Performing Many Roles: Today’s President
Today the president performs many roles in society. The president has become the preeminent politician in the United States. Some of his roles include:
Head of state: The president symbolizes the United States. Other countries judge the United States by what kind of president the U.S. public elects.
Commander in chief: The president heads the U.S. military. The public looks to him to commit troops into combat. The public also holds him accountable for the successes or failures of military operations.
Chief foreign policy maker: The president is expected to make foreign policy, meet foreign leaders, and negotiate treaties. The public holds him responsible for successes and failures in foreign policy.
Chief executive: The president is in charge of the federal bureaucracy, which includes the cabinet departments, the Office of Management and Budget, and the military — more than 2 million people altogether.
Chief legislator: Today, the president is responsible for most major legislation. He proposes the budget and uses his veto power to shape policy. The president acts, and Congress usually reacts to his policies.
Crisis manager: Whenever crisis strikes the country, the U.S. public looks to the president to act. After the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001, the public expected the president, not Congress, to react. It was George W. Bush and his advisors who explained to the public and Congress what had happened, as well as what measures the government would take.
Leader of his party: The public, as well as party supporters, look at the president as the leader of his party. If the president does well, the public will usually reward his party in the elections. If he performs poorly, the public will usually punish his party, especially in off-year (non-presidential) elections.
Today, the president is the chief politician in the United States. However, he still has to share his powers with Congress on many occasions, and Congress can keep his power in check, if necessary.
Chapter 2
Presidential Rankings and Evaluations
In This Chapter
Studying presidential rankings
Reviewing two presidential surveys
T his chapter looks at how U.S. presidents are ranked by the public and experts, such as academics. I present two surveys: One asked experts, mostly historians, to rank the presidents; the other asked the public to do the same. The differences are interesting, and I discuss the significance of those differences after the surveys themselves.
The public is aware of the founding fathers and major presidents who served during crises, such as Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This knowledge comes mostly from school and the emphasis that the media places on these important presidents. But when was the last time you saw a special on Rutherford Hayes or read a new biography of Millard Fillmore? On the other hand, you can choose among several movies or books about Franklin Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln.
Polls show that most U.S. citizens know about the presidents in office during their lifetime but don’t know much about the presidents of the past, especially the lesser-known executives. Therefore, the public ranks current presidents and famous presidents higher than lesser-known presidents. Academics who study presidents, on the other hand, have a better historical perspective — not too many recent presidents rank high on their scale.
Over time, the standing of a past president may change within the rankings of the U.S. public and academics, providing for renewed interest in his life and actions in office. Some presidents are highly regarded after they leave office, only to end up being considered disappointments in the long run. Andrew Johnson had this fate. Other presidents, such as Harry Truman, may be considered failures shortly after the end of their administrations and then become popular heroes later.
This chapter looks at the academic and public rankings of U.S. presidents, as well as the issues and characteristics each group uses to evaluate presidents. Chapter 26 presents my personal ranking of the ten best presidents, and Chapter 27 lists my picks for the ten worst presidents in U.S. history.
Evaluating the Presidents
U.S. presidents are evaluated in many ways. The major characteristics academic and public polls use to evaluate the 42 U.S. presidents vary from survey to survey, but the main standards remain fairly consistent.
It is important to keep in mind that times change and presidential rankings reflect this. Early in U.S. history, the United States was isolationist, so foreign policy wasn’t a factor in presidential evaluations. Foreign policy became much more important in the 20th century.
Media scrutiny is a recent phenomenon. During most of the 19th and 20th centuries, the media did not delve into presidents’ lives. It was considered taboo to report on private presidential scandals — the public didn’t know much, if anything, about Franklin Roosevelt’s or Harding’s extramarital affairs. A president’s private indiscretions didn’t factor into how he was judged as president. This code of silence held well into the 20th century — the media didn’t report on John F. Kennedy’s legendary affairs in the White House, even his well-known liaison with movie star Marilyn Monroe.
The Watergate scandal in the 1970s changed things. Suddenly the media believed that it had an obligation to be a watchdog over the presidents. This new role allowed the media not only to check presidents for public mistakes and policy failures, but also to report on private wrongdoings. This role for the media won’t change as long as juicy scandals continue to garner large audiences. Future presidents have to expect to have their lives scrutinized and any minor wrongdoing reported. In the 2000 election, George W. Bush figured that a 20-year-old conviction for drunk driving wouldn’t be a big deal and wouldn’t be reported. Boy, was he wrong. When the story came out days before the election, it almost cost him the presidency.
