Recently, I read an interesting blog post by Stephen Walt. In it, Walt argues that the public perception of Barack Obama’s first two years in office is a little too harsh. Walt emphasizes the numerous “non-events” that Obama has averted, whereas others (and even Walt himself, by his own admission) have often focused on Obama’s lack of progress or failure to enact significant legislation. I agreed with much of what Walt said, and think that Obama has largely been blamed for circumstances outside of his control. Between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the faltering economy, and America’s greatly diminished reputation and influence abroad, Obama inherited a very difficult situation from the previous administration. Many people, in critiquing Obama’s failure to deliver on his campaign promises, haven’t considered the tough hand he was dealt coming into the presidency.
This argument only goes so far, though. All presidents have to deal with issues left behind by their predecessor; a president’s legacy is largely defined by how he adapts to and deals with these problems. Still, Obama faces a much tougher task than most presidents in recent memory. To compound matters, many members of Congress (Republicans, for example) are clearly unwilling to compromise to solve the difficulties we presently face. Obama’s certainly got a lot on his plate, but how does it stack up with what other presidents have had to deal with? Here’s my opinion:
1. When Abraham Lincoln ascended to the presidency, he inherited a nation torn apart. Even before the 1860 election, the secession movement was already well under way, and he was so hated by so many that he traveled to his inauguration in disguise to avoid assassination attempts. By the time Lincoln took office, the Civil War had begun. Lincoln took command of the Union army and steered the nation through its darkest hour, wielding his presidential power to win the war and bring the Union back together.
2. In 1932, Herbert Hoover’s failed economic policies had, in part, led to the biggest financial crash in American history. Making matters worse, Adolf Hitler had just been elected chancellor of Germany, and fascism appeared to be a major threat to world peace. Into this unsteady and troublesome political climate stepped Franklin D. Roosevelt, who immediately enacted legislation to try to combat the Great Depression. It took some time, but FDR eventually was able to turn the economy around. He also guided the U.S. through World War I, and handled relations with Stalin, no easy task. By the time FDR died, the U.S. had all but won WWII and the Great Depression was officially over.
3. Lyndon Baines Johnson, Vice President under John F. Kennedy, was forced to take over as president following Kennedy’s assassination. JFK had steadily increased U.S. involvement in Vietnam, doing everything short of deploying troops to try to support the South Vietnamese government and undermine Ho Chi Minh’s communist North Vietnam. Domestically, race riots flared up, and the Civil Rights movement was in full swing. When LBJ assumed the presidency, he enacted legislation to extend greater equality to African Americans, and also tried to implement a “war on poverty”. Speaking of war, he greatly escalated America’s involvement in Vietnam, sending troops in and eventually becoming embroiled in the Vietnam War.
I would assert that the issues Obama faces currently rank fourth on my list of presidents’ inherited problems. For their masterful handling of their difficult situations, Lincoln and Roosevelt are widely considered to be among greatest presidents of all time. Johnson’s record is more nuanced; his domestic policy in dealing with the Civil Rights issue is widely considered a success, but his foreign policy, namely the Vietnam War, is viewed as a disaster. Like these three great men, President Obama faces some seemingly overwhelming challenges, many of which can’t be completely attributed to his administration. However, he has to deal effectively with these obstacles in order to be a great president. If Obama succeeds, like Lincoln and FDR, he could go down in history as one of the best presidents ever. If he doesn’t, like LBJ, he’d better get ready to pack his bags in 2012.
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