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!