that Johnson gave us. But Vietnam would end his ability to move the public and he was very much hated by the time he left office by a great many people for that war.
Johnson would initially see weakness in his quest for election in 1964 but his political acumen was tops in the nation and by the time that Goldwater was nominated to go against him, Johnson had a pretty solid chance to win. By the end of the campaign it was a foregone conclusion and with Goldwater alienating the moderates in the Republican party Johnson won the most decisive electoral victory in history to the time and with it took Congress in a wave that the Democrats would not lose until the early 1990’s. He is going to get strong but not great grades here.
War & Crisis
Following the assassination of Kennedy, Johnson immediately worked to make sure the nation and the world saw the change in power as without chaos and it worked. He commissioned the Warren Commission to review the assassination – que Oliver Stone critique here.
But then, Vietnam. Johnson supported Kennedy’s increase in presence there and as a Senator has supported the South Vietnamese government seeing Vietnam as the lynchpin to the entire Southeast Asian region in the global fight with communism. In 1964 he authorized America preparedness for airstrikes in the north. Shortly after we had the Gulf of Tonkin incident. While he campaigned on a peace platform saying he would not escalate the problem in Vietnam any more than necessary to protect the troops, you could say that history is still mixed on what exactly his plan was there. Conspiracy theorists will say that he wanted to increase the war, others will say that he was a slave to the military and defense contractors for re-election and gave them what they wanted, others will say that Vietnam was a rock rolling downhill that got faster and harder to stop. This isn’t a tinfoil hat exercise. In the wake of the attack, Johnson got approval for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which was the equivalent of declaration of war in practice.
In 1965 Johnson authorized Operation Rolling Thunder and the continued bombing of North Vietnam. By the end of his administration Johnson had committed over 500,000 troops to Vietnam. War hawks wanted all out war in the North. A considerable wing of his own party, led by Vice President Humphrey, wanted a Korean solution to recognize the north and protect the south. Johnson worked the middle of them and didn’t go for all out war but fought like hell always worried that the Chinese would enter if he invaded the north or worse, the Russians would finally get involved leading to nuclear conflict.
By the time of 1968 election cycle, Johnson was a battered man. The Tet Offensive made it clear that North Vietnam was never going to back down. The civil uproar in the country vilified Johnson and at the New Hampshire primary he lost. Johnson surprised the nation when he said he would no longer run for another term. The following summer was the worst time of his administration. The Tet Offensive was a military success for America but a PR disaster. American opposition to the war reached a fever pitch. Robert Kennedy entered the race for President and then he and Martin Luther King were shot and killed. The summer of 1968 was reaching a biblical crisis in the nation and Johnson could do little to stop it.
Johnson also suffered failures in Latin America that would be discussed below.
Economy
Johnson led Kennedy’s plan for the economy as he finished his term and then he introduced his Great Society. But Johnson’s plans were cut short by the popular uprising over Vietnam and the war took much of his last years away from other issues. But he cut taxes and got the Revenue Act of 1964 passed. And then his Great Society plans reshaped the federal government.
Foreign Policy
Vietnam would take pages. It didn’t go well for Johnson. In Latin America he made a mistake is supported a coup in the Dominican Republic. The Six Day War with Israel was also a problem. Fearing Israel would take their advances further and bring in the Soviet Union to the mix, Johnson sent a battle group to the Meditteranean which eventually had to back down when the Soviet Union did the same. The conflict led to Johnson meeting with Soviet leaders and working a new nuclear test ban treaties.
Cuba also tried to force the removal of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base by shutting off and destroying all utility service to the base. Johnson had the navy build their own and Cuba backed down.
Executive Skills/Congress
Johnson was a masterful politician and led Congress well. He gets top scores here. His sweeping Great Society legislation changed the fundamental nature of the federal government and its interaction with America on a daily basis. Much of what he started we still deal with. He was one of the best politicians in the office we’ve ever had.
Justice/Rights
Johnson used Kennedy’s assassination to push through the Civil Rights act and with a new Democratic Congress, introduced sweeping liberal reforms throughout the nation. And more importantly Johnson got the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which was a fundamental change to voting rights for blacks, especially in the south. Following more and more urban riots in the nation, Johnson fought for and got through congress an anti-discrimination bill in housing. While his presidency was marked by all the civil unrest, his legacy is one of an increase in civil rights that were very necessary and changed the American electorate and eventually the culture itself.
Context
Johnson was a better Senator than President, but he was a good President, save Vietnam. He had an agenda that he fought for without end. He bullied and forced his agenda through Congress. His War on Poverty and Great Society shaped American politics for 30 years. He destroyed the GOP in Congress that they wouldn’t recover for decades. In a turbulent time in our nation’s history Johnson saw the problems domestically and tried to change the nation. But his Vietnam policy fractured America and the problem lived through to the next President.
Conclusion
On persuasion Johnson gets a 6, on crisis 7, on economy 6, foreign policy 4, congress 10, civil rights 9 and context 6. 48 total points for now. When Lyndon Johnson died, just days after Nixon’s reelection, he left the nation with no living Presidents except Nixon. The office of President by the time of his death was going to be a damaged office in the coming years. And LBJ’s legacy was going to be tarnished by Vietnam, civil unrest and civil rights chaos. Vietnam towers over all of it though and the war that went on there for many more years significantly hurt America’s standing in the world.
Public Acumen/Persuasion
LBJ is a complicated yet blunt guy. He could lead leaders, but did he ever have the people at his back? The answer is yes, for a time. His sweeping domestic agenda is still being felt today – the nature of our social and domestic programs in 2015 are very much shaped and discussed in the language that Johnson gave us. But Vietnam would end his ability to move the public and he was very much hated by the time he left office by a great many people for that war.
Johnson would initially see weakness in his quest for election in 1964 but his political acumen was tops in the nation and by the time that Goldwater was nominated to go against him, Johnson had a pretty solid chance to win. By the end of the campaign it was a foregone conclusion and with Goldwater alienating the moderates in the Republican party Johnson won the most decisive electoral victory in history to the time and with it took Congress in a wave that the Democrats would not lose until the early 1990’s. He is going to get strong but not great grades here.
War & Crisis
Following the assassination of Kennedy, Johnson immediately worked to make sure the nation and the world saw the change in power as without chaos and it worked. He commissioned the Warren Commission to review the assassination – que Oliver Stone critique here.
But then, Vietnam. Johnson supported Kennedy’s increase in presence there and as a Senator has supported the South Vietnamese government seeing Vietnam as the lynchpin to the entire Southeast Asian region in the global fight with communism. In 1964 he authorized America preparedness for airstrikes in the north. Shortly after we had the Gulf of Tonkin incident. While he campaigned on a peace platform saying he would not escalate the problem in Vietnam any more than necessary to protect the troops, you could say that history is still mixed on what exactly his plan was there. Conspiracy theorists will say that he wanted to increase the war, others will say that he was a slave to the military and defense contractors for re-election and gave them what they wanted, others will say that Vietnam was a rock rolling downhill that got faster and harder to stop. This isn’t a tinfoil hat exercise. In the wake of the attack, Johnson got approval for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which was the equivalent of declaration of war in practice.
In 1965 Johnson authorized Operation Rolling Thunder and the continued bombing of North Vietnam. By the end of his administration Johnson had committed over 500,000 troops to Vietnam. War hawks wanted all out war in the North. A considerable wing of his own party, led by Vice President Humphrey, wanted a Korean solution to recognize the north and protect the south. Johnson worked the middle of them and didn’t go for all out war but fought like hell always worried that the Chinese would enter if he invaded the north or worse, the Russians would finally get involved leading to nuclear conflict.
By the time of 1968 election cycle, Johnson was a battered man. The Tet Offensive made it clear that North Vietnam was never going to back down. The civil uproar in the country vilified Johnson and at the New Hampshire primary he lost. Johnson surprised the nation when he said he would no longer run for another term. The following summer was the worst time of his administration. The Tet Offensive was a military success for America but a PR disaster. American opposition to the war reached a fever pitch. Robert Kennedy entered the race for President and then he and Martin Luther King were shot and killed. The summer of 1968 was reaching a biblical crisis in the nation and Johnson could do little to stop it.
Johnson also suffered failures in Latin America that would be discussed below.
Economy
Johnson led Kennedy’s plan for the economy as he finished his term and then he introduced his Great Society. But Johnson’s plans were cut short by the popular uprising over Vietnam and the war took much of his last years away from other issues. But he cut taxes and got the Revenue Act of 1964 passed. And then his Great Society plans reshaped the federal government.
Foreign Policy
Vietnam would take pages. It didn’t go well for Johnson. In Latin America he made a mistake is supported a coup in the Dominican Republic. The Six Day War with Israel was also a problem. Fearing Israel would take their advances further and bring in the Soviet Union to the mix, Johnson sent a battle group to the Meditteranean which eventually had to back down when the Soviet Union did the same. The conflict led to Johnson meeting with Soviet leaders and working a new nuclear test ban treaties.
