"W" is For "Wilson"

    

"W" is For "Wilson"

"Surprise!"

   

      Unless you've been living under a rock, many men have been accused of being the "worst president in American history."  Whether Biden, Carter, Obama or...Trump, there is no shortage of candidates.

    I disregard these claims for the most part because they are partisan-driven.  Besides, not enough time has passed for an accurate...uh...judgement.

    The judgement of history will...uh...judge who really is the worst.

Although...

    Eff, there must be a synonym for “judgement” and “judge.”  I really should buy a thesaurus.

    At any rate, a man who must be entered into the conversation for proper judgement (DAMMIT) as the worst has to be Woodrow Wilson.

    NOTE: I'm thinking you already gathered that.

"Whew!" 

Hey, don't get cocky.  I already wrote a "B' post. 
Trust me.  You suck, too.

    Thomas Woodrow Wilson, born December 28, 1856 in Staunton Virginia

Affectionately called "Woodie" in college,
he eschewed the "Thomas" moniker.

and was the 28^th President of the United States who served from 1913 to 1919.

    The 1912 election was relatively close and can be compared to the 1992 election.  In both, a third nominee split the vote (primarily Conservative) to hand the presidency to the Democrat.  In Wilson’s case, he defeated Republican William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt (who, butthurt, ran as the nominee for the "Bull Moose Party").  In 1992, George H.W. Bush’s bid for re-election was squashed by Bill Clinton (and H. Ross Perot).

    In any event, Woodie (that is kinda catchy) was the only Democratic president to serve during what’s known as the Progressive Era.

Guess who the first was.
HINT:  He carried a big stick.

"Stick?  Well, hello, Sailor!"

    He was the first Southerner to win the White House since 1848 and, in stereotypical fashion, promoted racial segregation in the federal bureaucracy.

    So...racist.

    He also opposed women’s suffrage.

    So...misogynist.

    In 1913, he created the Federal Reserve and, with it, the federal income tax.

    So...a “take your money” kind of dude.

    Unless you went to a Minnesota Learing Center, you’d know that something pretty significant was going on in Europe at the time.  Wilson railed against the international suicide going on over there (rightly) and campaigned on not taking the United States into a foreign war during the run up to the 1916 election (also rightly).

Yeah.  No kidding. 

    Well, he (again narrowly) won that contest and was sworn in early 1917.  In April, 1917, he asked for a declaration of war against Germany and the Central Powers.

    So, there’s that.  Bait and switch, anyone?

"Y'all really bought that 'No New Wars' thing, huh?"

    After Germany was defeated in 1918, he took his “Sanctimonious Tour, ‘19” on the road to Versailles.  There he presented his Fourteen Points to the Europeans, who really just wanted to punish TF out of the Kaiser.

"Look, I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of Saint Woodie." 
"Perhaps we can send him to go get lunch...?"

    NOTE:  My opinion, you understand, but their harsh treatment of the Germans set the stage for 1939.

    One of the Fourteen Points was a League of Nations, which Americans wanted no part of.  Wilson strenuously tried to convince Congress and his countrymen of the vital necessity of the League.

    To no avail.

    In October, 1919, no doubt exacerbated by his efforts, the President suffered a stroke which effectively torpedoed his presidency.  From that point, until Republicans won control of the presidency in 1920, his condition was kept quiet.  His day-to-day schedule was controlled by his physician and his wife, Edith.

Who was pretty scary-looking, to be honest.

    Edith has come under fire for acting as president.  But, at least she wasn’t accused of elder abuse like...well, you know who I’m talking about.

     Wilson died on February 3, 1924.

    Colored people weren’t invited to the funeral.