NationStates Jolt Archive

Thread is self explanatory what, in your opinion, are the best and worst US presidents.

Best US Presidents in no particular order:

Abraham Lincoln - This ones an obvious pick. He helped abolish slavery, provided strong leadership during the Civil War, and signed the homestead act into law.

George Washington - Again an easy pick.

Theodore Roosevelt - I like his policies on conservationism as well as that whole Panama Canal deal. That was petty cool.

FDR - When you get elected you better hope you get a lot done and FDR did. New Deal, leadership during WW2, social security, and whole bunch of other crap.

Worst presidents in no particular order:

Andrew Johnson

Richard Nixon

James Buchanan

George Bush, great president, or the greatest president?

Best - Harrison
Worst - Jackson

AGAIN? Once a month this comes up

James Buchanan

...fuck

George Bush, great president, or the greatest president?

Second best president called George Bush ever.

...fucklol are you a Buchanan fan?

lol are you a Buchanan fan?

haha...no....

Best:
FDR
Jefferson
Ike

Worst:
GWB
Ronald Reagan
Herbert Hoover

Some favorites, in no particular order:
Reagan, Washington, Teddy Roosevelt.

Few non favorites in no particular order:
Carter, FDR (though I must respect him for his leadership during wartime, I hate his domestic policies), Johnson...

Worst ever: Jackson. Genocidal maniac and the first president to refuse to do his goddamn job. Also, he caused a Depression by dismantling the Bank.

Roosevelt (the second one), Lincoln (I don't care what his motives might have been.) and Thomas Jefferson.

Those are the three best


The worst are George W bush, Nixon, and Reagan. (in that order.)

You know, while he was an asshole, Nixon wasnt really a BAD President.

Also, in b4 Im accused of eating babies, sexually molesting woodland creatures and wiretapping the Oval Office.

best...hmm I'd have to say the best president was Teddy Roosevelt, he was a tough bastard who knew how to handle foreign policy, and he had the forsight to get a serious national park system going, plus the progressive era was about the best thing that happened in united states history

worst presidents...there are a lot, Carter, Reagan, both Bushes, Eisenhower, Both Johnsons, Hoover and those are just the ones that I think did the worst jobs...there are more bad presidents out there

You know, while he was an asshole, Nixon wasnt really a BAD President.

I have to agree with you there. He was an evil son of a bitch, but he did a decent job, from what I've scraped up in my reading.

Nixon wasn't so bad. I'm confident that if Watergate never happened, he would be remembered as one of the greats isntead of Satan himself. He ended Vietnam. He greatly improved relations with China and cooled down the Cold War before it turned ugly...and possibly nuclear.

LBJ also wasn't so bad. Sure, there was Vietnam, but his social policies helped the black community alot.

I think Bush Sr. (the Bush that was president BEFORE Clinton) is hated less for his actual policies and actions and more for his last name.

FDR is overrated. It was WWII that ended the Great Depression, not FDR's hippy policies. While they helped people greatly, I think they may have backfired by having people gain dependance on government aid. Social Security would be alot greater if all the SS money was actually used just for its intended purpose instead of being used for policies not related to Social Security.

Calvin Coolidge was obviously both the best and the worst American president.

More seriously, good presidents have included people like Thomas Jefferson and Franklin Roosevelt, while bad presidents have included people like Herbert Hoover, Andrew Jackson, and George W. Bush.

Jefferson and Roosevelt both helped the United States a great deal and were quite popular; (Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase and averted war with Great Britain, among other things; Roosevelt took control of the US at a time of crisis and managed to lead the US out of it, even if I don't agree with all of his domestic policies) Hoover, Jackson, and Bush Jr. helped the United States little and were/are quite unpopular. (Hoover ignored the Great Depression; Jackson shut down the banks and committed genocide; Bush is mismanaging wars and the economy and giving the US a poor name)

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting, but it's been many years since I did US History, so forgive me while I find more.