Cuba also tried to force the removal of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base by shutting off and destroying all utility service to the base. Johnson had the navy build their own and Cuba backed down.
Executive Skills/Congress
Johnson was a masterful politician and led Congress well. He gets top scores here. His sweeping Great Society legislation changed the fundamental nature of the federal government and its interaction with America on a daily basis. Much of what he started we still deal with. He was one of the best politicians in the office we’ve ever had.
Justice/Rights
Johnson used Kennedy’s assassination to push through the Civil Rights act and with a new Democratic Congress, introduced sweeping liberal reforms throughout the nation. And more importantly Johnson got the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which was a fundamental change to voting rights for blacks, especially in the south. Following more and more urban riots in the nation, Johnson fought for and got through congress an anti-discrimination bill in housing. While his presidency was marked by all the civil unrest, his legacy is one of an increase in civil rights that were very necessary and changed the American electorate and eventually the culture itself.
Context
Johnson was a better Senator than President, but he was a good President, save Vietnam. He had an agenda that he fought for without end. He bullied and forced his agenda through Congress. His War on Poverty and Great Society shaped American politics for 30 years. He destroyed the GOP in Congress that they wouldn’t recover for decades. In a turbulent time in our nation’s history Johnson saw the problems domestically and tried to change the nation. But his Vietnam policy fractured America and the problem lived through to the next President.
Conclusion
On persuasion Johnson gets a 6, on crisis 7, on economy 6, foreign policy 4, congress 10, civil rights 9 and context 6. 48 total points for now. When Lyndon Johnson died, just days after Nixon’s reelection, he left the nation with no living Presidents except Nixon. The office of President by the time of his death was going to be a damaged office in the coming years. And LBJ’s legacy was going to be tarnished by Vietnam, civil unrest and civil rights chaos. Vietnam towers over all of it though and the war that went on there for many more years significantly hurt America’s standing in the world.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
True on FDR. Kennedy and Johnson aren't easy to score. Kennedy's legend trumps a lot of realism and Johnson's realism trumps alot of legend with Vietnam. For as awful as Vietnam was, the fact does remain that coming off of Korea, it signaled America's resolve to fight the spread of communism in the region. By 1975 Russia wasn't growing like it hoped. It's hard to have a conversation about Vietnam where you focus on the positives.
timschochet
Footballguy
70. John D. Rockefeller
I have ways of making money that you know nothing of.
He came from a lower middle class family in New York, moved to Cleveland and started working as an assistant bookkeeper at the age of 16. By the time he was 20 he owned his own company. Not wanting to die in the Civil War, he purchased a substitute (a standard practice for businessmen at the time) and went right on accruing wealth. When he was 28 he helped his brother William purchase an oil refinery. At 30, John owned all of the refineries in Cleveland. At 31, he formed Standard Oil.
By the time he was 40, Standard Oil had a monopoly on all oil refineries throughout the United States. By the time he was 45, John D. Rockefeller either owned or controlled 90% of all the oil produced in the United States. By the time he was 50, John D. Rockefeller was a billionaire- not in modern dollars, but 1890s dollars. Today, his net wealth would be around 336 billion dollars. John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in American history.
Rockefeller achieved his wealth through a combination of hard work, brilliance, luck, ruthlessness, and underhanded scheming. He was also a great philanthropist, perhaps not at the level of Carnegie but only a small step below. He founded the University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, and many health foundations (including one which eradicated yellow fever.). He was also a devoted Baptist who abstained from alcohol his entire life, and was a significant donor to the temperance movement which eventually gave the country Prohibition.
As America's wealthiest man ever, Rockefeller is perceived as both a hero and a villain in our history. He was a ruthless "robber baron" who cheated his partners and competition, and mistreated his workers. He was emblematic of the "American dream", having come from "rags to riches." He was a great giver to charity and devout. All of this is true to an extent. Rockefeller is also the central figure in a lot of American conspiracy theories, some which still exist. "The Rockefellers" are always the culprits behind all sorts of shadowy schemes to rule the country.
Up next: He walked from Florida to California...
I have ways of making money that you know nothing of.
He came from a lower middle class family in New York, moved to Cleveland and started working as an assistant bookkeeper at the age of 16. By the time he was 20 he owned his own company. Not wanting to die in the Civil War, he purchased a substitute (a standard practice for businessmen at the time) and went right on accruing wealth. When he was 28 he helped his brother William purchase an oil refinery. At 30, John owned all of the refineries in Cleveland. At 31, he formed Standard Oil.
By the time he was 40, Standard Oil had a monopoly on all oil refineries throughout the United States. By the time he was 45, John D. Rockefeller either owned or controlled 90% of all the oil produced in the United States. By the time he was 50, John D. Rockefeller was a billionaire- not in modern dollars, but 1890s dollars. Today, his net wealth would be around 336 billion dollars. John D. Rockefeller was the richest person in American history.
Rockefeller achieved his wealth through a combination of hard work, brilliance, luck, ruthlessness, and underhanded scheming. He was also a great philanthropist, perhaps not at the level of Carnegie but only a small step below. He founded the University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, and many health foundations (including one which eradicated yellow fever.). He was also a devoted Baptist who abstained from alcohol his entire life, and was a significant donor to the temperance movement which eventually gave the country Prohibition.
As America's wealthiest man ever, Rockefeller is perceived as both a hero and a villain in our history. He was a ruthless "robber baron" who cheated his partners and competition, and mistreated his workers. He was emblematic of the "American dream", having come from "rags to riches." He was a great giver to charity and devout. All of this is true to an extent. Rockefeller is also the central figure in a lot of American conspiracy theories, some which still exist. "The Rockefellers" are always the culprits behind all sorts of shadowy schemes to rule the country.
Up next: He walked from Florida to California...
timschochet
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Time magazine's article on Bill Clinton and George W. Bush was a really good read.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Richard Nixon (1969-1974)
Public Acumen/Persuasion
I’ve only gotten a small deal of blowback on two guys – Truman and Wilson – both from tim. I’m willing to bet that by the end of this anyone still reading might have a problem with this score.
Nixon’s first term was pretty good. The country was suffering economic problems that will be described below but by 1971 the economy picked up again and while Nixon focused on foreign affairs more than domestic, he worked on the problem. His work with China gets good marks here too, as does his policy with the Soviet Union and Nixon was able to handle world leaders in a powerful way to achieve his goals. When he was up for re-election he took 49 of the 50 states and was finally vindicated for his political career.
And then it all came crashing down. Watergate destroyed Nixon, the Office of the President, the public’s trust in government and everything in between. Forced to ultimate resign from office or be impeached, Nixon destroyed whatever high score he would get here. Even after he left office large groups of the country wanted him punished, and when that didn’t happen they took out their anger on his successor.
War & Crisis
There is a lot here. Based on his foreign policy successes with Russia and China, Nixon tried to force a peace with North Vietnam. Through Henry Kissinger, Nixon threatened the north that if major movement wasn’t made towards peace by November 1, 1969, America would increase its efforts leaving no weapon unavailable, nor territory ignored. He ordered the bombing in Cambodia to prove his point. And to make North Vietnam think he was a crazy warmonger he changed the American nuclear readiness station. But none of it worked and Nixon didn’t follow through on his threats.
He began slowly decreasing troop strength while training the south to fight for itself. But when a coup in Cambodia altered that country Nixon ordered American troops into the country. This set off the worst anti-war protests in American history. It was these protests that led to Kent State and Jackson state and the awful deaths of students there. Nixon was going to begin an announced withdrawal of troops within 18 months but Kissinger talked him out of it. When northern soldiers invaded the south in 1972 he increased bombing extensively and it resulted in a halt to the advance. When the north then decided to talk peace it was the south that balked.
Nixon had to threaten the government in the south to get aboard which they eventually did and he ordered the Christmas bombing to make sure the north knew that he was going to enforce the agreement if reached. Ultimately, the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973 beginning the end of American involvement in Vietnam – but not bringing about the immediate end before more blood was spilled.
The Yom Kippur War was another headache Nixon had to deal with. And it was the first time that the collective power of oil producing countries in the middle east had their power felt by increasing prices dramatically and then cutting off oil supplies to the United States. Russia threatened to send troops to back up the anti-Israeli forces and in response Nixon made it clear to them that it wouldn’t be accepted, increasing America to DefCon 3. The tactic worked and Russia cooled their jets. The result of the war from America’s point of view was ultimately stalemate.
And of course, Watergate. Let’s just say that, in the end, he didn’t exactly handle this great – in fact he handled it about as bad as any president could have handled a non-war crisis and it’s legacy hurts Nixon now and forever.
Economy
Nixon’s first economic battle was rising inflation that worried economists and the government. The democratic congress thinking they could make him look bad passed legislation that gave the President the power to fix wages and prices. They figured Nixon would never do it because it was something he disfavored in the past and they could show him in a bad light but he turned the table on them when he actually used the power to help stabilize inflation. It was a temporary success but by the time of re-election inflation was back, Nixon froze prices again and this time the nation didn’t support it.
