How a Great President is Made
To complete our July 4 discussion of American presidents, as promised, here is the rankings of the great presidents. They are taken from a Wall Street Journal/Federalist Society survey of 130 prominent historians, political scientists, economists, and law professors from across the ideological spectrum. The scholars were asked to rank all of the Presidents on a 1-5 scale:
- George Washington 4.94
- Abraham Lincoln 4.67
- Franklin Roosevelt 4.41
- Thomas Jefferson 4.23
- Theodore Roosevelt 4.08
- Ronald Reagan 4.03
- Harry Truman 3.95
- Dwight Eisenhower 3.67
- James Polk 3.59
- Andrew Jackson 3.58
There are some interesting observations to make about this list. The first, of course, is that it might not correspond with the views of people on Ricochet, though I think that this survey takes into account the ideology of the respondents. What is more interesting is that it corresponds closely to the presidents who had the greatest effect on the political system -- those are the realigning election presidencies of Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln, FDR, and maybe Reagan. While they are not the top 5, they are all in the top 10.
It is also worth noting that many of the presidents who have earned spots on the top 10 list had low public opinion ratings in office and upon retirement. Reagan, I think, is especially instructive here -- remember how the media and scholars considered him a dunce while he was in office? So too were Eisenhower and Truman heavily criticized while in office as out-of-touch political hacks. War has a lot to do with presidential success too -- Washington, Lincoln, and FDR all brought the nation through our toughest wars, while Polk waged a war of territorial expansion, and Reagan, Truman, and Eisenhower managed the Cold War.
Notice anything else about the list? Aside from height, that is.
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Jun '11
Re: How a Great President is Made
"War has a lot to do with presidential success too -- Washington, Lincoln, and FDR all brought the nation through our toughest wars, while Polk waged a war of territorial expansion, and Reagan, Truman, and Eisenhower managed the Cold War.
Notice anything else about the list? Aside from height, that is."
Did FDR bring us through that war or was it America itself which got us through the ordeal? Did the central planners of the New Deal actually do it or was it the curiously inventive and aggressive traits of our population?
Like the NFL coach Buddy Ryan said once of his efforts (a terrible paraphrase here) after a surprisingly successful season with the Eagles, "They're all just riding my wave."
FDR knew how to ride waves. In this case, the wave of America. An amiable Boy Scout.
Aug '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
I think Truman and Eisenhower are both remembered more for WWII than for the Cold War. Truman as president and Eisenhower as supreme allied commander.
But the larger point about wartime presidents seems valid.
Additionally, Jefferson was president during the First Barbary War, the USA's first overseas war. Clearly, that's an "important" (yet often overlooked) war.
On the other hand, the argument falls apart when you look at war presidents who AREN'T in the top ten, like Madison (War of 1812) and McKinley (Spanish-American War).
Aug '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
Here's something else I notice about the list: Kennedy ain't on it.
Getting beaten out by Andrew freakin' Jackson must really stick in the craw for Camelot mythologists.
Jun '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
FDR was so great that the constitution was amended after his leaving office to incorporate a two-term limit. The man stayed three terms too many.
Jun '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
John Yoo:
Notice anything else about the list?
Where is G. W. Bush!?!?!
Jun '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
Given my political bent, I would move FDR down, though I'd probably keep him in the top 10. I'd put Reagan in his place. TJ is too high as well.
An observation I would make is that few, if any, of the presidents in the top ten were intellectuals, with the exception of Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt (was he?). Washington was a poorly-educated military man who neither wrote very well and was uncomfortable giving speeches. Lincoln might be called an intellectual, but not as the result of an Ivy League education--he was a true autodidact. I believe FDR was a poor student. Reagan had a degree from a little known college. Truman did not even go to college, if memory serves. Eisenhower was a trained soldier but no one ever accused him of intellectual pretensions. Polk I don't know enough about. Jackson was a rough-and-tumble frontiersman who was never mistaken for a college professor.
Based on this scientific study, strength of character and principle are far more important than a fancy education or a Ph.d. Wisdom is learned on the job.
Obama: public intellectual, but clueless about how real people live.
Edited on Jul 2, 2011 at 3:53pmJul '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
Polk is the one that surprised me being in the top 10. TR and Ike seem a little high, but no James Monroe?
Aug '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
Seems a tad biased in favor of recent presidents, including four of the last 13. The thirties through the fifties are painted as a golden age for the presidency.
This is not surprising, though. When regular citizens are asked the same question, Bill Clinton winds up in the top ten, because most people have no idea who lots of those old dead guys are..
