Who was the worst?

[DiamondDave]

I actually think Nixon was a pretty good president. He was just a bad human being.

His accomplishments on policy were fairly monumental.

Take away Watergate, and you've got a guy that would be in the running for the top 10 easily. The problem is you can't just ignore Watergate and the mess it left the USA. It royally screwed up the balance of power in this country.

Top 10?? I think that is quite the stretch.. but I would agree he would not be as vilified as he is now

 

[Meathead]

For all his faults, Nixon was probably the most intelligent president the country has ever had. Obama isn't a zit on his ass.

 

[Oddball]

I actually think Nixon was a pretty good president. He was just a bad human being.

His accomplishments on policy were fairly monumental.

Take away Watergate, and you've got a guy that would be in the running for the top 10 easily. The problem is you can't just ignore Watergate and the mess it left the USA. It royally screwed up the balance of power in this country.

Wage and price controls were a borderline Marxist economic central controller disaster.

And Watergate wasn't the only nefarious jiggery-pokery that he was involved with.

 

[Nosmo King]

For all his faults, Nixon was probably the most intelligent president the country has ever had. Obama isn't a zit on his ass.

An intelligent man would not have allowed his paranoia lead him to ruin.

 

[DiamondDave]

For all his faults, Nixon was probably the most intelligent president the country has ever had. Obama isn't a zit on his ass.

An intelligent man would not have allowed his paranoia lead him to ruin.

False conclusion... intelligence does not eliminate one from mental issues such as paranoia, being a sociopath, having irrational fears, etc

 

[Meathead]

For all his faults, Nixon was probably the most intelligent president the country has ever had. Obama isn't a zit on his ass.

An intelligent man would not have allowed his paranoia lead him to ruin.

Definitely a non-sequitur!

 

[Dr.Traveler]

I see a lot of Carter here. Prior to election I can see why folks voted for him. A Southern politician with a strong religious background and high personal integrity sounds like the definition of good President. In reality though he's guilty of the same sin as Buchanan, namely he was an extremely weak leader. Carter dealt with some of the worst issues a President can face, but unlike other Presidents he just could not seem to get out in front of stuff and lead. He always ended up looking like he was out of his depth. I see Carter as the ultimate proof that maybe you don't need a good person in the office, but you need a good leader. Those aren't the same thing.

As for Reagan: I don't think enough time has passed one way or another. There's this mythology that has sprung up about the man that has absolutely nothing to do with who he was or how he governed.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

For all his faults, Nixon was probably the most intelligent president the country has ever had. Obama isn't a zit on his ass.

An intelligent man would not have allowed his paranoia lead him to ruin.

False conclusion... intelligence does not eliminate one from mental issues such as paranoia, being a sociopath, having irrational fears, etc

All too true. I'm in academia which is populated by folks with IQ's well north of the typical population. Does anyone in the room think that Academics are immune to mental health issues?

 

[Nosmo King]

For all his faults, Nixon was probably the most intelligent president the country has ever had. Obama isn't a zit on his ass.

An intelligent man would not have allowed his paranoia lead him to ruin.

False conclusion... intelligence does not eliminate one from mental issues such as paranoia, being a sociopath, having irrational fears, etc

Point taken. But the paranoia Nixon suffered from should be taken into consideration when rating him as a leader.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Lets not forget about Wilson, and signing the Federal reserve in...
Dont think I saw anyone mention that one...

If I were alive when Wilson was around, I'd have picked him. If you allow for all of US History, I'd put Wilson at the spot of 2nd worst, just after Buchanan. He pulled the US into the World War despite promising he wouldn't, imposed a near military dictatorship to fight that war, botched the response to the most fatal epidemic outbreak in human history, and botched the peace so badly that he left the world even less stable than it was prior to the War. Just hands down terrible.

 

[Oddball]

I see a lot of Carter here. Prior to election I can see why folks voted for him. A Southern politician with a strong religious background and high personal integrity sounds like the definition of good President. In reality though he's guilty of the same sin as Buchanan, namely he was an extremely weak leader. Carter dealt with some of the worst issues a President can face, but unlike other Presidents he just could not seem to get out in front of stuff and lead. He always ended up looking like he was out of his depth. I see Carter as the ultimate proof that maybe you don't need a good person in the office, but you need a good leader. Those aren't the same thing.

I don't get the obsession with Carter, either.

Then again, republicans have found a new love for international interventionist warmongering, so it only figures that they'd turn a blind eye to Johnson.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

Then again, republicans have found a new love for international interventionist warmongering, so it only figures that they'd turn a blind eye to Johnson.

I completely get a vote for Johnson. The guy was an asshole in private and in public it'd be hard to stop saying negative stuff about his Presidency if I allowed myself to start. Fortunately, he wasn't in my lifetime so I didn't have to consider him for this list.