The economy never fully rebounded in his last year in office.
Foreign Policy
We tackled Vietnam. Nixon gets high praise for his China policy though. He has to. He also should get solid praise for his policy of détente with Russia. Improving relations with China forced Russia to do the same with America. Nixon therefore also traveled to Moscow, eased diplomatic relations and signed the first SALT Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Agreements on sharing of scientific exploits, commerce and other things made Nixon’s success with Russia during his time a solid plus here.
But there are also very very black marks. Nixon failed to support a democratically elected socialist in Chile which ended up helping a coup in that country which is one of the more murderous and bloody ones in the region’s history. The effects of Nixon’s policies with Chile are still felt in that country today. Nixon ignored a democratic government and supported a tyrant because he simply wasn’t a communist. This event severely hurts his foreign policy grade in the face of the successes.
Executive Skills/Congress
Nixon’s regulatory policy was the most powerful since the New Deal. With Nixon in the White House the country saw the creation of OSHA, EPA and NOAA. He signed 4 massive environmental policies including the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act. He also proposed sweeping new health insurance policies creating HMO’s, and a huge overhaul of the welfare programs from the 40’s. He proposed massive increases to the Food Stamp program. He increased benefits to Social Security, MediCare and MediCaid and he implemented the Social Security Supplimental Income Program. Nixon’s legislative history was, in today’s terms, massively liberal. Not perfect and he didn’t get everything he fought for, but he got a lot.
Nixon also finally integrated the education system by using federal spending power with the states to force them to enforce the laws. He also started the War on Drugs. You have to give Nixon credit for his executive acumen and work with Congress right up until Watergate, when everything went to hell.
Justice/Rights
Not only did Nixon begin the full intergration of public school, he also got passed the first Affirmative Action programs. He supported the ERA and had appointed more women to government posts than Johnson did. Watergate – again – removed most of his focus from the issues.
Context
Only Nixon could go to China. Those five words have pretty much become an ideal in American foreign policy – that the best leaders to do something like that are the guys that were against it for most of their career. Nixon had a pretty remarkable domestic agenda and a decent foreign policy plan. But Watergate destroyed his reputation until years later when he unquestionable became an elder statesmen that was once again respected by most. His advice was sought constantly by President Clinton before his death. But when he left office on Marine One, he was a criminal. Ford’s pardon destroyed Ford’s potential as President and it created a lot of deep seeded hatred for Nixon that still continues to this day for some.
He increased bombing in Vietnam several times as a way to force peace. He ultimately achieved the workings of the final “peace.” His opening of China was in practical terms very small, but it signaled a new change in American policy towards China and that part of the world, and it forced the Soviet Union to the table again. But his coup in Chile is another grotesque reminder of what American foreign policy could and has been.
Conclusion
On persuasion Nixon gets a 5, on crisis a 2, economy 5, foreign policy 5, Congress 7, civil rights 8 and context 5. 37 total points. Pretty sure that puts him in the top half of the list here. Fire away. In 1978, Nixon traveled to England and was ignored by the majority government. The leader of the opposition, Margaret Thatcher, instead welcomed him and he was invited to speak to the Oxford Union. In that speech Nixon was remarkably prophetic saying, “Some people say that I didn’t handle it [Watergate] properly. They are right. I screwed up. Mea Culpa. But let’s get on to my achievements. You will all be here in the year 2000, and let’s see how I am remembered then.”
He was right. He is more often than not remembered fairly well now for the most part. Watergate destroyed whatever little trust the American people had left in the government from Vietnam and we are still seeing the effects of that scandal today. But if you remove Watergate (which is impossible to do) Nixon has a pretty solid to almost stellar record with Chile being a huge black mark. Nixon should remind us of John Adams and the struggle to reach a pinnacle to historical legacy that results in so much of a hard focus on that point that they lose everything that got them on top to begin with. Watergate wasn’t even necessary; Nixon saw ghosts where none existed. Oh well. We don’t have Richard Nixon to kick around anymore.
Public Acumen/Persuasion
I’ve only gotten a small deal of blowback on two guys – Truman and Wilson – both from tim. I’m willing to bet that by the end of this anyone still reading might have a problem with this score.
Nixon’s first term was pretty good. The country was suffering economic problems that will be described below but by 1971 the economy picked up again and while Nixon focused on foreign affairs more than domestic, he worked on the problem. His work with China gets good marks here too, as does his policy with the Soviet Union and Nixon was able to handle world leaders in a powerful way to achieve his goals. When he was up for re-election he took 49 of the 50 states and was finally vindicated for his political career.
And then it all came crashing down. Watergate destroyed Nixon, the Office of the President, the public’s trust in government and everything in between. Forced to ultimate resign from office or be impeached, Nixon destroyed whatever high score he would get here. Even after he left office large groups of the country wanted him punished, and when that didn’t happen they took out their anger on his successor.
War & Crisis
There is a lot here. Based on his foreign policy successes with Russia and China, Nixon tried to force a peace with North Vietnam. Through Henry Kissinger, Nixon threatened the north that if major movement wasn’t made towards peace by November 1, 1969, America would increase its efforts leaving no weapon unavailable, nor territory ignored. He ordered the bombing in Cambodia to prove his point. And to make North Vietnam think he was a crazy warmonger he changed the American nuclear readiness station. But none of it worked and Nixon didn’t follow through on his threats.
He began slowly decreasing troop strength while training the south to fight for itself. But when a coup in Cambodia altered that country Nixon ordered American troops into the country. This set off the worst anti-war protests in American history. It was these protests that led to Kent State and Jackson state and the awful deaths of students there. Nixon was going to begin an announced withdrawal of troops within 18 months but Kissinger talked him out of it. When northern soldiers invaded the south in 1972 he increased bombing extensively and it resulted in a halt to the advance. When the north then decided to talk peace it was the south that balked.
Nixon had to threaten the government in the south to get aboard which they eventually did and he ordered the Christmas bombing to make sure the north knew that he was going to enforce the agreement if reached. Ultimately, the Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973 beginning the end of American involvement in Vietnam – but not bringing about the immediate end before more blood was spilled.
The Yom Kippur War was another headache Nixon had to deal with. And it was the first time that the collective power of oil producing countries in the middle east had their power felt by increasing prices dramatically and then cutting off oil supplies to the United States. Russia threatened to send troops to back up the anti-Israeli forces and in response Nixon made it clear to them that it wouldn’t be accepted, increasing America to DefCon 3. The tactic worked and Russia cooled their jets. The result of the war from America’s point of view was ultimately stalemate.
And of course, Watergate. Let’s just say that, in the end, he didn’t exactly handle this great – in fact he handled it about as bad as any president could have handled a non-war crisis and it’s legacy hurts Nixon now and forever.
Economy
Nixon’s first economic battle was rising inflation that worried economists and the government. The democratic congress thinking they could make him look bad passed legislation that gave the President the power to fix wages and prices. They figured Nixon would never do it because it was something he disfavored in the past and they could show him in a bad light but he turned the table on them when he actually used the power to help stabilize inflation. It was a temporary success but by the time of re-election inflation was back, Nixon froze prices again and this time the nation didn’t support it.
The economy never fully rebounded in his last year in office.
Foreign Policy
We tackled Vietnam. Nixon gets high praise for his China policy though. He has to. He also should get solid praise for his policy of détente with Russia. Improving relations with China forced Russia to do the same with America. Nixon therefore also traveled to Moscow, eased diplomatic relations and signed the first SALT Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Agreements on sharing of scientific exploits, commerce and other things made Nixon’s success with Russia during his time a solid plus here.
But there are also very very black marks. Nixon failed to support a democratically elected socialist in Chile which ended up helping a coup in that country which is one of the more murderous and bloody ones in the region’s history. The effects of Nixon’s policies with Chile are still felt in that country today. Nixon ignored a democratic government and supported a tyrant because he simply wasn’t a communist. This event severely hurts his foreign policy grade in the face of the successes.
Executive Skills/Congress
Nixon’s regulatory policy was the most powerful since the New Deal. With Nixon in the White House the country saw the creation of OSHA, EPA and NOAA. He signed 4 massive environmental policies including the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act. He also proposed sweeping new health insurance policies creating HMO’s, and a huge overhaul of the welfare programs from the 40’s. He proposed massive increases to the Food Stamp program. He increased benefits to Social Security, MediCare and MediCaid and he implemented the Social Security Supplimental Income Program. Nixon’s legislative history was, in today’s terms, massively liberal. Not perfect and he didn’t get everything he fought for, but he got a lot.
Nixon also finally integrated the education system by using federal spending power with the states to force them to enforce the laws. He also started the War on Drugs. You have to give Nixon credit for his executive acumen and work with Congress right up until Watergate, when everything went to hell.
Justice/Rights
Not only did Nixon begin the full intergration of public school, he also got passed the first Affirmative Action programs. He supported the ERA and had appointed more women to government posts than Johnson did. Watergate – again – removed most of his focus from the issues.
