I (Still) Like Ike

When weighing past presidents objectively and without partisan blinders, it would be difficult not to rate Eisenhower as the best in living memory.

If, and the 'if' is crucial, we judge presidents by what they accomplished and not by their resonance with partisan mythology, Eisenhower beats Kennedy, beats Reagan and even the mighty Bubba. But conservative types value ideology over accomplishment, dogma over pragmatism, so Ike doesn't pass the conservative greatness filter. To appeal to conservatives, you don't do stuff, you just talk about stuff instead.

But the 'Leave It To Beaver' Eisenhower era was the most prosperous, stable and enviable period in American history. The 50s made everyone want to be America. Back then, one spouse could work a 40-hour week and still afford a decent home to raise a family. And have a cool giant car with fins. The beleaguered middle-classes of today can only dream of the standard of living enjoyed by their grandparents while they struggle to keep the lights on at home and find a job. Things today suck. Things in the 50s generally didn't.

Ike's bullet list of accomplishments is awesome:

• Ended the Korean war


• Warned of the emerging 'military-industrial complex' and kept America at peace


• Started the space program


• Expanded social security


• Began the interstate highway system


• Sponsored and Signed the first civil rights bill passed since Reconstruction


• Balanced the Budget three times over


• Won WWII for f*ck's sake (though, admittedly, not as POTUS)

Because he was a nominal Republican who pretty much tossed a coin to decide which party to run for, the GOP 'thinkers' have never lauded Ike as an 'ideological warrior' like Reagan or Bush. And because he was a conservative, us liberals are loathe to acknowledge his greatness.

But to dismiss Eisenhower and revere comparative losers like Reagan and Kennedy shows how far from reality we've strayed. We should all still like Ike!