Yet again people are chatting about how Secretary Clinton is the “most qualified” person to run for President . . . ever. Today in my social media feed the junior senator from California commented on her qualifications. Her qualifications are certainly better than President Obama’s before he took office or Abraham Lincoln before he was elected, but saying she is the most qualified person ever?
She ranks (at best) in the middle of the pack if she were to be elected. We shan’t judge success in office, just relevant qualifications before taking office. Since I have made this case in prose, let me put it in an easy to read chart that might illuminate even the darkness of political minds.
Clinton has served as a lawyer, eight years as First Lady, eight years in the Senate, and four years as Secretary of State under President Obama. It is hard to judge how much “being” First Lady counts. She was active at first, but after the “Hillary Care” failure where her overhaul of the medical insurance system failed she was not as active.
She has higher than average qualifications, but not outstanding qualifications by historical standards. She is no more qualified than Governor Kasich, though plainly more experienced than Mr. Trump or Senator Cruz.
Less Qualified than Mrs. Clinton Before Taking Office
Abraham Lincoln: political philosopher, US Congress
Chester A. Arthur: Vice President briefly, lawyer, quartermaster of NY militia, collector for the ports of NY.
Benjamin Harrison: Senator, officer in the Civil War.
Woodrow Wilson: Governor of New Jersey, President of Princeton University.
Warren G. Harding: US Senator, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio.
Herbert Hoover: US Secretary of Commerce, global activist and humanitarian
Franklin Roosevelt: Governor of New York, Assistant Secretary of Navy, NY State Senate
Harry S. Truman: Vice President of the United States briefly, US Senate, judge.
John F. Kennedy: US Senate, US Congress, officer in World War II.
Gerald R. Ford: Vice-President of the United States briefly. US Congress, House Minority leader.* This is a close call as Mr. Ford had a very solid House career.
Jimmy Carter: Governor of Georgia, naval officer, Georgia Senate.
Ronald Reagan: Governor of California.* This is a close call. Reagan was a consequential governor of a very large state, California, for eight years.
Bill Clinton: Governor of Arkansas, Attorney General of Arkansas.
George W. Bush: Governor of Texas.
Barack Obama: US Senator, Illinois State Legislature.
Equally Qualified as Mrs. Clinton
Martin Van Buren: Vice-President of the United States for four years, Secretary of State for three years, state legislator.
Zachary Taylor: General and major commander in the Mexican-American War.
Millard Fillmore: Vice President of of the United States (briefly), helped found a college, major in NY militia, NY State Legislature, US Congress for ten years, NY State Comptroller.
Franklin Pierce: US Congress, US Senate, brigadier general in the Mexican American War, state legislature, US attorney for New Hampshire.
James Buchanan: Ambassador, US Congress, US Senate, Secretary of State for four years.
Rutherford B. Hayes: Governor of Ohio for three terms, US Congress, major general in the Civil War. I think this is a close call.
James A. Garfield: US Congress for eighteen years, Civil War general, president of a college.
Grover Cleveland: Governor of New York, mayor, sheriff. This is a close call. Cleveland may be less qualified than Secretary Clinton.
William McKinley: Governor of Ohio, officer in the Civil War, US Congress.
William Howard Taft: Secretary of War for four years, military governor of Cuba and the Philippines, judge US Court of Appeals, US Solicitor General.
Calvin Coolidge: Vice President of the United States, governor of Massachusetts, lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, president and member of the Massachusetts Senate.
Lyndon Johnson: Vice-President of the United States, US Senate, Senate Majority Leader, US Congress
Plainly More Qualified than Mrs. Clinton
George Washington: Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, farmer, senior officer in French and Indian War, presided over the Constitutional Convention . . .
John Adams: eight years as Vice-President under George Washington, major thinker and intellectual behind the American Revolution, delegate to the Continental Congress, peace treaty with Great Britain, primary author of the Massachusetts state constitution. . .
