Ulysses S. Grant

More Corruption Scandals Under Donald Trump Than Any Other President!

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It is, sadly, now clear, that when the entire history of the Donald Trump Presidency is written, that his administration will be seen as the most corrupt in American history.

Just the fact that Trump has been twice impeached, four times indicted, and so far, one time convicted of crimes, puts Trump in a special category.

But earlier Presidents also have had a tawdry reputation to different degrees, including:

Ulysses S. Grant 1869-1877
Warren G. Harding 1921-1923
Richard Nixon 1969-1974
Ronald Reagan 1981-1989
George W. Bush 2001-2009

All of the above, along with Donald Trump, have been Republican Presidents!

But only Nixon comes across as personally involved in so many corrupt actions of this group, so was considered the “worst” President on corruption until Donald Trump came along.

Democratic Presidents, by comparison, have had minor, insigificant scandals, with the most prominent being the Monica Lewinsky scandal under Bill Clinton, but which was easily matched by Donald Trump with the Stormy Daniels and other scandals involving women.

And Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama had NO serious violations of the law in any way considered significant.

Mid April Full Of Historical Significance!

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The middle days of April are full of historical significance, involving American history and the Presidency!

April 9 is the day of surrender of Robert E. Lee to Ulysses S. Grant to end, officially, the Civil War, in 1865.

April 12 is the beginning of the Civil War, with the attack at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, in 1861.

April 12 is also the day of the passing of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Warm Springs, Georgia, in 1945.

April 13 is the birthdate of Thomas Jefferson in 1743.

April 14 is the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, in 1865, and his death occurring the next morning, April 15.

April 17 saw the unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro, the infamous Bay of Pigs Invasion, under President John F. Kennedy’s administration, in 1961.

April 19 is the unofficial beginning of the American Revolution, occurring at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in 1775.

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll 2024: Most Under-Rated And Over-Rated Presidents

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The American Political Science Association Presidential Greatness Poll 2024 also ranks “Under-Rated” and “Over-Rated” Presidents.

The most Under-Rated Presidents in the poll are judged to be Jimmy Carter, Ulysses S. Grant, George H. W. Bush, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

The most Over-Rated Presidents in the poll are judged to be John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, and Thomas Jefferson.

APSA Presidential Greatness Poll 2024: Significant Rises In Rankings

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The American Political Science Association 2024 Presidential Greatness Survey reveals dramatic rises in rankings for a few Presidents, from earlier APSA surveys in 2015 and 2018.
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The most dramatic rise is Barack Obama, up 9 in rankings to number 7 since 2015; and an equal rise up 9 of Ulysses S. Grant to number 17 over the same period.

The next most dramatic rise is up 4 in rankings for John F. Kennedy from 14 to 10; and an equal rise up 4 for Jimmy Carter from 26 to 22.

Also, up 3 in rankings is Lyndon B. Johnson from 12 to 9.

Note that all of these 5 Presidents mentioned, except for Grant, are Democrats!

The Ku Klux Klan Act Of 1871 Could Disqualify Donald Trump, Besides The 14th Amendment Section 3!

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The Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, the third of a series of Enforcement Acts (1870-1871), enacted to deal with the terrorism and violence of the Ku Klux Klan in the South in the Reconstruction years after the Civil War, was promoted by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Now, more than 150 years later, it is being utilized as a factor in working to deny former President Donald Trump from being able to be on the ballot in multiple states for the Presidential Election of 2024, due to his incitement of the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection!

Many legal scholars contend that this legislation, designed to enforce the 14th Amendment, Section 3, dealing with rebellion and insurrection, is legitimate in the quest to prevent Trump from being able to run for President a third time.

Ultimately, however, the Supreme Court will get this case, and decide, and it is hoped that Chief Justice John Roberts and at least one other Republican appointment on the Court, and posibly more, will do the right thing, as it will affect their historical legacy if they do not take action!

Calvin Coolidge Became the 30th President A Century Ago!

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Precisely a century ago, Vice President Calvin Coolidge succeeded to the Presidency upon the death of President Warren G. Harding.

Coolidge would be shocked to see how the Presidency has been transformed since his time, as he was a believer in a limited Presidency, and is seen as the most conservative President of the 20th century, with the possible exception of Ronald Reagan, who greatly admired him.

Coolidge would have been opposed to the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson, based on his conservative, small government philosophy.

But he also would have been greatly disturbed by the corruption of Richard Nixon and Donald Trump, as his administration moved to prosecute the corruption of his predecessor, who had sadly presided over the most political corruption since Ulysses S. Grant.

It has often been said that Calvin Coolidge would have fit in better in the 19th century, with John Quincy Adams fitting in better a century later in Coolidge’s place!