Dec '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
Misthiocracy: Here's something else I notice about the list: Kennedy ain't on it.
Getting beaten out by Andrew freakin' Jackson must really stick in the craw for Camelot mythologists. · Jul 2 at 3:19pm
Yeah, but I think people are starting to acknowledge that the Kennedy presidency was little more than pleasant rhetoric and good intentions. I think the overrating of his presidency is largely over.
The name I find missing is: Calvin Coolidge. The most successful president in terms of economics except for Reagan.
May '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
Samwise Gamgee
John Yoo:
Notice anything else about the list?
Where is G. W. Bush!?!?!
This is supposed to be the rankings of the great presidents.
Aug '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
AmishDude
Misthiocracy: Here's something else I notice about the list: Kennedy ain't on it.
Getting beaten out by Andrew freakin' Jackson must really stick in the craw for Camelot mythologists. · Jul 2 at 3:19pm
Yeah, but I think people are starting to acknowledge that the Kennedy presidency was little more than pleasant rhetoric and good intentions. I think the overrating of his presidency is largely over.
We're not talking about "people" here.
We're talking about prominent historians, political scientists, economists, and law professors!
;-)
Mar '11
Re: How a Great President is Made
In the top 5 , FDR is odd man out in that he is not carved in stone on Mount Rushmore. And what a height that is.
Dec '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
John Yoo:
Notice anything else about the list? Aside from height, that is. ·
They all had non-brown eyes. Lincoln and Polk had gray instead of blue. What do I win?
My knowing this is really rather pathetic. During the 2008 campaign, I was looking for any predictor which might favor McCain. Pathetic.
Jul '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
No Woody Wilson. What a tragedy.
Western Chauvinist
John Yoo:
Notice anything else about the list? Aside from height, that is. ·
They all had non-brown eyes. Lincoln and Polk had gray instead of blue. What do I win?
My knowing this is really rather pathetic. During the 2008 campaign, I was looking for any predictor which might favor McCain. Pathetic. · Jul 2 at 5:56pm
Yeah, I still think I was right to choose McCain out of that field, but I remember saying on election night:
"Barry can't win Indiana or North Carolina."
Wrong.
Mar '11
Re: How a Great President is Made
Samwise Gamgee
Where is G. W. Bush!?!?! · Jul 2 at 3:47pm
Dubya's rehabilitation has only just started.
My own feeling about Dubya is that, at a time when the world needed a great man in the White House, it only got a good one...who got torn apart by jackals.
Nov '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
All except Jefferson and FDR served as officers in one branch or another of the military (Polk in the militia), FDR at the time of WWI was Assistant Undersecretary of the Navy. Sort of tangentally, a big concern with the current administration was that it's the first time in ages neither the President nor VP have any military experience. When was the last such admin? Johnson/Humphrey?
Jul '10
Re: How a Great President is Made
Samwise Gamgee
John Yoo:
Notice anything else about the list?
Where is G. W. Bush!?!?! · Jul 2 at 3:47pm
Right down there among the other Presidents who spent money like drunken sailors, failed to secure our borders and started wars they had no idea how to end.
Mar '11
Re: How a Great President is Made
Jefferson's presidency is VASTLY over-rated by scholars. The Louisiana Purchase fell into his lap; how many presidents would have turned down such a deal? The Embargo Act of 1807 that restricted American trade for five years--and Jefferson championed--was a disaster for our young national economy. Jefferson is correctly credited with making political parties in Congress more of a coherent and focused apparatus (which allowed for parties to more effectively push a particular policy agenda), but this achievement is hardly deserving of a top-ten rating by itself. Likewise, the Lewis and Clark expedition was a big success, but hardly a major presidential achievement. (Sorta like Obama giving the order to kill Usama...yes, he gave the order, but all the real work was done by someone else).
Hard to find any other great accomplishments by President Jefferson. In reality, Jefferson's writing of the Declaration of Independence leads to the mistaken perception of his presidency.
By the way, the most under-rated president in U.S. history is Ulysses S. Grant. Not enough time or space to explain here, but pick up a copy of President Grant Reconsidered by Frank Scaturro for an excellent explanation.
Mar '11
Re: How a Great President is Made
Oops -- looking backwards at John Yoo's posts about great American presidents, I just noticed that he has already made a great case for why Jefferson is terribly over-rated. Sorry for the repetition.
On a personal note, I am nonetheless quite pleased to learn that I apparently think like John Yoo. ;-)
Edited on Jul 2, 2011 at 7:29pmJan '11
Re: How a Great President is Made
OK, I have no shame admitting ignorance. What am I missing?