Best/worst Presidents NOT in your lifetime

[bigred]

...since it's hard if not impossible for most to be even somewhat objective of the more recent ones....

Thought of this while watching the History channel, who have a series recapping the presidents which I've kind of gotten into...

Offhand my top/bottom 5 in no order:

TOP:

1 - Washington
2 - Lincoln
3 - Teddy R.
4 - Jefferson
5 - FDR

I wish it was a more original list. :o Naturally several others are worthy of consideration, eg Wilson, Truman etc.


BOTTOM:

1 - Harding
2 - JQ Adams
3 - Grant
4 - Buchanan
5 - Hoover

Probably some earlier presidents I'm missing...darn Alzheimers

[Yahweh]

Best president not in my lifetime:

"Silient" Cal Coolidge because he never said anything to discredit himself.




Worst president not in my lifetime:

Gorgenblaarch The Terrible (will be elected by a slim majority in 2208), the first Venusian president known for his horrible tax policy and tendency to eat people alive on national television.

[seayakin]

...since it's hard if not impossible for most to be even somewhat objective of the more recent ones....

Thought of this while watching the History channel, who have a series recapping the presidents which I've kind of gotten into...

Offhand my top/bottom 5 in no order:

TOP:

1 - Washington
2 - Lincoln
3 - Teddy R.
4 - Jefferson
5 - FDR

I wish it was a more original list. :o Naturally several others are worthy of consideration, eg Wilson, Truman etc.


BOTTOM:

1 - Harding
2 - JQ Adams
3 - Grant
4 - Buchanan
5 - Hoover

Probably some earlier presidents I'm missing...darn Alzheimers


I don't think I can come up with a better top 5 but I'm not sure if I might exchange Coolidge for JQ Adams. I'm also not fond of Andrew Jackson because of his stance on American Indians in particular his unwillingness to recognize the authority of the Supreme Court.

[Hamradioguy]

Best president not in my lifetime:

"Silient" Cal Coolidge because he never said anything to discredit himself.



When Dorothy Parker was told that Coolidge was dead she replied, "How can they tell?"

[kmortis]

I'm quite fond of James K. Polk. And Garfield seems to be a halfway decent candidate for a lousy Prez.



Ok, maybe it's that his doc's get the honorific "Worst Presidential Doctors, EVER!".

[slingblade]

Worst president not in my lifetime:

Any of the Bush family who may follow the current one after I'm dead.

[ImaginalDisc]

Not that he wasn't an important historical figure, but why is Washington at the top of the list of "Best Presidents"?

[bigred]

Worst president not in my lifetime:

Any of the Bush family who may follow the current one after I'm dead.
Translation: "I know nothing about this topic"

Thx for sharing :rolleyes:

[bigred]

Not that he wasn't an important historical figure, but why is Washington at the top of the list of "Best Presidents"?
First as I mentioned, mine are in no particular order. He's as deserving as any, however, for a variety of reasons. Anyway....

If for no other reason, as the first president, he more than anyone by far defined the very position of president and to a large extent our government (in fact many wanted him to be crowned king - a decision he immediately and wisely rejected). Another important point was a running theme he continued to hammer away with: a balance of power....something which could have easily not happened had someone else been in charge.

Plus there's the whole cherry tree thing. :cool:

[TragicMonkey]

I always wonder about the presidents who weren't. Hamilton would have been an interesting president. And Ben Franklin....I think he would have rocked.

[bigred]

I always wonder about the presidents who weren't. Hamilton would have been an interesting president. And Ben Franklin....I think he would have rocked.
Yeah me too. Both would have been interesting. I'm a "fan" of Hamilton but not sure about a presidency....he had great vision and could have done great things, but don't think he was open-minded and/or diplomatic enough. Could have been a great one or just as easily a near-disaster due to not being able to work w/Congress etc (see: JQ Adams).

And there's always William Jennings Bryan ;) Wilkie and Stevenson were 2 thought to be a lock back when - not sure how they would've help up either, however.

[kittynh]

Honestly, the one thing we are really proud of in New Hampshire is having the number one worst president.

Franklin Pierce.

when you tour his house the ONLY good thing they can say about him is he is the only president to keep this cabinet for a whole term.

They have his "doodles" on all his books and margins of important things he was supposed to have been reading. I"m sure one day we will see the doodles of the Bushling.

His wife, now you add in the entire family picture and you get a wife that made Mary Todd LIncoln look like a cool Zen goddess of tranquility. You should see the stuff they have on her at the Pierce house. Sadly, the Pierce house is in a miserable state of repair. In fact, his fathers house is maintained and kept very nice for visitors are daddy was a Revolutionary War hero. You do not want to know about Pierce's war record. Let's just say he had a fast horse.

Grant wasn't a great president, but I think he was a great man. Also right up there with the most happily married presidents.

Johnson was the wrong man at the wrong time (first Johnson).

