LM#59--Our Worst U.S. Presidents in Modern American History: A Conservative Ranks Them Objectively

Transcript

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Those are the drums of liberty.

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Let's talk the worst presidents in modern American history since 1912 and my rankings, a conservative's objective rankings, and there will be no surprise at the end.

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Let's talk about it on this Liberty Minute.

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Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life.

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Now here's your host, David Kaiser.

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Hello there folks.

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I am David and welcome back to this Liberty Minute.

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I'm really excited to dig into a fascinating, though sometimes controversial, topic with you all.

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That's right, we're talking all about presidential legacies.

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Why are some presidents remembered as icons while others are looked at through a harsher lens?

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And here's a big question how do we even decide who the worst presidents really are?

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It's a fascinating parlor game, isn't it?

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History is not static.

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The way we evaluate leaders can shift is not static.

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The way we evaluate leaders can shift dramatically as decades go by and as new information or changing attitudes come to light.

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But today I want to hone in on five presidents who often make the worst presidents list.

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Why, well, they're remembered, at least by critics for their policy failures, their scandals and for creating deeper challenges for the country.

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Now, before we dive in, I want to emphasize that history is subjective.

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I will do my very best to be objective.

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Like we talked about last week, for every critique of a president, there's often a supporter who can counter with reasons why they were misunderstood or accomplished something significant.

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That said, today we're focusing on the commonly raised criticisms of these five presidents to explore how their legacies have been interpreted over time and why they have landed on some of those infamous worst presidents list.

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So here's my worst presidents in a modern American history list, a conservative's objective rankings.

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After these five, I'll include a bonus edition.

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We're going to go from fifth worst in modern American history down to the very worst.

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Again.

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This is a list from going back to 1912.

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So topping out our fifth worst modern American president is Five.

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Barack American president is five Barack Obama.

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Indeed, barack Obama tops our list as the first or, I'm sorry, the fifth, the fifth worst ranked president in modern American history.

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Barack Obama's legacy is one of the most polarizing in recent history.

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While many regard him as a symbol of progress and admire his Affordable Care Act, which ultimately didn't lower health care costs as promised, critics argue that his presidency and I argue only deepened the political polarization and left certain promises unkept, like comprehensive immigration reform.

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All those promises were unfulfilled.

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His handling of foreign policy, such as the use of drone strikes, has also been scrutinized.

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Despite these critiques, his presidency remains highly significant and is often evaluated differently depending on political perspectives and priorities, and mainly because of his race, and that is, by liberal historians, and that is terrible.

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Finally, his economic program coming out of the 2008 Great Recession was nothing to write home about Eight years of barely barely any growth, but yet a lot of great speeches left the country weaker, left the country poorer and left the country wanting more.

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There's no doubt that Barack Obama could absolutely spin a tale.

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He could spin the verbal word he could preach.

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He could spin the verbal word he could preach, but in the end, there was no nothing.

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There was no there there except just his radical policies.

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Let's face it.

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Conservatives believe his presidency was a failure beyond measure and liberals loved it because he started the radical cultural revolution that the country just lived through for the last 18 years.

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But history is indeed turning the page on a new chapter.

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Now the cultural revolution is over.

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Everybody has pulled the curtain on the Wizard of Oz and found him wanting, and that would be the liberal radical agenda for the last 18 years, and Barack Obama was part and parcel of that radical agenda.

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We will see where Barack ends up in another four to eight years, but we believe historians will not be kind to him, as they will be free to write what actually happened during those eight years, 2009 to 2017.

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But for all this, we're going to give Barack Obama the fifth worst ranking in modern American history, moving on to number four.

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Our fourth worst ranked president Four Warren Harding.

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Warren Harding tops our list as the fourth worst ranked president in modern American history.

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He is a Republican, so we feel we're being objective here.

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Warren Harding's presidency is remembered by many as a period plagued with scandal and corruption.

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His administration was marked by the infamous Teapot Dome scandal.

