I think it's quite unfair, although not totally misleading, to describe King John's reign as a disaster. He didn't do a particularly good job admittedly, but the odds were certainly stacked against him! His brother almost bankrupted the kingdom in his wars in the East and France, engaging in military competitions with some of the most established and talented generals of the era. When he died, he left John with a financially pooped kingdom and French territories under attack by French king Philipe Auguste, the "Castle Breaker". The only man in Europe who stood any chance of halting the French invasion of the Angevin territory had been Richard who got himself killed, leaving John to fight it out with virtually no funding at all. John wasn't a completely terrible strategist but he was no match for Philipe, and when he completely ran out of money leaving him no choice but to raise taxes on the Barons, they almost unanimously decided to start a revolution against him!
The poor chap didn't stand a chance.
I still didn't vote for him though. Cry God for Harry, England and St George!