The worst U.S. President in modern history is easy to describe.
1. He had no real political experience, aside from a marginal position of authority in a state that was not his home state.
2. He was better at organizing people to engage in public events than in pursuing genuine leadership.
3. A Harvard graduate, he had an uncanny disinterest in the opinions of others. He followed his own, often wrong, intuition.
4. He was a kid playing in a big man's world. Critics persuasively have claimed he wanted to avenge the wrongs done to his father.
5. When he came into office, he faced an unprecedented crisis. He received high approval ratings early in his Presidency, only to skid as his policies failed to mature into success.
6. He spent money we did not have to fight wars we should not have been fighting. He placed our troops in harm's way in countries where no one can hope for victory.
7. He expanded healthcare entitlements without a plan to pay for them.
8. He suspended the rules of the free market to save the free market.
Let the Guessing Begin
The first guess that comes to mind is George W. Bush. That would be correct. There is another right answer: President Barack Obama. Aside from the differing party labels, President Obama is just Bush with a different party label and different skin color.
He had no real political experience, aside from a marginal position of authority in the state, which was not even his home state.
George W. Bush served as the governor of Texas, where the state constitution gives the chief executive a reduced role over a reduced legislature. Barack Obama served as a small-time Illinois state senator, then became a small-time U.S. senator.
He was better at organizing people to engage in public events than in pursuing real leadership.
George W. Bush owned a sports team, the Texas Rangers. He should have stayed with sports. Barack Obama was a community organizer. Yet his policies have left the country in disarray. He should have stayed in Chicago.
He had an uncanny disinterest in the opinions of others. He went with his own, often wrong, intuition.
A Harvard business graduate, President Bush often went with his gut. A Harvard-trained Constitutional law professor, President Obama rarely debated issues, or even listened, to faculty colleagues who shared differing opinions, so convinced was he of his own opinion.
He was a kid playing in a big man's world. He was a chip off the old block, following in his father's footsteps.
In many ways, George W. Bush was following in Daddy George H. W. Bush's steps. Critics attest that W. wanted to get rid of Iraq's Saddam Hussein to finish the job started by H. W.'s Operation Iraqi Freedom. President Obama grew up under the tutelage of anti-colonial elites. Similar critics attest that he wants to reduce the United States' stance in the world as vengeance for the “oppressed” third world.
When he came into office, he faced an unprecedented crisis. He received high approval ratings early in his Presidency, only to skid as his policies failed to mature into success.
From the disputed election to 9/11, Bush overcame a lot early on. From the housing crisis to the debt crises, Obama faced unprecedented difficulties. Bush overreacted on combating terrorism by launching the War on Terror. President Obama attempted to stifle the housing and debt crises with more spending, more regulations, and debt: all of which created the crises.
He spent money we did not have to fight wars we should not have been fighting. He placed our troops in harm's way in countries where no one can hope for any success.
Iraq and Afghanistan: Bush brought the country in, and Obama has not brought us out.
He expanded healthcare entitlements without a plan to pay for them.
President Bush and a Republican-controlled Congress pushed the unfunded Medicare Part D expansion. President Obama pushed ObamaCare, which the majority in this country did not want.
He suspended the rules of the free market in order to save the free market.
The first sentence is Bush's, but the policies have continued under Obama. The TARP culture that started with Bush has continued with Obama. Instead of bailing out banks and businesses, Obama has bailed out Big Government and Big Labor.
Bush-bashing is fun, easy, and inescapable in this country. Yet as much as people love to bash Bush, the same people who prided themselves on sending Obama back to the White House should ask:
“Why have I voted for a guy who is going to give me four more years of Bush?”
Mr. Schaper of Torrance, a teacher turned writer “on all topics timely and timeless,” may be contacted at arthurschaper@hotmail.com, aschaper1.blogspot.com and at asheisministries.blogspot.com Also see waxmanwatch.blogspot.com
