Your Favorite President

mrmitchell · August 5, 2003, 20:53

Okay, guys, I'd like to know who your favorite Presidents were. Give an overall favorite, and then one for each era: 1790 - 1877; 1878 - 1945; 1946 - 2003.

1790 - 1877...probably George Washington. The guy seems pretty good, and Abe Lincoln, while being second best for the time, also suspended habeas corpus.

1878 - 1945...Teddy Roosevelt. Definitely. I don't care what anyone else did. TR was a visionary.

1946 - 2003...Here's where it gets tough. I'd say a tie between Kennedy and Clinton. Both of them were very smart people, and both of them had very charismatic personalities. (And, sorry, yes, both of them were probably sexual deviants. So what?)

Best overall? Either TR or Kennedy. Both of them were fresh blood. Both of them were, more (TR) or less (Kennedy) visionaries, and both of them were people I'd like being around.

(Points to JFK for diverting nuclear war with the Russians.

)

Dom Pedro II · August 5, 2003, 20:56

Over all favorite is the big Double C... Calvin Coolidge.

1. Martin Van Buren
2. Calvin Coolidge
3. Barry Goldwater

monolith94 · August 5, 2003, 20:58

1790 - 1877
Thomas Jefferson

1878 - 1945
Teddy Roosevelt

1946 - 2003
Lyndon Baines Johnson

MrFun · August 5, 2003, 20:59

Quote:

Originally posted by mrmitchell
Okay, guys, I'd like to know who your favorite Presidents were. Give an overall favorite, and then one for each era: 1790 - 1877; 1878 - 1945; 1946 - 2003.

1790 - 1877: Abraham Lincoln (saved the United States from unconstitutional secession)

1878 - 1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt (implemented various social relief programs and got United States involved in one of the very few morally justifiable wars we fought in)

1946 - 2003: Lyndon B. Johnson (became an advocate for civil rights during his presidency)

overall: Abe

Kuciwalker · August 5, 2003, 21:00

1790 - 1877 - Abe Lincoln

1878 - 1945 - FDR

1946 - 2003 - Reagan

Best overall - FDR

Lonestar · August 5, 2003, 21:05

1. George Washington
2. Teddy Roosevelt
3. Ronald Reagan

George Washington, duh.

alva · August 5, 2003, 21:08

R...e..a..g..a..n...????????

-

Quote:

(And, sorry, yes, both of them were probably sexual deviants. So what?)

Imran Siddiqui · August 5, 2003, 21:11

1790 - 1877 = Thomas Jefferson (War on Barbary Pirates, Expansion of the US, and general good times)

1878 - 1945 = Teddy Roosevelt (Began the naval buildup that would make the US a world power)

1946 - 2003 = Ronald Reagan (Resulted in a sea change, where Americans believed in smaller government... and he fought tooth and nail against Communism)

Overall = Jefferson

Dis · August 5, 2003, 21:12

Lincoln, Roosevelt (guess which one

), and Kennedy

Dom Pedro II · August 5, 2003, 21:13

How exactly does one push for a smaller government while dramatically increasing the military?

I would never pick Ronald Reagan particularly since I hate those damned bumper stickers "God Bless Ronald Reagan". I mean, get a life! I'd say the same about a... well, do they have to be alive? I'd say the same thing about a Kennedy one and I'd sure as hell say one about an FDR one.

monolith94 · August 5, 2003, 21:14

Wow, Imran and I have similar taste in presidents, up till the modern era!

Dis · August 5, 2003, 21:14

Imran, didn't that naval buildup also lead to Japan attacking the U.S. in pearl harbour?

Imran Siddiqui · August 5, 2003, 21:16

Quote:

How exactly does one push for a smaller government while dramatically increasing the military?

Well you push for a less nanny state. The increase in the military was to end to specter of Communism.

God Bless Reagan!

Quote:

Imran, didn't that naval buildup also lead to Japan attacking the U.S. in pearl harbour?

Hehehe

monolith94 · August 5, 2003, 21:17

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Japan's desire for a large Pacific island empire led to their attack on pearl harbour...

Dom Pedro II · August 5, 2003, 21:21

The specter of Communism was exactly that... a specter... ironically enough, for all of conservatives' insistance that Communism doesn't work (and it doesn't) they can't ever seem to accept the idea that Communist was what killed Communism.