Context
Only Nixon could go to China. Those five words have pretty much become an ideal in American foreign policy – that the best leaders to do something like that are the guys that were against it for most of their career. Nixon had a pretty remarkable domestic agenda and a decent foreign policy plan. But Watergate destroyed his reputation until years later when he unquestionable became an elder statesmen that was once again respected by most. His advice was sought constantly by President Clinton before his death. But when he left office on Marine One, he was a criminal. Ford’s pardon destroyed Ford’s potential as President and it created a lot of deep seeded hatred for Nixon that still continues to this day for some.
He increased bombing in Vietnam several times as a way to force peace. He ultimately achieved the workings of the final “peace.” His opening of China was in practical terms very small, but it signaled a new change in American policy towards China and that part of the world, and it forced the Soviet Union to the table again. But his coup in Chile is another grotesque reminder of what American foreign policy could and has been.
Conclusion
On persuasion Nixon gets a 5, on crisis a 2, economy 5, foreign policy 5, Congress 7, civil rights 8 and context 5. 37 total points. Pretty sure that puts him in the top half of the list here. Fire away. In 1978, Nixon traveled to England and was ignored by the majority government. The leader of the opposition, Margaret Thatcher, instead welcomed him and he was invited to speak to the Oxford Union. In that speech Nixon was remarkably prophetic saying, “Some people say that I didn’t handle it [Watergate] properly. They are right. I screwed up. Mea Culpa. But let’s get on to my achievements. You will all be here in the year 2000, and let’s see how I am remembered then.”
He was right. He is more often than not remembered fairly well now for the most part. Watergate destroyed whatever little trust the American people had left in the government from Vietnam and we are still seeing the effects of that scandal today. But if you remove Watergate (which is impossible to do) Nixon has a pretty solid to almost stellar record with Chile being a huge black mark. Nixon should remind us of John Adams and the struggle to reach a pinnacle to historical legacy that results in so much of a hard focus on that point that they lose everything that got them on top to begin with. Watergate wasn’t even necessary; Nixon saw ghosts where none existed. Oh well. We don’t have Richard Nixon to kick around anymore.
timschochet
Footballguy
69. John Muir
The mountains are calling, and I must go.
A bit of an oddity on this list, just as he was during his life. Muir was essentially a hippie about 100 years before the term came into usage. He was also a writer, a naturalist, founder of the Sierra Club and devoted to preservation of the wilderness. John Muir is regarded rightfully as the "father of national parks"- in particular, the one he loved the most, Yosemite Valley in California.
For modern day environmentalists, John Muir has become a heroic, iconic figure, because he openly damned materialism and loved the open wilderness. He was fearful that the technological progress of the United States would lead to the destruction of the beauty of the land, and he fought to preserve that wild beauty, with letters, books, petitions to Congress, and the beginnings of a pluralistic movement.
In my hint, I got his walk wrong- I knew that it across country, but I had forgotten that it was the other direction, from Indiana to Florida. Not as far as California, but still a good 1,000 miles. Actually, it was much longer, because true to form Muir avoided all cities and took the "leafiest way I could find." He had studied botany at the University of Wisconsin, and devoted his life to the exploration of plants.
Muir was also an amateur geologist and, in Yosemite, made significant contributions to that science involving the study of glacier movements. It was in Yosemite that an older Muir, famous by then as a preservationist, met Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 and pleaded with the President to establish national parks. Roosevelt was spellbound and agreed, and we have these two men to thank for the preservation of these beautiful areas- no small contribution.
Muir was famously photographed by Ansel Adams through most of his journeys in the Sierra Nevadas, and these have become immortalized over time and have added to his legacy.
Up next: "Old Blood and Guts"...
The mountains are calling, and I must go.
A bit of an oddity on this list, just as he was during his life. Muir was essentially a hippie about 100 years before the term came into usage. He was also a writer, a naturalist, founder of the Sierra Club and devoted to preservation of the wilderness. John Muir is regarded rightfully as the "father of national parks"- in particular, the one he loved the most, Yosemite Valley in California.
For modern day environmentalists, John Muir has become a heroic, iconic figure, because he openly damned materialism and loved the open wilderness. He was fearful that the technological progress of the United States would lead to the destruction of the beauty of the land, and he fought to preserve that wild beauty, with letters, books, petitions to Congress, and the beginnings of a pluralistic movement.
In my hint, I got his walk wrong- I knew that it across country, but I had forgotten that it was the other direction, from Indiana to Florida. Not as far as California, but still a good 1,000 miles. Actually, it was much longer, because true to form Muir avoided all cities and took the "leafiest way I could find." He had studied botany at the University of Wisconsin, and devoted his life to the exploration of plants.
Muir was also an amateur geologist and, in Yosemite, made significant contributions to that science involving the study of glacier movements. It was in Yosemite that an older Muir, famous by then as a preservationist, met Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 and pleaded with the President to establish national parks. Roosevelt was spellbound and agreed, and we have these two men to thank for the preservation of these beautiful areas- no small contribution.
Muir was famously photographed by Ansel Adams through most of his journeys in the Sierra Nevadas, and these have become immortalized over time and have added to his legacy.
Up next: "Old Blood and Guts"...
I did reprimand you for only giving John Adams a score in six of the seven categories...
On the whole, I think the write-ups have been incredible. On the scoring itself, I'd suggest that sometimes you have a tendency to give too much credit/blame for things that happened while someone was POTUS, regardless of whether the person had a direct influence or not. That, and at times, credit/ding a guy for the same thing in multiple categories. Other than that, it's been exceptional.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
I fixed john.
TheAristocrat
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
TheAristocrat
Footballguy
Many of us are baffled by your list but it is also a fun read (debatable and weird but still fun and good to learn some stuff). I was more digging on him from MLB15 RTTS from the Gaming thread.He's really pissed that I have Stephen King on my list.
Bottomfeeder Sports
Footballguy
I'm anxiously waiting on Carter's write up. Sure there are some places where there is no wiggle room for your scoring versus common perception, but there are other areas where you could go many different ways. I'm very curious to see where you go on those. I kind of have in my mind how I would write Carter up but I'm not sure how I would even score it yet alone how you will. How do you score a "necessary evil"? A "prerequisite" for greatness?As I head off to work and no FFA access I'll be hoping to see this soon.
Speaking of "no FFA access" who are you billing these hours?
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Would is surprise you to know that I have alot of this information at my fingertips from years of reading about and posting about presidents? 
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Gerald Ford (1974-1977)
Public Acumen/Persuasion
Gerald Ford was one of the most honorable men to ever serve our country in any capacity. His rise in the ranks in Congress was due to his integrity and ability to deal with everyone and mediation and settle disputes and disagreements and, when necessary, give some to get some. He was by all accounts a solid to well above average politician. But as a President, he served during a 3 years stretch where the office he sat in was so blackened and bloodied from Watergate that he had very little ability to lead the nation the way the more higher ranked guys here would. Having not run as the Vice President or for President, he was never given an electoral support that we can measure for his leadership ability, and in 1977 when he ran for re-election he lost to Jimmy Carter. The pardon of Nixon wasn’t the only reason he lost but it was the thing that told the story as to why.
But at the same time, Ford actually had a very interesting presidency. Much of the attacks on Ford are PR related – his “clumsiness” that Chevy Chase turned into a career, the visuals of American and South Vietnamese escaping Saigon from rooftops and of course the hatred that the public had for Nixon. But Ford didn’t cause any of the problems nor lead the nation into them – he simply was the next man up. When he declared that our long national nightmare was over he clearly understood what Watergate did to the nation. He wasn’t able to rise above the times though. When Carter was inaugurated, he praised Ford for leading the country in such a difficult time and the two ended up being very close friends, with Ford getting routine updates from Carter on the state of the country throughout Carter’s presidency. But the backlash against the Nixon pardon coupled with the rising star of Ronald Reagan foreclosed Ford’s ability to ever seriously contend as a player on the highest stage.
War & Crisis
The immediate crisis Ford dealt with was the fallout of Watergate. Addressing the nation on television Ford announced that the only way for the country to move past the awful time was to pardon Nixon an stop Washington from twisting itself into knots and eating itself alive. A corrupt bargain was charged against Ford, members of his staff and cabinet resigned, and Congress was ballistic – but not as much as the American people who wanted Richard Nixon punished. Senator Ted Kennedy screamed murder for the act. Congress held hearings and against every advisor in his White House, Ford agreed to appear before the committee becoming the first President since Abraham Lincoln to appear before Congress in a hearing.
By all historical accounts, Ford handled himself admirably. He denied every charge that there was a deal between he and Nixon and continued to testify as the reasons he felt the pardon was necessary. His personal integrity was hard to attack by Congress and they eventually dropped the matter but Ford’s approval rating was destroyed. The public would never forgive him.