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It was tainted by the actions of untrustworthy appointees and associates.

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Critics argue that Harding lacked the strong leadership necessary to curb behaviors of those around him, which led to one of the largest political scandals in US history.

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While Harding did make efforts to restore normalcy after World War I, the shortcomings of his administration have continued to dominate narratives around his legacy.

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Now, had it not been for Calvin Coolidge as his vice president, who essentially came in and restored the public trust in the executive branch and then got the economy roaring in the 20s, warren Harding would be remembered much, much worse.

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So for all that, we give Warren Harding the fourth worst ranking in modern American history, moving on to our third worst ranked president in modern american history.

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Three jimmy carter.

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Jimmy carter tops our list, is the third worst ranked president in modern american history.

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May he rest in peace.

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We actually actually were going to record this podcast last week, but with the late president's passing we thought we should give him Christian grace.

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After all, we could say affirmatively about Jimmy Carter that he was a good man, he was a faithful man, but he was not a good president.

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Jimmy Carter's post-presidency work has earned him the respect and the admiration of his country, but his single term in office is often critiqued for its challenges and its failures.

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More importantly, from the energy crisis to double digit inflation, his administration faced turbulent economic times and economic landscape that left many and most Americans frustrated.

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The handling of the Iran hostage crisis further damaged public confidence in Mr Carter, painting a picture of a presidency that struggled to respond decisively under pressure.

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Carter himself acknowledged these challenges, demonstrating humility, but his time in office remains a significant failure in modern American history.

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Almost all Americans now believe Jimmy Carter's presidency was a failure by all measures.

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Now, jimmy Carter was a good person who tried to do some good in the world.

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We respect that, but most often we disagreed with President Carter after his presidential term about how he was going about his public opinions as the former president his public opinions as the former president because his stature as a former president carried a great deal of weight across the globe, and former President Carter's opinions, especially on international elections, has still garnered a lot of criticism around the world.

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He essentially certified many suspect elections which further damaged his legacy as a former president and continued to to damage the office of the presidency.

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That all said, his personal work with Habitat for Humanity was beyond admirable.

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Actually, in 1998, I helped to contribute to a Habitat for Humanity house in Southeast Washington DC and found the work very rewarding.

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But as for his presidency in particular, we give Jimmy Carter the third worst ranking in modern American history, moving on to our second worst ranked president in modern American history.

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Two, richard Nixon tops our list as the second worst ranked president in modern American history.

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Again, here we are including a Republican.

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So we believe we are looking for our own blind spots With this objective.

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Look at the worst presidents in modern American history since 1912,.

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It's impossible frankly impossible to talk about Richard Nixon's presidency without mentioning Watergate.

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The scandal which led to his resignation is one of the most infamous political episodes in American history and has become synonymous with the abuse of power and corruption.

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Policy achievements such as opening diplomatic relations with China and advancing some good legislation.

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Many, and most, find it difficult to separate those accomplishments from his dishonest tactics revealed during Watergate.

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His legacy remains a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked executive power.

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We understand there's a new history surrounding the Watergate scandal Now.

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We have not studied it so far, but suffice it to say for now we are keeping Richard Nixon at the ranking of second worst president in modern American history, moving on to the very worst president in modern American history, moving on to the very worst president in modern American history.

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Woodrow Wilson tops our list as the worst ranked president in modern American history.

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Woodrow Wilson is often praised for his role in shaping the post-World War I era, including the creation of the League of Nations.

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However, his presidency also faces heavy, heavy criticism, particularly regarding his views on race and his handling of civil liberties.

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Wilson oversaw the segregation of federal agencies, rolling back progress previously made for African Americans.

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His administration also took harsh measures during World War I, suppressing dissent and limiting freedoms under the Espionage and Sedition Act.

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For some, these policies overshadow his achievements and have significantly tarnished his legacy.

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And, most importantly, and what is most often overlooked by historians of all stripes, did you know that Woodrow Wilson was essentially out of commission for the last 17 to 18 months of his presidency?