[Outhere]

Not in my lifetime--gosh, I'm so old I remember the death of FDR. I was a preschooler, playing outdoors on a sunny afternoon when my mother came to the door and called me in. She was crying, and solemnly sat me down and explained to me the President had died, trying to impress upon me the historical importance of the event. Years later, I asked her why she cried, because we were Republicans (then). She said he'd been president for as long as she remembered, the war was not yet over, and no one had any confidence in Truman.

As to Harry, fellow Missourian, he was not much loved during his term of office--there was even talk of impeaching the "communist" when he fired MacArthur.

Distance lends enchantment. Someday even the Bushes may look good compared to what follows.

But greatest president not in my lifetime? I could go with George Washington because he refused to be named King. Refreshing thought. Any of the first five because they thought they were building that shining city on the hill and did a lot of dirty infighting to realize their dream.

[shalomsteph]

I always wonder about the presidents who weren't. Hamilton would have been an interesting president. And Ben Franklin....I think he would have rocked.

I dated a guy who was related to Aaron Burr--direct line, but I don't remember how many generations.

Yeah, I was in my "bad boy" phase...:D

[kittynh]

Ben Franklin would have been the coolest prez.

It's funny when you ask people which person in history they would most like to meet, his name pops up a lot. I guess because he knew how to party, and wasn't going to start shouting, "off with his head!"

Hoover was actually a very nice man. Almost Jimmy Carterish in his good works. Bad timing though.

[kittynh]

oh and Hoovers wife was right up there as one of the coolest first ladies. She had her share of exciting adventure in China, and was rumored to have shot a Boxer or two in her day.

[Kopji]

Pretty good list.

This may be a little controversial, but I would add Woodrow Wilson to the bad boy list.

[kittynh]

yeah and his wife number 2! She should be in the bad first ladies list.

[bigred]

Honestly, the one thing we are really proud of in New Hampshire is having the number one worst president.

Franklin Pierce.I wouldn't go that far, but you could definitely argue the case for him on a short list IMO.



Grant wasn't a great president, but I think he was a great man. ).Puke. A lush who hired incompetent after incompetent just because they were buds. Maybe not the worst, but he was up there.


Johnson was the wrong man at the wrong time (first Johnson).You could argue that for the 2d one too. :cool:

[bigred]

As to Harry, fellow Missourian, he was not much loved during his term of office--there was even talk of impeaching the "communist" when he fired MacArthur. .:jaw-dropp MacArthur was a power-mongering fool (and I'm a vet). Truman was a great one who had more patience w/Mc than I would have.


Distance lends enchantment. .I'd say it lends objectivity - that's why I phrased the question that way. Last thing I wanted was yet another digression into "Bush sucks" "no Clinton sucks" "you suck" "no, you suck" ping-pong match crapola.

[DRBUZZ0]

Hmmm

This is a difficult one.

for worst

#1 Wost. Lynden Johnson - Absolutely without a doubt

The other 4: (but cannot decide on the order)

Ulysses S. Grant - Good General, but often cited as an example of everything a president shouldn't be.

Richard Nixon - Acomplished a few good things, but inexcusable abuse of power. Probably some other presidents did that sort of thing too, but he's the one for whom it is best documented.

Warren Harding - Seemed to start out okay, but his incompetence and lack of leadership made things go downhill really really fast.

(okay...that's only three...I'm still indecisive)

Best.

1. Thomas Jefferson - A genius of political philosophy. Er...he did own slaves which isn't cool, but it was kinda the thing to do at the time and nobody is perfect.

2. Theadore Roosevelt

3. Aberham Lincoln

4. Washington - He's a tough one to fit in. Probably made most of his contributions to the nation as a general, however he should be noted for setting numerout important presidents in his role.

5. (I'm just too damn indescisive). I'll think of one later.

[DRBUZZ0]

It's funny when you ask people which person in history they would most like to meet, his name pops up a lot. I guess because he knew how to party, and wasn't going to start shouting, "off with his head!"


Not to get off topic, but if I could meet a historical figure, I'd pick someone better than Franklin. Not that's he's not a decent choice, though.

I might like to meet Jesus I'd ask him if any of the hype he's gotten in the past 2000 years is actually true.

Or I think it'd be cool to meet Hitler. I would kick him in the nuts...er nut. Actually, I'd envite him over for some kind of a Nazi-party, but infact when he arived at my house it'd really be all my friends and we'd like have a blanket party and then rough him up and maybe we'd force him to do a mangina and take his picture and send it to Eva Braun and everyone else in Germany for that matter. I mean...obviously we'd kill him eventually, but we'd have some fun with him first.

I'd also want to meet one of my ancestors. Perhaps somebody like my great grandfather. I'd give him investment advice and tell him about how to create modern inventions and then I'd get his inheretance passed down to me. Or maybe I'd give him a "Sports Almanac"

I'd also like to meet Nikola Tesla...just because he's cool and stuff. I might make him upset if I told him that some of his really far-out ideas about life on mars and stuff aren't actually true. But he still did invent the induction motor and stuff. Also, I'd ask him what the deal is with the reputed death ray.

[kittynh]

My opinion is that Franklin could get his head around time travel. Also, Tesla, he's probably be cool with it.

Other historical figures, you'd be burned as a witch.