US Presidents Ranked Worst to Best, Part 2

Last week we looked at the worst. Now let's look at the White House's better half. These are the top 22 best Presidents of the United States.

22. Rutherford Hayes (1877-81)

• pros: upheld the gold standard, upheld the Monroe Doctrine, put down the Great Railroad Strike, civil service reform (based on merit)
• cons: ended Reconstruction, failed to protect black rights, didn't try for a second term

21. Ulysses Grant (1869-77)

• pros: established Department of Justice, implemented the gold standard, Enforcement Acts, outlawed the Ku Klux Klan, 15^th Amendment, Treaty of Washington, Peace Policy with Native Americans
• cons: Great Sioux War, mishandled the panic of 1873, corruption, scandals

20. Frankiln Roosevelt (1933-45)

• pros: ended prohibition, Good Neighbour Policy in Latin America, arsenal of democracy, Lend-Lease, Second World War, US world leadership
• cons: increased national debt nine-fold, beginning of big-government interventionism, expanded bureaucracy, possibly prolonged the Great Depression, Japanese internment

19. Harry Truman (1945-53)

• pros: oversaw the end of WWII, helped found United Nations, helped found NATO, Berlin Airlift, Korean War, desegregated the armed forces. Anticommunist
• cons: only world leader to use nuclear weapons on human targets, McCarthyism

18. Chester Arthur (1881-85)

• pros: civil service reform, naval reform
• cons: ???

17. James Garfield (1881)

• pros: civil service reform, universal education
• cons: died in office, only served six months

16. Donald Trump (2017-present)

• pros: tax reform, economic growth, travel ban from extremist countries. Won Chinese support in isolating North Korea, forced the DPRK to the negotiating table, got American prisoners released
• cons: airstrikes on Syria, omnibus spending bill, partial reversal of Cuban thaw

15. George H. W. Bush (1989-93)

• pros: ended US intervention in Nicaragua, pushed for German reunification, Gulf War, NAFTA, Points of Light, Clean Air Act
• cons: invaded Panama, broke his “no new taxes” promise, Savings & Loan bailout, deficits

14. Andrew Jackson (1829-37)

• pros: fully paid off national debt (only time in US history), US exploring expedition, upheld republican values
• cons: patronage, Indian Removal Act. His disestablishment of the Second Bank of the United States was partially to blame for the Panic of 1837

13. Grover Cleveland (1885-89, 1893-97)

• pros: anti-spoils system, modernized the military, anti-imperialist, preserved the gold supply, handled the Venezuelan Crisis well. Anti-corruption, small-government non-interventionist
• cons: his silver coinage policies were divisive, couldn't get a grip on labour unrest and the Panic of 1893

12. Ronald Reagan (1981-89)

• pros: Reaganomics, tax cuts, free trade agreements, INF Treaty, broke air traffic controllers strike, restored national pride/confidence
• cons: tripled the national debt, massively increased military spending, War on Drugs, bombed Libya, Iran-Contra Scandal, aided Mujahideen. Intervention in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Grenada

11. James Madison (1809-17)

• pros: reestablished the national bank, effective tax reform. The War of 1812 was very popular, united the American people, and broke Native resistance in the west...
• cons: even though the War of 1812 ended in a military stalemate mostly thanks to a mismanaged US army. Raised tariffs

10. Calvin Coolidge (1923-29)

• pros: tax cuts, national debt shrinks, dismissed corrupt officials from Harding's administration, left the Federal Reserve alone, withdrew US forces from Dominican Republic, Dawes Plan, granted citizenship to Native Americans, built highways
• cons: slow response to Great Mississippi Flood, vetoed the McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Bill

9. James Polk (1845-49)

• pros: annexed Texas and Oregon territory, Mexican-American War, Walker Tariff reduced tariff rates, established the US Naval Academy
• cons: ???

