Analyzing POTUS: Arthur - Coolidge

Chester Arthur (1881-1885)
Arthur was a bit confusing. One on hand, he was the dictionary definition
of 'political operative' and had a reputation as a party hack. On the other,
he had a significant hand in the passage of civil service reform and went
against his own party leaders to achieve this. Arthur's foreign policy was
largely decent, and the Navy thrived under his leadership. The Chinese
Exclusion Act, which denied Chinese-Americans citizenship, was Arthur's
largest mistake. I get the impression that Arthur, whose tendency to live
luxuriously and whose reputation was less saintly than his reform actions
suggest, didn't fool the public. He was denied nomination to serve as
president in his own right.
Grade: C (not a total tool)

Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) (1893-1897)
Some people are gluttons for punishment and Cleveland sure was. After
losing reelection in 1888, he came back in 1892--only to have a more
difficult four years than the first go-round. Not a fan of bailing out industry
and especially stubborn with a Republican Congress, Cleveland used his
veto power often. His argument against high tariffs displayed a populist,
"people's president" attitude. He extended the Chinese Exclusion Act (fail)
but championed legislation to help Native Americans with individual, non-
tribal land-holdings (sweet). He didn't lose to Harrison by much. Returning
in 1893, Cleveland inherited an economic downturn from which his
Administration never really recovered. Attempted annexation of Hawaii was
a near-fiasco on Cleveland's part. For the most part, Cleveland was a strong,
pro-active leader. Not the greatest, but certainly good enough to have a city
in Ohio named after him. (Okay, it wasn't...)
Grade: B- ("Grover the Good", they said. Okay.)

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
Ben Harrison was kinda grouchy and had a reputation for being a 'human
iceberg'. He was also our last bearded president. Perhaps clean-shaven/
mustached POTUS' are happier. Who knows? ANYWAY, Harrison approved
the Sherman Antitrust Act, which limited the power of monopolies (score!)
but had a tendency to stay on the fence on several political issues. His
foreign affairs seemed a bit awkward and his compromises on the looming
tariff issue were only mildly helpful to the problem. I can see why he would've
been defeated by the man he defeated.
Grade: C (Indiana's only President--and he knew how to spell 'potato'.)

William McKinley (1897-1901)
Although monopoly power continued under McKinley, the guy finally
addressed issues that plagued his recent predecessors. Civil service reform
was a focal point of McKinley's, with thousands of employee reclassification.
The Silver/Gold argument was settled by 1900's Gold Standard Act and this
brought a sense of prosperity back to the economy. McKinley's presidency
became consumed by the ridiculous Spanish-American War, which was little
more than a feast for sensational journalism. His handling of it and the
annexation of Hawaii was mediocre at best. Although this has no bearing, he
was probably one of the nicest, most honest men to ever occupy the office.
Grade: B- (better with domestic matters)

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)
A lot can be said about "Teddy"--he was egotistical, short-fused and stubborn.
But he was also bold, decisive and forward-thinking. He is one of my favorites.
Monopoly power practically stopped under TR. He wouldn't put up with
corruption; not in his cabinet, not in his government--nowhere. I give Roosevelt
credit for: 1) creating what would later become the FDA 2) creation of the
Panama Canal 3) his championing of U.S.' beautiful lands; the guy created
multiple national parks and the U.S. Forest Service and 4) the growth of the
U.S. Navy (of which he had been an Assistant Secretary.) Roosevelt presided
over a period of growth in America. Unlike other presidents who sat idly by
and merely allowed the prosperity, Roosevelt fought for it.

Grade: A+ (Able + unafraid + optimistic=a good presidency.)

William H. Taft (1909-1913)
Poor, portly Taft never really wanted the job. The native Buckeye just wanted
to be left alone as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He would have to
endure four mostly unhappy years as Prez and eight years after that before
he finally got his dream job. Simply, Taft lacked the charisma and political
saavy of his loud and popular predecessor. His efforts at World peace-making
were noble, but problems with Central America nagged him and the guy
ultimately made enemies out of his friends in the Republican Party. The
passage of a federal income tax during his term probably did little to help his
popularity. His reelection bid sabotaged by the man who made his presidency
possible, his later achievements indicate that he was a better Chief Justice
than President.
Grade: C+ (Lacked TR's style but knew his stuff.)

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)
Wilson is a mixed bag for me; he's the type of guy that you'd want to slug,
due to his self-righteousness, but some of his accomplishments were noble.
He stepped up the battle on monopolies by establishing the Federal Trade
Commission and Clayton Anti-Trust Act and get kudos for those. Although he
pledged to keep the U.S. out of World War I in his reelection, Wilson was
successful in getting Congress to pass a declaration of war just months later.
His involvements in foreign affairs made him appear like a messiah of sorts; it
was practically a spiritual mission for this deeply spiritual president--and his
shit wouldn't fly today. His League of Nations creation was a hit in my eyes;
his historically hidden views on racial integration, sickening.
Grade: C (I was never as impressed with Wilson as he apparently was.)

Warren Harding (1921-1923)
Friendly and affable, Harding was the type of guy that anyone would like.
Unfortunately, those qualities don't always help a president. Giving his
cronies high-level cabinet positions, these appointments would later backfire.
Badly. Still, Harding presided over a strengthening post-war economy. He
was sensitive to the movements of labor and women's rights, and also
improved America's transportation system. But in-house scandals doomed
the Harding Presidency. From government contract kickbacks and stealing
funding for WWI veterans to a lack in oversight and Harding's own problems
with mistresses and an illegitimate child, Harding was in way over his head.
His greatest achievement was the creation of the Veterans' Administration.
He died from stroke just as the public was learning about his lack of control
in his own government.
Grade: D- (The critics were right.)

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
Presidents cannot be solely blamed for economic prosperity and disaster.
But I think that Coolidge's idealistic war against business regulation helped
the Great Depression to materialize just months after he left office. Famous
for his saying, "The business of America is business.", Coolidge didn't dabble
much in economic affairs (or foreign ones, for that matter), preferring to let the
economy prosper and staying out of World issues. Unfortunately, I think that
this attitude allowed for problems to fester. I give him credit for the Indian
Citizenship Act and also for the fact that he denounced the Ku Klux Klan so
strongly that it lost much of its influence. Overall, though, Coolidge could've
been a more pro-active leader.
Grade: C- (Keeping silent is often beneficial, but not all of the time.)

NEXT: Analyzing POTUS: Hoover - Reagan