The worse U.S. President

[Imran Siddiqui]

[Ramo]

I've been avoiding making this post, but I'm stuck on my paper right now, so I might as well get this done.

Also anyone who says that Washington,

The Whiskey Tax, crushing the Whiskey Rebellion, the Fugitive Slave Act, the Bank of the US, taking Amerindian lands (particularly in Indiana and North Carolina), etc.

Jefferson,

Giving France the go-ahead to conquer Haiti and streaching the Constitution, continuing Washington's Amerindian policies, etc..

Madison,

Taking tons of Amerindian lands in the War of 1812 and starting the First Seminole War.

Jackson,

Ditto with the Trail of Tears, and the Second Seminole War. Also, refusing to allow South Carolina to nullify the tariff of abominations.

Lincoln,

The draft, the suspension of habeas corpus, tons of corporate welfare to railroads and canal companies, the Homestead Act, the Morrell Tariffs, the use of federal troops in the breaking of strikes, the massacre of amerindians, and the lack of will to do anything substancial for black liberty.

Grant,

Huge amounts of corruption, high protective tariffs, and lots of corporate welfare.

TR,

A protectionist, one of the most imperialistic presidents; it fought a nasty war in the Philippines (where the US had concentration camps), the take-over of the Panama Canal, helping Mexico crush a bunch of strikers, intervened in Cuba, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and later Panama again, he criminalized dissenting opinions on the home front (anarchism), etc.

[quote] Wilson,[/qutoe]

Another big imperialist; he intervened in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Haiti, Guatemala, and Honduras (many of these multiple times or a continuous occupation), and the intervention in the Russian counter-revolution, he helped to popularize the KKK, and did nothing as their power reached dangerous heights, the Espionage Act, the Draft, and the mismanagement of Versailles, more strike-breaking with the army - this time in Colorado.

FDR,

Lots of crazy authoritarian stuff with regards to labor relations (good thing a lot of it was struck down by SCOTUS), large increases in government authority, the Smith Act, the Draft, and large numbers of nasty things done in WW II (firebombing civilian cities, for instance).

JFK,

Bay of Pigs, Laos, Vietnam... And he was a civil rights reacionary, big authoritarian, ****ed up the Cuban Missile Crisis, ranted about the missile gap when he knew it didn't exist, lots of corporate welfare, etc. I completely agree with what Sikander wrote about him.

or Reagan will need strong proof to convince me that they were generally bad presidents.

A number of bloody imperialistic interventions including Nicaragua and El Salvador, big authoritarian, crushed labor, had big increases in regressive taxes (social security taxes), lots of corporate welfare, deficit spending on crap, etc.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Originally posted by Sikander
As my knowledge of 19th century U.S. presidents is not the best, I'll have to give a qualified vote to JFK. Drug-addicted, sex-addicted, brought the use of assassination as a tool of U.S. Foreign policy into the arsenal (and used it more than any other president), started down the road to Vietnam, slept with a known Soviet spy, brought the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to the brink of nuclear war over a trifle, which ultimately led to the downfall of the relatively moderate Khruschev regime and the return of Stalinist leadership in the Soviet Union for another 25 years. In addition he brought the notion of a president as a television personality and even a sex symbol into being, assuring that the general decline in literacy and civic awareness and the increase in triviality brought on by television would be extended into politics with a vengeance. Also, he was lukewarm on civil rights, and corrupt. Definitely the worst president in my lifetime.

Couldn't agree more (except for the 'in my lifetime' part )

Nuclear brinksmanship alone would earn him my vote.

[ZoboZeWarrior]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
How was that a bad thing?

Guess...

[NeOmega]

Originally posted by Ramo
I've been avoiding making this post, but I'm stuck on my paper right now, so I might as well get this done.



The Whiskey Tax, crushing the Whiskey Rebellion, the Fugitive Slave Act, the Bank of the US, taking Amerindian lands (particularly in Indiana and North Carolina), etc.



Giving France the go-ahead to conquer Haiti and streaching the Constitution, continuing Washington's Amerindian policies, etc..

Because power corrupts and Government is inherently evil, (Jefferson said this) I will agree with most of these premises......

However-
Only Person killed in the Whiskey Rebellion was a federal officer. Two rebels were charged with treason, but Washington pardoned them.

Also, the bank of the U.S. was something my personal favorite president, Thomas Jefferson, fought hard to beat. Hamilton and his Federalists got their way.

Jefferson IMO was the greatest President, and

I am not an apologist for conquering American Indian "lands". The USA made a much more efficient use of the land, and fed more people than the Indians.

[Seeker]

I'll add my voice to the chorus of 'Where's Reagan?"s

I love what Gorbachev says about Reagan in his memoirs.

BTW, Imran must be annoyed that Giancarlo pre-empted his Cato Institute link...

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Ramo
he criminalized dissenting opinions on the home front (anarchism), etc.

Given the history of the anarchist movement at the time (terrorism and all), that is somewhat understandable. Still doesn't make it right though.

ZoboZeWarrior: You tell me.

[Rasbelin]

Originally posted by MrFun

Where is Woodrow Wilson on there?

Someone bashing Woodrow Wilson? One of my favourites. Good golly! Then I suggest Jefferson and Washington to that list; not to mention Abe. Anyway, he was still an interesting person with his alternative peace treaty to end the Great War.

Okay, seriously, who do I choose outside the list?

Ike Eisenhower

Military general that shouldn't have become a president. Too illogical career for someone who's not a politician after all. But of course I could choose Nixon or G.W.B. too, except that I pick Ike more of principal reason. Military leadership has rarely proven to be good if you talk about democracy and civil liberties.

[GePap]

As always, peole put their political beliefs in front of everything else.

Being a good or Bad leader has to do with ones accomplisments or failures of policy; not wether you agree or disagree with the policy. In that sense, lincoln,TR, FRD, Truman, Jefferson, jackson, so on are great presidents, as their policy successes greaty outnumber their policy failures.

Stalin was an evil man, but a great leader (he got what he wanted to see done done)

I dislike Reagan policies much, and I despise Bush with an incredible passion, but both were successful at getting their policies passed and incorporated into the American system: thus they were, or for now have been, successful.

[Garth Vader]

People were asking about Enron campaign contributions

http://www.opensecrets.org/alerts/v6/enron_totals.asp

[axi]

The only good US President....

...is a dead US president.

This means that the only good US presidents are Kennedy, Lincoln and Mc Kinley IIRC who were assasinated.

I can't say who is the worst.

[chequita guevara]

The worst President is always the current President.

[Saint Marcus]

why are Adams and Adams up there?

[SpencerH]

I'm really only familiar with the 20th century presidents. Out of those, I have to pick Clinton as the worst.

GWB cant be scored yet, the game aint done.

[Capt Dizle]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus
why are Adams and Adams up there?

John the Alien and Sedition Acts; Quincy always flew into the teeth of political opposition.