The Lamest Duck
President James Buchanan often is found near or at the top of the list of worst presidents. He is accused of standing by and letting the Civil War begin. Seven southern states left the Union on his watch, but he had already been voted out of office when South Carolina left. Six were to follow before Lincoln was inaugurated in March. During that time Buchanan believed he lacked the constitutional authority to act with force, and as a lame duck, he lacked the confidence of the populace. A similar situation arose when Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1932: the public had repudiated the policies of Herbert Hoover, but there were four long months of a mounting financial crisis before the president-elect could change course.
Beginning in 1934, the 20th amendment shortened the lame duck period by changing the inauguration from March 4 to January 20.
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