Who is the greatest US President in modern history?

Kennedy. No one else has really tried to get us to push our limits and venture into space. And no, Bush isn't. It's all political pandering.

 

Ronald Wilson Reagan

 

I'd say that Clinton, even though it was partially overshadowed by the scandal.

 

Blah. I can't fandom why Clinton has the most votes.

JFK is my hero.

--RP

 

Out of those,I'd pick Ronald Reagan.

 

Ronald Reagan

 

You left out

"Who cares"

They're all crooks aren't they

 

Reagon, he ended the dangerous standoff with the USSR. Kennedy is overrated. Clinton was a hippy.

 

George W Bush for me

 

William Jefferson Clinton III.

 

Reagan sure did a lot of stuff...

 

Well, since Thomas Jefferson isn't listed or modern, I guess I'll go with Clinton. He was naughty, but he did his job well, when he wan't fooling around with the interns. tsk tsk

 

Bush.

 

Ronald Reagan.

 

truman or carter,

Another Heavenly Post

 

Bush sucks! he's ruined our economy (I for one have never seen so many buisnesses close where I live, ones that used to thrive and gas prices so high). He can't speak proper English to save his life and kills innocent people in Iraq for oil. i know Iraqi people because they live here and go to the same schools I do, and I hear them when they tell stories of how they are scared for their family memebers and how retarded Bush is.
All this is, is another Vietnam in the making. Until Bush helps out us minorities he can kiss my arse. He needs to be quiet about abortion and women's rights...he has no right to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body, and as a female I am steamed!!!

Oh yeah, and newsflash the idiot stil hasn't captured Osama yet!! the main source of the problem helllo
Clinton all the way!

 

Clinton sucks, Johnson sucks, oh and did I mention Clinton sucks?

Reagan got my vote.

 

I was torn on this one, but I went with Clinton.

 

Voted Kennedy, because I wasn't sure who else to pick...

Absolutely cannot stand Bush. Worst president ever in my mind.
Clinton was okay, but the greatest in modern history? Erm...no.
Carter was supposedly good, but I wouldn't really know.
Regan? Wasn't he ultra-conservative? And I don't think he was all that great...

So I figured I'd just go with Kennedy.

 

Bill Clinton. For the sake of this poll, I went with my own experiences under each president's watch, and my quality of life and that of my family and community.

But if the poll was for "greatest ex-US President in modern history", I'd vote for Carter in a heartbeat.

 

I commented on this a few years ago and my opinions have changed since then.

First off I feel the modern political era begins with FDR in the depression. FDR defined a generation of Democrats as Reagan defined his GOP. FDR and Truman handled some of the worst circumstances in our history but were capable of making us stronger through the adversity and the struggles. For that both deserve a great deal of credit. Some will debate the New Deal merits, thank Roosevelt for why you are still around to debate such policy. He saved our economy and our nation. His alliance with Churchill and more importantly with Stalin saved the world.

Our choices range from Eisenhower to W.
W shouldn't be counted in this as his term hasn't been completed--therefore how can anyone judge him? His Katrina response and the corruption diffusing out of his office should place questions in all Americans.

Bill Clinton: His critics charge that he is immoral, that he lied, that he covered something up, that he was hyper-sexualized etc. Did he lie? yes. From a certain perspective though, they should've never asked the question. His sexual life shouldn't have been put in question, it was a private concern. Power hungry congressman like Newt attempted to crucify him for their own personal gain. Reagan wasn't impeached for Iran Contra, Bush isn't impeached for the spying, both of those are much more serious then a fling with an intern. Clinton has strong fiscal policy, he cared about the enviroment, and he had a great cabinent. He really worked on domestic policy and avoided war around the world. Unlike recent leadership he relied on diplomacy. He deserves a vote surely.

George H. W. Bush: I have no doubt he is a kind man, and he has only small faults in his presidency, he also lacks big strides. He didn't ruin himself in Iraq (unlike his son) but he did break his word which led to his political demise. Nothing outstanding here--he doesn't deserve a vote.

Ronald Reagan: Great orator, great TV performances, one of the best speakers to occupy the oval office. He had some bipartsian efforts in tax and welfare reform and also worked with Thatcher and the USSR to end the Cold War. He doesn't deserve all the credit in the end to communism, it was going to happen he just acted as a catalyst. Iran Contra places some questions on his administration. He did define the Republicans and place the foundations on the modern GOP. I disagree with much of his policy but can see why a conservative owuld vote for him.

