Today is Presidents Day. It used to be known as Washington’s Birthday. With the name change, we now honor all the men who occupied the office of president of the United States, instead of recognizing the nation’s first president only. I don’t think the change in name represents progress.
We can take this occasion to examine the performance of the current occupant of the office. During the 13 months of Joe Biden’s administration, we have witnessed the following:
- The crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, with roughly 1.7 million migrants entering the country unlawfully.
- The disastrous troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving behind hundreds of American civilians and military equipment.
- Reversing Trump-era travel ban, which will make America less safe
- Canceling of the Keystone XL Pipeline permit and paused oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, resulting in America not being energy independent.
- A federal executive order banning discrimination based on gender identity, which allows (1) males to participate in women’s sports, (2) males to shower in women’s locker rooms, and (3) males to be incarcerated in women’s prisons.
- Inflation, especially the 50% rise in gasoline prices.
- International instability, with Russia threatening Ukraine and China’s provocative military conduct directed at Taiwan.
And we have three more years to go.
The one who is happiest about this administration is the ghost of James Buchanan. In Biden, Buchanan sees someone who will displace him as the worst U.S. president of all time.
Buchanan is almost always ranked at the bottom in presidential ranking surveys, normally in good company with Franklin Pierce and Andrew Johnson.
In twenty-three presidential ranking surveys, from 1948 through 20211, the top three are normally George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin Roosevelt. Lincoln is rank on top in the majority of surveys.
C-SPAN conducted a survey in 20212. There again, the top three are Lincoln, Washington, and FDR. Coming in at number four is Theodore Roosevelt, with Dwight Eisenhower securing the fifth spot. The ranking of the top five is not terribly controversial or surprising even if some historians or political scientists might have others who should be considered among the greats.
What was surprising were those ranked at the bottom. Actually, the bottom three were the usual Franklin Pierce, Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, coming in at 42, 43, and 44, respectively. The surprising addition to the rankings basement, ranked 41, is Donald Trump. His addition was surprising to me given his accomplishments while in office. During Trump’s time in office, we saw:
- A lowering of income taxes, particularly the corporate income tax rate, and a net reduction of federal regulations, which lead to a 50-year low in unemployment (3.5%) and significant increase wage growth (prior to the global pandemic).
- The defeating the Islamic State and killing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
- The assassination of the Iranian top terrorism leader, Qasem Soleimani.
- The nominations and confirmations of 230 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices.
- America become a net energy exporter
- America brokering Israeli peace with four nations (UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco)
The C-SPAN survey ranked Trump 34 (of 44) in Economic Management and 43 (of 44) in International Relations.
Surprisingly, Barack Obama was number 10 (of 44) in the overall ranking. He ranked 9 in Economic Management; 6 in Moral Authority; and 3 Pursue Equal Justice for All.
The 2021 C-SPAN survey is a sham. The historians were clearly influenced by their own politics.
Even though we should not take the survey results seriously, there are some noteworthy trends.
As noted, Eisenhower came in at number 5; however, between 1962 and 2011, surveys had him hovering around 10. With Thomas Jefferson, earlier surveys had him ranked between 2 and 5; recent surveys have him between 5 and 7. Woodrow Wilson had a similar decline over time. Andrew Jackson has seen a larger fall. In the early surveys, he was normally ranked in the top 10; in the recent five surveys, he has generally declined from 16 to 21. Ulysses S. Grant also has an interesting ranking history. For the first 12 surveys, he was in the cellar with Pierce and Buchanan; however, since the 2005 survey, he has generally risen in the rankings, with him being ranked 20 (of 44) in the 2021 survey.
Since I have not personally spoken to any of the historians involved in these surveys, I cannot comment definitively on why the changes – some of them large – in the ranking of presidents. However, the one issue that would explain these trends is race.
Eisenhower appears to be given more credit for proposing and signing the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Sending troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to protect black students is viewed even more favorably in recent years.
Grant’s protection of the formally enslaved and his support and enforcement of the Fifteenth Amendment, guaranteeing the right of black Americans to vote, is better received in the early 21st century compared to the middle 20th.
Jefferson’s and Jackson’s views on slavery, and Wilson’s views on race hurt their images in the modern era compared to earlier times. Jackson may even lose his image on the TWENTY in favor of former slave, Harriet Tubman.
It appears that, to some degree, the survey participants are influenced by increased public sensitivity surrounding racial matters, which we have seen in the past two decades.
Interestingly, George Washington, who was a slaveowner, has not seen any change in his rankings over time. It is true that he provided for the freeing of his slaves upon his death, but he owned slaves for most of his life and did own over one hundred slaves when he died. It seems, however, given his stature, that he is simply untouchable. For now.
As the political left continues to reevaluate the morality of past leaders, it could be a matter of time that the Father of the Nation may fall out of favor with our leading historians. Could be only a matter of a few more years of Washington battling Lincoln for who will be number one.
Could be only a matter of a few more decades that Washington will be on the ONE.