Best:

George Washington, for establishing many of the traditions of the Presidency and for holding the brand new country together

John F Kennedy, for inspiring the nation at a time when we needed it BADLY and for standing up to the Soviets, rather than allowing them to think us weak

Ronald Reagan, for resurrecting a destroyed US Economy and for making the military strong again, forcing the Soviet Union to collapse from trying to keep up

Worst:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt for turning our "can-do" culture into a "Government knows best" culture

Jimmy Carter for weakening the US to the brink of economic collapse

Lyndon B Johnson: Vietnam

For me the best and worst followed eachother up:

Clinton=Best
Bush #2= Worst

Worst:

GWB---It would be hard to argue this one.

Reagan--Committed treason selling arms to the enemy. Destroyed the middle class with tinkle down. Removed all energy conservation incentives. Began massive debt. Began "borrow and spend" and called it "conservative".

Pretty much everyone between Lincoln and T. Roosevelt. A real run of bummers.

Best:

Washington---gave up power. Started tradition of leadership change.

Lincoln--Held the country together in the worst of times.

T. Roosevelt--Conservation and set country to be world power.

Carter--Maybe not the best ever, but best in last 50 years. Energy conservation. Middle East policy. Moral values.

Best:

William Henry Harrison- Only ever President to never screw anything up in his term.

Henry Clay- Whatever he didn't actually win he ran the white house at least 3 times during his LONG congressional career.

FDR- I'm a socialist nuff said.

Worst:

George Washington (2nd term)- Hear me out now. He almost led the US to war with GB, and did nothing good domestically.

Reagan- The anti-socialist

All Presidents from 1864-1901- They all collectively did nothing and were probably all corrupt. Like Johnson got impeached, Garfield got shot, and Cleveland got elected twice now tell me something else interesting about them (besides scandal).

Grant- He needs to be singled out, did nothing good for the US had the entire south hating, had massively corrupt friends in high positions, nothing.

Andrew Johnson *should* have been one of our best presidents... he would have been if he wasn't crippled by a congress motivated by political and monetary gain above the good of the country. His impeachment was an absolute joke.

Eisenhower, Reagan, Nixon, Carter, GHWB (better than his kid though), GWB have been the absolute worst.

Thomas Jefferson, Washington, FDR, Kennedy have been some of our best.

edit: I entirely forgot that Grant got elected... oops... he is one of the worst.

BEST - Madison/Lincoln

WORST - Carter/Garfeild

I will never forgive Carter for Federally mandating the drinking age to 21. I hate christians who try to oppose their beliefs on other people, especially christian politicians.

I don't really get the Carter hate. He wasn't that bad, honestly.

I don't really get the Carter hate. He wasn't that bad, honestly.

except that almost everything he did caused massive inflation. Lets not forget that he wasn't even elected. He was Nixon's patsy who Nixon appointed just so that he could be pardoned from the impeachment/scandal.

Best:

Ronald Reagan, for resurrecting a destroyed US Economy and for making the military strong again, forcing the Soviet Union to collapse from trying to keep up

Lyndon B Johnson: Vietnam

In Soviet Russia, Economy makes you strong.

except that almost everything he did caused massive inflation. Lets not forget that he wasn't even elected. He was Nixon's patsy who Nixon appointed just so that he could be pardoned from the impeachment/scandal.
You're thinking of Ford.

Emperor Norton.

He's cooler then any president.

except that almost everything he did caused massive inflation. Lets not forget that he wasn't even elected. He was Nixon's patsy who Nixon appointed just so that he could be pardoned from the impeachment/scandal.

Me thinks you are thinking of Ford.

Anyone else think Reagan is the most overrated president ever?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Carter's covert policies led to massive corruption and nuclear proliferation.

Anyone else think Reagan is the most overrated president ever?
That award would be better handed to either Lincoln or FDR, the filthy tyrany-wannabes. At least one half of the American political spectrum has a healthy skepticism towards Reaganism.

As a shameless Mammonite, I shall have to say that the best president in the history of the US was Ulysses S. Grant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_fifty-dollar_bill), except for a brief period between 1929 and 1969 in which it was Woodrow Wilson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five_hundred_dollar-bill).

