I'm typing today's entry on the same day that FBI Director James Comey confirmed, under oath, that the Bureau is in the midst of an investigation into connections between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. The Director confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election in an attempt to hurt Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump. What the FBI is trying to determine is whether or not connections between Trump campaign and Russia were benign or if there was collusion. Suddenly, the many scandals of the Harding administration don't look so bad.
Warren Harding has long had a place near the bottom of presidential rankings. The well-liked former newspaper man was popular in his day. A Senator from the all important state of Ohio, Harding came to office pledging a "return to normalcy." After 20 years of groundbreaking progressive reform, international intervention, and a War to End All Wars. Americans were in a conservative mood and Harding seemed to be the man for time. The Roaring 20s were a time of corporate greed and bootleg liquor. The decade saw the revitalization of the KKK, harsh anti-immigrant policies, and the United States willingly stepping aside, abandoning its place as a world leader. Come to think of it, perhaps President Harding would have fit in rather well in our time? As it turns out, Warren Harding was indeed a man for the 1920s, and that was part of his problem. Despite the recent passage of the 18th Amendment, which prohibited to manufacture and sale of alcohol, Harding made sure that his White House would be a place where intoxicants would remain on the menu. In addition to drinking, Harding regularly hosted gambling parties at the executive mansion, famously losing a set of White House china in a game of poker. Perhaps such behavior seems below someone holding the office of President of the United States, however Harding was simply playing the same political games that had won his support early in his career. During the early twentieth century, a great many political deals were brokered in smoke-filled rooms by ambitious white men with scotch in hand; why change one's behavior when in the White House? Unfortunately, as suited as Warren Harding may have been at playing the games necessary to broker deals, win support, and elections, he proved to be wholly unsuited for the most important quality needed to be a successful President: leadership. Leadership requires far more than deal making and business acumen, it requires character. In this field, Harding struggled. Warren Harding has recently made news because his infamous, long rumored, womanizing was proven to be true. In recent years, a series of love letters between the former president and one of his (several) mistresses was made public. Late night comics had a field day with Harding's letters. The 29th President's writing style was less Romeo and Juliet and more Fifty Shades of Grey. President Harding's personal indulgences aside, issues of far more consequence have forever tarnished his short presidency. Just over two years into his term, President Harding embarked on a cross country speaking tour. While on the West Coast, Harding became ill and was rushed to a San Francisco hotel to recuperate. A few days into his stay, suffering from various ailments, Harding suffered a fatal heart attack. The popular President was widely mourned and the nation was genuinely shocked. However, the period of mourning would quickly pass as the public became aware of several earth-shattering political scandals and news of Harding's affairs surfaced. Two scandals that occurred on Harding's watch were two of the biggest in the history of the United States. The first involved the director of Veteran's Bureau, Charles R. Forbes, who defrauded the federal government out of tens of thousands of dollars meant earmarked for providing care for WWI veterans. Forbes was sent to federal prison for his role in the scandal. The scandal known as Teapot Dome was Watergate long before Watergate. The Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall illegally leased naval oil reserves at Teapot Dome, WY to two oil companies. In exchange for allowing the oil companies access to the reserves, Fall accepted a bribe of roughly $400,000. Albert Fall became the first cabinet member to be sent to prison for crimes committed in while in office. There is no evidence that Harding personally had knowledge or profited from any of the scandals that ruined his reputation. Warren Harding surrounded himself with notorious men of dubious intentions. When it comes to the presidency, ignorance is rarely an excuse. Harding's lack of character and poor judgement created an environment when high ranking members of the administration felt that they could get away with unethical and illegal activities. Considering two of these activities involved disrespecting veterans and putting our nation's security at risk in order to make a profit, the nation's disgust is understandable. These scandals, coupled with economic and foreign policies that would prove to be disastrous within the next decade, doomed Harding's presidency. Had Harding lived, perhaps he could have weathered the political storms that sunk his presidency postmortem. Sadly, there would be no explanation, there would be no attempt to make a amends, and hold his associates accountable for their crimes. For the sins of his associates, Warren Harding's presidency will be forever be considered a failure. Harding was President during a period when the nation experienced, what would prove to be, the second biggest political scandal in history...at least, for now.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Derek Trent AshcraftA place to discuss, among other things, politics, culture, food, faith, and nonsense. Archives
July 2021
Categories |