Rating the Presidents (Part 2)

(This is part 2 of my ongoing series where I rate the presidents on multiple criteria. Here is the link to part 1.)

ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT

The winner for economic management is Warren Harding, although Calvin Coolidge does merit some credit for continuing Harding's policies after Harding died in office

The country was in an economic depression when Harding took office. Harding cut the top tax rate from 73% to 25% (by 1925, 2 years after his death). Unemployment dropped from a high of 12% to an average of 3.3% for the rest of the "Roaring '20's". Harding is the textbook definition of economic success.

Ironically, the C-SPAN survey of historians ranks Harding way down the list at 35th. Calvin Coolidge doesn't fair much better at 22nd. Instead, they ranked George Washington first. Washington does deserve credit for laying the foundation of America's economy, as well as getting our country off to a good start economically.

Who is the worst? C-SPAN and I both agree on Herbert Hoover. His economic blunders included signing the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, arguably the initial cause of the Great Depression, which he responded to by raising taxes.

MORAL AUTHORITY

This is another area where the C-SPAN survey and I agree: George Washington is clearly first. In the internecine bickering that occurred in the early days of our republic, Washington remained above the fray, as a clear moral authority and steady guiding hand during our country's formative years.

On the other hand, the worst belongs to only one man: Richard Nixon. His paranoia led to the Watergate scandal, which eventually forced him to resign in disgrace. The damage he did to the moral authority of the office of the presidency took a decade to repair.

But the C-SPAN survey took a different route, naming James Buchanan as the worst. However, for all of Buchanan's flaws, I don't see his lack of moral authority matching Nixon.

(to be continued)