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After suffering a severe stroke on October 2nd 1919, wilson was incapacitated until his term ended in March 1921.

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This is the most important aspect and the most often overlooked by the liberal historian establishment.

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Holy smokes, holy smokes indeed, that we did not have a president of the United States for the last 17 months of his term.

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That's astounding and that is why we believe he deserves our ranking him the worst of the modern American presidencies.

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Police what Folks hold on there one second.

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We got some late breaking news.

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There has been an update to this list.

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We are making a call.

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We're going to make a call here and now, just one week before the current president, joe Biden, his four-year term is up.

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We're going to make the call that Joe Biden will go down as the worst president in modern American history.

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Holy smokes, that's right folks.

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We're going to make that call and say that Joe Biden is indeed the worst president in modern American history.

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And how can we conclusively make the call?

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Because we did not have a president for a full four years for years.

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It's astounding.

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That is why we believe that Joe Biden will go down as the worst of the modern American presidents.

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But let's dig a little bit deeper.

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Joe Biden's presidency has been marked by significant policy missteps and failures.

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The border crisis reached unprecedented levels, with an estimated over 10 million illegal border crossings since he took office.

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Inflation soared to the highest levels in nearly 40 years, eroding the purchasing power of American families.

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The botched withdrawal from Afghanistan was widely seen as the worst foreign policy disaster since the fall of Saigon.

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His energy prices, his gas prices, including rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, were criticized for dramatically weakening American energy independence.

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And then on the economic side, despite some job growth, biden's economic record has been horrific.

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The average American family reportedly lost $7,100 in purchasing power due to inflation and high interest rates.

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Home ownership became increasingly unaffordable for all young people.

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Small business confidence declined rapidly and poverty rates increased.

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Then we move on to the corruption scandals.

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Hunter Biden's position on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was vice president raised huge concerns about potential conflicts of interest, which are now just getting traction because the truth is coming out over Hunter Biden's laptop.

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In fact, the president pardoned Hunter Biden.

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The pardon covered the federal gun and tax offenses.

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It was described as a full and unconditional pardon for offenses committed or potentially committed between January 1st 2014 and December 1st 2024.

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This reeks of high heaven of corruption.

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This point alone would pass Richard Nixon on our list for corruption, just like Gerald Ford's pardoning of Nixon made him hugely unpopular.

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Additionally, there have been many allegations that the Biden family received payments from Chinese entities.

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The House Oversight Committee still is trying to pursue the Bidens and their associates over these $20 million from foreign sources, including China.

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It's increasingly looking damaging, with over some 20 shell companies discovered.

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Again, this point alone would pass him, joe Biden, past the teapot dome scandal on our list at number four for Warren Harding for sure.

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Then we move on to Joe Biden's weaponization of the Department of Justice and the FBI.

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It's increasingly notable when respected legal scholars, including some Democrats, namely Jonathan Turley and Alan Dershowitz, have come out against Joe Biden's weaponization of the Department of Justice, especially as Biden pursued his political opponents.

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President-elect Trump alone faced five legal cases that were almost all brought to trial by the Biden DOJ, in which he ended up beating four of them, and the fifth was a conviction revealing itself to look like a Russian show trial, something of the 1920s.

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That's certainly not upholding justice and the rule of law.

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This point alone would catapult Joe Biden's presidency past Richard Nixon's again for the most heavy-handed and corrupted of executive White Houses.

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And then the public perception.

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Recent polls and surveys indicate there's a huge negative public perception of the Biden presidency.

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We haven't even gotten to the end.

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We still got a week left.

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Who knows what he's going to do in a week?

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A Gallup poll suggested Biden had been viewed as the least effective commander in chief since Richard Nixon.

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54% of respondents in a Gallup poll believe Biden would be remembered as below average or poor as a president.

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Even among Democrats, 22% agreed that Biden was one of the worst presidents in US history.

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Now, when compared to other presidents since 1912, biden's failures stand out.

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1912, biden's failures stand out.