We can also say he most certainly would not have fitted well in the succession of Republican Chief Executives, particularly Nixon and Trump!

Centennial Of Warren G. Harding’s Death, And Accession Of Calvin Coolidge Coming Up On August 2-3!

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The centennial of the death of President Warren G. Harding is arriving on Wednesday, August 2, with Harding passing away of natural causes in San Francisco, shocking the nation, as Harding was on the way to finishing a Western tour, which had included visiting the territory of Alaska.

The swearing in of President Calvin Coolidge took place in the early morning hours on August 3, with Coolidge being sworn in at his father’s homestead in Vermont, where Coolidge was visiting, and with his father, a local justice of the peace, swearing in his son, before he returned to Washington DC, and was again sworn in later in the day.

This was the sixth time a President had died in office, and was the second time that the Vice President who succeeded to the Presidency went on to win a full term of office in 1924, following Theodore Roosevelt, who succeeded the assasinated William McKinley in 1901, and went on to win a full term in 1904.

Harding is regarded by scholars as a failed President, with massive scandals occurring, similar to those of a half century earlier under President Ulysses S. Grant in the 1870s. While he had some successes, he is ranked in the bottom five of all Presidents, in the same category as Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Donald Trump, and Franklin Pierce.

Calvin Coolidge is perceived as higher in ranking, generally at the top of the bottom third of Presidents, but shortly after he left office, the Great Depression occurred, and his administration is perceived as having had major negative impact on the economy which led to the Crash on Wall Street seven months after his retirement.

Certainly, the Presidency is seen as having declined in the 1920s, after the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson, and seeing rising fortunes after Herbert Hoover, with the coming to the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 Presidential election.

Impeachment Power Being Abused, When It Should Be Rarely Utilized!

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The reckless move toward impeachment of President Joe Biden, and or Attorney General Merrick Garland or Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by the small margin Republican majority in the House of Representatives, is an issue that brings to attention that the impeachment power has been horribly abused, when it should be rarely utilized!

To impeach a cabinet officer is extremely rare, and basically is a no brainer, as it would not lead to conviction in the US Senate.

To impeach a President was always rare, with the only exceptions being Andrew Johnson and later Richard Nixon, although Nixon resigned the Presidency before the whole House of Representatives could vote to impeach him on the charges brought by the majority of the House Judiciary Committee.

The Bill Clinton impeachment was purely political, while the two impeachment cases against Donald Trump were totally justifiable, and the proposal to “expunge” the impeachments is preposterous, and will not take away the stain and the history of the reality of Trump’s abuses in office!

Attempts to impeach the following Presidents went nowhere:

John Tyler
James Buchanan
Ulysses S. Grant
Grover Cleveland
Herbert Hoover
Harry Truman
Lyndon B. Johnson
Ronald Reagan
George H W Bush
George W. Bush
Barack Obama

Unless a case is clear, as with Nixon and Trump, there is NO justification for abusing the impeachment power!

Ulysses S. Grant “Arrested” While President, So Trump Would NOT Be The First!

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In the midst of the hoopla around Donald Trump, that he might soon face arrest, the historical reality is that he would not be the first President to be arrested.

Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President (1869-1877) was arrested in the nation’s capital in 1872 for speeding his horse and carriage.

A black police officer, William West, who had fought in the Civil War, was the police officer who arrested Grant, and his horse and carriage were impounded, and Grant had to walk back to the White House, and pay a small fine!

There were other incidents of Grant racing his horse and carriage, and with additional fines.

Of course, the possible arrest and prosecution of Donald Trump on various issues and matters is far greater and more significant than Grant’s racing issues with his horses and carriage one hundred fifty years ago!

Interesting Survey Of People Honored By US Monuments, From The Washington Post

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The Washington Post has published an interesting survey of people honored by US Monuments, and there are many surprises in the survey.

Eleven Presidents are in the top 50 figures represented in memorials, with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln being the top two of the fifty listed.

Also listed at number 9 is John F. Kennedy; number 10 is Thomas Jefferson; and number 11 is Ulysses S. Grant.

Andrew Jackson is number 15, a three way tie with Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Franklin D. Roosevelt tie at 32nd.

Finally, James A. Garfield is in a four way tie at number 47 with three non Presidents.

Interestingly, NOT on the list are such Presidents as Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, or Ronald Reagan.

Some religious figures, native Americans, and African Americans (Martin Luther King (4th), Harriet Tubman (24th), Frederick Douglass (29th)) are also represented, as are a number of individuals who are not at all related to American history, including Christopher Columbus, most notably in third place with 149!

Confederate leaders are also represented, including Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson.

Other well known Americans include the following: Benjamin Franklin at number 8; Alexander Hamilton tied with two others at number 26; and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in a six way tie at number 41.