As I have previously stated I usely avoid writing about politics and religion on the blog because anything I say isn't going to lead to anyone changing their opinion on either politics or religion. All of our opinions are firmly set in stone and not even a sledge hammer is going break our barriers down. I did post an interesting article about religion not to long ago and today I am posting what I think is an interesting article about politics.
Siena College Research Institute surveys presidential scholars on who are the best and worst presidents in US History. The survey is done approximately every eight years and this is the fifth survey taken. In the recently completed survey two hundred and thirty-eight scholars participated.
The presidents are ranked on the six personal attributes of background, imagination, integrity, intelligence, luck and willingness to take risks. They are also ranked on the five forms of ability of compromising, executive skills, leadership skiils, communication skills and overall performance. Finally they are ranked on their accomplishments in economics, in other domestic affairs, how well they worked with Congress and their own party, how they did at appointing supreme court justices and other members of the executive branch, how they did at avoiding mistakes and how well they did with foreign policy.
THE TOP TEN IN ORDER
F. Roosevelt
T. Roosevelt
Lincoln
Washington
Jefferson
Madison
Monroe
Wilson
Truman
Eisenhower
THE FIVE WORST FROM WORST
Andrew Johnson
Buchanan
Harding
Pierce
GW Bush
Now friends George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton finished twenty-second and thirteenth respectively. Ronald Reagan comes in at eighteenth. The two that surprised me the most were JFK (11th) and Obama (15th). I loved JFK and have often said his brother RFK was a hero of mine but I honestly don't think he was in office long enough to accomplish enough to put him at the eleventh position. While I supported Obama during the election I'm kind of disappointed in his accomplishments and pretty much think less than two years in office doesn't establish enough history for him to be rated as either a good or bad president.
Additional things that surprised me. We haven't had a top ten president since 1960. Four of the top ten were founding fathers. Following this paragraph are two links. The first link is the article about the survey. The second link gives the results of the survey. In the second link I found the ranking by category extremely interesting. Who were the top two ranked in leadership, for example.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/07/01/poor-andrew-johnson-poll-ranks-worst-and-best-presidents/?icid=main|htmlws-sb-n|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.politicsdaily.com%2F2010%2F07%2F01%2Fpoor-andrew-johnson-poll-ranks-worst-and-best-presidents%2F
http://www.siena.edu/uploadedfiles/home/parents_and_community/community_page/sri/independent_research/Presidents%20Release_2010_final.pdf
The questions of the day. Which of the top five presidents is not on Mount Rushmore? What about the survey surprises you? Will we ever see a president gain a top ten ranking in our lifetime? No. Has the adversarial atmosphere in today's political world prevented presidents from accomplishing enough to gain a top ten ranking? Yes. Will the atmosphere ever go in our lifetime from one of preventing the other party from accomplishing something to working together for the best of America? Nope, not unless a viable third party takes hold.
Looking forward to your take on it.
Who Am I?
Yesterday's answer: Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrickson Zaharias
I was born in 1885 and died in 1946. I was a journalist, political activist and civil rights worker that worked hard to advance the civil rights of Mexican-Americans. My two brothers and I worked for a newspaper that was edited and published by my dad. I earned my teaching certificate at a Holding Institute in Laredo and later taught about forty miles from there. I was the first president of a Women's League that was founded to offer free education to Mexican children in addition to unify the intellectuals of Texas around the issues of protection of civil rights, bilingual education, lynching of Mexicans, labor organizing and women's concerns. It developed into a social, political and charitable organization for women that in part provided food and clothes to those in need. During a revolution a friend and I went South of the boarder to care for the wounded. I would later marry a tinsmith and plumber and move to San Antonio. There I founded a newspaper but it only lasted four years. Who Am I?
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2 comments:
FDR is not on Mt. Rushmore. Can't say I'm surprised by the survey. I'd put George Bush higher on the Worst list, but he's fresh in my memory and frankly I'm kind of a dunce on American history, so don't really know about what made the others Worst-worthy.
As for the other questions, I agree with your answers, and I don't see a viable third party anywhere on the horizon, unfortunately.
Hi Pat
I don't think there will be a viable third party either but it sure would give us that are upset with both parties a place to go.
In the bottom five. Johnson was impeached. Hardy died after a very short time in office. Pierce was a doughboy (lived in the North but was for slavery) and wasn't nominated by his own party for a second term. James Buchannon won the nomination as a compromise candidate while he was a way on vacation. Everyone on both sides of the civil war hated because although he believed secession to be illegal he also believed the war to stop it was illegal. Buchannon was the only president to remain a bachelor while in office. So W is with some outstanding company.
Bill
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