Who Is The Smartest?

[PoliticalChic]

In another thread, our friend Jillian suggested “maybe if you picked smart people???”

In the context of the post, and in the usual parameters of the USMB, this means ‘my side is smart, yours not so much.”

So, I thought we should discuss what ‘smart’ means…

1. First, let’s dispense with the usual claim by the left that their pols are brilliant…case in point: Jimmy Carter. His IQ is regularly quoted to be 175. Based on his performance as President, and since, either IQ is meaningless, or his number is bogus: brother Billy was the savant in that family.

2. Bill Clinton is considered way up there as well…and I find little to quibble with there…But I would place Clinton in…to coin a phrase, the “Political Arista,” (In New York, we call our school honor society ‘Arista.&#8217 based on his acquiescence to the wisdom of the people, his use of ‘Triangulation.”

3. Some choose to define smart based on insufficient data, and superficial characteristics…such as speaking ability, or lack thereof. This and the previous administration will be seriously re-evaluated as time and distance from them increases.

My criterion for admission to the Political Arista centers on these three individuals, their vision for the country, within the context of history.

4. FDR, a master politician, who left his mark on our nation, in many propitious directions. But one glaring error diminished FDR...

a. FDR, in trying to apply the equality voiced by the Constitution to economics, had to modify the free-market system: capitalism, with its focus on individual wealth, not equality of wealth.

b. The two views: the rights of man vs. the rights of men. FDR fought for the latter.

5. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, for me, the smartest Democrat ever elected. A self-described ‘birthright Democrat,’ and deep thinker in social policy, many of the problems we face today could have been resolved had Democrats absorbed Moynihan’s ideas. See Daniel Patrick Moynihan | The Economist

6. And, the smartest politician….Ronald Reagan, the most brilliant based on vision and an understanding of history…

a. Reagan saw the Cold War as the pivot of history: “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” Ronald Reagan, “Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches,” p. 26.

b. “Look, I am the President of the United States…If we don’t have our security, we’ll have no need for social programs. We’re going to go ahead with these [defense] programs.” Peter Schweitzer, “Reagan’s War: The Epic Struggle and Final Triumph Over Communism,” p. 139-140

So, who’s your ‘smartest,’ and why?

 

[glew]

Great question PC! I'm not sure Reagan was the smartest, but he had the perfect combo of brains and integrity...Not a lot of people know that he was an FDR democrat. He changed to Republican when he started educating himself and realized that communists were trying to infiltrate the Dems through the labor movement...He was also the president of the screen actors guild and saw communists trying to use propaganda in Hollywood...He was part of the blacklisting of Hollywood. One thing is for sure...the man never wavered in his principles and I have the utmost respect for him because of that. Also, I have this sneaking suspicion that behind that "awe shucks" persona, was the mind of a VERY shrewd man.

 

[zzzz]

Smart is an elusive word. Certinly intelligance does not mean smart. I think to quantify someone as smart you have to catagorize the area in which they are smart; street smarts, political smarts (Which is what I take it you are talking about here), buisness smart, money smart.

IQ is not a real good measuring stick for smarts or for intelligance.

Politically, Reagan was very smart, he surrounded himself with smart savvy people. FDR was politically smart too but so many times Presidents are defined by things that they have no control over. Without WWII, FDR and his governemtnal expansion may have put him with Grant or Hoover. But WWII rescued FDR and paved the way for the global explosion of US domination.

 

[mdn2000]

. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, for me, the smartest Democrat ever elected. A self-described ‘birthright Democrat,’ and deep thinker in social policy, many of the problems we face today could have been resolved had Democrats absorbed Moynihan’s ideas. See Daniel Patrick Moynihan | The Economist

I shook Senator Moynihan's hand, it was outside the Smithsonian, he was going, after it closed, on a Sunday. A woman was begging for money to help the movement to help the Arab/Palestinians, Moynihan stated he was a Senator, new the problem better than her, and walked away.

I walked up and thanked the Senator for his work and he shook my hand.

