The most infamous Presidents are, in this order:
- Richard Nixon
2. All the other infamous ones
All the other bad dead presidents have been dead too long. They’re all old men with beards and period clothes and some vague sense of the right period.
“I think he was in the late 1800s…” or, “He was either before Teddy or after, I don’t remember.”
I bet not many Americans would be able to tell you about James Buchanan’s presidency, let alone that he’s the guy before Lincoln (at least we have wikipedia…) and was wrapped up in some bad stuff, the Dred Scott decision among them. He used his influence to shift the balance of the Court towards a pro-South decision.
Andrew Jackson has become more infamous, but he’s also still on the $20 bill you wish you carried more often in your wallet. No one in the Modern era (post-FDR) qualifies. Even the most ardent Reagan haters have to agree that he’s justifiably revered by his party. And the most conservative Republicans has to understand the appeal of the Clinton-era.
Nixon is infamous. And Trump *will* be too. It’s never happened with so much attention and access to the action. And never has their been a stronger team of lawyers assembled. Mueller and Comey know how to play this game better than anyone. They — and the rest of the ensemble — have gone after New York mafia, Colombia drug cartels, and al-Qaeda. They know how this works.
While the rest of us are glued to our phones, at least we know we’ll get those dopamine shots we crave as this conflict develops.