Every 72 Years (or so...)

I've been obsessed lately with a wikipedia page titled Historical Rankings of United States Presidents. It compiles 13 surveys (ranging from 1948 to 2009) that rank US Presidents from best to worst. What's interesting is that all the surveys more or less agree with one another. While the names in the middle tend to shift around (true to character, Nixon is particularly shifty), the edges of the list don't change much. James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson have staked their claims as our worst Presidents so far.

Mr. Bushmore (made by me)

Conversely, there is a strong consensus that Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Franklin Roosevelt are our desert island, top three favorite Presidents of all time. I like them as a trio because they each represent a different century. How balanced! More importantly, each of their presidencies served as a fulcrum in American history. No doubt this is why they are considered so great. Each took office in a time of great unrest and doubt. But the times didn't just define their presidencies. They became the stewards of these shifts in our country's narrative. They facilitated change.

There are some obvious parallels to the current political climate. Obama has already been compared to Lincoln ad nauseum (FDR to a lesser extent). What's interesting is the timing. If we look at when these Presidents took office...

1788- George Washington

72 years later...

1860- Abraham Lincoln

72 years later...

1932- Franklin Roosevelt

72 years later...

2004- George W Bu... Wait! WHAT?!? (record needle scratching)

make that 76 years later...

2008- Barack Obama

Okay, so the years between FDR and Obama aren't exactly the same as Lincoln-FDR and Washington-Lincoln. Admittedly, my point is a little less sexy as a result. But I still think it's an interesting idea that every 72 years (or so) our country is ripe for a sea change. I imagine you can feel it in the air much like people said they could this past November. In those moments, we elect someone who both shapes this transformation and has their image shaped by it. They become the symbol.

And how do we comemorate the symbols of change? We make them the symbols... of change...