And then the end of Vietnam. The Paris Peace Accords that Nixon agreed to had removed American combat units from Vietnam but the north eventually failed to honor the agreement, along with pro-north groups in South Vietnam, and fighting started again. By this point the American people had literally no will at all for more of a fight. Ford got Congress to approve more humanitarian funding to the South and eventually asked for military support which Congress refused. Faced with no ability to do anything militarily, Ford eventually ordered the evacuation of all US personnel from South Vietnam just as the North invaded and began taking Saigon. The visuals of the American military retreating and running were damaging to our country’s standing in the world, but curiously the damage did not hurt Ford more than he already was hurt – again, the public wanted out anyway. Vietnam was over for good and American blood and money was and is still seen by a large amount of people as a total and complete waste and failure, from Truman to Ford.
Ford’s pardon of Nixon was ultimately deemed proper by most given the circumstances, and Vietnam’s end is now seen as the only thing that could have happened after Paris and Watergate. Because of it, 30 years later, Ford isn’t attacked as hard for these things as he was in his time. He handled these issues well but the public hated him for one and American honor was injured on the other.
Economy
Inflation was a massive problem when Ford entered office. His Whip Inflation Now program was more PR than policy and the stuff of comedy routines. But inflation, and with it unemployment and then an energy crisis dominated his time and economic leadership. He introduced a tax hike and lower federal spending to attack inflation first. But unemployment didn’t stop and in answer to that he then called for a massive cut to get money back into the economy. Congress doubled down on his plan, and also massively increased government spending which he didn’t approve of but he couldn’t veto the measure. Calling it irresponsible he signed it and then waged war with Congress for the rest of his term over the proper balance of tax cuts and federal spending.
On energy policy Ford was forced to accept a plan on oil prices and tariffs. Where he wanted to grow American production of oil, conservative republicans balked at any government interference and Democrats fought him too. But the overall plan eventually began to work by the end of his term and the economy looked like it just might get itself out of the recession. Jimmy Carter had to deal with it again though.
And then the bail out of New York City. Ford refused to help the city when it faced bankruptcy. Without federal help, the state came up with a budget plan to try to help the city and when they did that, Ford reversed course and supported limited involvement and money from the federal government. It was likely to court support for New York’s congressional delegation though and not anything other than that.
Foreign Policy
We covered Vietnam. Ford continued Nixon’s policy of détente with Russia to the chagrin of conservative republicans. He negotiated the Helsinki Accords to set countries borders from their state at the end of WWII. He attended and worked on the Vladivostok Accords to be a continuation of the SALT treaty but he could never get a deal with Russia. But any true work with the Soviet Union was hampered by other areas of the world, first in Angola where a revolution resulted in America, Russia and China all supporting new potential governments in a bloody civil war and increased tensions between the countries.
When Turkey invaded Cypress in 1974, NATO was damaged and it resulted in Turkey – American relations being almost destroyed. Meanwhile, with Arab-Israeli issues getting worse, Ford began working on a policy to end American support of Israel. The relations with the country hit one of their lowest points and after months of tense negotiations, the Sania II agreement was ratified to increase American aid to Israel.
With America leaving Vietnam, the region was a mess. The Khmer Rouge began a bloody war in Cambodia that resulted in Ford sending troops to the area. The men that died in that conflict were added to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. History is mixed on whether or not Ford had to respond the way he did but overall at the time the public supported the move and his approval rating actually jumped considerably.
And then Panmunjon. Which has to be the dumbest international crisis in history. Seeing the USA as a weak force in the world, North Korea started harassing South Korea again at the DMZ. Two American military personnel and a few South Korean soldiers were working on cutting down a tree in the joint security area for who the hell knows why. North Korea took the time to use them as target practice and killed the Americans. North Korea took the opportunity to decry American hostility and called for America to leave South Korea. Ford with the support of his advisors, ordered a massive amount of ground troops into the joint security zone with air cover from a fleet of B-52’s to cut down the tree. North Korea backed down and ultimately issued an actual apology the United States.
Over a tree. How do you score a President of the United States for almost starting a war over a tree?
Executive Skills/Congress
Ford had to fight with Congress every step of the way. He lost members of his own government when he pardoned Nixon. The Democrats in Congress fought him continuously. The right wing of the GOP did the same. While he did get some issues through, overall he wasn’t very successful and given the basis for his ascension to the office that is of little surprise.
Justice/Rights
Bussing in public schools and the city of Boston. Go figure. Violence erupted there and many members of government asked Ford to intervene. While he supported desegregation he had no desire to get involved with the city’s turmoil. And he never supported bussing. Ford did little with the issue instead stating that the federal government would only get involved if the issue became so dangerous as to be tantamount to a national security issue.
Context
Ford entered office having never been elected, never vetted by the American people and on the heels of the worst Presidential corruption crisis in American history. He started not just behind the 8-ball – he was off the table. But he did try. His pardon of Nixon was ultimately supported by Ted Kennedy years later when the Senator said that while he didn’t support it at the time he ultimately saw the good in it to allow the country to move on and focus on the issues of the late ‘70’s.
He also had to deal with a rising fracture in his own party over Watergate and the growing power of the right wing of the party led by Ronald Reagan. Never having a full party behind him, and always facing a Democratic Congress, Ford had very few weapons in his arsenal to deal with the issues of the time. The Chevy Chase inspired pop culture review of Ford is unfair but it ended up defining him for years. With no solid footing, no solid support, and no popular movement to support him, Ford had little opportunity to do anything great while in office.
Conclusion
On persuasion Ford gets a 3, on crisis, 4, economy 4, foreign policy 6, congress 2, civil rights 3 and context 3. 25 total points. In later years Gerald Ford would be one of our finest elder statesmen. Leaders from both parties looked to him for advice and leadership. He was ultimately the longest living ex-President and his presence was felt for years after his time in office. Ultimately, we can look to his time in office and say that he probably had the best temperament for the time following Watergate. A firebrand aggressive President like McKinley might have made things worse (or better for sure). The office was a damaged office and Washington needed to come back to the American people who were looking for someone outside of the typical power structure to lead them. They got their wish with the next President.
Public Acumen/Persuasion
Gerald Ford was one of the most honorable men to ever serve our country in any capacity. His rise in the ranks in Congress was due to his integrity and ability to deal with everyone and mediation and settle disputes and disagreements and, when necessary, give some to get some. He was by all accounts a solid to well above average politician. But as a President, he served during a 3 years stretch where the office he sat in was so blackened and bloodied from Watergate that he had very little ability to lead the nation the way the more higher ranked guys here would. Having not run as the Vice President or for President, he was never given an electoral support that we can measure for his leadership ability, and in 1977 when he ran for re-election he lost to Jimmy Carter. The pardon of Nixon wasn’t the only reason he lost but it was the thing that told the story as to why.
But at the same time, Ford actually had a very interesting presidency. Much of the attacks on Ford are PR related – his “clumsiness” that Chevy Chase turned into a career, the visuals of American and South Vietnamese escaping Saigon from rooftops and of course the hatred that the public had for Nixon. But Ford didn’t cause any of the problems nor lead the nation into them – he simply was the next man up. When he declared that our long national nightmare was over he clearly understood what Watergate did to the nation. He wasn’t able to rise above the times though. When Carter was inaugurated, he praised Ford for leading the country in such a difficult time and the two ended up being very close friends, with Ford getting routine updates from Carter on the state of the country throughout Carter’s presidency. But the backlash against the Nixon pardon coupled with the rising star of Ronald Reagan foreclosed Ford’s ability to ever seriously contend as a player on the highest stage.
War & Crisis
The immediate crisis Ford dealt with was the fallout of Watergate. Addressing the nation on television Ford announced that the only way for the country to move past the awful time was to pardon Nixon an stop Washington from twisting itself into knots and eating itself alive. A corrupt bargain was charged against Ford, members of his staff and cabinet resigned, and Congress was ballistic – but not as much as the American people who wanted Richard Nixon punished. Senator Ted Kennedy screamed murder for the act. Congress held hearings and against every advisor in his White House, Ford agreed to appear before the committee becoming the first President since Abraham Lincoln to appear before Congress in a hearing.
By all historical accounts, Ford handled himself admirably. He denied every charge that there was a deal between he and Nixon and continued to testify as the reasons he felt the pardon was necessary. His personal integrity was hard to attack by Congress and they eventually dropped the matter but Ford’s approval rating was destroyed. The public would never forgive him.
And then the end of Vietnam. The Paris Peace Accords that Nixon agreed to had removed American combat units from Vietnam but the north eventually failed to honor the agreement, along with pro-north groups in South Vietnam, and fighting started again. By this point the American people had literally no will at all for more of a fight. Ford got Congress to approve more humanitarian funding to the South and eventually asked for military support which Congress refused. Faced with no ability to do anything militarily, Ford eventually ordered the evacuation of all US personnel from South Vietnam just as the North invaded and began taking Saigon. The visuals of the American military retreating and running were damaging to our country’s standing in the world, but curiously the damage did not hurt Ford more than he already was hurt – again, the public wanted out anyway. Vietnam was over for good and American blood and money was and is still seen by a large amount of people as a total and complete waste and failure, from Truman to Ford.
