An old friend of mine from high school, challenged me to expound on my reasons for my rankings in a blog post. It sounded like a good idea, so here we go. I have to keep these pithy to (hopefully) hold your interest.
Here are my least favorite, with 10 being slightly less intolerable to the utter worst President in the history of the United States.
10. Harry S. Truman - First of all, he fell into the role after the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I am bothered by the fact he gave the order to drop the nukes on Japan. Yes, it helped end World War II, but he still nuked a country. It couldn't have been an easy decision and chances are anyone in his position would have done the same thing at the time. But I also take exception with his decision to nuke Japan, while choosing to only contain the Soviet Union and usher in the Cold War. That, and he was a big supporter of big government regulations.
9. Jimmy Carter - Mr. One-Term, worst American economy, gas pump line and energy crisis personified. He was just an utter failure as President, though I have much respect for Carter as a man and all of the work he has done for Habitat For Humanity and other charities.
8. William Howard Taft - I don't like the fact he was one of the first to use his power to prop up foreign nations. He was big on propping up Latin America and tariffs.
7. Andrew Johnson - Johnson took over when Abe Lincoln was killed. Lincoln recognized the need for freedom for everyone, which is one of the many reasons he went through with the Civil War. However, Lincoln also knew that the North and South needed each other to be the more perfect union America was intended to be. Therefore, I believe had he not been killed, he would have worked to bring the South back into the fold without the vindictiveness Johnson showed. That, and Johnson was the first President to be impeached.
6. John Quincy Adams - This is perhaps the earliest example of the swamp we know today. I have a great deal of respect for his opposition to slavery, but clearly he was also one of the first career politicians and one who benefited from his father's legacy. That, and his contested election tainted his presidency.
5. Bill Clinton - Another impeached President. As disgraceful as his presidency was, full of accusations of sexual misconduct and other accusations regarding how he got to where he was, it is what he has done after he got out of office that really bothers me. The Clinton Foundation, in my opinion, is corrupt and was intended as nothing more than a money launderer for making Bill and Hillary richer while selling favors from the top levels of the United States government.
4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - The New Deal and his three terms in office are both as anti-American as one can imagine. I don't like his radical ideas of socialism and wealth redistribution that both parties seem to embrace today. His thought that government can solve all of the country's woes just emboldened those who don't appreciate America's fundamental values of freedom, capitalism and independence.
3. Woodrow Wilson - The original progressive who wanted to thoroughly expand government into every aspect of American lives. He did lead the country through World War I and signed the act of Congress that gave women the right to vote (which he opposed women's suffrage for many years prior to that until it became more popular in his party) but he also formed the League of Nations - a predecessor to the disastrous United Nations of today - the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve. Both put America on a path to an economy weakened by regulations and devalued currency.
2. Lyndon Johnson - Not only was the man a big racist, but he also oversaw the creation of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. These three unsustainable programs have become a massive burden to taxpayers and health providers, while providing very little relief and support to those who utilize them. Restrictions placed on patients who are enrolled in these government health care programs provide added inconvenience to those who are already struggling. Providers are not fully reimbursed for the true costs of their services utilized by patients on these programs either. None of these messes would have been created without the man who took over for the assassinated John F. Kennedy.
1. Barack Obama - Obama is the worst President this country has ever known. I could write a few posts explaining my reasons, but I'll give you the wide view. First off, he doubled our nations debt in eight years. The media gave him a pass at every would-be scandal, including attempts to undermine the Second Amendment by smuggling guns to Mexico through Fast and Furious, delivering billions of dollars in cash to Iran in the dead of night, failing to stand behind the youth of Iran when they revolted against the Mullahs who rule that country, his close relationship to Russia, his Marxist viewpoint, his devotion to a minister who uttered the phrase "GD America", his work to skirt American law by willingly allowing his Secretary of State to use an unsecured server, Obamacare...I could go on, but you get the point. He was a terrible President, I'm glad much of his legacy has been erased and I wish him the best in his true aspirations of a career in Hollywood.
Part two of this, in which I explain my choices for the best Presidents ever, will be coming soon.
Take care of yourself and thank you for reading.
