WORST PRESIDENT EVER—Or Just Worst I’ve Ever Seen?
By Dr. Mom
Clash Daily Contributor
I’m about to turn 53 years old (no cards or cake, please—just send money.)
I have lived through ten presidents–seven of which I was more than dimly aware of–and the current occupant of the White House is not only the worst I’ve ever seen—he may well be the worst that’s ever been.
That may sound harsh, considering that Nixon was so awful his own party forced him to resign one step ahead of impeachment. Clinton actually was impeached (though, thanks to the cowardice of the Senate, not removed.) William Henry Harrison died a month after his inauguration. And let’s not even talk about the almost inconceivable racism of Woodrow Wilson, who won his second term running on his record of staying out of war–and entered World War I within a few months. And re-segregated the armed forces. And made it illegal to oppose the war.
Did I mention he created the Federal Reserve System?
Okay, maybe Wilson was worse. So far.
But let’s talk about the man who has another two years to take the title away from him: Barack Hussein Obama.
Presidents can be bad in many ways. But perhaps the badness of the man in office should be measured by the degree to which he fails to follow the document that serves as his employee manual, so to speak. We’ve hired this man to manage a government that is run by the Constitution. So, how’s he doing at that?
Mmmm, not so hot.
The president’s job is defined in Article II (not, as Biden implied, Article I, which defines the Legislature—the gaffemeister never stops giving.) It’s quite short, just four sections, as compared to the 10 commanded of the legislature. Article I, Section 1 specifies the Oath of Office:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
If that’s our touchstone, he’s going to be disappointed in his report card.
Truth is, he’s really not good at defending the Constitution. A fair case could be made that he has demonstrated incomprehension of or contempt for at least half the amendments of the Bill of Rights. He and his party are currently plotting to amend the First Amendment because they think the Citizens United case was badly decided. He tried to force business-owning Americans to violate their religious beliefs by mandating they act as a channel for contraceptives and abortion access. And he has presided over an IRS that apparently targeted American citizens based on their expression of opposition to his policies. And that’s just Amendment One.
He has utter contempt for the Second Amendment. He has gone to great lengths to blame every mass shooting during his tenure not only on the gun, instead of the (nearly always) deranged individual pointing it—but on those who support the right of law-abiding gun owners to keep, bear, buy, sell, trade, gift, discuss, and defend arms. Moreover, he has attempted numerous “executive actions” to undermine each of those rights.
As far as I know, he still opposes the quartering of soldiers in private homes (Amendment Three). Then, again, I don’t know if anyone has asked him.
The Fourth Amendment is relatively meaningless to him. He has, with impunity, spied on journalists and private citizens—and he’s not too picky about needing a warrant to gather up the “metadata” of every phone call, everywhere, for possible future use.
He does seem to like the Fifth Amendment—at least his minions do.
However, it is quite certain that he views the Ninth and Tenth Amendments with a wary eye, since their purpose is to keep power in the hands of the states and the people, and away from the federal government. Obama is not a fan of federalism; he prefers the system where the federal government tells everybody what to do.
Setting aside the Constitution (as he usually does), the president is also supposed to lead our foreign policy—which he’s also not very good at.
Of all of the presidents I have lived through, all have recognized the danger Cuba poses to the United States, to its own people, and to the world. All have sought to undermine Castro and squelch Communism in our hemisphere. Obama just decided to “normalize” relations with Cuba and now intends to ask Congress for funding for an embassy in Cuba and appoint an ambassador.
Newsflash: Incoming Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Marco Rubio intends to block both. So that’s not even a smart presidential move for Obama. He’s going to get his head handed to him.
In the Middle East, not content to have destabilized most of the region with his support for the series of upheavals known as the “Arab Spring,” Obama is looking to normalize relations with…Iran. He shows no resistance to the Muslim Brotherhood, and no one believes he understands the true danger of ISIS.
Don’t get me started on the way he treats Israel.
Overall, Obama may not be the worst president ever, but he still has two years to go—unless the new Congress has the testicular fortitude to stop him.
Place your bets.
Image: https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7170/6562964435_84f96cf425_z.jpg
Dr. Mom is a married mother of three boys and the author of Souls, Bodies, Spirits: The Drive to Abolish Abortion Since 1973. The hills she chooses to die on are the Bible and the Constitution, in that order. In addition to her American Studies doctorate, she also holds a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology and is, therefore, perfectly equipped to interpret the current Administration. She also tweets as DrKC4.