Better Presidents (In Chronological Order):
- George Washington
- Thomas Jefferson
- James Madison
- John Quincy Adams
- Chester A. Arthur
- Grover Cleveland
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Calvin Coolidge

Worse Presidents (In Chronological Order):
- Andrew Jackson
- John Tyler
- Zachary Taylor
- James Buchanan
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Warren G. Harding
- James Carter
- George W. Bush

The best was FDR, for his strong leadership during WW2 and he did everything he could to boost the economy.

The worst... well, we're having him as our president right now. GWB is theoretically perfectly horrible. He managed to get us stuck into a war we never should've been in, he screwed up the school system with his every-child-left-behind crap, he's draining social security at a horrible pace, he condones illegally spying on US citizens, he created the Patriot Act which I don't know where to being with how godless that thing is, and he continues to claim he's doing a great job. Not only is he a horrible president but he's an idiot as shown by his being utterly oblivious to how awful he is.

Roosevelt (the second one), Lincoln (I don't care what his motives might have been.) and Thomas Jefferson.

Those are the three best


The worst are George W bush, Nixon, and Reagan. (in that order.)
yeah!

Anyone else think Reagan is the most overrated president ever?

Absolutely.

The best are probably Calvin Coolidge, FDR, and Abraham Lincoln.

The best recent presidents are probably Jimmy Carter (seriously, he did some very good things for this country but they were hidden under the 1979 oil crisis, especially his appointment of Paul Volcker, who was responsible for the economic boom of the 1980's) and Bill Clinton.

Jimmy Carter is my favorite.

The ghosts of Oscar Romero and others haunt his presidency, but then, I have trouble thinking of a US president who hasn't been a murderous bastard, so....

Reagan probably wasn't actually the worst, but I hate him so much that I'll name him anyway.

It looks like Reagan and Carter are the most disputed.

I think GWB is absolutely terrible. Probably the worst.

I think George Washington is overrated. I don't think he was 'bad' though.

Personally, I like Woodrow Wilson because he instrumental in the formation of the first global political organization, the League of Nations.

Best: Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman
Worst: James Buchanan, Dwight Eisenhower, George W. Bush

I put the best at Theodore Roosevelt, and worst at Grant.


I think its too soon to say how bad Bush has been till he's been gone for awhile. I mean, other presidents have started worse wars, other presidents have been worse on the economy, other presidents have been less responsive to the branches...I guess Bush is just the one who decided to put them all together.

Best: Wilson, FDR, Lincoln, and Jackson (sorry, the genocide sucked, but there are a lot of good things going for him)

Worst: George W. Bush, John Adams, Ulysees S. Grant, Warren Harding, and Reagan.

You're thinking of Ford.

oh yeah, wups..

Why do you guys hate Jackson so much? I mean, he conqured Florida! We're talking about the man who attacked Native American villages with "self defense" in mind, the man who gathered all the Europeans in Florida together on a beach and shot them, the man who hired slaves and pirates to defend New Orleans from the British!

Jackson was the most Ghengis Khan - like badass conquering president we've ever had. "To the victor go the spoils!" Come on!

http://www.utexas.edu/features/2005/jackson/graphics/jackson4.jpg

FUCK YEAH!!!

Why do you guys hate Jackson so much? I mean, he conqured Florida! We're talking about the man who attacked Native American villages with "self defense" in mind, the man who gathered all the Europeans in Florida together on a beach and shot them, the man who hired slaves and pirates to defend New Orleans from the British!

Jackson was the most Ghengis Khan - like badass conquering president we've ever had. "To the victor go the spoils!" Come on!

http://www.utexas.edu/features/2005/jackson/graphics/jackson4.jpg

FUCK YEAH!!!

Don't forget that he had the courage to defy the supreme court!

Best:
TJ, Lincoln, FDR, Clinton


Worst:
GWB-hands down worse, don't even get me started

Reagan- piece of overrated shit

George Bush Sr.- Why would you ever put Dan Qualye on the ballot with you??

Best: Lincoln

He did what was necessary to preserve the union and abolish slavery. He wasn't a saint, but he got the job done

Worst: Buchanan

Ineffective leader who allowed succession to occur.

