Top U.S. Presidents

[Adam's Apple]

With all the conjecture now going on as to where President Reagan will place among effective U.S. presidents, I would be interested in knowing what participants of this board think. In your mind, who would be the top five most effective U.S. presidents and the main reason you think each one deserves the place you have assigned them.

 

[nycflasher]

I'm no expert on the presidencies, but I like Theodore Roosevelt alot. While his foreign policy wasn't perfect, it was highly effective and even won him the Nobel Peace Prize.

I think many attribute the saying "walk sofltly but carry a big stick " to him, while what he actually said was:

"If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble but neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power."

I know that Bush and Rove are huge fans of Roosevelt. Time will tell how effective their foreign policies are...

 

[5stringJeff]

Originally posted by Adam's Apple
In your mind, who would be the top five most effective U.S. presidents and the main reason you think each one deserves the place you have assigned them.

1. Washington: the first President, he established most of the decorum guidelines for the office and was instrumental in the creation of the government.

2. Jefferson: wrote the Declaration of Independence, was a staunch advocate of small government, and expanded the area of the US through the Louisiana Purchase.

3. Lincoln: while I don't agree with his methods, he was the leader with the vision to keep the Union together and abolish slavery. His mark on America cannot be underestimated.

4. FDR: revolutionized American politics, although his policies arguably kept America in the Depression longer than we would have been in it.

5. Reagan. Again, he revolutionized American politics in a way that I think is still ongoing, not to mention he caused the downfall of the Soviet Union and ultimately of European communism.

 

[nycflasher]

Originally posted by gop_jeff

5. Reagan. Again, he revolutionized American politics in a way that I think is still ongoing, not to mention he caused the downfall of the Soviet Union and ultimately of European communism.

I think that communism caused the downfall of communism, but yeah Reagan had something to do with it.

 

[DKSuddeth]

Any of the first 15 presidents with the notable exceptions of Andrew Jackson, John Adams, and woodrow wilson for flagrant violations of civil rights and the constitution.

 

[Gop guy]

1. TIE Washington/Lincoln- I think it's really just impossible to put one of these guys above the other.
-Washington was the father of this country, but Lincoln was its saviour.
-Washington freed millions of people, so did Lincoln.
-Both were devout Christians
If I had to put one above the other, I guess I would choose Lincoln, simply because....he was a Republican

2. Franklin Delanor Roosevelt- His economic policies played a part in helping us to get out of the Great Depression. He also saw us through WWII.

3. Harry S. Truman- I could only imagine the agony he endured when deciding to use the A-bomb on Japan, he spard countless thousands of American lives. He was also in my opinion the last good Democrat

4. Ronald Wilson Regan- Under him, we were pulled out a a terrible recession and 25 million jobs were created. Thanks greatly to him, the Soviet Union collasped. He was kind, funny, and determined. He transformed my party and inspired a new generation of young conservative Republicans.

5. George Walker Bush- Under him, we were again pulled out of a terrible recession and now have the fastest growing economy of ANY major industrialized nation on earth. It's also the fastest growing U.S. economy in almost 30 years. His incredible leadership after 9/11 ensured his place on this list. He has rallied the world againsy terror. He is also kind, funny, and determined, damn, the ya gotta admit, the similarities are there people.

LOL, my list is bi-partisan.

 

[nycflasher]

No offense, but no way Bush makes the Top 5.

 

[Gop guy]

Originally posted by nycflasher
No offense, but no way Bush makes the Top 5.

Maybe not in your opinion.

 

[Annie]

My list would look alot like GOPJeff's with a couple differences. I think TR beats out Truman.

I think Washington beats Lincoln by a whisker. Not only was he first, but without his prior leadership-there would not have been a 'country' to save.

I'm a big fan of Andrew Jackson in many ways, though certainly not Native American/slavery philosophies. I also would throw out the concept of 'mob rule', though there is something inherently American in protests, there has to be strict limits on destruction.

I was tinkering with the idea of dropping GW, since time will tell, but for now I think I'll let myself have 6 choices.

 

[Psychoblues]

I have to agree with Washington and Lincoln for the same reasons already mentioned. I would then add FDR but not for his economic principles as stated already in this thread but moreso for his ability to understand and respond to the true plights of regular Americans and indeed the world despite severe opposition from both sides of the political aisle. His leadership has never been equalled, in my opinion, except possibly by the Gipper, also extraordinary but in a different way. That leaves only one more to add to my top 5 list. I do so reluctantly as I believe we have so many very remarkables in our nations history.

Dwight D. Eisenhower. His actions concerning racial integration in our military and then in our civilian educational and residential entities began the responsible righting of the greatest scourge on the history of our great nation. Even though racism still exists and always will, President Eisenhower's actions began the crumbling of the institutionalised forms of it's expression that to this day poison our civilisation. But, I still believe in the famous words of the late, great Martin Luther King. "We shall overcome" as I continue to substitute the word "We" with other words like "Truth" and "Justice". I don't think many Americans realize how significant President Eisenhower's actions have changed the shapes of our society.

So, that's it. Washington, Lincoln, F. D. Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan. And not in any particular order other than chronological and also not to exclude the so many other greats in our history as I was only afforded a list of 5.

Psychoblues

 

[5stringJeff]

Originally posted by nycflasher
No offense, but no way Bush makes the Top 5.

Way too early to tell either way, IMO. In 20 years, if Bush is successful in eradicating terrorism and/or militant Islam, then maybe he will be one of the greats.

