On January 20, 2009, while the country was inauguating another President, I wrote the following (updated, rearranged, recast to include Biden, Obama, Trump):
Presidents of my lifetime, ranked in terms of which ones I would most like to have dinner with: Biden, Nixon, Reagan, Bush II, Ford, Johnson, Bush I, Obama, Carter, Kennedy, Clinton, Eisenhower, Trump.
Vice Presidents that did not become President, ranked same way: Pence, Rockefeller, Cheney, Gore, Quayle, Humphrey, Harris, Mondale, Agnew.
President I would most expect to:
Leave a fat tip: Bush I
Leave no tip: Johnson
Understand Atlas Shrugged: Reagan
Misunderstand Atlas Shrugged: Trump
Have read the Bible: Kennedy
Have a well worn and tattered Bible on their desk: Ford
Write a hot check: Trump
Have a bad drug habit: Carter
Change his own oil: Bush II
Be a closet Communist: Eisenhower or Obama - tie
Have a glass of grape koolaid in his hand: Bush II
Have a gun in the glove box: Obama
Pass gas and blame his VP: Kennedy
Pass time as a short order cook at Denny’s: Ford
Cut me off in traffic: Eisenhower
Cut in line at Disney World: Clinton
Leave Denny’s with a pocketful of Sweet N Lo: Nixon
Best and Worst Presidents of my lifetime: Ford and Trump
Second Best and Worst Presidents of my lifetime Reagan and Carter
Best and Worst Vice Presidents of my lifetime: Pence and Agnew.
Some of these were close calls. Both Bushes had some wonderful accomplishments, as certainly did Clinton, Johnson and others. As for the dinner list, it had nothing to do with who I liked the most, more of who would I learn the most from and/or change my perspective on things. No one has seen more than President Biden.
I am writing this on day 51st of the war with Iran, so my perspective on the Trump Administration is tainted by a series of negative events. He has mocked my Saviour. Killed people in the Middle East. He has ridiculed the Church that Christ founded, the Catholic Church.
On the other hand, the stock market has reacted favorably to all this calamity and my personal wealth has increased a bit, which cannot help but tilt my greedy human view favorably his way. 24 hours from now this can all change, the tenor of the market is always unpredictable. The word of the President is also quite unreliable. While I am ashamed of this president as you likely are as well, I also feel sorry for him. A man deep in quicksand that he seems to like. So unhappy. No friends, isolated, without love. A miserable existence. My America is much better.
Some of my friends become better people as they age and some become worse. Surely he was a better man at age 7 and age 9 than at 79. May the Lord have mercy on us both.
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