You’re right, Harding was better than FDR, and Coolidge beat FDR for V.P. on the Harding ticket. Harding at least understood his own limitations better than later holders of the office. And Harding had the lowest “misery index” of them all.
“And Harding had the lowest “misery index” of them all.”
That may be. But I haven’t see the misery index prior to 1948:
http://www.miseryindex.us/customindexbyyear.asp