Posted on 07/06/2021 5:29:42 AM PDT by Kaslin
C-SPAN’s first post-Donald Trump survey of greatest presidents indicates impeachment really is a scar on a president’s legacy—which should please House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who all but stated that was her goal. Trump’s impeachment seems to have made the topic fresh enough to have tainted (or re-tainted) the legacies of Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon. And, perhaps nominally Andrew Johnson.
As noted in my book “Abuse of Power,” one day after Trump’s acquittal in the first impeachment over non-criminal articles, an angry Pelosi said at a press conference: “You’re impeached forever. You’re never getting rid of that scar.”
In an interview for the book, Robert Ray, one of Trump’s attorneys in the impeachment trial noted, “What also, I think, lasts forever is the judgment of acquittal.”
Trump was actually twice acquitted in Senate impeachment trials, but that might indeed have less of an aura than being twice impeached—which was likely a big contributor to Trump’s first ranking as a former president at 41.
Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley said the legacy of impeachment likely impacted other presidential rankings.
"This year, people compared which is worse: Watergate or the Trump impeachment?,” Brinkley said in a public statement. “The word ‘impeachment’ probably cost Nixon a few spots downward this year, and maybe Clinton too."
Bill Clinton, the 42nd president, impeached by the House in 1998 for perjury and obstruction of justice, and acquitted by the Senate in 1999, saw his own ranking fall to 19 this year. In 2017, he was ranked 15, and ranked 14 in 2009. Now he’s practically where he was in the first year he was ranked a 21 in 2000, when the survey began.
Nixon, who resigned to avoid impeachment, came it at 31 in 2021. He had his lowest ranking since the survey began, going from 26 in 2000 to 27 in 2009 and 28 in 2017.
“Abuse of Power” warned that weaponizing impeachment even when no crime is alleged could make it more common. The same could be true now that we have evidence that it is an effective way to scar a president’s legacy.
The first impeached President Andrew Johnson ranked second from last place. That didn’t change all that much, but still declined his place at 40 in 2000, 41 in 2009 and 42 in 2017.
It should be noted that despite assertions the rankings were a cross section, academia has a reputation for a reason. It wasn’t feasible not to include President Ronald Reagan in the top 10. However, the president who won the Cold War ranked ninth. Somehow, Barack Obama made it into the top 10 this year--one spot below Reagan. Oddly, one of the worst presidents ever, Woodrow Wilson, was actually ranked 13 overall. But Wilson did see the largest drop in the category of “Pursued Equal Justice,” he plummeted 17 places to rank at 37.
As for Trump, even his best category scores weren’t great. He managed to score the highest on public persuasion, at 32. He deserved a much higher ranking than 34 for economic management—considering the pre-COVID-19 Trump economy was extraordinary.
Historians ranked him 44 on the question of moral authority—which was almost directly tied to his impeachment.
Also what Trump has going for him is he’ll likely only move up with time. Since the survey began in 2000, Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama each ranked lower in their first year out of office but climbed in subsequent years.
Also, one might look at the biggest winner of the survey. Ulysses S. Grant, once known primarily for corruption in his administration, going from 33 when the survey began in 2000 to 20 this year. For that matter, Bush left office in 2009 with a rank of 36 and increased to 29 this year.
So, there is definitely hope for a historical reassessment of Trump. Though it’s likely going to take a few more surveys. As presidential historian Craig Shirley said earlier this year, “He didn’t end his presidency well.”
“He had a good story to tell as a one-term president. It would have been a good story to tell for a two-term president,” Shirley continued. “But you can’t judge the Trump presidency without judging his character. It’s not just accomplishments. It’s also character.”
Impeachment proceedings are meaningless now.
The only thing the impeachments of President Trump prove is that this is the point when the federal government blatantly diverged from the will of The People. Up until this point, the divergence was mostly undercover and hidden.
Outrageous. The China-driven MSM and corrupt Washington establishment hiybded him relentlessly.
Trump was a great president, truly a man working for common Americans.
