Today is President's Day, the day we honor both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I went through a phase in college trying to prove Washington wasn't a great president, but that's just because I'm a jerk. These are two men who are actually worthy of their lofty reputations and are actually worthy of a holiday dedicated to half-price bedding. Strangley enough, today is also the anniversary of Jefferson Davis becoming president of the Confederacy. He has no holiday.
But how about our not so great presidents? Can we get a holiday for William Henry Harrison? He died only 31 days into office because he insisted on giving a long-winded speech during his inaguration, caught a cold, and died. He might be the only person to ever die for being boring.
Or Franklin Pierce? A guy described as "genuinely religious, loved his wife and reshaped himself so that he could adapt to her ways and show her true affection. He was one of the most popular men in New Hampshire, polite and thoughtful, easy and good at the political game, charming and fine and handsome." He is also generally regarded as a lousy president.
Or Warren G Harding? Another good man who made a lousy presidnet, he presided over an era of rampant corruption and soaring popularity. He summed up his own career honestly: "I am not fit for this office and never should have been here."
They can't all be on our money. But let's hear it for the guys who at least tried.
4 comments:
How about our only minority president? James Buchanan was a homosexual. I'm not kidding.
Oh, and he's also generally regarded as a terrible president.
What about Jimmy Carter? Probably considered a (near-) consensus candidate for Worst Modern President.
Baptist, peanuts, Panama, Iran, gasoline, and inflation. What a legacy.
Yes, James Buchanan was in all likelihood gay. He lived with Sen. Rufus King, and their children destroyed all of their letters upon their death to keep the nature of the relationship secret.
He was also, by universal acclaim, a truly awful president.
Jimmy Carter's not going to rank #1 on anyone's lists, but I do not think he's the consensus worst modern president. I mean, he is competing with Nixon and Ford. Carter is one of the leading candidates that good people shouldn't be president.
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