This post is not going to tell you who to vote for, that decision is yours and hopefully always will be.
However, this is an exploration of our views on what is good for our country.
In every era, certain values are more desirable than others. In times of chaos, people look for a leader who can bring peace. In times of division, people look for someone who can bring people together.
When it comes to what makes a good president, preferred personality traits seem to change about as often as the campaign season. However, people always seem to like a dynamic speaker, and it doesn’t hurt to be popular.
Nevertheless, there is a pattern of what is considered good, but only in retrospect.
Looking back, the presidents who are considered the most successful were those who rose to the occasion and met the demands of the moment. They recognized the situation and made the decisions that best aligned with the future. Clinging to the methods of the past has proven time and time again to be ineffective.
At the end of the day, most of us would rather watch Netflix than Blockbuster. Although it was hard to let go at the time, I threw away all my CDs and started streaming my music instead.
Because the future is coming. It always comes, whether we like it or not.
There seems to be a huge gap between those who still long for the “good old days” and those who look to the future with enthusiasm.
Likewise, the gap between the parties seems to be widening. But we must not forget that the elected candidate will become president of the county and all its residents, not just those who belong to a political party.
And how many of us can remember the parties of previous presidents? Seriously, who knows without Googling which party Calvin Coolidge belonged to?
On the other hand, we remember what people did or what they should have done according to history.
So the real measure of whether someone was a good president is, “Did it work?” Did his plan work? Did his agenda help the people it was meant to help? Did he achieve the goals he set out to achieve? Were they even the right goals?
History is the most important deciding factor. Whether the president of an era was on the wrong or right side of history seems to be an important factor in determining his or her effectiveness.
Some of the worst US presidents, according to historians, died in office and did not finish their term (see William Henry Harrison). Others were in favor of slavery (see Millard Fillmore or John Tyler), which, as it turned out, later displeased many people. Who would have thought?
Some of the others who topped the list of worst were responsible for decisions that had a negative financial impact on the country (see Herbert Hoover and the Great Depression). It turns out that people don’t want things to get worse. Go figure.
In 2021, C-SPAN surveyed nearly 100 presidential historians to find out who they consider to be our country’s best leader. The historians rated each president on qualities such as vision, public persuasion, crisis leadership, economic management and their pursuit of equal justice for all.
Not surprisingly, Abraham Lincoln tops the list. Lincoln is often credited with holding the Union together, which many consider a good thing, and abolishing slavery, which almost everyone today considers a bad thing. Ronald Reagan came in at number 9 and Barack Obama at number 10.
A truly good president, like any successful leader, eventually becomes both invisible and omnipresent. When his presence is not visible, his influence remains. Often, the results of his leadership persist for years after he leaves office. This makes selecting a good president all the more important.
Since we are the ones voting, the ballot is now in our court. We have the ballot in our hands. Will our choice stand the test of history?
Contact Editor in Chief Camike Jones at 317-762-7850 or [email protected].