 

[JakeStarkey]

George H. W. Bush, for me, was the 'smartest' of political beings. Tremendously experienced in a variety of positions and tasks and leadership in business and government. Tried to be a Centrist before Bill Clinton was a Centrist. Marvelous coalition builder. Undone by economic conditions beyond his control. Looks good at Houston Astros games.

 

[mdn2000]

George H. W. Bush, for me, was the 'smartest' of political beings. Tremendously experienced in a variety of positions and tasks and leadership in business and government. Tried to be a Centrist before Bill Clinton was a Centrist. Marvelous coalition builder. Undone by economic conditions beyond his control. Looks good at Houston Astros games.

And just like his dad gave my money from my pocket to Savings and Loans to bail out the bad loans, George jr. did the same for banks.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Smart is an elusive word. Certinly intelligance does not mean smart. I think to quantify someone as smart you have to catagorize the area in which they are smart; street smarts, political smarts (Which is what I take it you are talking about here), buisness smart, money smart.

IQ is not a real good measuring stick for smarts or for intelligance.

Politically, Reagan was very smart, he surrounded himself with smart savvy people. FDR was politically smart too but so many times Presidents are defined by things that they have no control over. Without WWII, FDR and his governemtnal expansion may have put him with Grant or Hoover. But WWII rescued FDR and paved the way for the global explosion of US domination.

Are you sure?
Check this out:
Consider the following pluses for FDR( from The Hundred Days of FDR, by Schlesinger)

"Who can now imagine a day when America offered no Social Security, no unemployment compensation, no food stamps, no Federal guarantee of bank deposits, no Federal supervision of the stock market, no Federal protection for collective bargaining, no Federal standards for wages and hours, no Federal support for farm prices or rural electrification, no Federal refinancing for farm and home mortgages, no Federal commitment to high employment or to equal opportunity - in short, no Federal responsibility for Americans who found themselves, through no fault of their own, in economic or social distress?"
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/11/26/specials/schlesinger-hundred.html

 

[rightwinger]

Hate to say it....but in ability to understand the world political climate, economy, American political system. I'd have to go with Nixon. His extreme paranoia was his downfall

In understanding the political system and how to drive home a deal....LBJ

In terms of overall political saavy, integrity, honesty and vision...Hubert Humphrey

 

[JakeStarkey]

Nixon was a towering mind that had dark corners in which thingies skittered. The greatest foreign policy president bar none. The greatest communist hunter who had no use for McCarthy, though he knew better than to oppose him. A pragmatist who was willing to gamble on price controls during stagflation. And absolute will to do what needed to be done in his twisted mind.

 

[mdn2000]

Nixon was not radical, nor paranoid, Kissinger worked for Rockefeller, Kissinger got rid of Nixon, Rockefeller became vice president under Ford.

A politician's paranoia is based on the fact that the opposite party is out to get em.

 

[Luissa]

6. And, the smartest politician….Ronald Reagan, the most brilliant based on vision and an understanding of history…

This made your whole OP bullshit.

 

[rightwinger]

Nixon was not radical, nor paranoid, Kissinger worked for Rockefeller, Kissinger got rid of Nixon, Rockefeller became vice president under Ford.

A politician's paranoia is based on the fact that the opposite party is out to get em.

A tin foil hat would have solved all that

 

[PoliticalChic]

6. And, the smartest politician….Ronald Reagan, the most brilliant based on vision and an understanding of history…

This made your whole OP bullshit.

What a brilliant rebuttal! no...retort...Counter?

One can do no more than be amazed at the careful ratiocinative, point-for-point summary that you were able to craft...how you led to the ineluctable conclusion!
I had no idea of your expertise on the subject!

Bravo!

And the way you were able to interweave your barnyard background,...Steinbeck would be envious!

One can only say...amen.

I am always pleased when one puts all of their ability into a post!

I so look forward to your future work.

 

[Bfgrn]

In another thread, our friend Jillian suggested “maybe if you picked smart people???”

In the context of the post, and in the usual parameters of the USMB, this means ‘my side is smart, yours not so much.”

