W Tops Harding as Worst President in Modern Era

The Siena College Research Institute (SRI) Survey of U.S. Presidents has completed their fifth presidential rankings since 1982. They survey 238 presidential scholars, historians and political scientists , asking them to rank from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) each President on some twenty attributes, abilities and accomplishments. The top five are Franklin Roosevelt, who has won each of the five surveys,Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In the previous four surveys, number 6 had been Woodrow Wilson but this year it's James Madison.

President Obama enters into the survey at 15th, scoring high on imagination, communications and intelligence. He is ranked in the top ten in all three of these categories.

The bottom five are Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Pierce and of course George W. Bush. George W. entered the survey during his first term in office at 23rd but one year after leaving is ranked 39th with the possibility of dropping even further. He rated especially low in handling the economy, communication, ability to compromise, foreign policy accomplishments and intelligence.

In the last two surveys Andrew Johnson edged out James Buchanan as the worst in terms of abilities and accomplishments. Warren Harding has led the pack for the first three surveys as the all-time worst and still edges everyone out in terms of worst in personal attributes, even Richard Nixon in matters of integrity. Tom Kelly, Professor of History and American Studies at Siena claims that with regards to Harding "No one appreciates corruption and ineptitude as an excuse." Warren Harding also had the distinction of weeping in front of random visitors about how overwhelming the job was.

But there are dissenters. My grandmother McColm loved Warren Harding. She was a friend of his mistress who was "a lovely woman" and Warren was so dapper. "He dressed so well and was alot of fun."

George W. Bush ranks next to last in intelligence, foreign policy accomplishments,ability to compromise, the ability to communicate, and the handling of the economy. The last on the economy was Herbert Hoover, who also rated the last in terms of luck and next to last in willing to take risks. And the last in foreign policy was LBJ.

But there is some room for movement for George W. I think he excels Franklin Pierce in awfulness. Franklin Pierce at least had the distinction of having a campaign biography written for him by his best friend Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was just a great mediocrity. And W might take down Buchanan, who always was ranked the worst of all time because he did nothing to prevent the civil war. But as our political debate worsens and some people think the civil war was a good thing, we may forgive James Buchanan, especially given the rise in gay history, where he may earn some distinction as the first gay president. The same applies to Andrew Johnson, who clearly was awful but his impeachment was simply the result of raw politics. So George may be trolling soon with Warren, bobbing along the bottom of all time.