undercooked casserole that went wrong early in the kitchen phase.

Way too many holdovers from Nixon's group, far too little in the way of vigorous engagement. Possibly he assumed he'd cruise to re-election. He was swiftly dispelled of that notion. It was a close election instead and when on election night northeast Ohio gave Carter the Buckeye State, Ford was on the phone to the movers.

Going way back, as bad as Franklin Pierce was politically, he was impressive personally. His White House tenure was complicated by both his own lack of political acumen and his wife's suffering over grief and behavioral difficulties. She refused to live in the White House with him, claiming that their young son's death by accident was God's punishment on their family for Pierce's seeking the presidency. After office, Pierce drank himself into alcoholic stupors and died in near-obscurity. George W. Bush, phone home.

With Harding as runner-up, I'd maybe choose James Buchanan from the entire list. One of the worst presidents ever across all grids, if not the very worst, at least up until Nixon-Reagan-Bush-Bush.

The modern-day Democratic Party is as far away from someone like James Buchanan as the modern-day Republicans are from Lincoln. It does feel as if the blue team is the one heading in the right direction.