Ford’s pardon of Nixon was ultimately deemed proper by most given the circumstances, and Vietnam’s end is now seen as the only thing that could have happened after Paris and Watergate. Because of it, 30 years later, Ford isn’t attacked as hard for these things as he was in his time. He handled these issues well but the public hated him for one and American honor was injured on the other.
Economy
Inflation was a massive problem when Ford entered office. His Whip Inflation Now program was more PR than policy and the stuff of comedy routines. But inflation, and with it unemployment and then an energy crisis dominated his time and economic leadership. He introduced a tax hike and lower federal spending to attack inflation first. But unemployment didn’t stop and in answer to that he then called for a massive cut to get money back into the economy. Congress doubled down on his plan, and also massively increased government spending which he didn’t approve of but he couldn’t veto the measure. Calling it irresponsible he signed it and then waged war with Congress for the rest of his term over the proper balance of tax cuts and federal spending.
On energy policy Ford was forced to accept a plan on oil prices and tariffs. Where he wanted to grow American production of oil, conservative republicans balked at any government interference and Democrats fought him too. But the overall plan eventually began to work by the end of his term and the economy looked like it just might get itself out of the recession. Jimmy Carter had to deal with it again though.
And then the bail out of New York City. Ford refused to help the city when it faced bankruptcy. Without federal help, the state came up with a budget plan to try to help the city and when they did that, Ford reversed course and supported limited involvement and money from the federal government. It was likely to court support for New York’s congressional delegation though and not anything other than that.
Foreign Policy
We covered Vietnam. Ford continued Nixon’s policy of détente with Russia to the chagrin of conservative republicans. He negotiated the Helsinki Accords to set countries borders from their state at the end of WWII. He attended and worked on the Vladivostok Accords to be a continuation of the SALT treaty but he could never get a deal with Russia. But any true work with the Soviet Union was hampered by other areas of the world, first in Angola where a revolution resulted in America, Russia and China all supporting new potential governments in a bloody civil war and increased tensions between the countries.
When Turkey invaded Cypress in 1974, NATO was damaged and it resulted in Turkey – American relations being almost destroyed. Meanwhile, with Arab-Israeli issues getting worse, Ford began working on a policy to end American support of Israel. The relations with the country hit one of their lowest points and after months of tense negotiations, the Sania II agreement was ratified to increase American aid to Israel.
With America leaving Vietnam, the region was a mess. The Khmer Rouge began a bloody war in Cambodia that resulted in Ford sending troops to the area. The men that died in that conflict were added to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. History is mixed on whether or not Ford had to respond the way he did but overall at the time the public supported the move and his approval rating actually jumped considerably.
And then Panmunjon. Which has to be the dumbest international crisis in history. Seeing the USA as a weak force in the world, North Korea started harassing South Korea again at the DMZ. Two American military personnel and a few South Korean soldiers were working on cutting down a tree in the joint security area for who the hell knows why. North Korea took the time to use them as target practice and killed the Americans. North Korea took the opportunity to decry American hostility and called for America to leave South Korea. Ford with the support of his advisors, ordered a massive amount of ground troops into the joint security zone with air cover from a fleet of B-52’s to cut down the tree. North Korea backed down and ultimately issued an actual apology the United States.
Over a tree. How do you score a President of the United States for almost starting a war over a tree?
Executive Skills/Congress
Ford had to fight with Congress every step of the way. He lost members of his own government when he pardoned Nixon. The Democrats in Congress fought him continuously. The right wing of the GOP did the same. While he did get some issues through, overall he wasn’t very successful and given the basis for his ascension to the office that is of little surprise.
Justice/Rights
Bussing in public schools and the city of Boston. Go figure. Violence erupted there and many members of government asked Ford to intervene. While he supported desegregation he had no desire to get involved with the city’s turmoil. And he never supported bussing. Ford did little with the issue instead stating that the federal government would only get involved if the issue became so dangerous as to be tantamount to a national security issue.
Context
Ford entered office having never been elected, never vetted by the American people and on the heels of the worst Presidential corruption crisis in American history. He started not just behind the 8-ball – he was off the table. But he did try. His pardon of Nixon was ultimately supported by Ted Kennedy years later when the Senator said that while he didn’t support it at the time he ultimately saw the good in it to allow the country to move on and focus on the issues of the late ‘70’s.
He also had to deal with a rising fracture in his own party over Watergate and the growing power of the right wing of the party led by Ronald Reagan. Never having a full party behind him, and always facing a Democratic Congress, Ford had very few weapons in his arsenal to deal with the issues of the time. The Chevy Chase inspired pop culture review of Ford is unfair but it ended up defining him for years. With no solid footing, no solid support, and no popular movement to support him, Ford had little opportunity to do anything great while in office.
Conclusion
On persuasion Ford gets a 3, on crisis, 4, economy 4, foreign policy 6, congress 2, civil rights 3 and context 3. 25 total points. In later years Gerald Ford would be one of our finest elder statesmen. Leaders from both parties looked to him for advice and leadership. He was ultimately the longest living ex-President and his presence was felt for years after his time in office. Ultimately, we can look to his time in office and say that he probably had the best temperament for the time following Watergate. A firebrand aggressive President like McKinley might have made things worse (or better for sure). The office was a damaged office and Washington needed to come back to the American people who were looking for someone outside of the typical power structure to lead them. They got their wish with the next President.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
Public Acumen/Persuasion
Jimmy Carter ran for President as a Washington outsider. The public ate it up for the months leading to the election. And then he gave his Playboy interview and his lead disintegrated. But, Ford tripped himself up as well, and Carter ended up winning the White House.
He had a fairly ambitious plan for the country and did get a lot done. The problem that Jimmy Carter faces though, is that at least for this section, the public never really gave him credit for any of it. Many still don’t, instead giving all success of the ‘80’s to Ronald Reagan. But being able to look back now with history in mind, Carter isn’t going to be that bad. But not here. Carter could never lead the way a Lincoln or Roosevelt or even Obama could. It just wasn’t his talent. And because of that inability to focus perception onto his plans and use the force of his words and his office in the way that are greats have, he isn’t going to get a high score here. He will elsewhere though. But Jimmy Carter’s brutal truth and malaise talk did little to inspire confidence once he was in the office and by the time he left, Americans coveted a fresh and proud outlook
War & Crisis
Carter’s foremost crisis was the Iranian hostage matter. America’s games with Iran and its oil reserves came to a head as the pro-American government became tyrannical. The Shah was eventually made to evacuate the country and Ayatollah Khomenei returned to install a new government in Iran. With the Shah dying of cancer in Mexico, Carter agreed to allow him to travel to the United States for treatment which set off a firestorm in Iran. The country demanded his return to stand trial and began protesting America calling us the Great Satan. The American embassy was overrun and American hostages were taken. In response Carter froze Iranian money in the United States and tried to begin secret negotiations but got nowhere with the new leadership.
The nightly news played clips every night of protestors shouting death to America, burning flags and threatening more violence. News agencies began keeping track of the days that the American were held hostage making the American people more and more antsy about the whole affair. Carter eventually ordered a secret mission to capture the hostages but the mission failed horribly and it ultimately destroyed Carter politically. Near the end of his administration though, Carter managed to negotiate an agreement with Iran that had America unfreeze all money in the country and the international court at the Hague would be used to settle the further monetary dispute between the nations; Carter agreed not to interfere with the politics of the country, and Iran would agree to release the hostages. The former embassy became a training center for the Revolutionary Guard as a final middle finger to the US.
And then we get to the point when theories abound about what Ronald Reagan did in the matter. Again, this is not a tinfoil hat exercise. The end result of the ultimate release of the hostages though was that it was done after Carter was out of office most likely as a final affront to Jimmy Carter. If you want to call Carter’s work with the hostage crisis a failure you can. You can also call it a success because they ultimate were freed. But what it does show is that the games that prior President’s played in the middle east for oil rights was going to come to a head with Western civilization and Jimmy Carter’s presidency was one of the first western fatalities in that conflict.
Economy
For all you micro-brewer lovers – Carter’s deregulation of the industry is what gave you the ultimate regulatory ability to do it. So boil a beer in his honor. Carter actually fought for a series of deregulation to help the increase inflation crisis. He also worked for a new energy policy that was ultimately successful but Carter’s inability to tell the American people about the complicated nature of the project results in him not getting credit for it. But he should. While most Americans remember the gas lines as problems there, coming off of Iran’s revolution and other middle east turmoil, Carter’s energy policy (not the one where he wore sweaters in the White House) was fundamentally sound. Consumption of foreign oil dropped dramatically by the end of his term and America was making more of its own. His policies ultimately worked as he was leaving office.
