According to my Standards, These are the Three Worst Presidents in History

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart 

My standards for evaluating America’s presidents are very high, but at the core is one question: “How did each president affect the quality of life for the majority of all America’s people?” 

My opinion begins with the Declaration of Independence. 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

How well a president adheres to these principles proves his or her value or lack of as our nation’s leader. 

PRESIDENTS COME GO BUT FEW WILL BE REMEMBERED AS “GREAT” 

In America’s 248-year history, it’s easy to remember presidents which could be labeled as great. Most were “adequate,” a few “good,” and sadly a considerable number were “bad.” There have been 46 presidents, Grover Cleveland twice, but not consecutively. 

My selections for the worst in history are numbers 40, 43, and 45, in order of bad to worst.  

REAGAN MADE FOOLS OF US ALL 

I believed in Ronald Reagan. However, just weeks after his inauguration, he revealed his personal agenda for the next four years. 

He began by removing free thought and independent action by all Republican politicians. He demanded complete loyalty. There would be no dissention within the party. Reagan’s policies would be supported without question. Our 40th president began the end of the Grand Old Party. 

His next steps are why I was sorry I voted for him, and why I did not in 1984. Without hesitation Reagan began wars on the working class, minorities, women, and all religions other than Christianity. 

Although Reagan’s foreign policy was well respected, his domestic policy was a complete failure. A fiscal policy known as “trickle-down economics” placed our nation in debt. The quality of life for most Americans began to decline. Reagan’s devotion to Christianity helped create the Christian Religious Right. These Evangelical leaders created an unconstitutional lobby which continues its illegal actions today. 

Reagan amassed power which eventually destroyed our government’s ability to function. 

GEORGE W. BUSH WAS BRAINLESS AND FAILED TO PERFORM HIS DUTIES AS OUR NATION’S LEADER  

Although he was warned by leaders of our national security agencies that an “imminent” threat to our nation was possible, Bush and his Vice-President, Dick Cheney decided they needed a vacation.  

While Bush was in Crawford, Texas, and Cheney who knows where, our nation suffered multiple deadly attacks on September 11, 2001.  Our nation’s people were devastated, and fear dominated our daily lives. 

Bush received information that the architect of 9/11, Osama bin Laden, was hiding in caves in the mountains surrounding Afghanistan. On October 7, 2001 Bush ordered an invasion. Although our military failed to kill or capture bin Laden, our military forces remained for the next 20 years. 

In 2003, the Bush administration lied to the American people, congress, and the United Nations claiming that the leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was harboring “weapons of mass destruction” for the terrorist group known as Al Qaeda. This was bin Laden’s “army.”  

On March 20, 2003 Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq. No “WMD’s” were found. Our country was now involved in two unwinnable wars. This fact, combined with a continuation of Reagan’s failed economic policy placed our nation in greater debt, resulting in “the Great Recession.”   

Bush and Cheney were never prosecuted for their commission of war crimes. Billions of dollars and thousands of Iraqi and American lives were lost.  

Bush earned his reputation the second worst president in history. 

THE LAST AND THE MAN WHO WILL REMAIN THE WORST FOREVER 

I saved the worst for last. Presidential historians bestowed the title of “worst president in American history” on Donald John Trump. 

His claim to the title began with the 2016 election. Just a couple of years ago proof was revealed that Trump’s team was in constant contact throughout the 2016 campaign with agents of Vladimir Putin. Their collusion was the reason Trump became our nation’s first illegitimate president.  

The harm he caused to the people of the United States of America began immediately. The Constitution meant nothing to Trump, knowing that he was above the law. He banned all Muslims from entering America, with the exception of his friends from Saudi Arabia. He violated the Emoluments Clause by maintaining business relationships with leaders of foreign nations.  

When a group of Neo-Nazis held a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and turned violent, Trump told the television cameras, “there were good people on both sides.”  

After he was discovered attempting to bribe the President of Ukraine with military aid if he would “find dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden,” he was impeached. The articles of impeachment were filed in December of 2019. However, Moscow Mitch McConnell refused to conduct a fair trial in the Senate in 2020, and the orange buffoon was acquitted.  

After suffering a major defeat in the 2020 election, Trump refused to engage in a peaceful transfer of power. He planned and organized an attempted coup to overturn the results of the Electoral College on January 6, 2021. The violent insurrection was played out in front of the television cameras for three hours, while Trump watched the darkest day in American history on television. 

Impeachment proceedings for obstruction of justice began on January 13, 2021. Once again Moscow Mitch refused to try the traitor for his crimes. 

When Trump was evicted from the White House on January 20, 2021, he stole at least 14 boxes of national secrets. When the theft was discovered, he promised to return the classified documents. Later, the FBI was informed that all the documents were not returned. The FBI raided Trump’s residence inside Mar-a-Lago, finding documents hidden throughout the resort. 

Just weeks ago Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts involving hush money paid to an adult film star. 

Trump spent four years golfing, partying at Mar-a-Lago, holding hate rallies, and watching FOX News. 

Your illegitimate former president is running for a second term today. 

I’m sure it is no surprise that all three of the worst presidents in history, according to yours truly, claimed to be Republicans. 

Finally, the leadership of today’s fake Republican Party claim that Trump is the best candidate they have to offer the American people. What does that tell us about the lack of quality on the right side of the aisle? This is Trump’s third election in a row. I can’t make this shit up. 

Op-ed by James Turnage 

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