Best and Worst U.S. Presidents?

Interesting not to see Teddy Roosevelt on either list. I concur. On the one hand, the trust busting was a good thing. On the other, all it took to escape his trust busting was a healthy campaign contribution.

Corporatism was as strong then as today, despite his rhetoric and his actions. He was long on lip service, but doesn't deserve to be set in stone on Rushmore. Think we could eventually cut his jaw down to, say, President Paul's size?
 
Best President: Another vote for Jefferson.

Worst: Lyndon Johnson. He was Bush on Steroids. He planted us head-long into the most ill-advised war we've ever fought. His "War on Poverty" did more to expand federal feudalism than anything we've ever seen. He established the permanent welfare state. His policies led directly to the worst inflation we've ever seen.
 
ARealConservative said:
The worst presidents would go:

FDR
Wilson
Lincoln
LBJ
Dubya
Click to expand...

x2

I'd say that Wilson was worse than FDR, because the ideas were Wilsons and without him, FDR would still have been a bourbon democrat. FDR just expanded and fufilled Wilsons misguided ideas.

Also, I'd say that Dubya can't be rated in order because the final long term results arent in yet. Someday, we might say that he was the beginning of the end. We might also look back and say our take the GOP back revolution was a direct response to his overhandedness. The future never knows.

My list in order of worst

Wilson
FDR
Lincoln
LBJ
*Bush

Best:

Washington (turning down president for life)
Jefferson (repealing alien and sedition act)
Madison (father of the constitution)
Andrew Jackson
Martin van Buren
Grover Cleveland
Hoover (tried to stem the tide of socialism)
Reagan (for 'the speech' if nothing else)
 
armand61685 said:
I understand that. But, what about the blacks and their freedom? How would they go about gaining their individual rights?
Click to expand...

RE Lee wanted to free the slaves and integrate the Confederate Army.

Also, the slaves would have been freed just like every other countries slaves were, that is either by the government buying their freedom, or by people electing representitives to ban it. In reading about politics in the south, it seems like a lot of the conflict arose from the perception by southerners that the north was forcing its will on them, and things might have went a lot smoother if southern whites and blacks had worked towards solutions together... remember, most southerners were not slave holders, and there was anti-slavery sentiment in the south as well. Black people ended up representing percieved northern agression and they ended up the scapegoats for the war that pretty much torched the south and distroyed most peoples lives, crushed their economy, etc.
 
Without a doubt the worst is Wilson. If you look at the total effects of his presidency every other president has been dealing with the chain of events his mistakes brought into being.
Involvement in WWI the result of which are still being felt today;
The destruction of the German ecconomy which lead to the rise of Hitler.
The rise of hitler lead to the creation of the axis alliance of which included Japan.
Japan attacks the Americans and Germany declares war on us for declaring war on Japan.
The Soviet empire is built as a direct result of WWII.
The US as the result of being involved in WWII takes over the meddling in the Middle East and southeast Asia from the British and French in competition with the Soviets.
US policy is hugely effected toward Isreal because any criticism is said to be allowing another holocost.

And other things;
The creation of the league of nation- the forerunner of the UN.
The creation of the Fed- the forerunner of the great depression of which gave us the New Deal.
Now you show me a president that set into motion more problems for this country than Wilson.
Sure Lincoln invaded the south after they fired the opening shots but in reality he should have kicked them out of the union for being scumbags that never took the the meaning of freedom to heart.

We will not be able to judge how bad W's legacy will be for many years. It might end up being good as it was the beginning of the end of Wilson's interventionism.

The best I would have to say was Jefferson as the work he did with the consitution lead to many events here and abroad that had a positive effect on the nation and the world for many years to come.
 
Best ---Washington-I read many bio's on this man

Will have to think about worst but at least in my lifetime-Bush
 
Best pres, ever--Teddy Roosevelt. A true leader, a thinking man of action. He is what we NEED right now.

Worst, FDR. He took a recovering economy and put it in the tank for 11 years. His economic policies kept the Depression going on for as long as it did, as well as outlawing the Gold satndard. Wilson was bad, but he was truly small osmpared to FDR. If we had not appeared so crippled and out-to-lunch, the Japanese would have donethings a bit differently.

Poor Jefferson. He was adequate, but the Louisiana Purchase was a statist copout,a nd he knew it. Not a moment he was proud of.

Bush the worst? He has a lot of real competition to take that banner.
 
hairball said:
Best pres, ever--Teddy Roosevelt. A true leader, a thinking man of action. He is what we NEED right now.

Worst, FDR. He took a recovering economy and put it in the tank for 11 years. His economic policies kept the Depression going on for as long as it did, as well as outlawing the Gold satndard. Wilson was bad, but he was truly small osmpared to FDR. If we had not appeared so crippled and out-to-lunch, the Japanese would have donethings a bit differently.

Poor Jefferson. He was adequate, but the Louisiana Purchase was a statist copout,a nd he knew it. Not a moment he was proud of.

Bush the worst? He has a lot of real competition to take that banner.
Click to expand...

Teddy Roosevelt was an imperialist.

Wilson CREATED FDR. Without Wilsons policy, FDR and the new deal would never have been possible.

Wilson is probably the most influential president in the history of the country, and not in a good way. He was the beginning of the end.
 
jason43 said:
Teddy Roosevelt was an imperialist.

Wilson CREATED FDR. Without Wilsons policy, FDR and the new deal would never have been possible.

Wilson is probably the most influential president in the history of the country, and not in a good way. He was the beginning of the end.
Click to expand...

I can't agree more.
 
acptulsa said:
Me too neither. Anyone who is anti-Iraqi quagmire and professes to love TR needs to read Twain's writings in protest of Teddy's attack of the Philippine Islands.
Click to expand...

I love Twain and have over ten books with his writings, but I've never seen this. Do you know or can you link me to somewhere I can read it?
 
I agree with the OP that Calvin Coolidge was the last really good president. In my mind, the best presidents we've had were (in no particular order) Andrew Jackson, Calvin Coolidge, James Madison, and Tommy Jefferson. I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.

For the worst, I can think of Lincoln, Polk, Harding, LBJ, Woodrow Wilson, and of course, W.
 
HOLLYWOOD said:
WORST PRESIDENTS:

Woodrow Wilson
LBJ
FDR
Lincoln
Bush <== tied for WORST w/Wilson... still counting George's failures & legacy's of inflictions

BEST PRESIDENTS:

Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
Grover Cleveland
James Monroe
George Washington


Historical RANKINGS of US Presidents... popular polling since 1948 <=== link
Click to expand...


I would like to take this time to point out that 4 out of the 5 Presidents you chose were Non-Christians.

Grover Cleveland was Presbyterian.

Just a thought.
 
amy31416 said:
I love Twain and have over ten books with his writings, but I've never seen this. Do you know or can you link me to somewhere I can read it?
Click to expand...

Picked it up at a Salvation Army. I'll look on the spine and find the publisher when I get home, and pm tomorrow.
 
Depends on what standards you use to define a"Great" president.

My picks:

Best:
1. Grover Cleveland
2. Thomas Jefferson
3. Calvin Coolidge

Worst:
1. Abe Lincoln
2. Woodrow Wilson
3. FDR

Washington and Madison deserve special mention, but they don't make the top three.
 
amy31416 said:
I love Twain and have over ten books with his writings, but I've never seen this. Do you know or can you link me to somewhere I can read it?
Click to expand...

I don't suppose you support Twain's religious or political ideology?
 
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