William Henry Harrison cannot get a break. When George W. " Ol' Two-Cows" Bush finally got on that helicopter and was spirited off to well-deserved oblivion he, nevertheless, was accorded a higher ranking among presidential historians than William Henry Harrison. Some would have thought that only James Buchanan would have ranked lower in the esteem of those in the know but it was not to be. Somehow, after lying us into a war and making a pig's breakfast of the Middle East, literally fiddling while a major city drowns, and presiding over the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression, historians could still rank W. higher than the hapless Harrison. One is left to wonder how a man who was in office a mere 30 days, not enough time to wreak the havoc Ol' Two-Cows visited upon the nation could nevertheless suffer the calumny of history's judges.
It transpires as Gail Collins wrote in The New York Times, "Everybody's Better Than You-Know-Who". Mother used to say, when her beloved Detroit Tigers were mired deep in the cellar of the American League that there was indeed merit in finishing dead last. "Someone has to hold up the rest of the league," she would comment with a certain cryptic twist. Likewise, Buchanan and, yes, even Harrison can now sound a sigh of relief as they no longer carry the burden of holding up the rest of the class. Our very own Caesar Disgustus has replaced James Buchanan as the 'Atlas' holding up the league of presidents. It's official. Donald J. tRUMP is the worst president in the history of the United States.
Citing "a survey of experts in presidential politics--people who have an opinion about whether Chester A. Arthur was better than Martin Van Buren, Trump came in last with a score of 12 out of 100. " (1).
Move over Warren G. Harding, Millard Fillmore, Zachary Taylor, Andrew Johnson, William Henry Harrison and, yes, James Buchanan. Here comes Donald J. tRUMP.
Buchanan, "whose administration began with the Dred Scott decision and ended with the Civil War. ", (2) has rightly suffered at the hands of historians. Meanwhile, Andrew Jackson "dropped dramatically, a demotion...attributed to 'evolving attitudes on his treatment of Native Americans.' But I suspect its because Trump made such a big deal about admiring him. Any friend of Donald's..."
"Barack Obama soared up into the top 10. This could be because absence makes the heart grow fonder. But you know it's about the replacement...
Meanwhile, Richard Nixon moved up to 33. It's true that he conspired to undermine the Constitution, but at least it wasn't with the Russians.
Nobody is too obscure to be less bad than our incumbent. The next time you see the current president on the screen, bragging about his great leadership skills, fee free to think: 'Franklin Pierce and Millard Fillmore got way more points"'. (2)
James Buchanan, after more than a century and a half, has finally been relieved of the burden of holding up the rest. He can now rest in peace. Meanwhile, William Henry Harrison still gets no respect, but at least he's moved up one rung in the ratings. At least and at last tRUMP has achieved some constructive purpose.
'An Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh
Impeach and Imprison
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(1). Collins, Gail. "Everybody's Better Than You-Know-Who" The New York Times. Thursday, February 22, 2018. Pg. A23
(2). Ibid.
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