Who was the worst president in U.S. history and why?

@royalblue1193 I was thinking of Carter a bit as well. Incredibly kind person, but otherwise...

@okaybut He continues to serve people today. Maybe too nice of a guy for politics?

@chrisCA Yes...could have been a bit too trusting of the good in people!

@royalblue1193 Carter struggled with an economy that had interest rates running around 15% per year. And he was criticized for running large deficits (even though his largest budget deficit was smaller than Reagan's smallest). But his calls for energy conservation were way ahead of his time. If the US had implemented the policies he outlined in his so-called "malaise speech", the US would have been energy independent by 1990, and we likely would not have gone to war with Iraq in 1991. I believe most historians have him rated toward the bottom of the middle third, and that sounds about right.

@okaybut I think many political leaders are just a victim of their times.

@chrisCA That is a good thought. I would agree