Editing Warren G. Harding (section)

===Reassessment===
In historical rankings of the U.S. presidents during the decades after his term in office, Harding was often rated among the worst. However, in recent decades, some authors and historians have begun to reassess the conventional views of Harding's historical record in office.<ref name=Robenalt13Aug /><ref name="Reputation">{{cite journal |url=http://www.independent.org/pdf/tir/tir_21_01_02_pecquet-thies.pdf |title=Reputation Overrides Record: How Warren G. Harding Mistakenly Became the 'Worst' President of the United States |last1=Pecquet |first1=Gary M. |last2=Thies |first2=Clifford F. |journal=[[The Independent Review]] |publisher=[[Independent Institute]] |volume=21 |date=Summer 2016 |issn=1086-1653 |pages=29–45 }}</ref> In ''The Spoils of War'' (2016), [[Bruce Bueno de Mesquita]] and Alastair Smith place Harding first in a combined ranking of fewest wartime deaths and highest annual per capita income growth during each president's time in office.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Spoils of War |last1=Bueno de Mesquita |first1=Bruce |last2=Smith |first2=Alastair |page=255 |year=2016 |publisher=PublicAffairs}}</ref>

Murray argued in his book ''The Harding Era'' that Harding deserves more credit than historians have given: "He was certainly the equal of a [[Franklin Pierce]], an [[Andrew Johnson]], a [[Benjamin Harrison]], or even a Calvin Coolidge. In concrete accomplishments, his administration was superior to a sizable portion of those in the nation's history."{{sfn|Murray 1969|p=536}}

Murray notes some general points regarding Harding's poor standing which illustrate the relatively obscure and weak basis for negative critiques of Harding in general. Namely, the conventional views often entail omission of an actual critique or analysis of Harding's actions, and often consist of a relatively limited and arbitrary focus on the nature of Harding's appointees, to the omission and detriment of a broader analysis of larger historical facts. Murray states:
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In the American system, there is no such thing as an innocent bystander in the White House. If Harding can rightly claim the achievements of a Hughes in State or a Hoover in Commerce, he must also shoulder responsibility for a Daugherty in Justice and a Fall in Interior. Especially must he bear the onus of his lack of punitive action against such men as Forbes and Smith. By his inaction, he forfeited whatever chance he had to maintain the integrity of his position and salvage a favorable image for himself and his administration. As it was, the subsequent popular and scholarly negative verdict was inevitable, if not wholly deserved.{{sfn|Murray 1969|p=536}}
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