WELCOME.
WE HAVE A GUEST FROM C-SPAN.
MANY WATCH C-SPAN TO SEE WHAT'S
GOING ON IN THE HALLS OF
CONGRESS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
ON THIS 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF
C-SPAN YOU HAVE THE PRESIDENT.
NOTED HIS STORE RANCE RANK THE
BEST AND WORST CHIEF EXECUTIVES
AND BEFORE WE LOOK AT THAT
PRESIDENT LINCOLN PRESIDENT
LINCOLN WAS NUMBER 1.
THE LAND OF LINCOLN WE WERE
PROUD TO SEE THAT.
I NOTICE THOUGH THAT THE 3
PRESIDENTS AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF
THE LIST WERE THE 2 PRESIDENTS
PRECEDING LINCOLN AND THE ONE
RIGHT AFTER HIM.
7 OF THE BOTTOM 10 WERE LEADING
IN THE IMMEDIATE PERIOD OF TIME
LEADING UP TO LINCOLN AND THE
ONE RIGHT AFTER HIM.
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THAT TIME IN
THE VIEW OF THESE HISTORIANS AND
IN THIS BOOK THAT DREW SUCH
EXTREMES FROM THE QUALITY AND
CALIBER OF OUR PRESIDENT?
WELL, THE SURVEY IS
INTERESTING BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO
WE RANK THE PRESIDENTS OVERALL
BUT THOSE RANKINGS COME FROM
INDIVIDUAL RANKING IN 10
DIFFERENT CATEGORIES SO WE CAN
GO LOOK AT EACH PRESIDENT AND
SEE HOW THE PRESIDENT -- SORRY
HOW THE HIS STOREANCE RANK THEM.
HOW THE HISTORIANS RANK THEM.
ONE OF THE CATEGORIES IS PURSUE
EQUAL JUSTICE FOR ALL AND THE
ANTEBELLUM GET LOW MARKS IN
CRISIS LEADERSHIP AND ALTHOUGH
THE HISTORIANS DON'T SAY WHY
THEY RANK THEM IT'S A NUMERIC
RANKING I THINK WE CAN ASSUME
THAT THEIR HANDLING OF THE
SLAVERY ISSUE OR NONE HANDLING
OF IT THAT LEAD TO THE CIVIL WAR
RESULTED IN THE LOWER RANKINGS
-- THEN LOOK AT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
AND HE SCORES VERY HIGH IN ALL
THOSE CATEGORIES.
THAT'S FASCINATING CONTRAST
AND THERE'S A QUESTION OF
TIMING.
YOU MENTIONED CRISIS LEADERSHIP.
I WONDER IF WE GLEAN HISTORY
FROM DID THOSE PRESIDENTS KNOW
THEY WERE IN THE MIDST OF WHAT
WOULD TURN OUT TO BE SUCH A
PIVOTAL CRISIS OR WERE THEY
OBLIVIOUS TO IT?
THAT'S AN INTERESTING
QUESTION.
IT DEPENDS ON THE SCHOLARSHIP
AND THE BIOGRAPHIES THAT WE USE
IN THE BOOK AND YOU CAN ANSWER
THAT QUESTION BY READING
HISTORIANS SUMMARIES OF THE
PARTICULAR PRESIDENTS.
THE WAY THE BOOK WORKS IS
THERE'S A CHAPTER ON EACH
PRESIDENT AND THEY'RE DRAWN FROM
INTERVIEWS THAT WERE CONDUCTED
ON C-SPAN WITH ONE HISTORIAN WHO
WROTE ABOUT THE BOOK.
PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO ANSWER
YOUR QUESTION IN A SHORT WAY IS
TO MENTION THE TITLE OF THE BOOK
DEALING WITH JAMES BUCHANAN WHO
IS THE 43RD RANKED PRESIDENT IN
OUR SURVEY.
THE AUTHOR IS ROBERT STRAWS AND
THE TITLE WAS WORST PERIOD
PRESIDENT PERIOD EVER PERIOD.
THAT'S THE BOOK.
AND BOOK CAN THAN WAS VERY
QUALIFIED ON PAPER TO BE
PRESIDENT.
HE'D BEEN SECRETARY OF STATE.
HE HELD A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT
POSITIONS BUT AS WE LOOK IN
HISTORY AND SEE ALL THE STEPS
THAT LED TO THE CIVIL WAR
WHETHER IT WAS THE VARIOUS
COMPROMISEES OR DREAD SCOTT
DECISION AND WE SEE HOW THE
ISSUE WASN'T TACKLED AT THE TIME
THAT I THINK REALLY IS WHAT
RESULTS IN THOSE RANKINGS FOR
THOSE PRESIDENTS.
I'M GOING OFF MEMORY AND
THAT'S ALWAYS A RISKY
PROPOSITION BUT I BELIEVE
PRESIDENT WASHINGTON WAS NUMBER
2 AND FROM THERE IT'S GOING TO
GET HAZY.
I'LL QUIZ YOU IF YOU LIKE.
SO F.D.R. WAS NUMBER 3 SO WE
HAVE TO MAKE A MOVE ON MOUNT
RUSHMORE.
PRESIDENT NICK WAS MIDDLE OF THE
PACK THFRMTHS IS WHERE THE
INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY OF RANKINGS
BECOME REALLY INTERESTING.
ONE OF THE CATEGORIES IS MORAL
AUTHORITY.
AND NIXON SCORES VERY POORLY IN
MORAL AUTHORITY BUT ANOTHER IS
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND OF
COURSE HE OPENED IT WITH CHINA
AND HE RANKS HIGH.
THOSE BALANCE OUT TO PUT HIM IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK.
FASCINATING.
THERE'S A LOT MORE IN THAT BOOK.
I LIKE FORWARD TO READING THAT
BOOK.
BEFORE WE LET YOU GO THERE'S
SOMETHING AT THE END OF THE BOOK
AS YOU TURN TO ITS PAGES KIND OF
READER YOU ARE BUT IT SAYS IT
GIVES SOME INSIGHT FROM ALL
THESE HISTORIANS ABOUT WHERE
PRESIDENT TRUMP MIGHT RANK.
ANY TEASERS OR SPOILERS IF YOU
WILL ABOUT HOW THESE HISTORIANS
VIEW PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THAT
KIND OF HISTORICAL VIEWPOINT; IS
IT TOO SOON TO SAY SNAFRJTS
THAT'S ONE THING TO SAY -- THERE
ARE 3 CHAPTERS BY 3 ADVISERS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS NOT INCLUDED
IN IN THE SURVEY BECAUSE HIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS NOT COME TO
AN END.
WE HAVE DONE THE SURVEY 3 TIMES
AT THE END OF THE PRECEDING
PRESIDENTS ADMINISTRATIONS SO AT
THIS POINT IT'S VERY EARLY TO
ASSESS PRESIDENT TRUMP BUT THEY
POINT TO CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES AND
IN THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES.
FOR EXAMPLE ONE IS PUBLIC
PERSUASION HOW WILL HE BE RANKED
IN PUBLIC PERSUASION?
HE'S THE FIRST TWITTER
PRESIDENT.
HOW WILL THAT BE ASSESSED BY
HISTORIANS AND THEN WE'LL DO
THIS IN THE FUTURE.
SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO WATCH HOW
HIS MARKS OR ANY PRESIDENT'S
MARKS CHANGE OVER TIME.
FASCINATING.
THE PRESIDENTS AVAILABLE ON
WHEREVER YOU BUY YOUR BOOKS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THAT DOES IT FOR US.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.