Runner up Worst: Andrew Jackson

Trail of Tears, economic crisis, and gag order on slavery debate in Congress

People say that FDR later said that the internment of the Japanese was the worst thing he did in his presidency... How the hell could he have said that... He died in office..

Just a note:

Anyone who labels anyone from Reagan on as best or worse is a moron. I'm sorry, but it hasn't been long enough for history to make a judgement on them.

If you have put either Clinton or Bush 43 as best or worst, then you are nothing but a partisan fool. I'm sorry, but that's pretty damn obvious. You likely need to grow up and relearn your history because America has had really bad and good presidents.

I'm sorry, but it hasn't been long enough for history to make a judgement on them.

Piles and piles of corpses are enough judgment for me.

good presidents.

Name one.

Better Presidents (In Chronological Order):
- George Washington
- Thomas Jefferson
- James Madison
- John Quincy Adams
- Chester A. Arthur
- Grover Cleveland
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Calvin Coolidge

Worse Presidents (In Chronological Order):
- Andrew Jackson
- John Tyler
- Zachary Taylor
- James Buchanan
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Warren G. Harding
- James Carter
- George W. Bush
A pretty balanced list I must say.

One of the few that isn't based on a poor knowledge of US history or partisan biases.

Piles and piles of corpses are enough judgment for me.
If that's your criteria than Johnson takes the cake over Bush. You're a partisan hack.

Oh and for good presidents, Jefferson was certainly one.

Don't forget that he had the courage to defy the supreme court!

And who could forget his gracious relocation of Native Americans known by those crazy left-wing revisionists as the "Trail of Tears"

partisan biases.

Um, all opinions of US presidents are going to be partisan.

If they're not, they're going to be stupid... like "This president was bad because he had bad hair."

*Ahem*

Best: Theodore Roosevelt.

George Washington.

Thomas Jefferson.

Worst: Both Bushes, Clinton, and Carter all time for moderns. Andrew JACKSON and FDR for the past.

For me the best and worst followed eachother up:

Clinton=Best
Bush #2= Worst
I'm going to make a wager that you got an F in US history.

No one taught you about the Civil War, the formation of the country, the Jacksonian era, reconstruction, the early 20th century, the depression, or any other major events in this country's history.

You will find Presidents during those eras who were both much worse and better than the two you listed.

You know, while he was an asshole, Nixon wasnt really a BAD President.


That is a fact. Bad person, good President. Machiavelli explains how those two can be the same thing.

Um, all opinions of US presidents are going to be partisan.

If they're not, they're going to be stupid... like "This president was bad because he had bad hair."
It isn't partisan to say Jackson was bad because of the Trail of Tears. That is established historic fact.

It also isn't partisan to say Jefferson was good because of the Louisiana Purchase and avoiding a war with Britain.

Those are all matters of historic fact and not partisan bickering.

Best 5
Washington
FDR
Theodore Roosevelt
Jefferson
Abe Lincoln

Worst 5
Hoover
Reagan
Grant
George Bush Jr.
Carter

That is a fact. Bad person, good President. Machiavelli explains how those two can be the same thing.

Very true. Pitting the USSR and China against each other was an ingenious move.

Anyone else think Reagan is the most overrated president ever?

Anyone?

Bueller?

ROFL.

If that's your criteria than Johnson takes the cake over Bush.

Um, I didn't name Bush.

And Johnson's hand was somewhat forced by political circumstances. His stance on civil rights was excellent enough that I'm willing to forgive him a good deal.

Oh and for good presidents, Jefferson was certainly one.

Um, why?

His foreign policy was awful and he never really implemented the best aspects of his political philosophy.

Why do you guys hate Jackson so much? I mean, he conqured Florida! We're talking about the man who attacked Native American villages with "self defense" in mind, the man who gathered all the Europeans in Florida together on a beach and shot them, the man who hired slaves and pirates to defend New Orleans from the British!

Jackson was the most Ghengis Khan - like badass conquering president we've ever had. "To the victor go the spoils!" Come on!

http://www.utexas.edu/features/2005/jackson/graphics/jackson4.jpg

FUCK YEAH!!!