 

[nycflasher]

Originally posted by gop_jeff
Way too early to tell either way, IMO. In 20 years, if Bush is successful in eradicating terrorism and/or militant Islam, then maybe he will be one of the greats.

Agreed. Definitely to early considering he hasn't even finished his term. Yep I said term, lol.

 

[insein]

Originally posted by nycflasher
Agreed. Definitely to early considering he hasn't even finished his termS. Yep I said termS, lol.

There i corrected that for you Flasher.

 

[nycflasher]

Originally posted by insein
There i corrected that for you Flasher.

not the first time I've been misquoted...



cute, though
at least you have a sense of humor about it

 

[menewa]

the following is in no particular order, i have troubles with naming a superlative.

Theodore Roosevelt - a founding father of conservation

Thomas Jefferson - a staunch believer in state rights

Jimmy Carter - although America was not in great shape during his presidency, he might have been the most honest president we've ever had, which is why he is usually termed a failure; an honest man usually finishes last in

FDR - his social programs and his upkeep and continued expansion of our state and national parks were heroic

Richard Nixon - although he was an arch-criminal, he did help create the EPA and pull our young men out of Viet Nam

 

[Palestinian Jew]

1) Washington- Though technically John Adams was the first president, Washington was the greatest imo. He set many precedents that have been followed to this day and he was a father of our country

2) Lincoln- Wow! What a great president. I think it is amazing that he managed to keep our country together and begin the movement to black civil rights.

3) Can't decide between Madison and Roosevelt. They both had great foreign policy, Madison told the rest of the world to stay the hell out of America and Roosevelt showed off our naval fleet so they could see what they would face if they did.

4) FDR. As it was said before, he carried us out of the depression, even if you don't agree with the New Deal, you must admit there were far worse possibillities. He also was elected 4 times and led us through WWII.

5) Maybe its from the nonstop 24 hour positive media coverage, but for number five I'll choose Reagan. He at least quickened the fall of the USSR, the economy was great and he was a great leader and person.

Really though, at least the first five presidents should be up there because they could have really screwed things up, so it shows what kind of character they had that they didn't.

Richard Nixon - although he was an arch-criminal, he did help create the EPA and pull our young men out of Viet Nam

Nixon is no where near the top five, in fact I'd say he was one of the worse presidents. Once you get past Watergate, there still are the Pentagon Papers, where two guys stole the gov't documents about how men and money were being put into Viet Nam, despite the fact that Nixon was saying he was pulling out of Viet Nam. Then on top of that, he illegally tapped the two guy's phones while they were being prosecuted for stealing the pentagon papers.

 

[JIHADTHIS]

Nixon set many positive things in motion:

Richard Nixon's accomplishments while in office included revenue sharing, the end of the draft, new anticrime laws, and a broad environmental program. As he had promised, he appointed Justices of conservative philosophy to the Supreme Court. One of the most dramatic events of his first term occurred in 1969, when American astronauts made the first moon landing.

Some of his most acclaimed achievements came in his quest for world stability. During visits in 1972 to Beijing and Moscow, Richard Nixon reduced tensions with China and the U.S.S.R. His summit meetings with Russian leader Leonid I. Brezhnev produced a treaty to limit strategic nuclear weapons. In January 1973, he announced an accord with North Viet Nam to end American involvement in Indochina. In 1974, his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, negotiated disengagement agreements between Israel and its opponents, Egypt and Syria.

Food for thought.........

 

[menewa]

[/B]
Nixon is no where near the top five, in fact I'd say he was one of the worse presidents. Once you get past Watergate, there still are the Pentagon Papers, where two guys stole the gov't documents about how men and money were being put into Viet Nam, despite the fact that Nixon was saying he was pulling out of Viet Nam. Then on top of that, he illegally tapped the two guy's phones while they were being prosecuted for stealing the pentagon papers. [/B][/QUOTE]

Yeah, he's a scumbag. I just really couldn't come up with a fifth president so decided to just pull his name out of a hat.

 

[Annie]

I agree with you. I really, really hated Nixon. I've already said that Reagan didn't thrill me, but in 68' Nixon disgusted me. By '72 I was really hostile, though I still couldn't vote. I live on Garry Willls book, Nixon Agonistes. Then All the President's Men. Then he was gone. Tg.

Now I look at what he did accomplish, which was no minor amount. It could easily be argued that without Nixon, there would be no Reagan.

Originally posted by JIHADTHIS
Nixon set many positive things in motion:

Richard Nixon's accomplishments while in office included revenue sharing, the end of the draft, new anticrime laws, and a broad environmental program. As he had promised, he appointed Justices of conservative philosophy to the Supreme Court. One of the most dramatic events of his first term occurred in 1969, when American astronauts made the first moon landing.

Some of his most acclaimed achievements came in his quest for world stability. During visits in 1972 to Beijing and Moscow, Richard Nixon reduced tensions with China and the U.S.S.R. His summit meetings with Russian leader Leonid I. Brezhnev produced a treaty to limit strategic nuclear weapons. In January 1973, he announced an accord with North Viet Nam to end American involvement in Indochina. In 1974, his Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, negotiated disengagement agreements between Israel and its opponents, Egypt and Syria.

Food for thought.........

 

[JIHADTHIS]

Originally posted by menewa
Yeah, he's a scumbag. I just really couldn't come up with a fifth president so decided to just pull his name out of a hat.

Is that the way you do your reporting too?