Swickard: President’s Day Best and Worst

Michael Swickard

© 2019 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.  February is President’s Month. Recently I noticed on Social Media quite a few posts about current and former United States Presidents. Over two-hundred thirty years there are only forty-four men in that exclusive club.
            One post proclaimed Barack Obama worst president ever. There was as usual a vigorous battle of emotions. I believe it takes at least thirty years to get a real historical feel for the value of a President. The jury is still out for me on Bush 41 to Trump.  
        My response to that post: Lyndon Johnson was the worst president ever. There were some good results during his presidency. However, his legacy is the damage to Social Security for political purposes, micromanaging the Vietnam War including not understanding our military technically won the war in 1968.
            Additionally, Johnson pushed a welfare system that incentivized single parents. Over his political life he was very corrupt. Yes, many U. S. Presidents were corrupt in one way or many. In my opinion, LBJ was worst. My post on LBJ was divided by partisans so LBJ either sat on the right hand of God or of Satan.
            If you study U. S. Presidents, you find they are all flawed human beings. Some Presidents control their flaws better. Question: what is the lasting good and lasting harm of each of them?
            Most harmful: Polk, Bucannon, Wilson, both Roosevelts, LBJ and Carter. You might have a different list. I can talk hours why those seven Presidents left our nation much worse off.
            Best Presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Coolidge, Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan. Each, despite flaws, left our nation better for their time as president.
            All must grow into the job. Even George Washington had growing pains throughout his presidency since he had to take each crisis as a new learning activity.
            George Washington previously served as General of the Army. Being President is vastly different. He learned and left our nation better. The same can be said of Eisenhower. However, President Grant did not leave a lasting good though he was very popular in his lifetime.
            Take Abraham Lincoln, an awful President his first year but grew into the Presidency and left our nation better off. Maybe one of Lincoln’s contemporaries would have grown into the presidency like Lincoln but we will never know.
            Both Calvin Coolidge and Harry Truman were trust into the Presidency and left the nation better off. Both did not want the office but took it when the then President died in office.
            We can use the same logic for Governors and Mayors but again about thirty years or so must go by before any real historical decisions are appropriate.
            At New Mexico State University in 1970 I drew the ire of then President Roger Corbett while I was in the Student Senate. At the time I thought him an awful president.
            After years of reflection I believe the top five NMSU President were Hadley, Foster, Kent, Thomas and yes, Roger Corbett. The academic world of NMSU is ever so much better for each of them being the President.
            I cannot make a judgement on my fellow Class of 1968 Alamogordo High School graduate Danny Arvizu, who now leads NMSU. I liked him in high school, but I do not know if he will lead NMSU in turbulent times to a better place than he finds it.
            When government leaders are elected, and leaders of academic institutions are appointed it will be decades before we really know the total results of that decision. However, we can learn much by those who came before, if we want to learn. 


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