Carter’s ultimate economic plan in the second half of his term, with the assist and leadership of Paul Volcker at the Federal Reserve, was painful. To fight inflation the Fed increased rates and Carter implemented an austerity program. There was a deep recession in 1980 which continued to hurt Carter’s chances of re-election. But he also cut top tax rates and you can see a true element of conservative policies in his overall plan. It seems clear in retrospect that Carter knew it would get worse before it got better but he willing to do it if it fixed the economy. It certainly laid the groundwork for Reagan’s ultimate boom. But because of Reagan’s deity status amongst many Carter is simply labeled as the guy that lead us in malaise and stagflation. Like much of Carter’s presidency the truth is much more complicated and almost impossible to explain to the average voter.
Foreign Policy
Carter had to deal not only with Iran, but the invasion of Iran by Iraq as Saddam Hussein took the opportunity to increase his power – likely with Carter’s support. Carter’s national defense team believed that Iraq was poised to the be leader in the region with Iran going through its turmoil We are going to pay the price for that and more in the coming decades.
He also saw Russia invade Afghanistan. Seeing it as a precursor to more Soviet Intervention in the region, the middle east and an attack on the western hemisphere’s economics, Carter approved the CIA backing of forces in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets. The rise of powerful Islamic movements in the middle east was not going to stop as a result. Carter removed American recognition of Taiwain and formalized relations with Beijing, China. He signed the treaty that would ultimately end American control of the Panama Canal.
Carter removed nuclear weapons from South Korea and planned to remove almost all military personnel by the early ‘80’s. And then you get to the Camp David Accords. Not since Teddy Roosevelt had an American President mediated such a conflict. The ultimate peace treaty that resulted was almost exclusively due to Carter’s leadership and he gets the highest marks in his life for that moment. In the following years and decades it became clear that the Accords didn’t solve the problems in the middle east and Israel but it was a fundamental policy of peace, something the region lacks to this day.
Executive Skills/Congress
Most people think Carter was an ineffectual President. This is not true when it comes to Congress. He fought with them and didn’t get everything he fought for, but he was by no means a failure. Carter’s mistake if you want to call it that was to tackle the backrooms of Washington and refuse to play the power broker games that governed the town. It hurt his standing with the leadership and caused problems for most of his term. But you can’t deny the work on energy and the economy, the drawback of defense spending, the creation of the Rapid Defense Force, nuclear energy programs, deregulation and a host of other things that he did. Carter deserves solid grades here.
Justice/Rights
Carter focused on international human rights. Congress fought him on most of his plans. He called for a boycott of the Olympics. And his ultimate legacy here is mixed at best.
Context
The American people wanted something new in the White House following Nixon and Ford, Watergate and Vietnam. The Cold War wasn’t over, international relations around the world was getting worse, not better, and the economy was a mess. With all of that going on they chose an outsider who promised never to lie to the American people. Carter’s presidency is considered a failure because of his inability to connect with the American people while in office. His legislative agenda wasn’t a full success because of his failure to connect with leaders in his own country. But his footprint on international relations is still felt today – both good and bad. By the end of his first term it’s clear that Americans just wanted to feel good about themselves again. The ‘60’s and ‘70’s were terrible times in a lot of ways. It was very much war like in our nation with culture changing, war protests, economic upheaval, the complete destruction of trust with Washington, the corruption of a President and the growing anti-American powers in he world being shown on TV with an ultimate lack of respect for the nation that won World War II. It was all too much in the end for Jimmy Carter to overcome.
But calling him an ultimate failure is very much a problem. As history has moved on, you are hard pressed to deny that Jimmy Carter stands as an almost near identical President to John Adams. From Adams to Jefferson we saw a fight over how America wanted to act and be remembered. Far too often, the romance of words that Jefferson was able to define his time with attacks the true hard work of Adams. And we see the same in Carter moving into Reagan’s administration. Carter and Reagan should ultimately be connected the way Adams and Jefferson are in terms of how different their times in office were. All four of them faced massively complicated and impossible challenges. But like Jefferson, Reagan was able to connect with the people and explain why, whereas Adams and Carter didn’t have that ability.
Conclusion
On persuasion Carter gets a 3, on crisis 4, on economy 5, on foreign policy 7, Congress 5, civil rights 4 and context 5. 33 total points. When Jimmy Carter left office and Ronald Reagan took over, the world was about to start changing in ways that we still deal with and will be dealing with for a long time. Many of the problems Carter faced he didn’t create – the economy was just as much from Eisenhower’s last year, to Nixon’s inflation plans to Ford’s problems as it was his and he tackled it. Foreign policy problems were certainly not his. He just failed to get on top of any one thing except Camp David. We’ve recently found out that Jimmy Carter is fighting cancer that is probably going to start a decline that will lead to his death. I anticipate that in the years following that ultimate inevitability that the American people are going to slowly come to appreciate him more as a President. Not every guy in the office can be great. But when they are fundamentally good men, who work hard, try to do what they think is right, and don’t always play to the weaker parts of our nature we have to give them credit. And he deserves that credit. I wouldn’t be surprised that just like John Adams who has seen a slow build of his administration of over time especially in the last few decades that someone writing a list like this 50 years from now might have Jimmy Carter much higher than I.
Public Acumen/Persuasion
Jimmy Carter ran for President as a Washington outsider. The public ate it up for the months leading to the election. And then he gave his Playboy interview and his lead disintegrated. But, Ford tripped himself up as well, and Carter ended up winning the White House.
He had a fairly ambitious plan for the country and did get a lot done. The problem that Jimmy Carter faces though, is that at least for this section, the public never really gave him credit for any of it. Many still don’t, instead giving all success of the ‘80’s to Ronald Reagan. But being able to look back now with history in mind, Carter isn’t going to be that bad. But not here. Carter could never lead the way a Lincoln or Roosevelt or even Obama could. It just wasn’t his talent. And because of that inability to focus perception onto his plans and use the force of his words and his office in the way that are greats have, he isn’t going to get a high score here. He will elsewhere though. But Jimmy Carter’s brutal truth and malaise talk did little to inspire confidence once he was in the office and by the time he left, Americans coveted a fresh and proud outlook
War & Crisis
Carter’s foremost crisis was the Iranian hostage matter. America’s games with Iran and its oil reserves came to a head as the pro-American government became tyrannical. The Shah was eventually made to evacuate the country and Ayatollah Khomenei returned to install a new government in Iran. With the Shah dying of cancer in Mexico, Carter agreed to allow him to travel to the United States for treatment which set off a firestorm in Iran. The country demanded his return to stand trial and began protesting America calling us the Great Satan. The American embassy was overrun and American hostages were taken. In response Carter froze Iranian money in the United States and tried to begin secret negotiations but got nowhere with the new leadership.
The nightly news played clips every night of protestors shouting death to America, burning flags and threatening more violence. News agencies began keeping track of the days that the American were held hostage making the American people more and more antsy about the whole affair. Carter eventually ordered a secret mission to capture the hostages but the mission failed horribly and it ultimately destroyed Carter politically. Near the end of his administration though, Carter managed to negotiate an agreement with Iran that had America unfreeze all money in the country and the international court at the Hague would be used to settle the further monetary dispute between the nations; Carter agreed not to interfere with the politics of the country, and Iran would agree to release the hostages. The former embassy became a training center for the Revolutionary Guard as a final middle finger to the US.
And then we get to the point when theories abound about what Ronald Reagan did in the matter. Again, this is not a tinfoil hat exercise. The end result of the ultimate release of the hostages though was that it was done after Carter was out of office most likely as a final affront to Jimmy Carter. If you want to call Carter’s work with the hostage crisis a failure you can. You can also call it a success because they ultimate were freed. But what it does show is that the games that prior President’s played in the middle east for oil rights was going to come to a head with Western civilization and Jimmy Carter’s presidency was one of the first western fatalities in that conflict.
Economy
For all you micro-brewer lovers – Carter’s deregulation of the industry is what gave you the ultimate regulatory ability to do it. So boil a beer in his honor. Carter actually fought for a series of deregulation to help the increase inflation crisis. He also worked for a new energy policy that was ultimately successful but Carter’s inability to tell the American people about the complicated nature of the project results in him not getting credit for it. But he should. While most Americans remember the gas lines as problems there, coming off of Iran’s revolution and other middle east turmoil, Carter’s energy policy (not the one where he wore sweaters in the White House) was fundamentally sound. Consumption of foreign oil dropped dramatically by the end of his term and America was making more of its own. His policies ultimately worked as he was leaving office.
Carter’s ultimate economic plan in the second half of his term, with the assist and leadership of Paul Volcker at the Federal Reserve, was painful. To fight inflation the Fed increased rates and Carter implemented an austerity program. There was a deep recession in 1980 which continued to hurt Carter’s chances of re-election. But he also cut top tax rates and you can see a true element of conservative policies in his overall plan. It seems clear in retrospect that Carter knew it would get worse before it got better but he willing to do it if it fixed the economy. It certainly laid the groundwork for Reagan’s ultimate boom. But because of Reagan’s deity status amongst many Carter is simply labeled as the guy that lead us in malaise and stagflation. Like much of Carter’s presidency the truth is much more complicated and almost impossible to explain to the average voter.
