Dean on Harding

I am always pleased to see books or articles on Warren G. Harding with lines like, Dean makes a convincing case that Harding has gotten a bum rap - he was not the best President, but surely not the worst. There is breathing room here, a long overdue concession to poor old Warren.

Dean gives Harding some credit: Bureau of the Budget (which he scoffs at, but it was a major and influential administrative reform), Washington Naval Conference, the little-known Birmingham civil rights speech of 1921 (Harding was the only president to give such a speech between Lincoln and Kennedy, and was a sharp departure from Wilson).

There should be more, particularly in economics. Harding's choice of Andrew Mellon for Treasury secretary was brilliant. Harding and Mellon cut taxes and spending, set the stage for the genuine economic recovery of the 20s, and were inspirational examples to later supply-siders in the Reagan years. At one point in that decade Mellon was hailed as the greatest Treasury secretary since Alexander Hamilton.

So, I'll take what I can get. I blogged a bit on Harding last spring and summer, and I am not sure I'll add more now. Dean does seem to offer some hope.