Rating the Presidents: The Best and the Worst

Ranking the presidents has been called the ultimate parlor game. Indeed, Americans have a penchant for ranking all things. But there are some unique challenges to rating presidential performance. In this program, we will explore the creation of the presidency by the Framers and the challenges of the office, take an insider’s look at the polls by leading historians that rank the presidents, and share some stories behind the greatest (and failed) presidents.

This lecture will close with a discussion of the debates that surround the president ranking polls and the lessons learned from success and failure in the White House.