8. William McKinley (1897-1901)

• pros: Gold Standard Act, ended the Panic of 1893, Spanish-American War, Cuban independence, annexed Hawaii
• cons: Platt Amendment, Philippine-American War, weak response to growing racial tension/violence

7. John Kennedy (1961-63)

• pros: good handling of Cuban Missile Crisis, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, established the Apollo Program. Supported civil rights and equality, abolished poll taxes
• cons: Bay of Pigs invasion, deficits

6. James Monroe (1817-25)

• pros: Monroe Doctrine, Treaty of 1818 granted harbour/fishing rights in Pacific, joint occupation of Oregon territory, acquired Florida, built canals, went on national tours
• cons: inadequate response to Panic of 1819, Missouri Compromise was divisive and unpopular

5. Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61)

• pros: founded NASA, ended McCarthyism, built highways, Civil Rights Acts (1957, 1960), integrated public schools, “ended” Korean War, reduced spending, balanced budgets. Left office warning people about military-industrial complex...
• cons: even though he was largely responsible for the rise of the military-industrial complex. U-2 Crisis; undertook coups in Iran, Guatemala.

4. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09)

• pros: Square Deal, trust-busting, peaceful labour relations, conservation, began the Panama Canal, helped broker and end to the Russo-Japanese war, established the Food and Drug Administration
• cons: Roosevelt Corollary used to justify interventionism in Central America (i.e. Big Stick Diplomacy)

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-09)

• pros: Louisiana Purchase doubled USA's size, lowered taxes and spending decreased national debt, maintained neutrality during Napoleonic Wars, prohibited slave imports, Lewis and Clark Expedition, First Barbary War
• cons: bad relations with the British, embargoes against Britain did more harm to USA

2. Abraham Lincoln (1861-65)

• pros: peacefully handled the Trent Affair, US Civil War, selected his own generals, Emancipation Proclamation, 13^th Amendment, moderate stance on Reconstruction, National Banking Act, Pacific Railway Acts
• cons: introduced federal income tax, Ex parte Merryman suspends habeas corpus

1. George Washington (1789-97)

• pros: maintained peace with Great Britain, suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion, established the national bank and other financial institutions, restored the nation's credit, re-established the US Navy, maintained neutrality during French Revolutionary Wars, Treaty of San Lorenzo, won the Northwest Indian War...
• cons: even though the war effort was disorganized and resulted in high casualties

US Presidents Ranked Worst to Best, Part 1

Happy President's Day... in May. Yes, my long awaited rankings of all United States Presidents is finally here. Sorry about that; the research took way longer than I thought. But that just means that this article will be very accurate and super-informative, right? As was the case with the PM rankings, I briefly spell out my reasoning for the rankings and while I'm not a history major I did study some American history in university so I do (mostly) know what I'm talking about. But first, a warning. As was also the case with my Canadian Prime Ministers rankings, a list ranking a nation's heads of government is inevitably going to be extremely political. This is all just a matter of opinion, so don't throw a temper tantrum if I didn't put your favourite prez very high or anything like that. So here we go, from worst to best!

44. James Buchanan (1857-61)

• pros: ???
• cons: no grip on (Democratic) party control, no response to the slavery/abolitionist dilemma, no response to the secessionist movement, largely responsible for the Civil War

43. Andrew Johnson (1865-69)

• pros: purchase of Alaska
• cons: clashes with Congress resulted in impeachment, opposed 14^th Amendment. His mishandling of Reconstruction resulted in the Black Codes and disenfranchisement for many African-Americans

42. Herbert Hoover (1929-33)

• pros: Reconstruction Finance Corporation
• cons: enforced prohibition, opposed anti-lynching laws. Infamously mishandled the Great Depression with his tax increases, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, and his violent response to the Bonus Army

41. Franklin Pierce (1853-57)

• pros: Gadsden Purchase, trade treaties, reformed gov. departments to be more efficient and accountable
• cons: use of patronage appointments alienated his (D) party, Kansas-Nebraska Act leads to violence, was unable to resolve the slavery/abolitionist tensions