And it seems to me more like creating our kind of big government instead of their kind... both of which are thoroughly unAmerican. Anybody who lauds a strong military and still calls himself a patriot obviously skipped over a few chapters in American history.

Though I will say that if that naval build up provoked the Japanese to attack us, all the better... we had to get in there.

Ramo · August 5, 2003, 21:21

1. William Henry Harrison (died a month after taking office)
2. William McKinley (had a good death - by an anarchist)
3. JFK (death contributed to the civil rights revolution that he was too much of a ***** to start)

Dom Pedro II · August 5, 2003, 21:23

Quote:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Japan's desire for a large Pacific island empire led to their attack on pearl harbour...

Well, the United States government had a great deal to do with provoking the Japanese into attacking Pearl Harbor. But the naval build up was nothing new... even in the early 1900s, both navies knew it was just a matter of time. Remember, America had her own aspirations in the Pacific as well. The two HAD to collide sooner or later.

But the fact that it was sooner was very carefully orchestrated by the Allies.

Imran Siddiqui · August 5, 2003, 21:24

Quote:

The specter of Communism was exactly that... a specter... ironically enough, for all of conservatives' insistance that Communism doesn't work (and it doesn't) they can't ever seem to accept the idea that Communist was what killed Communism.

Only people who ignored history cannot accept the idea that hardline US policies pushed Communism over the edge. It isn't hard to keep a corrupt dictatorship running for years after its economically dead (look at Cambodia, for example). Hardline stances and praising the greatness of liberty helped knock it over.

Dis · August 5, 2003, 21:25

ahh, but when the U.S. sailed that great white fleet into Japan, Japan realized they were horribly out of date. Not long after, Japan began their military buildup- especially naval buildup

Lonestar · August 5, 2003, 21:25

Quote:

Originally posted by Dissident
Imran, didn't that naval buildup also lead to Japan attacking the U.S. in pearl harbour?

Japan killed the naval restriction treaty first.

Winston · August 5, 2003, 21:26

Abraham Lincoln
Theodore Roosevelt
Ronald Reagan

Sprayber · August 5, 2003, 21:27

Can someone tell me what Kennedy did that was so great.

Lyndon Johnson? I mean damn. Does a condriction in terms calld the Vietnam War pretty much make him the number one bastard of the past 40 years. Or do some of you blame that on Nixon.

PLATO · August 5, 2003, 21:28

1790-1877 Polk

1878-1945 Garfield

1946-2003 Reagan

Berzerker · August 5, 2003, 21:30

George Washington

Dis · August 5, 2003, 21:30

now you guys are just picking silly presidents.

Garfield?

Reagan? Okay I liked reagan. But he wasn't that great.

Dom Pedro II · August 5, 2003, 21:31

Quote:

Only people who ignored history cannot accept the idea that hardline US policies pushed Communism over the edge. It isn't hard to keep a corrupt dictatorship running for years after its economically dead (look at Cambodia, for example). Hardline stances and praising the greatness of liberty helped knock it over.

I'll admit that the military build up didn't help, but there were much bigger internal problems aside from that that had much more to do with the fall of the Soviet Union. It hastened the fall slightly, but the end was VERY near.

And Cambodia is a piss poor example... you're talking about a tiny little country of five million people vs. the largest land empire in the world.

Imran Siddiqui · August 5, 2003, 21:31

Quote:

Reagan? Okay I liked reagan. But he wasn't that great.

Yes he was

Sprayber · August 5, 2003, 21:34

Quote:

Originally posted by mrmitchell
1946 - 2003...Here's where it gets tough. I'd say a tie between Kennedy and Clinton. Both of them were very smart people, and both of them had very charismatic personalities. (And, sorry, yes, both of them were probably sexual deviants. So what?)

Ted Bundy had those exact qualities.

alva · August 5, 2003, 21:42

There's a few simularities between Bundy and Reagen too..

Odin · August 5, 2003, 21:54

Tom Jefferson: was one of the most progressive people of his day (the Federalists were a bunch of Oligarchic elititsts

) Bought the Louisiana Territory and loved science.

FDR: Got us through the Great Depression by giving the supply-siders the middle finger.

Was preparing for inevitible war even when te isolationists were in denial. The most socialist of all our presidents.

Lyndon Johnson: The Great Society, Civil Rights, socialist. I do not know why people get after him for Vietnam, most people, including him, believed in the Domino Effect, which got us mired. Nixon was the one that kept the war going on.

Best overall: FDR