I think the Carter obsession comes from him being a single term predecessor to Reagan and the Iranian hostage crisis. I personally don't like him because I see weak leadership as being a fairly major sin for a President to have. That's part of why I don't think Obama is that great a President. Not the worst President, but definitely a weak one.

 

[TNHarley]

Didnt he set up trade relations with China? I believe he boycotted the Olympics. Bad inflation
IMO, he was TOO judgemental, hence, the Olympic games boycotted
And the Community Reinvestment Act. I hated this
I am sure I am missing some more
Oh yes, The Iran thinggy... dont really know what he could have doen though. From what I have read anyways.
GRANTED, I think he also ran at the wrong time. He was the wrong man for the job(which leads to negativity). He was, well, a pussy

 

[Borillar]

I was born during the Eisenhower administration. We have had some real doozies as President since then. We have Johnson, who greatly expanded our role in Viet Nam. We have Nixon the crook. Ford who pardoned Nixon before he was found guilty of anything. Carter, who was intelligent and well intentioned, but a terrible leader. Reagan, who tripled the National Debt, destroyed the middle class, traded arms for hostages. Bush 1, who failed at lip reading. Clinton who enacted NAFTA.

My vote for worst President of my lifetime (and possibly of all time) goes to George W. Bush, who ignored warnings of an imminent attack by Bin Laden resulting in the attacks on 9/11. Who then proceeded to attack the wrong country, Iraq. Who had us involved in 2 wars off the books. Who allowed energy execs to formulate America's energy policy. Who gave us an unfunded Medicare drug benefit. Who crashed the economy. Who trashed America's image abroad.

It may be generations (hopefully never) before another president comes along who can equal or surpass G.W. Bush's record of dubious achievements.

 

[tjvh]

Obama... Because we have record numbers of people on Public assistance. Unemployment is outrageous. Because he hates the very principles America was Founded upon.

 

[TNHarley]

To Bori :
I can agree with how much Bush sucks, but I dont think he is the worst
He also didnt crash the economy
That is nothing more than liberal spin
Sure, his un-funded wars did it in, but he damn sure didnt start it
It started a few decades back
The federal reserve, Community reinvestment act etc

 

[Borillar]

To Bori :
I can agree with how much Bush sucks, but I dont think he is the worst
He also didnt crash the economy
That is nothing more than liberal spin
Sure, his un-funded wars did it in, but he damn sure didnt start it
It started a few decades back
The federal reserve, Community reinvestment act etc

It's all good... I was just kind of surprised looking back, that most of the presidents during my lifetime have been a real rogue's gallery. Eisenhower, I think was the only good and decent president we have had in the last 60 years. Everybody else has pretty much sucked for one or more reasons.

 

[Synthaholic]

Reagan.

Started us down the road of deficits and debt.

It took 31 posts before someone got it right.

St. Ronnie Of The RKO Studio is, hands down, the worst president in the past 50 years.

America had virtually wiped out hunger in this country (under Nixon/Ford/Carter) until he came in and slashed all funding, saying charity would handle it. How did that work out?

He turned his WH over to evangelical bigots. The cost of all food rose sharply. The deficit was tripled. He supported nun murderers in Central America. He sold arms to Iran, fer fuck's sake. IRAN!!!! He holds the record for people convicted in his administration. He cut and ran from Beruit when we were attacked.

The list is long.

I wonder if Reagan knew Texas wasn't landlocked.

I'm sure they included it in his script.

 

[Synthaholic]

Reagan.

Started us down the road of deficits and debt.

We have been down that road since 1957...

I personally think Reagan would have liked to have spent less, but had to deal with a DEM congress... but one good thing he did was lowering the tax rates to boost the economic activity.. there is no reason to have uber-high tax rates on everyone.. even if everyone does not agree with me that flat tax is the only equal treatment government can actually have in taxation

That's a bunch of bullshit. There were no Democrats in the Oval Office telling St. Ronnie what to put in his own budgets, that he presented to Congress.

 

[Synthaholic]

I'm surprised how many Conservatives claim Carter, Clinton and Obama were worse presidents than Nixon. Is it a poor understanding of history or partisan blindness?

The Nixon administration was far more damaging to this nation. The Watergate affair stole momentum from the economy, our national prestige and our understanding of constitutional law. Nixon resigned in shame and infamy. His handling of Vietnam prolonged the war and cost tens of thousands of lives.

And yet he seems to be forgiven by virtue of an (R) behind his name. Is it blind partisanship? Or, as I assume, a poor understanding of history?

Not saying Nixon was not bad.. BUT he did do some good things away from the other horrible things he did... I cannot name 1 thing Carter or Obamalama did good that is entirely on them (OBL is not just an Obama thing, for example)

Yeah. A peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that has lasted 35 years is nothing.