40. William Henry Harrison (1841)

• pros: ???
• cons: died after just 30 days in office

39. Zachary Taylor (1849-50)

• pros: Clayton-Bowler Treaty
• cons: died after 16 months in office, avoided the slavery/abolitionist debate

38. Richard Nixon (1969-74)

• pros: withdrew US from Vietnam War (temporary peace), returned POWs, Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, SALT I, established relations with China, enforced integration in Southern schools
• cons: expanded the Vietnam War into Laos and Cambodia, took US currency off the gold standard, imposed price controls, saw unemployment and inflation rise, supported Chilean coup, Watergate Scandal. Only president to resign

37. Lyndon Johnson (1963-69)

• pros: Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act Clean Air Act
• cons: escalated Vietnam War, intervention in Dominican Civil War, urban riots, Immigration and Nationality Act. His War on Poverty, Great Society, and social welfare measures were extremely expensive and were arguably not very successful

36. George W. Bush (2001-09)

• pros: tax cuts, PEPFAR, No Child Left Behind Act. Handled 9/11 well
• cons: doubled the national debt, started the Iraq War, slow to respond to Hurricane Katrina, 2008 bailout, dismissal of US attorneys, torture in Guantanamo Bay detention camp. His Patriot Act initiated mass surveillance and loss of liberty for Americans.

35. Barack Obama (2009-17)

• pros: Cuban Thaw, ended the Iraq War, the assassination of Osama bin Laden, defeated ISIS in Iraq, first non-white US president
• cons: almost doubled the national debt, less transparent government that continued mass surveillance, automated drone warfare in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia. Helped destabilize Syria and Libya. Medicare, Recovery Act, deteriorating race relations. Cult of personality?

34. Martin Van Buren (1837-41)

• pros: peacefully concluded the Caroline affair, kept the peace with Great Britain (and Canada)
• cons: Indian removal policies killed many, was ineffective in dealing with the Panic of 1837

33. Millard Fillmore (1850-53)

• pros: Perry Expedition, stood up to the French over Hawaii
• cons: Fugitive Slave Act

32. John Adams (1797-1801)

• pros: achieved peace with France
• cons: undeclared Quasi-War with France, raised taxes led to rebellion, Alien and Sedition Acts infringe on personal liberties

31. Gerald Ford (1974-77)

• pros: Helsinki Accords
• cons: pardoned Nixon, increased national debt

30. John Tyler (1841-45)

• pros: annexed Texas, Webster-Ashburton Treaty
• cons: his excessive use of vetoes let to a cabinet revolt

29. William Howard Taft (1909-13)

• pros: trust-busting, introduced popular elections for US senators (17^th amendment)
• cons: Dollar Diplomacy, the Banana Wars. Both the Payne-Aldrich Tariff and the Pinchot-Ballinger Affair split the Republican party

28. Jimmy Carter (1977-81)

• pros: Camp David Accord, Torrijos-Carter Treaty, SALT II. Partially responsible for inflation slowing down
• cons: Also partially responsible for 1980 recession, increased national debt. Mariel boatlift, supplied aid the the Mujahideen, couldn't handle the Iran hostage crisis

27. Warren Harding (1921-23)

• pros: Fordney-McCumber Tariff, Washington Naval Conference, established the Bureau of the Budget. Revenue Act of 1921 lowered taxes
• cons: his presidency was plagued with corruption, scandals, and affairs

26. Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

• pros: balanced budgets, welfare reform, Camp David Summit, NATO intervention in Bosnia
• cons: NATO intervention on Kosovo War kills hundred of civilians, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act leads to less accountability/transparency on Wall Street. Whitewater Scandal, sexual misconduct. Lewinsky scandal, perjury, impeachment.

