Name Which President You Think Is/Was Best and Why?

1. 69

   Cagsilposted 11 years ago

   Hey Hubbers,
   
   I support the Presidency, the office itself and the ideal of the power it is supposedly bestowed up whomever is elected to said office.
   
   However, I find it very difficult to choose one specific President who has been elected and done any real good while in office.
   
   So, as a citizen I am curious to know what other citizens think about it. Please give your input.
   
   If you want to substitute Presidency for King/Queen? of any country, then by all means, feel free to say what you think about your government Leader.

   replyreport
   1. 61

      ib radmastersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I would narrow it down to four.
      
      George Washington
      Abraham Lincoln
      JFK
      Ronald Reagan

      replyreport
      1. 69

         Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Okay. But why?

         replyreport
         1. 61

            ib radmastersposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Without George Washington there would have not been a United States.
            ---
            Abraham Lincoln was the epitome of the US dream that anyone could be president. He was president at one of the most difficult times for the country. He was inspirational and we still quote him today. Because of his assassination we don't know how much more he could have done for the country.
            ----
            JFK may not have been the faithful husband, but he was faithful to the country. He set the critical actions in play during the Cuban Missile Crisis, He made the Russians and Cuba backoff from putting missiles in our backyard, and he did it without violence.
            
            I suspect that if he wasn't assassinated that the Vietnam War would have had a favorable ending. Lyndon Johnson was totally ineffective and he contributed to our failure in Vietnam.
            -----
            Ronald Reagan was also a target for Assassins, that in my mind puts him in with the other three presidents. They were all doing something right, and that is not the way our government works.
            
            In addition, he like JFK was a strong threat to Russia, and whatever the real story, the USSR took down the wall. He also took a stand on federal government employee unions at the FAA. These government employee unions are still an issue for the recent presidents. None have taken the challenge against these unions, as did Ronald Reagan.
            ------------
            I hope that answers the Why.

            replyreport
            1. 69

               Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               That answers why you like them, yes. Appreciate the input.

               replyreport
2. 61

   Ron Montgomeryposted 11 years ago

   William Henry Harrison - he kept it short and simple.

   replyreport
   1. 69

      Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting Ron. I actually had to look him up.

      replyreport
   2. 79

      Uninvited Writerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Didn't he die within a month?

      replyreport
      1. 69

         Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Something like that.
         
         
         William Henry Harrison had the shortest term in office of any American president: 32 days. Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. William made a name for himself in the early Indian Wars and was rewarded with the governorship of the Indiana Territories, where he served from 1800-1812. He is most famous for his victory over the Shawnee chief Tecumseh at the battle at Tippecanoe Creek (November 7, 1811). The incident earned Harrison the nickname "Old Tippecanoe." After serving in the House and the Senate, Harrison retired and settled with his wife Anna at their farm in North Bend, Ohio. The Whigs drafted him for the presidency and he won the election of 1840. Harrison, 68 years old and not in the best health, gave a 100-minute inaugural speech in the snow without hat or overcoat, caught pneumonia, and died a month later. He was succeeded by his vice president, John Tyler.
         
         Extra credit: Harrison's nickname led to a memorable campaign slogan, "Tippecanoe and Tyler too!"... Harrison's grandson Benjamin Harrison became the 23rd president of the United States in 1889, 48 years after Harrison took office.

         replyreport
3. 79

   Uninvited Writerposted 11 years ago

   I don`t know too much about US presidents but I think Bill Clinton was one of the best, regardless of his personal behaviour. I`ll stick to the 20th century: FDR, JFK and Clinton. Sorry to say I don`t think much of or know much about the Republican presidents of that century but Gerald Ford was alright.

   replyreport
   1. 69

      Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I appreciate the input regardless UW. So it's not a problem.

      replyreport
   2. 61

      Ron Montgomeryposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Eisenhower was one of the best.  Like Reagan, he would not recognize today's Republicans.

      replyreport
      1. 79

         Uninvited Writerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         True, never heard anything bad about Eisenhower. All I know is he played a lot of golf

         replyreport
4. 77

   Mighty Momposted 11 years ago

   Gotta go with JFK.
   He was not a chicken hawk. He was a real war hero and a leader.
   He stood up to Kruchev and his own military advisors on Cuba.
   He (and Bobby) the started civil rights movement. Right on!
   He refused to be cowed by J Edgar Hoover.
   
   JFK was a bright shining star who could have done even more great things for this country if those he threatened hadn't snuffed him out.
   
   And no. I don't care a whit about his sex life (or Clinton's for that matter).
   
   BTW, I received an email from Caroline Kennedy today. So feeling a bit nostalgic. I remember writing to her when her dad died and saying how sad I was and I would share my father with her. We were both six at the time.
   

   replyreport
   1. 69

      Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting.

      replyreport
5. 66

   innersmiffposted 11 years ago

   Ivan Eland, who wrote "Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty" had these 4 at the top of the pile:
   
   1 John Tyler
   
   2 Grover Cleveland
   
   3 Martin van Buren
   
   4 Rutherford B. Hayes
   
   I know you asked my opinion, but I am not researched enough. These represent the Presidents that avoided violence and state expansion most successfully. For all the egalitarian fervour, JFK is guilty of kick starting an exponential expansion of state power in our private lives (also, to say that he started the civil rights movement is pretty funny); he is also guilty, in the mind of this libertarian, of meddling too much in foreign affairs which could have resulted in millions of American deaths. His assassination links to the one good thing he put forward: he was about to take the currency off fiat and go back to the Gold standard. Lincoln was going to do this too, and we all know what he has in common with JFK.

   replyreport
   1. 77

      Mighty Momposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      What countries did JKF meddle in? Cuban missiles pointing at Florida?

      replyreport
   2. 69

      Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Another interesting post.

      replyreport
      1. 89

         Cardisaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Hey Cags, I am not American so might get in trouble here but as far as I know any President who starts wars based on personal vendettas are not very good Presidents. I say George Bush Senior was probably the worse but maybe Richard Nixon was the #1 worse President of all time.
         
         
         From what I have read maybe Teddy Roosevelt was the best you have ever had but I don't know as I have never been to your country and have not experienced what you guys and gals have.  My fave is Ronalad Reagan because I grew up in the era that he was President and he was handsome too!

         replyreport
         1. 69

            Cagsilposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you Cardisa. Much appreciated.

            replyreport