So, I thought we should discuss what ‘smart’ means…

1. First, let’s dispense with the usual claim by the left that their pols are brilliant…case in point: Jimmy Carter. His IQ is regularly quoted to be 175. Based on his performance as President, and since, either IQ is meaningless, or his number is bogus: brother Billy was the savant in that family.

2. Bill Clinton is considered way up there as well…and I find little to quibble with there…But I would place Clinton in…to coin a phrase, the “Political Arista,” (In New York, we call our school honor society ‘Arista.&#8217 based on his acquiescence to the wisdom of the people, his use of ‘Triangulation.”

3. Some choose to define smart based on insufficient data, and superficial characteristics…such as speaking ability, or lack thereof. This and the previous administration will be seriously re-evaluated as time and distance from them increases.

My criterion for admission to the Political Arista centers on these three individuals, their vision for the country, within the context of history.

4. FDR, a master politician, who left his mark on our nation, in many propitious directions. But one glaring error diminished FDR...

a. FDR, in trying to apply the equality voiced by the Constitution to economics, had to modify the free-market system: capitalism, with its focus on individual wealth, not equality of wealth.

b. The two views: the rights of man vs. the rights of men. FDR fought for the latter.

5. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, for me, the smartest Democrat ever elected. A self-described ‘birthright Democrat,’ and deep thinker in social policy, many of the problems we face today could have been resolved had Democrats absorbed Moynihan’s ideas. See Daniel Patrick Moynihan | The Economist

6. And, the smartest politician….Ronald Reagan, the most brilliant based on vision and an understanding of history…

a. Reagan saw the Cold War as the pivot of history: “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” Ronald Reagan, “Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches,” p. 26.

b. “Look, I am the President of the United States…If we don’t have our security, we’ll have no need for social programs. We’re going to go ahead with these [defense] programs.” Peter Schweitzer, “Reagan’s War: The Epic Struggle and Final Triumph Over Communism,” p. 139-140

So, who’s your ‘smartest,’ and why?

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. famously said of Franklin Roosevelt that he had a "second-class intellect, but a first-class temperament." ... Obama has both a first-class intellect and a first-class temperament.
Charles Krauthammer

THIS Ronald Reagan...?

OR...

THIS Ronald Reagan...?

Thank You Mr. President: Ronald Reagan

 

[PoliticalChic]

In another thread, our friend Jillian suggested “maybe if you picked smart people???”

In the context of the post, and in the usual parameters of the USMB, this means ‘my side is smart, yours not so much.”

So, I thought we should discuss what ‘smart’ means…

1. First, let’s dispense with the usual claim by the left that their pols are brilliant…case in point: Jimmy Carter. His IQ is regularly quoted to be 175. Based on his performance as President, and since, either IQ is meaningless, or his number is bogus: brother Billy was the savant in that family.

2. Bill Clinton is considered way up there as well…and I find little to quibble with there…But I would place Clinton in…to coin a phrase, the “Political Arista,” (In New York, we call our school honor society ‘Arista.’) based on his acquiescence to the wisdom of the people, his use of ‘Triangulation.”

3. Some choose to define smart based on insufficient data, and superficial characteristics…such as speaking ability, or lack thereof. This and the previous administration will be seriously re-evaluated as time and distance from them increases.

My criterion for admission to the Political Arista centers on these three individuals, their vision for the country, within the context of history.

4. FDR, a master politician, who left his mark on our nation, in many propitious directions. But one glaring error diminished FDR...

a. FDR, in trying to apply the equality voiced by the Constitution to economics, had to modify the free-market system: capitalism, with its focus on individual wealth, not equality of wealth.

b. The two views: the rights of man vs. the rights of men. FDR fought for the latter.

5. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, for me, the smartest Democrat ever elected. A self-described ‘birthright Democrat,’ and deep thinker in social policy, many of the problems we face today could have been resolved had Democrats absorbed Moynihan’s ideas. See Daniel Patrick Moynihan | The Economist

6. And, the smartest politician….Ronald Reagan, the most brilliant based on vision and an understanding of history…

a. Reagan saw the Cold War as the pivot of history: “If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on earth.” Ronald Reagan, “Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches,” p. 26.

b. “Look, I am the President of the United States…If we don’t have our security, we’ll have no need for social programs. We’re going to go ahead with these [defense] programs.” Peter Schweitzer, “Reagan’s War: The Epic Struggle and Final Triumph Over Communism,” p. 139-140

So, who’s your ‘smartest,’ and why?