And that he screwed Davy Crockett's political career for speaking against him...

That is a fact. Bad person, good President. Machiavelli explains how those two can be the same thing.

Thats what I'm talking about with Jackson. The Indian Removal Act was only bad for the Indians. His style was ruthless but he accomplished alot.

It isn't partisan to say Jackson was bad because of the Trail of Tears. That is established historic fact.

Guess what: all political partisans claim that their positions are based on established fact.

I could reply to this, for instance, by saying that Jackson was great because by smashing the Bank he defended liberty from the rich and powerful.

How is that meaningfully different from an instance of "partisan bickering"?

Hmmmmmmm......The best? None, they all suck. But I can say who sucked more.


Sucked
Bill Clinton - More like got sucked
George Bush Sr. - Thanks for being a pussy and not removing saddam!
Jimmy Carter



Sucked The Most
LBJ
Ulysses S. Grant
Harry Truman

Worst? LBJ, only if for his "war on poverty" campaign. I can't think of a dumber act in presidential history, except maybe prohibition.

Best? William Henry Harrison. He didn't screw anything up; therefore he beats every other president.

Guess what: all political partisans claim that their positions are based on established fact.

I could reply to this, for instance, by saying that Jackson was great because by smashing the Bank he defended liberty from the rich and powerful.

How is that meaningfully different from an instance of "partisan bickering"?

Partisan Bickering? Exactely what parties are you refering to? Is anyone here a Whig or a Federalist? I'm sorry but 200 years of history really washes away emotions and makes the facts alot more clear.

George Bush Sr. - Thanks for being a pussy and not removing saddam!

...because everyone can see today what a great idea it would have been!

I'm sorry but 200 years of history really washes away emotions and makes the facts alot more clear.

Because people don't angrily disagree about protectionism anymore?

Because people don't angrily disagree about national banking anymore?

Because people don't angrily disagree about the treatment of the Native Americans anymore?

:rolleyes:

...because everyone can see today what a great idea it would have been!



Nice job of ignoring the differences between the time periods. yeah, we all know things never change in over a decade! He should have kept going when he had the chance.

Nice job of ignoring the differences between the time periods.

What difference would it have made?

Nice job of ignoring the differences between the time periods. yeah, we all know things never change in over a decade! He should have kept going when he had the chance.

I don't think he could have if he wanted to. The first gulf war was an "alliance" of countries assembled to drive Saddam out of Kuwait. If he kept going, all of his foreign "allies" would have turned on him and left him to dry, leaving pretty much our current situation.

What difference would it have made?




:rolleyes:



Go back and take a History class. Learn the differences between the wars, terrorist actions and the general UN support. And then answer what effect 12 years of bombing and sanctions had on US reputation there. Then come back.

I don't think he could have if he wanted to. The first gulf war was an "alliance" of countries assembled to drive Saddam out of Kuwait. If he kept going, all of his foreign "allies" would have turned on him and left him to dry, leaving pretty much our current situation.


I don't agree with that, I am not sure they would have ditched us. And you do know some of the people causing the terrorism right?

Learn the differences between the wars,

Um, I know the differences.

What RELEVANT difference?

the general UN support.

For toppling Saddam? No.

For removing Iraq from Kuwait.

And then answer what effect 12 years of bombing and sanctions had on US reputation there.

I think the intense bombing campaign that accompanied the Persian Gulf War and would have accompanied a further invasion of Iraq would have sufficiently driven home the point.

When you bomb people, they do not love you... especially when you haven't given a damn about them in the past, and indeed have supported the murderous dictator you now want to remove.

While I don't like any of the Presidents there are some I find more objectionable than others.

Most objectionable
Lincoln
FDR
Reagan
G W Bush

I find them objectionable due to their expansion of Federal powers into places where they shouldn't be. This is the primary measuring stick I use against all Federal officials. While I like the end results of some things (such as that slavery ended in the US, although without as much help from Lincoln as many think) I'm strongly against the way they were done.

Least objectionable

Tyler

Mainly because he didn't stick Uncle Sam's nose where it shouldn't have been.