Overated?

There are lots of "greatest" and "best" lists. They can range from "greatest Presidents" to "best all-time baseball players." They are fun to make and read and can spark lively discussion. And some of them can be thoughtful, if one considers factors going into the determination. But what about a "most overrated" list, say, of Americans? I'm not certain I've seen one of these, although I'm sure some exist. Hmmm..... And how about a "most underrated" list? For now, let's consider just "most overrated" Americans. There are probably lots from which to choose. And there are many reasons for such overrated status. Perhaps a person is his/her own greatest publicist, tooting one's own horn. Although he wouldn't be on my list of "overrated" people, William Henry Harrison represents such a self-promoting sort. At the Battle of Tippecanoe vs the army of Tecumseh (although he wasn't there and had left his men under the command of his brother, Tenkshatawana, with explicit instructions not to engage the Americans), the tide turned first one way and then the other. In the end, at best the battle was a draw, with no clear-cut winner, neither side really gaining any advantage. But the politician in Harrison yelled first and loudest, "I won! I won! I won!" It worked and about thirty years later he rode "Tippecanoe" (and Tyler, too!) into the White House. (But he only served a month, catching pneumonia or some sort of bug while delivering his Inaugural Address. He died 30 days later, the first President to die in office and the one who served the shortest term.) Others don't have to be their own publicists. The media and academics do that for them. Immediately coming to mind is Barack Obama. He could do no wrong. In fact, has he ever done anything wrong? Obamacare and its debacle, not to mention that a majority of people didn't favor it? His foreign policy gaffes? Hey, he won the Nobel Peace Prize! (For doing what?) Circumventing/Subverting the Constitution and legislative system? ("I have a phone and I have a pen" or something like that.) Blatant lies? No, he could do no wrong and will likely go down as a top-flight President. Here are a handful of my "overrated Americans." Always on my list of "overrated" is John Kennedy. I do admit my views on him have softened somewhat over the years, if only a little. It's not just his lack of morality. But ask what exactly did he accomplish? He did, admittedly, inspire Americans to do more than they thought they could. That's not a small thing and I have come to appreciate it more than I once did. "Put a man on the moon?" Is he crazy? The Peace Corps and Vista? But concrete achievements are rare, at least positive ones. He was weak on civil rights. In foreign affairs, how about the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Berlin Wall? Other than getting assassinated, what did he do that Americans really remember? Kennedy is often identified by the man on the street as "a great President." When pushed to explain why he was "great," in the end what emerges was that he was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald. The assassination created a legend, a myth. Franklin Roosevelt is an enigma for me. He surely was an influential President. If that makes him "great," well, so be it. To me, his achievements were largely harmful, if not in the short-run (and surely some were), certainly in the long-run. Yet, frequently he is selected as one of the three "greatest" Presidents. Check your kids' US History textbooks. They are practically hagiographies when it comes to FDR. Try to explain, with facts on your side, to someone that Roosevelt's New Deal really didn't end the Depression. These are the sources of the overrating of Franklin Roosevelt. He didn't necessarily toot his own horn, but fawning (and I think short-sighted) historians did. An early example of an American being overrated is Patrick Henry. "Give me liberty or give me death!" Words that might have moved a lot of people. "...if this be treason, make the most of it!" Well, not exactly. After breaking for the noon time meal, he was convinced it might be a good idea to return to the House of Burgesses and apologize, that is, take it back since it might be considered treasonous. But other than that, what did Henry do? He wasn't a soldier. He didn't write pamphlets. He didn't sign the Declaration of Independence and opposed ratification of the Constitution (thinking it created a government that was too strong, not a terribly wrong idea at the time). But should we lump him with Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, et al? Douglas MacArthur? Paul Revere? Woodrow Wilson? Lots of others come to mind, too. Who are your most "overrated Americans?"