There’s an old song, "I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know About Her," by Cecil A. Null.
It’s been covered by several recordings artist greats.
When it comes to American history, that’s the problem most Americans have today: we forgot, or never learned, far more than we know about where we have come from, and how we got here.
The general ignorance of our own nation’s history, and of what has made it great in the world, has made it easy for the Marxists of Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) to target our statues and monuments — that is — our past.
And not only our past, but our heroes, and our true sense of ourself.
Antifa and BLM have found willing accomplices in elected officials who are happy to appease them and take down the offending monument or statue, while doing nothing to stop them.
In this atmosphere, remembering is all important.
As Marxists are trying to force us to forget who we are and why monuments to these supposedly offensive people were constructed in the first place, it's all the more necessary and important for each and every American to make a concerted effort to become well-versed in American history.
This makes us ready with the truth whenever an Antifa thug or accomplice journalist declares that America is not worth defending, not worth preserving, and not worth saving.
The Antifa types (as well as the journalist) may be beyond redemption, but many of our fellow Americans who are confused amid this madness are not. That’s the principal reason why I found a new book, "Rating America's Presidents: An America-First Look at Who Is Best, Who Is Overrated, and Who Was An Absolute Disaster," so compelling.
"Rating America’s Presidents" is the latest from Robert Spencer, the prolific counter-jihad writer who has lately been somewhat diversifying his portfolio, writing frequently about American politics and history at PJ Media, FrontPage magazine, and the American Thinker.
The book is an examination of all 45 presidential administrations (that’s 44 presidents, with Grover Cleveland’s non-consecutive terms counted twice) from the standpoint of America First — not the racism and antisemitism with which this term has been unjustly associated, but employing the simple criterion of whether Americans were safer, more prosperous, and just as free or freer than they had been when the administration in question began as they were at its end.
This upends the conventional rankings of the presidents, virtually all of which are the work of left-leaning historians who value big government statism and strength-sapping internationalism above all things. It also provides an American history in its own way, tracing from one president to the other the things that made America stronger and greater, as well as the ongoing problems that began in some cases well over a century ago (think racism and its attendant ills) and still bedevil us.
As Spencer is a patriot who is firmly committed to Donald Trump’s proposition that an American president should be devoted to improving the lot of Americans, "Rating America’s Presidents" provides a useful resource to counter the prevailing and growing anti-Americanism of the left today.
One who reads this book will come away a fuller and deeper understanding of what made America great and why the nation is great. In these troubled times, few things could be more urgently needed.
The book is full of surprises as well.
I was prepared to read why George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were among the most effective and greatest of presidents, but Ulysses S. Grant and Warren G. Harding?
They’re usually classified among the failures, while Spencer rates them as near the top.
The reasons why are striking: in Grant’s case, it was because of his efforts to secure full civil rights for black Americans and eradicate the ongoing discrimination against them.
Imagine how different the political situation might be today if he had been successful.
And for his part, Harding rolled back regulations and taxes, in much the same way that Trump has done, and with the same result: an economic boom that benefited all Americans.
Harding also rejected the messianic internationalism of his predecessor Woodrow Wilson, whose vow that America must "make the world safe for democracy" set us on the disastrous path that has been followed now for nearly a century, of involvement in the affairs of other countries in order to provide them with good government and a stable infrastructure, while our own citizens suffer.
I didn’t agree with all the evaluations in "Rating America’s Presidents," and I expect that you won’t, either. Yet, it is persuasively argued throughout, as well as thought-provoking and entertaining.
Arming ourselves in the present culture war has seldom been this enjoyable.
Steve Gruber is a conservative talk show host with 25 affiliates in Michigan. "The Steve Gruber Show" launched in 2012 with just four affiliates and has grown into the most powerful name in talk radio across Michigan. Steve has been named "Best Morning Personality" by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters five years in a row. His conservative, common-sense philosophy was developed during his time growing up in rural Michigan. Steve's early career found him in several newsrooms including WILX, Lansing where he honed his investigative journalism and interviewing skills. He became the main news anchor of the station and before long was offered a job with NBC in Columbus, Ohio. While working for NBC, he covered the incredible launch of John Glenn, age 77, into space at Cape Canaveral, White Supremacists in Ohio, and the deadly game of selling prescription medication online. Steve was nominated for an Emmy in 2000. Read Steve Gruber's Reports — More Here.