Policy leadership
A president has to make policy, domestic and foreign, for the country. The president outlines his policies in his inaugural address, his annual State of the Union addresses, and especially his budget. The president has a tough battle to conquer: He has to mobilize public opinion to gain the upper hand with Congress.
The president has to be careful when dealing with Congress. If he is pushy and takes a heavy-handed approach, Congress may resent him, and he is not likely to be very successful. Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon found this out the hard way. If a president is willing to lobby Congress and bargain and deal with its members, he can be very successful. George Bush saw most of his legislation pass, even though the opposition Democrats controlled both houses of Congress.
Leadership skills are necessary for the president to succeed. The more skills a president possesses, the more likely Congress will pass his policies. This is one way that a president is judged and evaluated. The more his policies get passed, the higher his ranking.
In modern times, a president’s legislation has been judged according to the impact his policies have on social equality in U.S. society. Policies that benefit minorities and the poor enhance a president’s ranking in the polls.
Crisis management
The U.S. public looks to the president as its political and economic leader. He is held responsible for the political and economic climate, whether times are good or bad. A successful president has to have a program ready to stimulate the economy if necessary, and he has to be able to pass it. If he fails, he will not win reelection. Jimmy Carter and George Bush are recent presidents who lost their bids for reelection due to economic decline. At the same time, a booming economy can get a president reelected even if he is facing personal scandals, as Bill Clinton demonstrated in 1996.
Crisis management also refers to international crises. The way a president reacts to major foreign crises, such as a war or a terrorist attack, greatly impacts his standing with the public and his rankings in the polls. Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, two presidents who always rank in the top five, rank high mainly because of thei
r crisis-management skills. Lincoln reacted forcefully during the Civil War and kept the Union intact. Franklin Roosevelt guided the United States through World War II and turned the country into a superpower.
Lyndon Johnson, on the other hand, couldn’t deal with the conflict in Vietnam. This inability lowers his ranking, despite his major domestic accomplishments. More recently, President George W. Bush, who was not doing well in the polls as late as August 2001, turned himself into a great crisis manager after the terrorist attacks in September 2001. His handling of the situation brought new life to his presidency. He is likely to go down as one of the great crisis managers in U.S. history.
Presidential appointments
Presidents are also measured by the people they appoint to public office. This area of evaluation includes appointments to the Supreme Court and the presidential cabinet.
Presidents Harding and Grant destroyed their presidencies with inept, corrupt appointments, and their rankings reflect this. Appointing good, skilled people reflects positively on a president. George C. Marshall and Henry Kissinger, both Secretaries of State, reflected positively on the presidents that appointed them, increasing Truman’s and Nixon’s standings, respectively. Today, diversity has become an issue. Presidential appointments should reflect the ethnic composition of the country. The more minorities, including women, a president appoints to high-level positions, the higher his ranking. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have done well in this area, with their cabinets containing a fair amount of minorities.
Foreign standing
Foreign policy is a recent addition to the criteria for ranking U.S. presidents. Most 19th century presidents can’t be ranked on this issue because, during that time period, the United States was isolationist and didn’t get involved in world affairs. But since Theodore Roosevelt and his active participation in international affairs (See Chapter 13), foreign policy has been a major part of the presidency. Today a president deals with many other nations: How he deals with these nations, as well as how these nations perceive him, contribute to his ranking.
Major foreign policy success can make up for domestic failure. President Nixon ranks low on many lists, but he had major accomplishments in the area of foreign policy. These accomplishments elevate him into the middle of the presidential pack. President George Bush was a great foreign policy president: During his term, the Soviet Union collapsed, the Gulf War was won, and major arms control took place. These accomplishments push him into the top 15 of U.S. presidents.
Respect from foreign nations is very important. President Nixon was widely respected by foreign nations. After his resignation, he continued to be treated as a successful president by most of the world, which led to a rise in his rankings.
Character and integrity
The attributes of character and integrity are important when judging presidents. A president who promotes corruption, lies to the public, or is involved in scandals will obviously be ranked lower than an honest president.
President Nixon single-handedly destroyed his presidency and his place in history with the Watergate scandal. President Clinton undermined a successful presidency with many personal scandals, including lying to the public. President Clinton’s scandals continued even after he left office. President Harding destroyed what was left of his presidency with continuous extra- marital affairs.
At the same time, a president who wasn’t very successful in office, such as Jimmy Carter, can restore his reputation and rise in the rankings for being a true humanitarian and an honest person. James Polk made it into my top ten list of presidents in this book for being an honest, dedicated individual. He worked so hard that it cost him his life. There were no scandals during his presidency, and he even kept his campaign promise not to run for reelection.