Thomas Jefferson: Vice President of the United States for four years, primary author of the Declaration of Independence, governor of Virginia for two years, member of the Continental Congress, inventor, farmer, diplomat, political philosopher . . .
James Madison: Secretary of State for eight years, a leading author of the Constitution, Virginia House of Delegates, Continental Congress, member of House of Representatives, drafted Bill of Rights . . .
James Monroe: Secretary of State for eight years, service in the Revolutionary War, Continental Congress, US Senator, ambassador who helped secure the Louisiana Purchase. . .
John Q. Adams; Secretary of State for eight years, ambassador, political philosopher and professor, Massachusetts legislature, United States Senate for five years.
Andrew Jackson: US Senator for two years, US House of Representatives, general and victor of the Battle of New Orleans.
William Henry Harrison: ambassador for two years, United States Congress (NW Territories), governor of Indiana Territory, US Congress, US Senate, military commander.
John Tyler: briefly Vice President, Virginia state legislature, governor, US Congress, US Senate.
James K. Polk: Governor of Tennessee for two years, US Congress, Speaker of the House for four year, officer in the US army. This is a close call, but I moved Mr. Polk up due to the importance of his service in the House (as compared to Mrs. Clinton’s Senate career) and executive experience.
Andrew Johnson: Vice-President briefly, mayor, Tennessee House and Senate, US Congress, US Senate, Governor of Tennessee,
US Grant: Commanding General of the US Army and hero of the Civil War, served in the Mexican American War. Grant’s wartime service was extraordinary and he managed one of the largest military forces in human history up to that time.
Theodore Roosevelt: Vice-President of the United States for a short time, major author, social reform leader, NY State Legislature, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, US office in the Spanish-American War, reforming Governor of New York. *This is a close call given the very young age at which Roosevelt became President, but the outstanding accomplishments in every job he held justify the placement.)
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II, Army Chief of Staff, governor of occupied Germany, president of Columbia University.
Richard M. Nixon: Vice-President of the United States for eight years, US Senate, US House.
George H.W. Bush: Vice-President of the United States for eight years, Director of CIA, ambassador to China, chair of RNC, US Congress, military officer.
The notion that Mrs. Clinton is “most experienced’ or has a mind blowing resume is apt only when compared to our last two successful candidates. The job of governor of Texas (George W. Bush) and a partial term in the Senate (Barack Obama) were weaker qualifications. She is more qualified than her husband was to take office, though arguably has less executive experience than Ronald Reagan. Secretary Clinton certainly is less qualified than George HW Bush or Richard Nixon for the office she seeks.
Hillary Clinton may seem more qualified than she is to less historically aware readers, because our recent successful candidates have been less qualified with the exception of successful reelections of incumbents.
Year Winner Loser
2012 Obama Romney Most qualified (incumbent) wins.
2008 Obama McCain Least qualified candidate wins.
2004 Bush Kerry Most qualified (incumbent) wins.
2000 Bush Gore Least qualified candidate wins.
1996 Clinton Dole Most qualified candidate (incumbent) wins
1992 Clinton Bush Least qualified candidate wins.
1988 Bush Dukakis Most qualified candidate wins.
1984 Reagan Mondale Most qualified (incumbent) candidate wins.
1980 Reagan Carter Least qualified candidate wins.
1976 Carter Ford Least qualified candidate wins.
I would rank qualifications for office for non-incumbents from last to most (with Hillary Clinton included) as follows :
Barack Obama
Mitt Romney
Bill Clinton
Michael Dukakis
John Kerry
George W. Bush
John McCain
Ronald Reagan
Hillary Clinton
Walter Mondale
Al Gore
George HW Bush
McCain had a very distinguished Senate career and military record. Reagan was a two term powerful governor of a big state. I think Reagan and McCain less qualified, but close to Hillary Clinton.
Qualifications for office do not spell electoral success!
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