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Best and Worst Presidents

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by saturneptune, Oct 28, 2009.

  1. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Since there have been several threads and remarks as of late concerning former Presidents, I would like to start a thread about who you think is the best and worst President in our history and why. In all fairness, lets exclude Obama, since his chapter has not been written yet.

    A word about Richard Nixon. At one time, I had a lot of respect for the man. It has turned sour since I listened to several of his tapes. However, Nixon is not my vote for worst President. His mistakes to not come close to some of the Presidents of late. He certainly is not near the top either. I hope this turns into an interesting thread.
     
  2. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    George Washington would get my vote as the best. He understood what the country was supposed to be (a constitutional federal republic).

    My vote for the worst is Jimmy Carter who emasculated our military and intelligence services.
     
  3. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    The worst is easy.

    Jimmy Carter.

    It is hard to imagine a more inept president. His economic policy was a disaster. His foreign policy was based on the concept of total appeasement. He never met a marxist/communist despot he didn't like. His spineless handling of the Iran hostage situation and his actions concerning Iran in general, still haunt us today.

    I'll have to give some thought to the best, but I'm leaning toward either George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan.
     
  4. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    Worst 5, in order (admittedly weighted toward 20th & 21st century presidents):

    1. Warren Harding...as corrupt as they came.
    2. Lyndon Johnson...if it wasn't for the Civil Rights bill, I can't think of a thing he did well. (and he did that for political gain, not from an ideological position) Not to mention he was a prolific liar.
    3. Jimmy Carter...a wimp's wimp; a poor judge of character, and a horrible administrator.
    4. Andrew Jackson...his treatment of the Indians...plus his "spoils system" appointments that continue today.
    5. Woodrow Wilson...much more bumbling in foreign policy that tends to be remembered; League of Nations began the one-world failed experiment called the UN.

    Nixon is a close sixth...though I think several have done what he did, and just didn't get caught.

    I'll have to think about the best. Probably William Henry Harrison. Since he was in office 31 days, he screwed up less stuff than all the others. :D :D
     
  5. Bob Alkire

    Bob Alkire New Member

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    I'm with you brother.

    My dad said many a time George Washington was the best and FDR was the worst, but he didn't live long enough to see Jimmy Carter.
     
  6. Crabtownboy

    Crabtownboy Well-Known Member
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    Best presidents ...

    G. Washington
    A. Lincoln
    H. Truman

    Worst presidents ...

    A. Jackson
    H. Hoover
    G. Bush

     
  7. Bro. Curtis

    Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>
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    I would say Obama (apologies to the O/P) will end up being worse than Carter. But we haven't had a good president since Thomas Jefferson.
     
  8. Trotter

    Trotter <img src =/6412.jpg>

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    I would put Reagan as the top. He wasn't perfect, but he was willing to take the ehat and do what needed to be done. He was also willing to take the criticism and not try to lay the blame everywhere else.

    As for worst, it is a toss up between Carter and Clinton. Both were a joke and made the US look like a fool.
     
  9. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    I have decided to cast my vote for George Washington as the best all time, primarily for his precedent setting behavior as our first President. He understood the the restraints placed on the federal government by the Constitution.

    Reagan is the best since Lincoln. He had the same reverance and respect for the office and the Constitution as Washington. He restored the confidence and respect for their country in Americans after the Carter debacle.

    BTW I also cast my vote for Jimmy Carter as the worst former President.
     
  10. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    Best:

    G Washington
    A Lincoln
    J Adams

    Worst:

    US Grant
    A Johnson
    A Jackson
     
    #10 Johnv, Oct 28, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 28, 2009
  11. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Best:

    Washington
    Reagan

    Worst:

    Lincoln
    Carter
    Obama
     
  12. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    I will just talk about the best in my lifetime which extends into the FDR depression. I will say that the greatest president of all was George Washington.