Foreign Policy
Carter had to deal not only with Iran, but the invasion of Iran by Iraq as Saddam Hussein took the opportunity to increase his power – likely with Carter’s support. Carter’s national defense team believed that Iraq was poised to the be leader in the region with Iran going through its turmoil We are going to pay the price for that and more in the coming decades.
He also saw Russia invade Afghanistan. Seeing it as a precursor to more Soviet Intervention in the region, the middle east and an attack on the western hemisphere’s economics, Carter approved the CIA backing of forces in Afghanistan to fight the Soviets. The rise of powerful Islamic movements in the middle east was not going to stop as a result. Carter removed American recognition of Taiwain and formalized relations with Beijing, China. He signed the treaty that would ultimately end American control of the Panama Canal.
Carter removed nuclear weapons from South Korea and planned to remove almost all military personnel by the early ‘80’s. And then you get to the Camp David Accords. Not since Teddy Roosevelt had an American President mediated such a conflict. The ultimate peace treaty that resulted was almost exclusively due to Carter’s leadership and he gets the highest marks in his life for that moment. In the following years and decades it became clear that the Accords didn’t solve the problems in the middle east and Israel but it was a fundamental policy of peace, something the region lacks to this day.
Executive Skills/Congress
Most people think Carter was an ineffectual President. This is not true when it comes to Congress. He fought with them and didn’t get everything he fought for, but he was by no means a failure. Carter’s mistake if you want to call it that was to tackle the backrooms of Washington and refuse to play the power broker games that governed the town. It hurt his standing with the leadership and caused problems for most of his term. But you can’t deny the work on energy and the economy, the drawback of defense spending, the creation of the Rapid Defense Force, nuclear energy programs, deregulation and a host of other things that he did. Carter deserves solid grades here.
Justice/Rights
Carter focused on international human rights. Congress fought him on most of his plans. He called for a boycott of the Olympics. And his ultimate legacy here is mixed at best.
Context
The American people wanted something new in the White House following Nixon and Ford, Watergate and Vietnam. The Cold War wasn’t over, international relations around the world was getting worse, not better, and the economy was a mess. With all of that going on they chose an outsider who promised never to lie to the American people. Carter’s presidency is considered a failure because of his inability to connect with the American people while in office. His legislative agenda wasn’t a full success because of his failure to connect with leaders in his own country. But his footprint on international relations is still felt today – both good and bad. By the end of his first term it’s clear that Americans just wanted to feel good about themselves again. The ‘60’s and ‘70’s were terrible times in a lot of ways. It was very much war like in our nation with culture changing, war protests, economic upheaval, the complete destruction of trust with Washington, the corruption of a President and the growing anti-American powers in he world being shown on TV with an ultimate lack of respect for the nation that won World War II. It was all too much in the end for Jimmy Carter to overcome.
But calling him an ultimate failure is very much a problem. As history has moved on, you are hard pressed to deny that Jimmy Carter stands as an almost near identical President to John Adams. From Adams to Jefferson we saw a fight over how America wanted to act and be remembered. Far too often, the romance of words that Jefferson was able to define his time with attacks the true hard work of Adams. And we see the same in Carter moving into Reagan’s administration. Carter and Reagan should ultimately be connected the way Adams and Jefferson are in terms of how different their times in office were. All four of them faced massively complicated and impossible challenges. But like Jefferson, Reagan was able to connect with the people and explain why, whereas Adams and Carter didn’t have that ability.
Conclusion
On persuasion Carter gets a 3, on crisis 4, on economy 5, on foreign policy 7, Congress 5, civil rights 4 and context 5. 33 total points. When Jimmy Carter left office and Ronald Reagan took over, the world was about to start changing in ways that we still deal with and will be dealing with for a long time. Many of the problems Carter faced he didn’t create – the economy was just as much from Eisenhower’s last year, to Nixon’s inflation plans to Ford’s problems as it was his and he tackled it. Foreign policy problems were certainly not his. He just failed to get on top of any one thing except Camp David. We’ve recently found out that Jimmy Carter is fighting cancer that is probably going to start a decline that will lead to his death. I anticipate that in the years following that ultimate inevitability that the American people are going to slowly come to appreciate him more as a President. Not every guy in the office can be great. But when they are fundamentally good men, who work hard, try to do what they think is right, and don’t always play to the weaker parts of our nature we have to give them credit. And he deserves that credit. I wouldn’t be surprised that just like John Adams who has seen a slow build of his administration of over time especially in the last few decades that someone writing a list like this 50 years from now might have Jimmy Carter much higher than I.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
We've come to the end of the next 50 year period of American history as defined by our Presidents. From the revolution to James Moroe we had our founders, from John Quincy Adams to Ulysses Grant we had our civil war. From Rutherford Hayes to Woodrow Wilson he dealt with the coming of the 20th century and World War I. And from Warren Harding to Jimmy Carter we dealt with depression, World War, Cold War, economic crisis and corruption that would forever change our nation and the world. The next 50 years isn't fully written yet. From Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama, the United States is going to again change and the world with it. We will see the greatest devestation from an attack on our mainland since the burning of Washington DC in the War of 1812; we will see the fall of communism, the rise of islamic fundamentalism, and massive global backlash for American foreign policy in the '50's, '60's and '70's and the ultimate election of the first black man as President of the United States - something that was supposed to signal a new beginning in race relations that has been anything but.
At this point, I am going to pause from tackling the final 5 guys that have held the office in recent history. Their grading is very difficult given that we are dealing with recent history that almost all of us lived through in formative years. The final chapter of the Reagan presidency is close to being written, but is' not there yet. The Bush presidency is still being written because of the actions of his son and the current President. It will take decades more to figure out the final standing of Bill Clinton, it will take longer to figure out how George W. Bush is ultimately remembered - and it might very well take a century to figure out Barak Obama. So, for now a pause.
The current rankings of Presidents with raw totals sits at:
Lincoln 67
Washington 64
T. Roosevelt 60
F. Roosevelt 60
Monroe 59
Eisenhower 57
Polk 55
McKinley 52
Wilson 52
Jefferson 50
Adams 49
L. Johnson 48
Truman 46
Kennedy 45
Jackson 44
Grant 44
Madison 39
Cleveland 37
Nixon 37
Coolidge 36
Taft 35
Carter 33
B. Harrison 32
Van Buren 29
Tyler 29
Hayes 28
Harding 28
Q. Adams 27
Hoover 26
Ford 25
Arthur 20
Taylor 19
Garfield 19
Fillmore 18
WH Harrison 12
Buchanan 11
Pierce 10
A. Johnson 8
The raw scores have created a very interesting list, in many respects far different than I would have expected as I was attacking tim's list. I haven't checked to see how mine differentiats from him, but I have to think it does substantially. The next few posts will concern the electoral college results and campaigns that were fought and how the office of Vice President has existed in our history. And maybe a few other things. It's been fun so far.
At this point, I am going to pause from tackling the final 5 guys that have held the office in recent history. Their grading is very difficult given that we are dealing with recent history that almost all of us lived through in formative years. The final chapter of the Reagan presidency is close to being written, but is' not there yet. The Bush presidency is still being written because of the actions of his son and the current President. It will take decades more to figure out the final standing of Bill Clinton, it will take longer to figure out how George W. Bush is ultimately remembered - and it might very well take a century to figure out Barak Obama. So, for now a pause.
The current rankings of Presidents with raw totals sits at:
Lincoln 67
Washington 64
T. Roosevelt 60
F. Roosevelt 60
Monroe 59
Eisenhower 57
Polk 55
McKinley 52
Wilson 52
Jefferson 50
Adams 49
L. Johnson 48
Truman 46
Kennedy 45
Jackson 44
Grant 44
Madison 39
Cleveland 37
Nixon 37
Coolidge 36
Taft 35
Carter 33
B. Harrison 32
Van Buren 29
Tyler 29
Hayes 28
Harding 28
Q. Adams 27
Hoover 26
Ford 25
Arthur 20
Taylor 19
Garfield 19
Fillmore 18
WH Harrison 12
Buchanan 11
Pierce 10
A. Johnson 8
The raw scores have created a very interesting list, in many respects far different than I would have expected as I was attacking tim's list. I haven't checked to see how mine differentiats from him, but I have to think it does substantially. The next few posts will concern the electoral college results and campaigns that were fought and how the office of Vice President has existed in our history. And maybe a few other things. It's been fun so far.
Instinctive
Footballguy
Nice to see Polk end up high. Gotta love a guy who says he'll be there only four years and he'll do four things, then he does all four things in four years and doesn't run. Talk about keeping promises.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Enjoyed the write-ups, Yankee. JQA is one that jumps out at me as being a bit out of place with the raw score. Not great, but middle-of-the-pack and definitely deserves to be above the likes of Tyler, Harding, and some others.
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