No, this isn't about Bush. It's not about Clinton either. Who was the worst president ever, and why? Please don't use presidents from the last 20 years. I figure we need 20 years or so to evaluate a leader such as a president, (plus this thread would probably turn into a flame war in seconds.) James Buchanan was the first name to pop into my mind; the nation was headed for disaster, and he did virtually nothing to stop it. Of course you can't have this discussion without mentioning Grant and Harding. Helloooooo corruption! Who would you all pick? Peace.
Goofyfish, It's really hard to say who the worst president was. Compared to Bush Jr, they were all great. Tom
Controversial choice: Harry Truman Never trust a failed haberdasher with matters of state. Couldn't handle Stalin at Potsdam, allowed the Cold War to kick off, didn't listen to his Secretary of State on Israel, allowed MaCarthyism to become embedded, didn't listen to General Marshall. A simple well meaning man who simply couldn't handle the job. Bush Jr's in with a shout though.
Truman. MacArthur, faced with mass starvation in Japan and not receiving any support from the Truman administration, would probably have agreed with you. Who else, gang?
That pretty much covers all of them Adam... narrow the field a little, please Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Lundon B. Johnson for implementing welfare. That was just utterly brilliant. Second, I would probably say Nixon - real class guy.
andrew jackson and his trail of tears, he is actually the son of his fathers indian/native american mistress
Wasn't is Johnson who got the Civil Rights Acts pushed through? I think that little accomplishment prevents him from being the worst ever. Nixon? Well, he was corrupt, paranoid, and fairly inflammatory in some of his statements, but at least he was a very competent and able politician. A very popular one too, judging from his 1972 landslide election. Here's a guy who was vice president during the 1950s, and basicly ran the country while Ike spent all that time on the golf course. Watergate, you ask? There's no evidence that he even knew about the Watergate break-in; his great sin was covering it up. Andrew Jackson was a mixed bag. While he deserves scorn for the Trail of Tears, you can't ignore his positive contributions. He embraced an egalitarian vision of democracy that we accept as canon today, but which had not previously been the norm. He fought against the nascent "states' rights" movement (which led ultimately to the dissolution of the Union). Jackson exemplified the common man, the farmer politician, military prowess and democracy for his time. He was truly representative of the ideology of an entire generation. While there is no question that he abused the Cherokee nation, IMHO his record in other areas prevents him from being named as even one of the worst presidents. Peace.
in all recognition of the good things that andrew jackson did do, i have to support my bias with my belief that the trail of tears was a horrible part of the US's past, are we judging these presidents by their actions, or are we judging theit personal character. are we judging what they've doen badly for the country as foriegn policy stands or are we judging what they've done internally. just wondering
in all recognition of the good things that andrew jackson did do, i have to support my bias with my belief that the trail of tears was a horrible part of the US's past, are we judging these presidents by their actions, or are we judging theit personal character. are we judging what they've doen badly for the country as foriegn policy stands or are we judging what they've done internally. just wonderin
I specifically chose not to set judging criteria (other than the time frame) in order to get a broader range of responses, and to get a feel for the historical perception of our presidents. As such, my replies to you are simply discussion, and certainly have no greater validity than your statements, and there can be no right or wrong answers. You think Andrew J. sucks the big one? Then Andrew J. must suck the big one! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Peace. p.s. You might want to delete one of the double posts.
opps double post yeah. must've pressed it twice. there are worst presidents than anderw J. he just stands out in my mind, I knew a descendant of his who is part cherokee as well. she told some interesting stoires about him. ill try to find some.
Considering him a great ex-President, except when he opines politically, I'd have to say Carter. I love his work for Habitat for Humanity and for the impoverished. Nice guy. Lousy President. I voted for him, too. Taking showers never did cleanse me of my transgression.
On the whole, I think Jimmy Carter is an extremely intelligent and highly decent man, one I'd be delighted to have for a next-door neighbor. There's some small irony in the fact that Christian conservatives who champion "family values" invariably voted for Ronald Reagan (who was divorced, never went to church, and was estranged from most of his family) rather than Carter (who's a pillar of his church, and has been a devoted husband and family man for 50 years or so). I'd have to go with "nice guy" - probably one of the reasons he wasn't such a hot president - he was too honest a person. Say what you want, but the guy does have character, and he had one of the best 'presidential brothers' in history! Peace.
Taking showers never did cleanse me of my transgression. Have you tried a wire brush and varsol? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Bad Presidents, where do I start? John Adams - Alien and Sedition Acts Buchannan - Brilliant move just letting the civil war happen without even trying to stop it Grant - To be fair the corruption under his administration wasn't really his fault but he should have tried to stop it Hoover - Lets not do anything to stop the depression Kennedy - He had charisma but bungled just about everything except cuban missle crisis Johnson - I admit i do like his domestic policies but his war policy sucked Nixon - Where do i begin. tell everyone your pulling out of 'nam while escalating it is my favorite. He did help ease tension in the cold war which was good. Regan - OK he violates the 20 year limit but i love his policy of escalating the cold war so much i had to mention him.
Interesting that you added JFK From all i have herd people hold him in awe everyone seems to think he was your best ever
I never understood why people liked that JFK guy. So he had charisma, big deal. It seems people only like him becuase of some weird nostalgia thing, the images they hold in their heads of him, Monroe, and and USA life 1960s Hollywood style. Personally, I think JFL was a complete weaste of oxygen. He plants nukes on the USSR's doorstep, and when they attempt a completely fair and equitable response in planting some in Cuba, he keeps pushing the world closer and closer to WW3. JFK nearly nuked us all. He was an insane fnck. But he smiled a lot, so I guess that makes it okay, right?