Jimmy Carter: He wasn't tough enough to be President, he made mistakes, and was inept in some ways. The energy crisis and more importantly the hostage struggle illustrate this. He was also unable to deal with Castro expelling Cuban unworthies into America. Great faults but amazing ideas. Carter proposed that we rely on new energy alternatives and invest in new technologies. His ideas were largely ignored but had they been accepted we wouldn't have to deal with the Middle East as much anymore. We wouldn't be funding terrorists through Exxon Mobil. Carter also made some great strides toward peace in the Middle East.

Gerald Ford: Never really had a chance to prove himself. Ultimately the pardon was the best thing for the nation.

Richard Nixon: Corrupt but not horrible. Kissinger had some really great ideas and this guy wasn't any modern Republican. His administration had good foreign policy. McGovern might have been better, RFK sure would've been but ultimately his isn't all that bad.

LBJ: Domestic Policy with the great society is groundbreaking and revolutionary. All his mistakes are made in foreign policy. The greastest highs and some of the lowest lows.

Kennedy: It is hard to judge a man who only served a little over a thousand days. JFK did handle the 13 most trying days in our history--the world was on the brink of total destruction and we were able to avoid that. He had some great initiatives, good Latin American policy, but he should really be rewarded for energizing the youth and passi

 

I picked Clinton. His great 8 years in office were really overshadowed by congress and Ken Star wasting tax payer money to stick thier noses into his private bussiness which didnt concern or affect the country.

 

I've been around for 3

Georgie Sr.
Clinton
Georgie Jr.

Georgie Sr. was just...eh...I hate his wife

Clinton was the greatest President i'll probably ever see. The Economy was great, America had virtually no threats. Only threats that the Republican Party saw fit to promote in an effort to discredit Clinton

As someone said a few pages back...it killed Republicans that Clinton was so popular, it hurt them so much that they dove into his personal life to find something bad. So he commited adultery..yes, not a good thing to do, in fact, a TERRIBLE HEINOUS thing to do. BUT HE IS A POLITICIAN!!!! The fact is Clinton left the country in MUCH better shape than he left it.

Dubya is just an idiot who happened to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth. I have no respect for him or anyone on his cabinet

 

When I jude these presidents I look at the historical context, the climate of their term and how they dealt with the triumphs and tragedies of their terms.

Clinton was given some of the 8 best years in our Republic's history. How much of this was him and how much of it was luck? Regardless he did present leadership, vision, policy and good politics--that counts for something.

Reagan was around when the Soviets collapsed. He worked to bring their demise but we must wonder what is chance and what he actually did. Communism collapsed for many reasons, the leadership of every President from Truman on deserves some credit, in addition they just had declining leadership in Moscow. So Reagan doesn't deserve all of the credit here.

Truman was given a turbulent time but he handled it well.
Carter was given a terrible time and wasn't able to handle it, however how would Carter be judged had he been President in the 90s?

All of it depends on the context.

Of the list I feel Bush Jr. is the absolute worst. Granted he is decisive which is a good thing but that is one of the few.

Back in 2000 I was excited by the prospect of a Gore Whitehouse, I admired his ideals and his vision for America. He wasn't the most exciting personality and I wasn't thrilled with Liberman, but it was still a solid ticket. Bush wasn't articulate in the debate, he was incapable of conveying any sense of intelligence. It was apparent he only became Governor because of his father and his education program there is horrible (in my opinion.) The way he won the election naturally turned me even further against him. Then came 9/11--the entire world cries with us, the streets of Paris, Berlin, even in Iran and Korea the citizens of the world feel our pain. We attack Kabul and the Taliban and this seems logical and fine. Then Iraq shatters Bush's hopes of international support against terror. There is no connection between Bin Laden and Saddam, we don't have European support, we alienate much of the world, there is no plan for peace, false intelligence. Iraq grows worse.

Now in addition to his other problems:
Slow Katrina response, Trouble in the Vice President's office and the 2002 Spying--all taint him further.

I tend to believe that gifted, intelligent and capable leaders should inhabit the White House--President Bush is none of those. He might be a good man but he surrounds himself with terrible creatures.

-Seldon

 

I voted for john f Kennedy