Lol! Even Chief Justice Roberts, who clearly hated Trump, considered the second “impeachment” illegitimate, as he failed to preside over the so-called trial.
>>being twice impeached—which was likely a big contributor to Trump’s first ranking as a former president at 41.
BEEEEP. False
He was ranked at the bottom because of partisan politics and pedantic hackery in academia.
Trump had the country sailing great into 2020 and you had the likes of Bill Maher calling for an economic disaster to sink Trump’s re-election. You had a “Hail Satan” play from Bill Gates and the Globalists who met together at his October 2019 “Event 201” confab to discuss just HOW one would go about shutting down all world travel and the global economy in light of fictional “South American Pig Virus”.
World Health Org used to take the position that shutting down travel doesn’t do much to stop the spread once it reaches pandemic levels and that closing the economy does more harm than good to a society/nation. But all of that prior positioning and history went out the window when it came time to oust Trump.
And George Floyd wasn’t the first dead black man that was being used in the press in 2020 to try to get rioters in the streets from coast to coast. Recall the Georgia Jogger. And there were other police incidents before and after Floyd that were being used to fuel the fires of hate and domestic terrorism.
But Trump was impeached two times. So that’s why he’s ranked among the worst 5 presidents of all time??
In the summer of 2020 Pelosi said that she was open to pursuing impeachment charges against President Trump for “mishandling” covid.
Rep. Al “Not THAT One” Green (Duh-TX) tried to bring up impeachment of Trump 4 times.
then again Democrats wanted to impeach Nixon in his first term LONG before Watergate.
Was the 2nd impeachment even constitutional?
He wasn’t even President when it was over.
Can Trump in 2025 go ahead and impeach Barack Hussein Obama?
>>Historians ranked him 44 on the question of moral authority—which was almost directly tied to his impeachment.
Nope. They believed in Comeystain’s fake pee pee video and joked about it on late night tv.
>>The only thing the impeachments of President Trump prove is that this is the point when the federal government blatantly diverged from the will of The People. Up until this point, the divergence was mostly undercover and hidden.
Yep. More re-election votes than ANY other president in HISTORY.
If I recall, this C-Span poll was not done with American people but was a survey of history “professors” and “historians”. Since the majority of them seem to be of the Leftist persuasion, I give little credence to the poll or what it says about Trump’s long term legacy.
Trump impeachment will be viewed historically as a badge of honor.
2 sham impeachments show how low the democrats will go
And Mitch mcconnell should have sent the 1st impeachment right back to the house and said there’s no crimes there’s no crimes here
“But you can’t judge the Trump presidency without judging his character. It’s not just accomplishments. It’s also character.”
Well this is pure unadulterated BS! The presidency is a JOB and arguably the most important and stressful job ever created. It should be judged 95% on accomplishments and MAYBE 5% on things such as morality but unless convicted in an impeachment trial it ought not be considered any more than anyone indicted for anything and subsequently found not guilty is considered guilty.
Judged on his provable accomplishments he is imo the very best Chief Executive in my 79 yrs.The fact he accomplished so much mostly on his own and with many in his own Party either against him or not bothering to help him along with the entire Media against him makes his accomplishments all the more impressive.
Historians = Academia's left-wing nihilists.
Patriots and real historians will rank President Trump in the top ten.
Just like the phony impeachments, a low ranking from academia's left-wing nihilists is a badge of honor.
Impeach Clinton for defiling the Oral Office.
>Trump impeachment will be viewed historically as a badge of honor.
Brought to us courtesy of the Cancer of Pelosi, Democrats and Rino’s
There is more still yet to be told and “the rest of the story” will put all things and people in their proper places, Nancy Pelosi included.
For the sake of her soul, I hope she has made peace with Jesus instead of the one she offers her sacrifices to.
At some inner level, she’s gotta know she’s in trouble.
Indicates impeachment really is a scar on a president’s legacy.
Nope not no way BS it’s a badge of honor he he beat them at every move and they wasted over 40 million of tax payers money trying to do so and he’s still in huge demand to be president again.
For the bonus round the democrat party and media share the same grave.
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