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. famously said of Franklin Roosevelt that he had a "second-class intellect, but a first-class temperament." ... Obama has both a first-class intellect and a first-class temperament.
Charles Krauthammer

THIS Ronald Reagan...?

OR...

THIS Ronald Reagan...?

Thank You Mr. President: Ronald Reagan

Hey, BoringFriendlessGuy, your response is pretty pedestrian, from the lefties, and reminds me of the one they said in praise of Obama, "if he walked on water, they would say he couldn't swim..."

Applies here, as well.

President Reagan changed the course of history, focused the power of America on the 'Evil Empire,' and freed countless millions suffering under the communist heel...

The Great Man saw the larger picture, but I don't expect that from you or the other lefties...

But if you need some chicken feed, how about

a. The economy grew at a 3.4% average rate…compared with 2.9% for the previous eight years, and 2.7% for the next eight.(Table B-4)
b. Inflation rate dropped from 12.5% to 4.4%. (Table B-63)
c. Unemployment fell to 5.5% from 7.1% (Table B-35)
d. Prime interest rate fell by one-third.(Table B-73)
e. The S & P 500 jumped 124% (Table B-95) Economic Report of the President: 2010 Report Spreadsheet Tables

f. Charitable contributions rose 57% faster than inflation. Dinesh D’Souza, “Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary May Became an Extraordinary Leader,” p. 116
Sorry this isn't in cartoon format, as that seems to be your preferred reading mode.

 

[editec]

Assuming that one subscribes to the theory of 7 forms if intelligence (I happen to think there's probably hundreds of unique types of intel, but that's another thread) then it is very easy to understand why someone of very high IQ measured intelligence might be an utter failure in life or why someone who has a bearly functional IQ can do so well in society.

The OTHER five types of intell count too.

In fact in the case of how one does generally in life, and relationships, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences are, I believe, FAR MORE IMPORTANT in outcomes than just one's reading and math intelligence.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Assuming that one subscribes to the theory of 7 forms if intelligence (I happen to think there's probably hundreds of unique types of intel, but that's another thread) then it is very easy to understand why someone of very high IQ measured intelligence might be an utter failure in life or why someone who has a bearly functional IQ can do so well in society.

The OTHER five types of intell count too.

In fact in the case of how one does generally in life, and relationships, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences are, I believe, FAR MORE IMPORTANT in outcomes than just one's reading and math intelligence.

While it is clear that you are superior in all seven forms, I believe that this thread is specific to our political leaders...

could it be that your avatar hides a banner elected position?

 

[rightwinger]

Assuming that one subscribes to the theory of 7 forms if intelligence (I happen to think there's probably hundreds of unique types of intel, but that's another thread) then it is very easy to understand why someone of very high IQ measured intelligence might be an utter failure in life or why someone who has a bearly functional IQ can do so well in society.

The OTHER five types of intell count too.

In fact in the case of how one does generally in life, and relationships, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences are, I believe, FAR MORE IMPORTANT in outcomes than just one's reading and math intelligence.

Especially for a politician

 

[xotoxi]

Dukakass

 

[Samson]

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. famously said of Franklin Roosevelt that he had a "second-class intellect, but a first-class temperament." ... Obama has both a first-class intellect and a first-class temperament.

Typical Partisan Bullshit Response: Neither Obama's "intellect" or "temperment" has ever been tested in office.

Lincoln was the smartest US President, IMHO. Talk about beating the odds: Weird looking, weird sounding (he had a high, squeeky voice), batshit crazy wife, son dies in the white house, fucking tens of THOUSANDS of casulties in ONE battle!!

Hell, I'd like to see how any modern president would handle just ONE of these hurdles.