    The Best

    1. The best is Ronald Reagan. He was able to defeat the Soviet Union without firing a single shot and restore the pride in America that had been destroyed in the Vietnam War.

    2. Next I would probably pick Harry Truman for the simple reason he was man enough to use the Atomic Bomb against Japan. Some of the scientists who helped develop the bomb only wanted to use it on Germany but they had already surrendered.

    The Worst

    1. The very worst is Barak Obama. He has done more damage to the country in 9 months than Jimmy Carter did in 4 years. He is a rabid Marxist and slaughterer of unborn children. He has caved to Russia and I am afraid that he will cave in Afghanistan at a time when Pakistan seems determined to drive the Taliban out.

    2. The next worst is Jimmy Carter. He was a wimp trying to do a man's job.
    I would say Lyndon Johnson was worse than Carter because of the damage his Great Society programs did. However, he had enough sense to know that he was not man enough to be a wartime president and did not run for a second term.
     
  13. TomVols

    TomVols New Member

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    Worst:
    - Jimmy Carter - Just a total debacle, and from what I've seen of him, the myth of his character is being shattered. I'm disappointed.
    - Franklin Pierce - How bad do you have to be if your own party disowns you?
    - George HW Bush - Did more to undermine his own party and fracture the Supreme Court than any modern president. A good ex-president though.
    - Bill Clinton - exploded the ranks of the homeless and poor, and led failed financial policies that produced temporary results at the expense of long term gain. Left a mess we're still cleaning up domestically and internationally. If he did not have such great rhetorical skills and some measure of rehab after his terms, he'd perhaps be considered worse.

    Best:
    1. Reagan
    2. Lincoln
    3. Truman

    Can't add much to what others have said.

    For those mentioning Bush and Obama, there's simply not enough time to evaluate them.
     
  14. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    Funny...I almost put Pierce on the list.

    I agree that Bush 1 and Clinton weren't great...but I didn't put them as far up the list as you.

    As for your last comment, you are dead on IMO. Bush 2 and Obama might make the "worst" list...but I think you need at least one term away (probably two, if not more) in order to properly evaluate their presidency.
     
  15. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    True.

    It took a dozen years for the Clinton Administration's push for handing out mortgages to people who weren't qualified, to come crashing down around us. We will suffer the effects for another decade.
     
  16. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    I stand by my original statement regarding the worst!

    The Worst

    1. The very worst is Barak Obama. He has done more damage to the country in 9 months than Jimmy Carter did in 4 years. He is a rabid Marxist and slaughterer of unborn children. He has caved to Russia and I am afraid that he will cave in Afghanistan at a time when Pakistan seems determined to drive the Taliban out.

    And now we are getting primed for rationing of medical care and the death sentence for those seriously ill or elderly.
     
  17. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    I'm surprised Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson have not been mentioned more.
     
  18. hillclimber1

    hillclimber1 Active Member
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    Roosevelt would be on my bad list, but not at the top... Jefferson would not be on either of my list's.
    Washington is almost mystical in his greatness..
    Reagan at the top, in the last hundred years...

    Bad CIC's: Carter, hands down, then Clinton, who demeaned the office immeasurably. Obama will make these two pikers..
     
  19. rbell

    rbell Active Member

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    TJ certainly was a great one. His Louisiana Purchase was visionary. But I think he was a better founding father than president (not meaning a poor president...just that the bulk of his "greatness" came from his efforts before he ascended to the presidency).

    TR is an interesting character. He is less conservative with regards to big business/industry, and he effectively began the Dept. of Interior & National parks. Yet in foreign policy and immigration, he was extremely conservative. TR was likely the original "moderate republican." (though now, he's turning over in his grave at what "moderate republicans" believe today)

    TR had the added benefit of being considered one of the most personally likable presidents in history.

    The "what might have been" factor...what if TR had run in 1908? What if he and WH Taft had not had a falling out? It is quite possible that TR would have been president from 1901-1916...and that would have monumentally affected history, with WW I already underway.
     
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