Great American Presidents Are As Rare As Hen's Teeth

A recent article caused me to reflect on how long it has been since America has had a really good leader. While some people see Trump as the best thing since sliced bread or point to Ronald Regan as their choice, it could be argued both were flawed. Both contributed a great deal to the national debt. Also, Trump was very divisive, it was as though he liked to fight rather than reach solutions. In Trump's defense, many of his problems were the result of a corrupt deep state so entrenched in our government that they removed his ability to bring about significant reforms.

When you think about it, how you rate a President is very subjective. It seems dying in office elevates their status. Below are a few examples of Presidents that may have been given far more credit than they deserve.

• Lincoln has been credited with ending slavery, however, the war was not about slavery and roughly 620,000 Americans died to keep the country together.
  
• Many people think Roosevelt ended the Great Depression, but it was really World War II spending that brought us out of our funk.
  
• And then there was Kennedy, inspirational, but not without his flaws. Kennedy supported a policy that led to the US becoming mired in Vietnam for nearly a decade.

Like Most, The Trump Economy Was Flawed

Being elected President catapults a man into a position of influence that carries ramifications that reverberate across the world. Their decisions and the direction their policies take us often last long after they have left the office. As noted above, when you think about it, how you rate a President is very subjective. We should not forget the media and current social and cultural norms also play into this. Just as more important are how they face the trials and tribulations that surface while they are in office.

Few people have yet to reach the  conclusion the Trump economy was nothing more than a mirage based on government spending. That could be because it would be in poor taste since so many people benefited from the easy money. The fact is Trump is not a rocket scientist, something he most readily would deny. It is possible he may not have fully understood the economy and the importance of what people buy, where they buy it, and how they pay for it. My conclusion is that Trump was not an economist but simply a businessman who loved the economy when it was in sync with his investments.

The Amount Of Debt A President Adds Can Influence Popularity

Obama on the other hand was far more charming than Trump but charm does not make up for the fact he oversaw reshaping healthcare into a massive transfer of wealth. The promise of lower health care costs was only one of his many failures. He turned the Middle-east into a hell hole causing millions of refugees to flee to Europe while also exploding the national debt. His biggest failure may have been his role in ramping up racism in America. This has resulted in more people identifying others by the color of their skin rather than the quality of their heart and what they contributed to society. 

Biden of course falls into a category of his own. I heard the term purposely incompetent used to describe him and while it fits, corrupt to the core may be better. It should surprise no one that Obama did not rush out to support Biden at the start of his primary campaign. With Biden's election, many of the skeletons hidden away by the Clinton and Obama crew have started to fall out of the closet. It seems old Joe, Hunter, and the Biden family have a whole warehouse of secrets they wish to keep away from the light of day. 

Let us not forget George W. Bush who turned 9-11 into something far worse than we could ever have imagined. Not only did he expand war across the middle-east he unleashed upon America the idea of "homeland security" by exploiting fear and the idea there was a terrorist under every bed, Bush unleashed upon the American people the largest government spy operation the world has ever seen. This was rooted in the idea it is for the greater good. Adding icing to the cake, he made us pay for it. The price has been huge in both dollars and a massive loss of freedom. To make his fall from grace even more notable the economy crumbled around him near the end of his time in office, you remember, that thing they called the Great Financial Crisis. 

Yes, these fellas are being taken out of order. but disorder is what many of them unleashed. No account of less than great can be taken without mentioning Bill Clinton the infamous ladies' man who rushed to embrace sending millions of American jobs to distant lands. Sure he did not do it alone but he pushed hard to get it done and all the while reassuring us how well it would work out for the average American. While he did bring the national debt temporarily under control, it could be argued much of that was due to lower interest rates and the work Ronald Reagan and Bush senior had already set in motion.  

Personally, I think a President that was greatly underrated and should be listed among the best is Dwight Eisenhower. He served America without shenanigans.  As he left office he gave a very important speech warning the American people about the Military-Industrial Complex. The world might be a far better place if more people would have taken heed. 

Sadly, even Ike could never have predicted or imagined the far worse evil  alliance of the Federal Reserve, the government, and the too big to fail. This "Financial-Political Complex" developed as a result of the 2008 crisis and has created the precarious situation of massive debt we now face. When looking at the dysfunctional mess Washington has become, like many Americans I keep wishing a hero would arrive to cure our ills. The problem is, where will we ever find one.

(Republishing of this article welcomed with reference to Bruce Wilds/AdvancingTime Blog)