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His handling of multiple crisis, from the border to inflation, to the foreign policy challenges, have drawn comparisons to Jimmy Carter's troubled presidency, which we rank third on our list.

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The scope and scale of his policy failures, coupled with the questions about his cognitive abilities, set Joe Biden apart from many of his predecessors, and that's the real kicker.

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That's the real reason he catapulted himself to the top of our worst of the modern American presidents.

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We believe, when it's all said and done, joe Biden's legacy will vault him past, skyrocket him past Woodrow Wilson for the worst spot in modern American history.

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Joe Biden's mental decline over the last four years is worse than Woodrow Wilson's decline after his stroke, where he was incapacitated for 18 months of his presidency.

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In fact, in December just last month, december 2024, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times published significant reports detailing President Biden's mental decline and how the White House functioned with a diminished president in charge.

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Some of the key findings of both of these news articles include the Wall Street Journal interviewed nearly 50 individuals familiar with quote operations to conceal or manage the president's mental and physical state.

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Over 50 people interviewed folks that's incredible Advisors realizing during the first few months of the Biden term that his schedule needed a significant adjustment due to fatigue and mistakes the first few months into his term.

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This goes all the way back to the beginning of 2021.

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There began a protective culture quote unquote inside the White House.

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It initially intensified due to COVID-19 pandemic but was never fully dismantled and hardened due to Biden's advanced age.

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Top lawmakers and allies were instructed to keep exchanges with the president quote short and focused.

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Most of Biden's meetings were scheduled later in the day as he was not quote at his best in the morning.

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Meetings could be scrapped entirely if Biden was having an off day.

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Listen to this Biden held only nine full cabinet meetings throughout his term, significantly fewer than all his predecessors.

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Nine cabinet meetings over the course of a whole four years Wow, holy smokes.

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Some cabinet members, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, had particularly infrequent access to Biden.

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Now the Wall Street Journal reported two notable incidents.

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In a January meeting with congressional leaders, biden spoke softly, relied heavily on notes, took very long pauses and appeared to close his eyes for extended periods.

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During a February Oval Office meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, biden seemed unaware of specifics regarding his administration's policy decisions.

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This Wall Street Journal and New York Times reporting in December of 2024 provides us with a first comprehensive look at how the White House managed President Biden's apparent cognitive decline throughout his term, and this is sparking significant public discussion and political consequences.

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Biden's decisions and his actions have raised concerns about his long-term legacy.

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His choice to run for re-election despite his age-related concerns and then his withdrawal in the middle of the election year has many historians looking very negatively on his legacy.

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The perception that he failed to serve as a bridge to a new generation of leaders could tarnish his legacy, as some historians are pointing out now, while it's important to note that the historical assessments can change over time, the combination of policy failures, economic challenges and negative public perception those concerns make it likely that Joe Biden will be ranked among the worst presidents since 1912 by many historians and political analysis.

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For all this, we believe Joe Biden's legacy will skyrocket him again past Woodrow Wilson for the worst presidency in modern American history.

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So in today's Liberty Minute, these examples highlight how complex presidential legacies can be.

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Through time, new interpretations may arise, reflecting the evolving values and concerns of society.

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Whether you agree or disagree with my assessments, it's clear that each of these leaders left an indelible mark on history, and that is what makes all of this examining of their legacies so interesting.

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Now for this conservative.

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Those are my objective rankings for our modern presidents.

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Where will Donald Trump end up?

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We're not sure, but we will be ranking him coming up in the near future.

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For now, if you like this content and want to review American US history by five pivotal presidential elections, we will put those Deep Dive podcast links in the show notes for you.

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And for now, as always, keep fighting the good fight.

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And for now, as always, keep fighting the good fight.

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Thank you for joining us.

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We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast.

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Be sure to check out our show page at teammojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources.

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Until next time, keep getting your mojo on.

LM#59--Our Worst U.S. Presidents in Modern American History: A Conservative Ranks Them Objectively

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