Ranking the U.S. presidents

CBS News ranks 1 through 44. No Trump rating. Obama 12th. Abe No. 1.

Presidents ranked from worst to best

 

They must have gotten a new panel to rank these, or installed new categories, because some of them go against pretty much every ranking ever. And in a big way. In a poll that really shouldn't have all that much moving and shaking. It's not like Millard Fillmore has risen from the grave and won another term.
Van Buren is usually in the mid-20s, and suddenly he's No. 34? Similarly, Grant jumping up to No. 22 when he's usually much lower?
Nixon at No. 28?
Obama at 12 when he probably shouldn't even be ranked yet?
Clinton jumping up six spots?
A lot of the presidents on the lower end also seem to be dinged for not pursuing "equal justice for all Americans" when, to be honest, that wasn't really a consideration during their terms or they were making political compromises to stave off the oncoming Civil War.

 

I have no problem with Nixon at No. 28, and I believe it will be higher in the future. I've always said his overall body of work will look better as history progresses.

 

Yeah, I wrote that and then noticed that that's right about where he usually ranks. I always assumed he was in the bottom 10 because of Watergate and the memory of that scandal is a lot fresher than, say Harding and the Teapot Dome.

 

It's time to buy Grant stock now that he has a Ron Chernow book coming out. Just wait and see how high he climbs when someone makes a rap musical out of it.

 

These rankings are only useful for one thing, just like college team rankings: stirring up conversation.

The original clickbait.

 

Let's be real. The current President is making some qualities that may have been taken for granted, more valued in assessing a Presidency. For all the criticism, President Obama was able to get more out of the GOP Congress than Trump has.

 

Considering that it's easy too look back on Obama's term and be disappointed partisanship kept more from getting done, it's really depressing that we can hold it up as a time when things did get done.

 

Already got the theme song for it.

 

Buchanan will always be the worst because he let the battle lines for the Civil War be drawn and could’ve done more to at least arrest the descent.

Nixon, the most crooked president, gets some benefit of the doubt for his foreign policy achievements and plus, he started the EPA.

The jury is still out on Trump, who has some unnerving qualities of both Buchanan and Nixon.

 

He got caught. Not so sure others weren't more crooked that didn't.

 

Grant. LOL.