Census Best U.S. President?

I hope not at the same time.

Spoiler

Oops

 

Yes, there are a few strange combos like that. JQ also became a Senator after his Presidency. Imagine that today….Obama back in the Senate. There is a career stepping stone process today that regards that as a lesser deal as the Executive has become more important.

 

Yes it certainly would be. Unfortunately, there seems to be this idea now that it is a step down in importance or relevance from the Presidency, which has grown in power.

 

Actually, JQA became a Representative, not a Senator. He believed in the people's house being the supreme body of government and thought the Senate was too aristocratic at the time.

I don't see Obama ever going back to the Senate, but I could see him becoming say Governor of Illinois or Mayor of DC, if he ever wanted that. Doing that shouldn't been seen as a step-down, just as another way to serve. So often political talent keeps going to the top, which is ultimately DC, and never comes back "home."

 

You are right. My mistake.

As for Obama, unfortunately all of those state offices are seen as steps down today. States have less power than ever before so I can't see him taking a governorship or mayoralty. Everything gravitates to DC now, and ultimately, to the Presidency.

 

I only like the early days of Harrison's presidency. Like, days one and two. After that he became sooo mainstream.

 

I would actually argue that the novelty of his early death and the fact that he was the first death in office likely makes him less obscure than some other randoms. I expect he's more well known than Millard Fillmore for example, or Benjamin Harrison. Coolidge at least has that famous Dorothy Parker anecdote to be known by, but that's about it as well.

Then there are the presidents known just for being bad, like Pierce and Harding and Buchanan. I would argue that they have a certain level of notoriety because of that, but to the average person they're just not really known.

 

That's what I though, but in his final press conference, he made it sound like he was leaving the door open to running again for something in 4-6 years or so, just not anytime soon.

 

How does Teddy Roosevelt not have more votes? The man held bare knuckle boxing matches in the White House, created our National Park system, led a volunteer cavalry unit he raised and equipped, and actually got electoral votes as a third party (named the freaking "Bull Moose" party).

 

Half of those things didn't happen during his presidency, though. If we really care about the integrity of this poll (lol) then those aren't really relevant. And bare-knuckle boxing in the White House, while amusing, is not really a policy.

 

I'll try to find a good list of his accomplishments and notable firsts, but for now, a quote from TR on immigration that I find particularly appropriate at present:

It is unwise to depart from the old American tradition and discriminate for or against any man who desires to come here and become a citizen, save on the ground of that man's fitness for citizenship... We cannot afford to consider whether he is Catholic or Protestant, Jew or Gentile; whether he is Englishman or Irishman, Frenchman or German, Japanese, Italian, or Scandinavian or Magyar. What we should desire to find out is the individual quality of the individual man...

 

Obama is losing this poll to Lincoln. Clearly he should have started a civil war over public health care.

 

Something tells me Americans would prefer it too.

 

King George II

 

The OP has a list of presidential accomplishments.

But this is round 2, and neither Truman or Eisenhower did well enough in Round 1.

Why not? As said in the OP, this is the result of the other polls conducted.

 

Hypothetical question, could a former president be re-elected following a gap, as in, does the two term limit stand for a lifetime or just consecutively?

 

George Wallace was the last third party candidate who got electoral votes. George Wallace.

TR formed his calvary unit to invade Cuba and effectively annex it from Spain in a completely phoney war. He did more to advance U.S. overseas imperialism than any other President. Under his leadership American soldiers and marines brutally suppressed Filipino resistance to U.S. rule by burning crops and putting civilians into concentration camps; the Monroe Doctrine was warped in order to justify U.S. meddling in the Americas, including wresting Panama from Colombia in order to get more favorable terms for construction of a canal. Roosevelt loved war and fighting and subjugating other nations, and that made him a terrible leader.

 

I learned a while ago that Teddy Roosevelt is overrated, after previously looking up to him. And his temperament is actually most similar to Jackson's and Trump's.

Two-term limit is lifetime.

But there was one case in the 1800's of a President who had a 4-year-term, lost, and then was elected again 4 years after losing. Grover Cleveland is the 22nd and the 24th President of the United States. So while Trump is the 45th president, he's actually the 44th person to be elected president.

 

Whenever these "best president" questions come out, I can't help but wonder if Abraham Lincoln's reputation would be quite so stellar if it weren't for his assassination and subsequent canonization.



"This do in remembrance of me. Amen"