Who was the best president of the United States?

1. 67

   Donna Janelleposted 13 years ago

   Who was the best president of the United States?

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2. 60

   justomposted 13 years ago

   Oh yeah Ronnie was the bomb. Ever notice how republicans stoop to name calling when they're having  a hissy fit?

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3. 71

   dashingscorpioposted 13 years ago

   That would be a difficult choice.
   Great presidents are usually defined by how they handled crisis and pushed our nation forward.
   
   Washington would have to be way up there because he was able to hold this new fragile nation together soon after the Revolutionary War.  Lincoln faced many of the same challenges after the Civil War which threaten to divide our nation in half. Franklin D. Roosevelt led the country through "The Great Depression" and "World War II". He also is the only president to be elected 3 times. In fact term limits were set because he was so popular.
   
   In the modern era Reagan would have to be up there. He took a nation that was starting to feel weak and restored pride as well as overseeing tremendous economic growth, He also enacted policies which helped to lead Russia away from Communism.
   I have no doubt if 9-11 had taken place on his watch Osama Bin Laden would be dead.

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4. 60

   MickSposted 13 years ago

   Nixon, he seemed to be a likeable, honest chap.

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5. 82

   Wayne Brownposted 13 years ago

   There will always be some set of circumstances by which a particular President looks to be the best of all times.  In fact, there have been some good ones who were the right person at the right time.  If you go on sheer numbers and minimal government intrusion into people's lives, many will say that Calvin Coolidge was among the best although history tends to paint him differently in most cases.  For me, I have to hand the title to Abraham Lincoln because he was serving as President during a time when the nation divided itself over an issue that had been festering since the beginning of the Union...slavery. He saw America through a bloody civil war, brought it to an end, and reunited a torn nation back into one union.  For all the world wars, economic failures, etc., I would say that no other president has had such a forboding task so filled with personal feelings of rage between the citizens of the same country.  Without Lincoln's guidance and wisdom, America may have never healed from those days of Civil War.  WB

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6. 71

   Freeway Flyerposted 13 years ago

   I don't have any single pick, but If I had to choose one, I would go with Washington. As the first President, everything that he did would establish a precedent for the future. And the fact that he did not try to wield as much power as he could have got our country (and Constitution) off on the right foot. In the early days after the Revolution, he could have maybe become King George. Instead, he choose to retire, and he had to be talked into running for President.
   
   Reagan, in my mind, is a bit overrated and mythologized. I don't think that he was a terrible President, but conservatives who virtually worship the guy have a very selective memory. After all, under his watch, there were several tax increases, work visas for immigrants, and negotiations with the Soviet Union, the ultimate bad guy. (Not to mention the beginnings of huge budget deficits.) Is this the Reagan that they love?

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7. 59

   J D Murrahposted 13 years ago

   Thomas Jefferson.
   
   He worked toward restoring the young Republic back to its Constitutional foundations. By the time he was in office, the government had veered off course with some of its actions and policies. Jefferson was willing to dismember the Bank of the United States, and avoided many of the European conflicts then underway and threatening to engulf the world.
   
   Being that Jefferson played a role in the founding of the Republic, he knew what the intention was and took steps to restoring the dream of the founders.

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8. 0

   dennahposted 13 years ago

   I tend to think it's Abraham Lincoln. No wonder the current US president termed him as his role model.

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9. 71

   CarolineChicagoposted 13 years ago

   Washington because he was the first, and as said above, set precedents for future presidents. He held the 13 states together so that . . .
   
   After Adams, Jefferson (my vote for another best president) could come in and double the size of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase.
   
   Finally, Lincoln. He had the  worst situation of any sitting president yet managed to successfully steer us through the Civil War--and end slavery. If he hadn't been assassinated, then the Reconstruction Era would have gone much better.

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10. 53

    footprintzposted 13 years ago

    George Washington would be my choice because he set many precedents that stand to this day and he had no playbook.  No one has ever swept the Electorial College since...

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