Trump was not the worst in the last 75 years!
In the last thrilling installment, the Werkes listed our choices for the First and Second ranks of U.S. Presidents serving during our lifetime. We wrap it up here with the Third and Fourth ranks. The faceless bureaucrats here at the Werkes equivocated on Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump. Jimmy adhered to the Constitution and deregulated the economy. But what a Debbie Downer! Maybe his reputation improves with time as have U.S. Grant and Calvin Coolidge. Trump had a successful presidency, gave America a bounce in its step compared to Jimmy’s malaise. Unforgivably, the man encouraged an insurrection, however feeble the attempt.
Within each rank, Presidents are listed chronologically. Again, we compare ours against the corresponding rankings from that certain former mayor, which are printed in Red.
Third rank
Gerald Ford — Pardoned Nixon, which was the right thing to do even though it cost him the White House. Compare that with Joe Biden pardoning Hunter! Minuses: Whip Inflation Now. Poland is free. Argue it: Metric system.
George H.W. Bush — Noblesse oblige. Shamed Dukakis for releasing a murderer on furlough. After his defeat to Clinton, brought comedian Dana Carvey into the White House to cheer up his devastated staff with his comic impersonations of the President. Gen. Schwartzkopf and Operation Desert Storm. Minus: Modest to a fault. Argue it both ways: didn’t do victory lap after fall of Iron Curtain.
Bill Clinton — Signed welfare reform after being backed into a corner. Gave good speeches. Booming economy. Most conservative Democrat since JFK. Loved the camera. Minuses: Ignored threat of bin Laden and Muslim radicalism. Credible evidence of sexual coercion. Lied under oath. Argue it either way: Bubba entertained!
George W. Bush — Best moment: that bullhorn atop the 9/11 rubble arm over battered fire fighter. Appointed John Roberts chief justice and Samuel Alito, one of the staunchest conservative justices. One of largest tax cuts in history. “Helluva job, Brownie.” Unfairly blamed for slow Hurricane Katrina FEMA response to an unprecedented natural disaster. Strategery. Minuses: Forever wars. Not taking out Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora. Banking meltdown. Signed onto McCain-Feingold restrictions on political speech, overturned by Citizens United. Take it either way: waterboarding.
Rank 3.5
Donald Trump — A real Jekyll and Hyde. Hooray for Supreme Court justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett. Set the economy free until Covid derailed American life. Drill Baby Drill! Covid vaccine brought to market in record time. Abraham Accords in the Middle East. Embassy moved to Jerusalem. Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh. Remade GOP into party of the working man and woman. Would be ranked in the second tier except for Mortal Minuses: Election denial. January 6. Proud Boys, Drunk Rudy, the My Pillow Guy. Treatment of Mike Pence.
One foot in hell, one in heaven, on average a 3.5.
Jimmy Carter — Got Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat to make happy. Deregulated trucking, airlines, and telecommunications. (More important than given credit.) Minuses: Argentinian-level monetary inflation. Gas lines. Remember meat? “An inordinate fear of communism.” Blindfolded Iranian hostages. Disaster in the desert. Lust in his heart but not where it counts. Killer rabbits. Jog till you drop. Billy Beer. That “malaise” speech would have brought down Cheech & Chong!
• Ranks Bill Clinton as the 3rd-best President since in the last 65 years! Third!
• Puts Gerald Ford 6th
• Jimmy Carter #8
• Slots George H.W. Bush 10th
• Puts George W. Bush at second last Number 12 for, the former mayor alleges, stealing the election from Al Gore. Um, no matter how they checked the chads or counted the ballots, Bush beat Gore.
• Donald Trump is a dead last 13 —“A thoroughly horrible, corrupt, ignorant, incompetent, self-obsessed, lying, crude, criminal authoritarian.” Well yes, that, too.
• Ranks Barack Obama 4th-best?! “Obamacare is his major accomplishment.” Then why, Blaska must ask, are leftists cheering Luigi Mangione?
• Ranks Joe Biden squarely in the middle at 7th.
Blaska’s 4th rank
Barack Obama — First black President. Golden tongue. Argue it either way: Obamacare. Many minuses: Worsened race relations more than any president since Woodrow Wilson. Father of DEI. Forced K-12 schools to adopt illegal race-based disciplinary procedures. Weakened military preparedness. Subsidized Iranian mullahs. Holier than thou and Jimmy Carter at Sunday School.
Joe Biden — Paved the way for Trump’s second victory. Mostly minuses. The entirely unnecessary, graft-ridden and inflation-fanning $1.9 Trillion dollar American Rescue Plan. The Iranian mullah rescue plan. Senescence kept top secret. Needlessly gave up Bagram AFB in chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. Why should blue collar workers pay off college loans for grievance study majors? Chose vice president based on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Lectured Bibi Netanyahu. Hunter Biden and his laptop from hell. Medal of Freedom to George Soros! Corn Pop!
Blaska’s Bottom Line: Ranking Presidents is something of a parlor game but it does prompt consideration of what we expect of our leaders.
12 responses to “The worst of the worst”
Barack Obama, the president who thought he could make peace by giving speeches so eloquent, even the teleprompter got a standing ovation. He promised transparency but gave us a government so secretive, even the White House dog, Bo, had a classified file. His economic plan? “Yes, we can… spend trillions.” Then there’s the Nobel Peace Prize – awarded for what, being the least warlike since the last guy? His legacy? A selfie with a Danish PM at Mandela’s funeral. If that’s diplomacy, I’ll stick to my Twitter diplomacy, thank you very much.
“Then there’s the Nobel Peace Prize – awarded for what, being the least warlike since the last guy?”
Just off’n the top of The Gotch’s head:
*The only POTUS to preside over eight (8) of uninterrupted war.
*Excellent Adventures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan
*Outdid Dubyah on arms sales
It gets worse.
*”Dear Colleague” letter
*Weaponized the IRS, DoJ, DoT, the State Department…then there’s the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
*Prosecuted more whistleblowers under Progressive 1917 Espionage & 1918 Sedition Acts than ALL_PREVIOUS_ADMINISTRATIONS_COMBINED!
*Hopeless Changey Care sent insurance premiums skyrocketing, insurers left the exchanges in droves, and Dr. Jonathan Gruber admitted the administration lied to the public to get the bill passed.
*Real wages were stagnant, home ownership dropped to a 50-year low, and use of food stamps soared.
But other than that…
The Gotch
Most importantly he is a BEARS FAN!!!!! Who’s your daddy??????
Can’t forget Barry’s infamous Red Line in Syria.
From a comic long ago: Bill Clinton may no longer be President. But he will always be a Halloween costume.
Named man of the year by the Dry Cleaners of America Assn.
F’ing Legend
Mr. Trump will one day be out of office and is already a Halloween costume: think orangutan.
I see now that the election is over and the Dems lost, Mayor Bike Shorts is showing his true colors and drops the moderate facade..
You forgot to mention that Biden applied the same DEI standards he used to select a VP to his choice for Supreme Court justice.
You forgot the Mariel boatlift, and starting the Dept of Education, etc. Carter is only eclipsed by Biden and Obama as the worst ever in the past 100 plus years.
Barack made us an Obamanation. He turned DC into Chicago: unredeemingly corrupt, broke, over run by criminals, racially polarized and to hell with the rule of law.
The best? Is yet to come.
Trump! You magnificent bastard!