Dez's Prez Rankings: #'s 29 and 28, The One You Have Been Waiting For

#29 of 39:
Calvin Coolidge (30th president)
Term: 1923-29
Party: Republican


“Nobody has ever worked harder at inactivity, with such force of character, with such unremitting attention to details, with such conscientious devotion to the task.” – Walter Lippmann on Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge was nothing if not lucky. Lucky because he left office months before the Great Depression hit, thereby forever hanging the honor of presiding over the beginning of the worst economic crisis in our history on Herbert Hoover. That is somewhat typical of Coolidge, as he simply skated by unnoticed through much of his term as president. Interestingly, he has emerged in recent decades as a conservative hero of sorts, in that his view that government involvement in the economy or almost anything else is a bad thing fits in with conservative ideology (if not conservative practice). Reagan admired Coolidge a great deal, although despite Reagan's talk, Reagan acted much more like an FDR than a Calvin Coolidge as far as being an activist president.

At any rate, that admiration for Coolidge's doing-nothing-is-best philosophy is misplaced. Coolidge’s sleepwalk of a term allowed for the rampant speculation on Wall Street that in large part led to the Stock Market Crash of 1929, which was the beginning of the Great Depression. Coolidge was famous for saying “the chief business of the American people is business,” and he often vetoed legislation that he felt would involve the government too much in their affairs. He vetoed bonuses for World War I vets and a bill that would have greatly relieved the farm price crisis, which became another primary cause of the Great Depression.


ABOVE: As dull as he was, Coolidge had a strange habit of being photographed in funny hats. Here is Coolidge meeting with some Sioux tribal leaders. (That's Coolidge on the left)

Pros:
• Coolidge did return a bit of honesty and integrity to the office after the corruption and scandal plagued administration of his predecessor, Warren G. Harding
• Coolidge backs the Dawes Plan of 1924, which temporarily eases Germany’s economic problems regarding WWI reparations

Cons:
• Coolidge does nothing to try and stem or regulate the wild speculation on Wall Street that eventually leads to the Stock Crash of 1929
• Coolidge vetoes some efforts that try to address issues that eventually lead to the Great Depression, including farm prices

#28 of 39:
Jimmy Carter (39th president)
Term: 1977-81
Party: Democrat



For some reason many of you have been eagerly awaiting the appearance of one James Earl Carter on this list. Well, here he is. Pocky was shocked (shocked!) that Jerry Ford came in lower than Jimmy, but what is really the difference between #30 and #28 here? Splitting hairs, as JMW said. So, here goes...

Jimmy Carter is a self-righteous tool. Now, in his defense, nobody could have successfully dealt with the economic mess of the late 70’s. With inflation, unemployment and an energy crisis all piling on, who would even want to be president? Because Gerald Ford was so uninspiring and still smarting from the Nixon pardon, Jimmy strolled into the White House with his aw-shucks Georgia Everyman "I will never lie to you" schtick. Underneath the pose was an extremely intelligent, policy wonk with a rigid moral code. Maybe those are some admirable qualities, but not necessarily ones that make a successful president. Carter’s biggest flaw was his inability to work with people outside of his inner circle. He refused to play the political games necessary to get things done in Washington, and more specifically, he didn’t kiss Speaker Tip O’Neil’s ass. I guess for that we can admire Carter, but it did prevent him from getting much of his agenda through. Forget the opposition, his own party's insiders didn't like the guy.

He was the first president to base our foreign policy on human rights. Admirable in the abstract, but in this realpolitik world in which we live in, he made some questionable decisions for American interests. Carter boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics and withdrew from the SALT II nuclear talks in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He also gave away our Panama Canal, the one that we built for millions of our dollars and which gave us a strong hand in trade and politics in Latin America. Some argue that this was a good move because by relinquishing a symbol of our Imperialist past it improved our standing south of the border. But I think we gave up more than we gained (Carter made the deal, but the Canal wasn't handed over to the Panamanians officially until 2000).


ABOVE: Jimmy Carter vs. The Killer Rabbit: Carter went fishing in Georgia and was attacked by a large swimming rabbit. This photo was snapped by the Secret Service, you can see the president splashing his paddle and the would-be Bunny Assasin swimming away to the right

Carter also appeared weak in the face of the hostage crisis in Iran, with the bungled rescue mission symbolic of his handling of the entire situation. He waffled when he should have been firm. He should have taken a firm position either way, but by being indecisive from all angles he gained absolutely no advantage during the crisis. By tepidly standing by the admittedly brutal Shah, he sent the message to other allied heads of state that we aren't the strong powerful ally we used to be. But then by letting the Shah into the U.S. on humanitarian grounds due to the Shah's cancer (after Carter had previously refused him admission)and refusing to hand him over to Iranian authorities, he set us on our belligerent course with Iran that we still find ourselves on. He and his administration grossly underestimated the popularity and power of the Ayatollah Khomeini and his band of merry clerics, and simply backed the wrong horse. There were dissident voices within the Carter administration who tried to tell the president that the Shah's situation in Iran was much more tenuous than Carter believed, and a golden opportunity was missed. Carter was advised to meet with some of the more moderate factions within Iran's revolutionary movement and he could have been instrumental in brokering a more moderate revolution than occurred. But these voices were not members of his Georgia mafia inner circle, so they were either fired, forced to resign or ignored. By granting the Shah sanctuary in the U.S., Carter gave up that opportunity to help steer Iran on an alternate path.

So why do I not rank Carter lower than I do? Afterall, he bungled the economy, the energy crisis, Iran and gave away our Canal. I do give him credit for two things, though. First, the Camp David Accords where he forced Israel and Egypt to forge a lasting peace was a real accomplishment. That was all Carter’s doing. Secondly, I kind of like the honesty of his infamous “malaise” speech (although he never actually used that word). He intended it to be an honest pep talk for the country, but it came across differently to many people, as if he were scolding a child. But what he said was probably true (that we were losing faith in our institutions and in ourselves, and that we were too materialistic for our own good), but it wasn’t the best political move. Also, as stated above, I do give him a break on the 70's economy and energy crisis. Even many of Carter's enemies acknowledge that probably nobody could have fixed those problems.


ABOVE: This is one of the most controversial speeches a modern president has ever given. I find it remarkable in its honesty and passion. It does come across as a scolding, but perhaps a needed one.

Many critics praise Carter’s post-presidency as a model for all ex-Chief Executives to follow. I find it a mixed bag. His charity work has been exemplary, of course, but when he tries to be a diplomat and get involved in foreign affairs without the current administration’s (whoever that may be) backing or approval, that can be dangerous. At times, his efforts have worked counter to the Clinton and W. administrations.

Pros:
• Carter was a breath of fresh air for his honesty and personal integrity, even when it did not benefit him politically (the “malaise” speech)
• The Camp David Accords bringing a lasting peace between Israel and Egypt would not have happened without Carter. The greatest achievement of his administration
• Carter adds Departments of Energy and Education
• Carter continues Nixon’s work of improving our relations with China

Cons:
• Carter did not play the political games required to get things done in Washington. Therefore, he was not able to be an effective leader, because he upset leaders of his own party. Instead of working with them, he relied on his “Georgia mafia” of close confidantes
• Carter did not have an answer to the economic crisis of the time, although it can be argued that nobody did
• Carter signs away our Panama Canal to Panama
• Carter boycotts the 1980 Olympics and pulls out of the SALT II talks with the Soviets due to his protest against their invasion of Afghanistan
• Carter appears weak in his dealing with the Iranian hostage crisis. To add insult to injury, the Ayatollah waits to release the hostages on Reagan’s inauguration day