Mangani Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 I'll give FRD and Truman a vote, but only because they stood up to fascism and communism. 'Only'? Isn't that enough? FDR didn't bury his head in the sand, which is what most Americans were doing at the time. For that reason he is by far my personal favourite U.S president of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 -George Washington -Abraham Lincoln -Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt -Franklin Delanore Roosevelt -Reagan (and yet everything I watch during the Reagan era shows him being belittled and hated... even Pink Floyd dedication "Brain Damage" to him on Pulse... why?) As far as Nixon... every History and Political Science teacher I've ever had says Nixon might have been one of our greatest Presidents if not for Watergate. Do y'all think this is true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrum Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Hasn't it been theorized that Truman may have had some Commy friends in his Administration or something? There most likely were. Enter Joe McCarthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 -George Washington -Abraham Lincoln -Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt -Franklin Delanore Roosevelt -Reagan (and yet everything I watch during the Reagan era shows him being belittled and hated... even Pink Floyd dedication "Brain Damage" to him on Pulse... why?) As far as Nixon... every History and Political Science teacher I've ever had says Nixon might have been one of our greatest Presidents if not for Watergate. Do y'all think this is true? Ronald Reagan was considered a bumbling fool by the Left and a hero to the Right. To me, he was a very practical man. Instead of pretending to do something about a problem, he met it head on. Not the stuff of politicians and certainly not the elitists. My kinda guy. Ask yourself this question. Does that sound like the type of person you would like as your next president ? Me thinks ...Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangani Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Ah yes, the Reagan years, protecting the free world, the years that saw a resurgence in and steadfast partnership of US-orientated military dictatorships around the world... What made me laugh is when Reagan died, all the ridiculous eulogies that started coming from people, how Reagan was responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union, for Middle East Peace, for Pope John Paul II getting elected, for suggesting to Dylan that he go electric, for discovering Gary Coleman... Frankly, anything that happened in the 80's was attributed to Reagan... Absolute crap. For a start, Gary Coleman was discovered by Reagan in the 1970s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainsbarre Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 -Reagan (and yet everything I watch during the Reagan era shows him being belittled and hated... even Pink Floyd dedication "Brain Damage" to him on Pulse... why?) As far as Nixon... every History and Political Science teacher I've ever had says Nixon might have been one of our greatest Presidents if not for Watergate. Do y'all think this is true? Reagan was a fear mongerer. After all the efforts during the 70's of trying to establish détente with the USSR and China, and trying to restore a sense of peace and security without the Cold War hysteria of the 1950's and 60's, Reagan came along, and like an old dog with a bone, started to scare the shit out of everyone again with the 'Evil Empire' rubbish. We know that Reagan was vehemently anti-Communist, but there was absolutely no reason for him to launch the scare campaign like he did. In the early 80's, he used to make speeches about how the Soviet Union was definately going to attack the USA and the rest of the world with Nuclear weapons, and the only question was when it would happen. We know now that that is complete bullshit, that the USSR Government was petrified of Nuclear war, and the CIA would've known that too. That was the whole reason behind the Star Wars project, which at the time was completely and utterly unfeasible, but it was a political stunt by the Reagan administration to force the USSR into arms negotiation talks because they knew full well that the USSR would be terrified of, and could not financially compete with a Star Wars project. I hated Reagan. I grew up in the 80's, and as a kid, you were living in fear all the time, because of him. Because of his new 'Cold War'. You lived in fear of the Soviet Union, that anyone who was Russian was despicably evil, you lived in fear of nuclear war, that the world would be destroyed overnight, I don't know how many people remember how the 80's, because of Reagan, mirrored the 50's as far as Nuclear war hysteria and 'red terror' went. You know, you lived in fear of Terrorism, as we do now, lived in fear of AIDS... That's why I was so relieved when Gorbachev came along, because Gorbachev was actually into peace, he was into resolving the tension, reducing the arms, democracy... Gorbachev was far more a hero of the 80's than Reagan ever was. Reagan was into ideology, the American ideology, and that's the battle he fought. Gorbachev cashed Soviet ideology in at the door, and actually went into bat for the principles of freedom and democracy that Reagan should've been fighting for... Reagan was more of a prisoner of ideology than Gorbachev ever was. I mean look at that stupid record Reagan made against Socialised health care. What a piece of rubbish. He actually said on that thing that if health-care was state-run, then America would be one step away from total Socialism... I think he should've stuck with releasing more of those chimpanzee movies... The reason why a lot of Americans loved Reagan so much is because he embodied the naievities that a lot of Americans still hold in Politicians: He preached like a Church Minister, He presented his sincerity like a smooth Hollywood Movie Star, He hated the 'commies' and bashed the ideological drum, he was conservative, and he swaggered like John Wayne... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Reagan could be accused of a number of things and I think he was let down badly by some of his staff. IMHO he was a true American and cared about about the future of the free world. He restored confidence in America at a time when it was badly needed. Communism was expanding, not regressing. It was popular to blame all of the worlds troubles on the USA when in fact, the USA was the only one willing to try and stop communist progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainsbarre Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 IMHO he was a true American and cared about about the future of the free world. That's just romanticism... He wasn't concerned about the future of the free world... All he was concerned about was Communism and Islamicism... Reagan continued and strengthened America's close relationships with Dictatorships all over Asia, Africa and Latin America... I don't know, I don't get what was so wonderful about Reagan, I don't think he was a particularly great leader, his administration certainly wasn't that brilliant, it was rocked by many scandals, I think people just liked him as a human being, and it had nothing to do with his Presidential capabilities. I think American society proved that with Bush, I mean Bush and his administration were clearly incompetent, but people liked Bush because they liked what he said and how he said it, even though it had nothing to do with what he actually did, or didn't do. Reagan is the same, people loved him because they liked the way he presented himself, not necessarily because of his deeds or actions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gainsbarre Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Absolute crap. For a start, Gary Coleman was discovered by Reagan in the 1970s. You weren't supposed to notice that... Anyway, while we're on the subject of favourite Pres... My favourite was Clinton...and Eisenhower. Nobody mentions Eisenhower, so I'm going to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 At the moment I'm leaning toward George Washington as my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 That's just romanticism... He wasn't concerned about the future of the free world... All he was concerned about was Communism and Islamicism... Reagan continued and strengthened America's close relationships with Dictatorships all over Asia, Africa and Latin America... I don't know, I don't get what was so wonderful about Reagan, I don't think he was a particularly great leader, his administration certainly wasn't that brilliant, it was rocked by many scandals, I think people just liked him as a human being, and it had nothing to do with his Presidential capabilities. I think American society proved that with Bush, I mean Bush and his administration were clearly incompetent, but people liked Bush because they liked what he said and how he said it, even though it had nothing to do with what he actually did, or didn't do. Reagan is the same, people loved him because they liked the way he presented himself, not necessarily because of his deeds or actions... To me a great leader is someone who makes you believe in yourself. He did that for America. After Vietnam,Watergate, oil embargos, soaring inflation, and being blamed for everything including the pimples on one ass. The USA needed it's confidence restored. Whether it was through symbolism or not, he achieved that. You say you grew up in the 80's. Maybe you just can't understand that the USA needs to lead and not be held to ransom. Detente was a nice idea with tons of get out clauses. Western Europe was reeling with Soviet build ups and Central America had a growing communist movement. He was the right person at the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazednconfuzed14 Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 i'm moving to england, cause the us is goin' down the gutter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanna be drummer Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 You weren't supposed to notice that... Anyway, while we're on the subject of favourite Pres... My favourite was Clinton...and Eisenhower. Nobody mentions Eisenhower, so I'm going to. Eisenhowers probably in my top 8 or so. He was great, but I think theres been better than him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 To me a great leader is someone who makes you believe in yourself. He did that for America. After Vietnam,Watergate, oil embargos, soaring inflation, and being blamed for everything including the pimples on one ass. The USA needed it's confidence restored. Whether it was through symbolism or not, he achieved that. You say you grew up in the 80's. Maybe you just can't understand that the USA needs to lead and not be held to ransom. Detente was a nice idea with tons of get out clauses. Western Europe was reeling with Soviet build ups and Central America had a growing communist movement. He was the right person at the time Well, I was coming of age in the 80's, and he seemed kinda dim to me....but that was before we found out what dim REALLY was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrophile Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Compared to Bush, Reagan was Einstein. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L 7 Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 My favorite is Harry Truman. The great American philospher of the 20th century. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 I also think John Adams was a good president, but I sometimes confuse him with John Quincy Adams. People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity. John Adams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Bill Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 My favourite was Clinton... It's interesting that "don't ask, don't tell" Clinton is your guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Compared to Bush, Reagan was Einstein. Well OK, I think Reagan inherited an awful lot of trouble when he became president. Canada was in disaray as well. 24% interest rates and soaring inflation were nothing to be scoffed at. Many people were devastated financially and spiritually. His persona gave hope to people. America ended up doing what you do best... Lead the way. We are talking about my lifetime and I can't think of anyone who did it better than Reagan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yahyoubetcha Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Reagan was great. Clinton sucked. Or, was it Monica? Anyways, the man couldn't keep his pecker in his pants. What a shining example. No integrity at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Thomas Jefferson has always been one of my favorite presidents. Anyone who can reduce the national debt and still cut taxes on whisky can't be all bad, and his gardens at Monticello have always fascinated me. You can get a window on the history of slavery during that time period from what is preserved from the plantation. "My opinion has ever been that, until more can be done for them, we should endeavor, with those whom fortune has thrown on our hands, to feed and clothe them well, protect them from ill usage, require such reasonable labor only as is performed voluntarily by freemen, and be led by no repugnancies to abdicate them, and our duties to them." --Thomas Jefferson, 1814 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 Thomas Jefferson has always been one of my favorite presidents. Anyone who can reduce the national debt and still cut taxes on whisky can't be all bad, and his gardens at Monticello have always fascinated me. Eternal, I was not 5 minutes ago reading about that in a gardening newsletter! This is weird...on another thread someone said something about Stevie Ray Vaughn getting sober, not 10 minutes after I heard his song "Life by the Drop" on the radio, and was thinking about that. Today is a twilight Zone day for me. Anyway! Reagan struck me as still being an actor. And I didn't like the term "Moral Majority." I guess I don't have a favorite prez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bomber Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 Alright,i shouldn't be here,i know,but this is for the greater good,there is mass glorification of the right-wing,and mass indifference to the left,the only thing worse than being hated is indifference!I am here strictly on political business,so lets go,FDR,a lot of resentment here,well Herbert Hoover was easily the worst president of all time,he single-handedly destroyed the economy in America and the world t large!Go back to ancient Rome,Nero fiddled while Rome was burning,just as Hoover gambled as wall street went tits up!Then along comes FDR and the world is all better,so he deserves respect for his "socialist policies" because without them the axis powers would probably have won,there would be no money to feed the war machine and the war would scar the economy for life and plunge America into an Orwellian society as the Soviet Union would have far superior economy,and even then this is assuming that the allies won the war!!If you take away FDR the world as we now know it ceases to be! So,FDR is in the list of bests,Hoover is worst IMO. Lincoln didn't abolish slavery,racism and other such crimes,it continued but it was just illegal now!Abe was great but if it was done right (Sustained by presidents after him) we wouldn't have needed MLK,or rather,he wouldn't have been shot. Reagan was anti communist to the point of infringing free speech,i'm anti-communist but they deserve free speech (Even if they refuse us ours) and as for foreign policy,seriously,don't make me laugh,he handled the "goddamn commies" well,but communism scared him shit-less,he was so afraid of it that he even rigged elections for Augusto Pinochet,thus voiding his humanity,Pinochet was too evil for words to describe,and Reagan supported his genocide,even lent a helping hand!Applauding the Sandanista's in public!!!And what was it again? "When i count 3,2... 1,we're gonna bomb the Soviet Union"... What if the USSR took him seriously and nuked America?That was playing with millions of Americans lives for the sake of a joke! Nixon ended Vietnam!Apart from WG,he was alright,it took us (Ireland) years to realize Bertie Ahern was a crook!!! And GWB has all but destroyed the dollar and raised oil prices dramatically. I'll go on if anyone wants,but that should do for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suz Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 Dammit Bomber, I was finally forgetting about the Sandinistas and Iran/Contra and the nukes and the ketchup as a vegetable in school lunch programs. Thanks A LOT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pb Derigable Posted April 19, 2008 Share Posted April 19, 2008 Is it the presidency that make the best president or is it the man? The reason I ask is because Lincoln and FDR saved our country, so usually they are named the best. But don't you think if Clinton was President in FDR time, he would have the same success. Would Regan do as good as a job as Lincoln if he was president? The reason i asked is sombody metioned Obama could be the greatest of all time, but could that be right without a major incident that has fallen on FDR and Lincoln. Could you be considered the greatest without a war. IF FDR was president in the 90's would he be consided the best now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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