# A Presidents' Day Reflection By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-02-19 Given that it is a Presidential election year, spending this Presidents' Day reflecting on what characteristics make for a "good" President might be beneficial. At the outset, policy should be taken off the table for consideration. Policy considerations reflect the political party to which a given President belongs and not a personal characteristic of the President oneself. With policy put aside, it is now possible for those who are Republicans to acknowledge Democratic Presidents as being good and those who are Democrats to recognize Republican Presidents as being good. Political Party has nothing to do with it, as there are good and bad Presidents from both parties. To make a list of "good" Presidents, it is helpful to have attributes on which to assess the candidates. Perhaps the first test for a good President is one's ability to transcend party and unite the country. Good Presidents are unifying; bad Presidents are divisive. The next test is whether a President puts the nation's needs above one's own. One might consider a multitude of elements; meeting a defining challenge, providing solace during tragedy, and inspirational, responsible, respectful, and diplomatic are just a few. The list of good Presidents might differ from the list of Presidents one likes. This is likely due, in part, to the role of policy. One's attitudes about authority also influence it. Often, our Presidential elections are either an incumbent against a challenger or between two people who have never held the position. Typically, there is ambiguity about how one or both candidates would be in the position. This is an odd year as the election is shaping up between two people who have already performed in the position. All indications are that both candidates will perform worse in the second term than in the first. Often, when the decision comes down to picking between the lesser of two evils, it is presented as a close call or a difficult decision. This one isn't. Between an increasingly feeble and addled individual and an anti-democratic, authoritarian narcissist, who also happens to be increasingly feeble and addled, it's a relatively clear choice. Neither inspires confidence. Only one is an existential threat to the democratic foundation of our country. There is an irony that a group of people who drape themselves in the American flag and claim to love our country and constitution are following one of the most un-American candidates in our nation's history. #### Related Items [[American]] [[Election]] [[Democracy]] [[Politics]] [[Policies]] [[Leadership]] [[Freedom]] [[Value]]