Public persuasion
The ability to persuade the public to his point of view is one of the most powerful weapons a president possesses. It’s also one he most needs to succeed. How a president uses this power, and how successful he is with it, impacts his standing in the ranks of presidents. Some of the masters of public persuasion are
Theodore Roosevelt, who used his position and influence as president to persuade citizens to his point of view. He was able to get much of his legislation passed, despite having to deal with a hostile Congress.
Franklin Roosevelt, who went straight to the public with his fireside chats and not only reassured the public after the Great Depression, but also gained support for his New Deal legislation.
Ronald Reagan, who is known as the “Great Communicator” because he possessed a special ability to connect with the U.S. public.
The public loved Reagan and the way he dealt with the average person. This adoration translated into support for his policies. Congress enacted a large part of Reagan’s agenda because the public backed him — not necessarily because Congress agreed with him and his proposals.
Other presidents haven’t fared as well. Jimmy Carter had a tough time connecting with the public. For this reason, much of his presidential agenda never made it through Congress, even though his own party controlled Congress. Richard Nixon failed in similar fashion. He couldn’t relate to the public. By the time the Watergate scandal came around, it was too late to gather public support for his presidency.
Presidential vision
Some presidents come into office without a vision of what they want to accomplish as president: This usually results in a failed presidency. Without a master plan, a president is at the mercy of Congress, which can then take over and make policy for the country.
The more successful presidents have a vision. They want to use the office of president to change the United States. Franklin Roosevelt wanted to bring about changes to protect the average citizen from the brutal effects of the Great Depression. Reagan wanted to restore the United States to greatness and decrease the size of the federal government. With a vision to guide them, presidents tend to be active, as they try to implement their agenda. Even if they’re not successful, they still get credit for having a vision.
A president without a vision accomplishes nothing, because there is nothing he wants to accomplish. Without a vision, a presidency results in failure.
The most successful presidents in U.S. history all had a vision of how they wanted the country to look and act. By the time they served out their terms, they had made a difference and changed the United States according to their plan.
Ranking U.S. Presidents
One of the best evaluations of U.S. presidents was released in 1999. C-SPAN (National Cable Satellite Corporation), a network created to show public affairs programming, conducted a survey of 58 historians and other experts on the presidency in the United States and asked them to rank the presidents. Then, the network asked its viewers to rank the presidents. The rankings of the 1,145 people who participated are similar to the rankings of the academics, but they do contain some interesting differences. I present both surveys in Table 2-1. (Our current president, George W. Bush, is not ranked.)
The 42 U.S. presidents were ranked on ten different characteristics and then put in order. The ten criteria included: public persuasion, crisis leadership, economic management, moral authority, international relations, administrative skills, relations with congress, vision/setting agenda, pursued justice for all, and performance within contexts of times.
To this day, the C-SPAN surveys are the most comprehensive surveys available to the public. You can find more information on the Web site at www.americanpresidents.org/survey.
Table 2-1Presidential RankingsRankingC-SPAN academic surveyC-SPAN viewer survey
1 Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln
2 Franklin Delano Roosevelt George Washington
3 George Washington Theodore Roosevelt
4 Theodore Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt
5 Harry S. Truman Thomas Jefferson
6 Woodrow Wilson Ronald Reagan
7 Thomas Jefferson Harry S. Truman<
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8 John F. Kennedy Dwight D. Eisenhower
9 Dwight D. Eisenhower James Monroe
10 Lyndon Baines Johnson James Madison
11 Ronald Reagan John Adams
12 James K. Polk John F. Kennedy
13 Andrew Jackson Woodrow Wilson
14 James Monroe Andrew Jackson
15 William McKinley John Quincy Adams
16 John Adams George Bush
17 Grover Cleveland James K. Polk
18 James Madison William McKinley
19 John Quincy Adams Lyndon Baines Johnson
20 George Bush Richard Nixon
21 Bill Clinton Grover Cleveland
22 Jimmy Carter Calvin Coolidge
23 Gerald Ford Gerald Ford
24 William Howard Taft William Howard Taft
25 Richard Nixon Zachary Taylor
26 Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford B. Hayes
27 Calvin Coolidge Jimmy Carter
28 Zachary Taylor James Garfield
29 James Garfield Ulysses S. Grant
30 Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren
31 Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison
32 Chester Arthur John Tyler
33 Ulysses S. Grant Herbert Hoover
34 Herbert Hoover Chester Arthur
35 Millard Fillmore William Henry Harrison
36 John Tyler Bill Clinton
37 William Henry Harrison Millard Fillmore
38 Warren G. Harding Andrew Johnson
39 Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce
40 Andrew Johnson Warren G. Harding
41 James Buchanan James Buchanan
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