Do Republican presidents have anything in common?

Let’s look at the following Republican Presidents and their accomplishments. You tell me if they have anything clearly in common.

Lincoln: First Republican President, freed the slaves, lead the United States to victory over slave-owning traitors in the Civil War, began system of land grant public colleges + universities,**

Theodore Roosevelt: progressive economic policies, established Food & Drug Administration to regulate food safety, regulated railroad rates, opposed monopolies as being inimical to the capitalist principles of free enterprise, established conservation movement, expanded national parks system, denounced the rich, supported unions, and supported a welfare state.

Dwight Eisenhower: Presided over strongest economy in human history, started largest public works program in human in history (Interstate Highway System), supported unions, sent National Guard in to southern states to enforce anti-segregation laws, supported a starkly progressive tax code (top marginal tax rate never dropped below 91%***).

Richard Nixon: most corrupt President until Trump, top marginal tax rate never dropped below 50%, established Environmental Protection Administration, established detente (a lowering of tensions in the relationship) with China and the USSR, first US President to visit China (“Only Nixon could go to China”), implemented first affirmative action program in US, proposed system of national health care reform, completed US withdrawal from Vietnam****, ended military draft.

Ronald Reagan: Massive cuts in taxes + increase military spending, nearly tripled national debt, war on organised labor (exemplified by his firing of the entire air traffic controllers’ union), lowered top marginal tax rate from 73% to 28%, raised taxed 4 times over his administration to make up for deficits created early in his administration, opened frank discussions with USSR leader Mikhael Gorbachev, arms race with USSR created by increase in US military spending hastened inevitable collapse of USSR under following administration.

George H. W. Bush: last WWII veteran to serve as President, led wide international coalition to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait, pushed for tax increase to fix damage done to US economy by 8+ years of unfunded tax funds, in office when USSR and Eastern Bloc collapsed, efforts to establish good relations with new post-communist regimes in eastern Europe.

George W. Bush: return to unfunded tax cuts evaporated budget surpluses created by previous ~10 years of relative fiscal responsibility, invaded Iraq under false pretenses and without the wide international coalition assembled by his father, poor economic planning (combined with overturning of Glass-Steagal Act of 1933+) set scene for worst economic crash since Great Depression.

Donald J. Trump: most corrupt Presidential administration in US history (11 associates arrested, 547 visits as President to his own properties, 328 trips to his own gold courses, 215 criminal indictments), kowtowed to Russian dictator Putin, unfunded tax cuts after relative boom under Obama administration pumped economy and stock market, but left few tools remaining aside from more extreme deficit spending, economy shrunk under his administration, ineffective response to COVID-19 crisis directly or indirectly resulted in 1+ million dead Americans, openly courted support from white supremacists, encouraged and supported attempted coup against elected government after losing 2020 reelection bid.++

Frankly, I don’t see a common thread going through these Presidents.

—-

** Yes, I give Lincoln, arguably the most important President in US history, the shortest list of accomplishments. That’s because the accomplishments he did have were SO massive that they overwhelm anything else he could possibly have done.

*** the top marginal rate means the rate paid on money earned over the given amount. It does not mean that the rich paid a 91% tax rate on all their income.

**** Ending Vietnam, ironically, after his manipulation of the peace negotiations to delay the signing of a treaty extended the war for just long enough to guarantee that Nixon would defeat Vice President Humphrey in the 1968 Presidential Election.

+ Glass-Steagal made it illegal prevented banks from commercial banks from investing deposited funds in speculative markets to protect depositors from potential losses.

++ Yes, 1/6 was an attempted coup. Denying this doesn’t change it, but merely demonstrated ignorance.

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