25. Benjamin Harrison (1889-93)

• pros: Sherman Anti-Trust Act, national forest reserves, modernized the US Navy, good handling of the Baltimore Crisis
• cons: needlessly raised tariffs led to huge budget surpluses, initiated silver coinage which then drained the nation's gold supply. Dawes Act ended up depriving Natives of their lands. Massacre at Wounded Knee

24. Woodrow Wilson (1913-21)

• pros: Federal Trade Commission Act, Federal Farm Loan Act, lowered tariffs. First World War, 14 Points for Peace, advocated for a League of Nations
• cons: Revenue Act (income tax), Federal Reserve Act (Federal Reserve System), Sedition Act (limited freedom of speech), segregated federal offices. Interventionism in Mexico, Central America

23. John Quincy Adams (1825-29)

• pros: paid down national debt, border negotiations, several recprocity treaties
• cons: trade issues with Great Britain, Tariff of Abominations was deeply unpopular, frequently blocked by congress

That about rounds up the bottom 22. Join me next time for the top 22!

Movie Review -- Avengers: Infinity War

  Infinity War: could this film have had a more appropriate title? Infinite lead-up movies, infinite characters, infinite dollars. As with the first two Avengers movies, Infinity War ups the ante in terms of cast, action, and scope (though when you think about it Age of Ultron's stakes weren't that much higher than Avengers'). It truly is the most epic crossover since that time the King of the Hill characters cameoed in that episode of The Simpsons. But does it settle for sticking to that Marvel-money-machine formula that we've grown used to? Is it just another Marvel movie? Let's find out.

  Infinity War tells the story of Thanos's quest to attain all six of the infinity stones so that he can have unlimited power to re-balance the universe. In the process he takes on Earth's mightiest heroes, including the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers, and various supporting heroes. To be honest, the first half of this 2.5 hour film does drag slowly as the disparate groups of characters each go on what's basically long road trips punctuated by chores. The phrase “how long is this going to take?” is spoken by various characters probably five or six times (not a good thing for an action movie). But once the plot threads start coming together, at around the half-way mark, Infinity War becomes an engrossing spectacle to behold.

  The tone of this film is also noticeably different than many recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. While it can still be jokey at times, Infinity War becomes more and more serious and bleak as it goes on. One could say that it borrows a page from The Empire Strikes Back playbook. (Speaking of Star Wars, there's a big battle scene in Wakanda that closely resembles the Gungan battle scene in The Phantom Menace. Did anyone else notice that?) This more ominous tone is reflected in the musical score, this time more dramatic and sometimes even quieter than previous MCU soundtracks.

  And it's all capped off by the most awesome ending to any MCU movie yet. As Batman might say, it wasn't the ending we deserved, but the ending we needed.

  As mentioned earlier, the cast of Infinity War is huge... sometimes a little too huge. It's not as bad as X-Men: Apocalypse in this regard, but you can tell the writers were struggling to come up with stuff for everybody to do. It takes a while to get all the heroes' introductions out of the way, and like I said most of the heroes spend a decent amount of time simply travelling to far away locations. Moreover there are a particular handful of characters who pretty much do nothing in the movie (aside from getting some punches in during the battle scene). Having said all that, there are a couple brief surprise appearances from characters we haven't seen in years (which I won't spoil here).

  But the film's biggest success in the character department is in its villain, Thanos. MCU films have been hit-or-miss when it comes to badguys, but Thanos is a fascinating person to watch. He's not just evil for the sake of being evil; he believes that he's carrying out the lesser of two evils. He takes no joy in what he's doing and even has to go through some personal sacrifices to achieve his goals. Thanos is a well-rounded, complex character here, arguably the film's main character, and Josh Brolin – with some help from some spot-on special effects – does an excellent job of bringing him to life.

  So to answer my question from earlier, I'd say that Infinity War is somewhat more than one would expect from any old Marvel movie. While it does have the same level of action (which is brilliant, by the way) and somewhat basic plot, it can boast an impressive cast and an exceptionally interesting villain. Needless to say, a film like this wouldn't work on its own at all. If you haven't seen at least half of all MCU films then you're going to be utterly lost. But for everyone else, Avengers: Infinity War is essential viewing.

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