Your Favorite President

[mrmitchell]

Just as long as you don't start "reminiscing for the good old days", Diss.

[Dis]

the good ole' days were great! except for the racism and sexism

[Sava]

Originally posted by Dissident
great picks Sava, but I disagree the best is yet to come. I just don't think the politicians of today have what it takes to be great leaders.

Just take a look at the leadership of the democratic party. The republican party is just as bad, but they just so happend to have someone in the white house.

I honestly believe that the quality of americans has gone down since years past. Esp. with regards to integrity and leadership skills.

By future, I mean like 20 years from now... both parties are beyond corrupt. The next generation will step up.

[Soul Survivor]

1. Jefferson
2. T. Roosevelt
3. Eisenhower, it would probably be Nixon if not for one mishap

[David Floyd]

I can't name a single President who I can call "good", with a clear conscience. I would say I prefer Calvin Coolidge over most, though.

[Deity Dude]

Before I answer, I just wonder why the years were broken up they way they were. 1790-2003 is 213 years. Divide that by 3 and you get 3, 71 year periods. So why not 1790-1861 1861-1932 1932-2003. Having said that, I'll answer the question as asked.

1) Washington (put just about any of his contemporaries in his position and we'd be a monarchy today)

2) T. Roosevelt

3) Reagan

Now how about the worst for each of those periods.

[Jaguar]

Overall: FDR

Lincoln
FDR
Eisenhower

[orange]

Best
1790-1877 Washington
1878-1945 Wilson
1946-2003 LBJ

Worst
1790-1877 Adams
1878-1945 Harding
1946-2003 Reagan

So he starts a war with Mexico, steals a bunch of land, and we applaud his efforts....

I'm thrilled such belligerent men are held in such high esteem...

The thing about Polk is, he was honest. These are the things he ran on...aquisition of Texas and the Oregon territory being the big ones...and then he didn't run for another term even though he could have with ease after promising he wouldn't before being elected in the first place. As far as honesty goes, I think that's pretty damn good.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Dom Pedro II


So he starts a war with Mexico, steals a bunch of land, and we applaud his efforts....

I'm thrilled such belligerent men are held in such high esteem...

It was good land.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Soul Survivor
1. Jefferson
2. T. Roosevelt
3. Eisenhower, it would probably be Nixon if not for one mishap

My choices exactly, and for the same reasons.

[Sikander]

Oh, and Kennedy has to rate as one of the worst presidents of the modern era, making the pathetic hero worship of him (especially when I was a kid) all the more ironic / moronic.

[Sikander]

And those of you who think Franklin d'Elanor Roosevelt got us out of the depression are wrong. He made a whole series of mistakes both early and late that actually prolonged it. World War Two ended the depression in the United States, ten years after Roosevelt was elected. Bush Sr. was tossed out of office because of a 1 quarter long recession (well that and a monkey eared Texan siphoning off votes and I don't mean George Jr.) to put Roosevelt's economic performance in perspective.

[mrmitchell]

Before I answer, I just wonder why the years were broken up they way they were. 1790-2003 is 213 years. Divide that by 3 and you get 3, 71 year periods. So why not 1790-1861 1861-1932 1932-2003. Having said that, I'll answer the question as asked.

1790 - 1876 is America all the way up to Reconstruction. 1877 - 1945 is that weird time in between then and the major part of the Cold War. 1946 - 2003 is "Post World War II", a common era breakage used to study, say, economic trends. Of course, there could be more divisions, but there is a need to keep it simple, or else we'll have all the phDs running out and crushing us all.

Worst
1790 - 1876...probably John Adams (either one of them.) I seem to think of them as real politicised bastards.
1877 - 1945...odd. None of the Presidents of this period tend to stand out as asses.
1946 - 2003...Reagan. He gets way too much credit for really not doing much more than being an old fart with occasional blurts about the USSR. Also, without him, we wouldn't be able to call it "Reaganomics".

(Nixon might be as bad, but a lot of good jokes are at him. Bush also ain't all that great, but while it's possible, I'd like this thread to stay simple. Bushbashing always takes a lot of hard thinking )

And those of you who think Franklin d'Elanor Roosevelt got us out of the depression are wrong. He made a whole series of mistakes both early and late that actually prolonged it. World War Two ended the depression in the United States, ten years after Roosevelt was elected.

Roosevelt championed a lot of economic reforms that had not been seriously thought of before. Without them, we'd have had another Great Depression by now, or a lot of honest decent hardworking people would be screwed over in some way or other.

Oh, and Kennedy has to rate as one of the worst presidents of the modern era, making the pathetic hero worship of him (especially when I was a kid) all the more ironic / moronic.

You're kidding, aren't you?

[orange]

stood up to that racist Southern governor and paved the way for integration

Reluctantly...

As for the Kennedy comments from Sikander, I wholeheartedly agree

[Sava]

I think Kennedy showed great leadership and had a distinct progressive vision. I would rate him as the second best 1946-2003 president.