Census Best U.S. President?

Sadly I don't know much about US history before McKinley, and even after that my knowledge can be hazy.

FDR was always my favorite US President, despite his almost dictatorial stances (court packing, four terms).

Apart from him, I like Teddy, Ike and Reagan (I'm Hungarian and therefore I have my reasons).

I'm no Wilson fan (I'm Hungarian and therefore I have my reasons), but wasn't The Birth of a Nation story discredited?

 

I'm not really a fan of sushi (I'm Hungarian and therefore have my reasons).

 

It's not bad, but I much prefer other seafood delicacies.

 

Alright fine, I guess you pay a whole lot more attention to this guy than I did. Okay so, maybe we could have done better than Wilson. But in the decades since, we have done just that. Wilson might have supported self-determination for only white peoples, but today's Wilsonians support it for all people.

 

1) George Washington
2) Abraham Lincoln
3) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
4) Thomas Jefferson
5) Franklin Delano Roosevelt

I think the top 3 are indisputable (well, the order is, but who takes those slots is not). I'm a little shaky on my #5, I need to do more research.

 

How is Thomas Jefferson on your list at all?

 

I would honestly dispute Washington. He is only there as the first independent President; didn't really do much domestically. John Hancock would be a better choice, IMHO, but you tend not to recognise Presidents of the Continental Congress. For some odd reason.

 

Kennedy at least has the Cuban Missile Crisis and pushed for Civil Rights (granted, he came on board late.), Reagan sucks though. Most of the anti-intellectualism you see from the GOP stems from him, he made being stupid a positive attribute.

Seriously, **** him.

 

I agree he is quite over-rated. But the US was on highly unstable economic footing in the wake of the Revolutionary War. That it was able to stabilize at all is to the credit of his Treasury Secretary (Hamilton) whom he favored in policy debates over lunatics (like Jefferson). Much as, for instance, a lot of George W Bush's flaws may be described as his choice to favor Dick Cheney's council over more rational actors.

 

Reminds me of that Hitchen's quote on the Cuban Missile Crisis:

"I don't remember where I was, when Kennedy was assassinated. But I do remember where I was standing exactly...when he nearly killed me"

 

Hitchens is wrong here.

Kennedy showed a ton of restraint during that crisis, the joint chiefs were all for full-blown invasion.

 

Eh, the Cuban Missile Crisis was an example of U.S. hypocrisy regarding the placement of "strategic" nuclear weapons. There were U.S. medium-range ballistic missiles in Turkey-- right on the Soviet border-- before there were Soviet nukes in Cuba. It was only by privately acknowledging and promising to partly rectify the hypocrisy that the crisis was de-escalated. Kennedy did the best anyone could have, probably, but it needn't have happened in the first place.

 

Washington did a lot to transition from a Confederation to a Federal Republic, set a lot of precedent, didn't abuse power and let go of it peacefully and willingly, all while able to have almost everyone's support, and taking some risks like the National Bank, as well as how well he handled the Whiskey Rebellion. Look at how John Adams did after him, who was the second choice, by comparison. Or imagine if someone like Trump was the first president. Having a good leader in the beginning is very important in setting a solid foundation.

 

Wasn't Washington also the only founding father to free his slaves after his death in his will?

 

I voted for Abraham Lincoln. Were he not on this list, I would have voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, despite his approval of the Japanese relocation camps. I can't stay I'm happy about that, but I admire FDR for his administration's work during the Great Depression and his proposal of a Second Bill of Rights.

Why is James Knox Polk on here? The Mexican War was an unjust war, even if it did gain us many states. Well, I do recall that he accomplished all of his goals during his single term, and he was the most successful president between Jackson and Lincoln. Good thing Jackson is not on here! Why is John Quincy Adams on here?

 

I don't think Polk is a good president regarding many of his actual policies, but in terms of competence and success I'd say he's top tier.

 

Read the first post, it's the results of the other polls.

 

Bush jnr should've been on the list.

 

George W. Bush.

 

For me to poop on.

 

How exactly did Obama manage to nab more votes in this poll than Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Is there an inherent bias towards those who squander historical opportunities for change rather than seizing upon them?

 

Obama didn't create an internment camp for a specific race.

 

True, but he did tear habeas corpus to tatters and expand an already-horrifying drone and surveillance apparatus.

And he wasn't even embroiled in a world war.

 

Instant nostalgia resulting from the election of Trump.

 

Obama probably felt he had to appeal to conservative voters, what with all his talk of national unity and healing divides. And look at how they repaid him.