Presidential Rankings out. Republican best President ever.

[Ganhyun]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/16/presidential.survey/index.html

Here is a list of the actual rankings:

http://www.c-span.org/PresidentialSurvey/Overall-Ranking.aspx

Whoo, Lincoln. Not that it was unexpected. Way to Go Washington, moving up.

[ShogunOfFear]

I think they have JFK a bit too high.  I would have given the nod to Washington though.

[Cheebs]

Sooo, what is the point of claiming Republican has the #1 spot? Lincoln's Republican party has just as much to do with the modern day Republican party as Jefferson's Democratic party has to do with the Democratic party.

Meaning 0.

Hell, Teddy Roosevelt was only about 100 years ago and he was a Republican but would be considered a wacko lefty liberal by the modern day Republicans.

Weren't the Republicans of that time the Democrats of now?

More or less yes. Republicans at the time of Lincoln were the progressive party who fought for womens rights african american rights...etc, today the progressives are Democrats. Which is why it is hilarious when Republicans of today claim Lincoln as their own. And equally hilarious when modern day democrats claim Jefferson as their own.

[Cheebs]

Oh and Bill Clinton cracking the top 15.   Awesome president who is even more vindicated by history about a decade after he left office.

[ToxicAdam]

Yea, let's celebrate a President who can be partially blamed for Al Qaeda's growth, the Enron scandal and creation of the housing bubble. Not to mention NAFTA, kickbacks from the Chinese and many of his cabinet members resigning from scandals. Hurray Bill.


-- --

The list is pretty good, imo. Clinton and Reagan should probably be a bit lower and Carter and Bush Sr. weren't as bad as some people make them out to be (and this list reflects that). I think once more books and reflections about GWB come out, he will fall even lower.

It's tough to be a two-term President in America. By the second term, the knives are out and most Presidents spend their entire term getting abused by the media and putting out fires.

[Ganhyun]

Weren't the Republicans of that time the Democrats of now? (You know supporting FEDERAL shit.) You know and their ideology switched somewhere along the line?

Yes. I posted the title the way I did because I knew it would get people in here to discuss the rankings. I'm honestly surprised that GWB didn't get last.

[Cheebs]

It wasn't some sudden thing, party ideologies switch a lot over time. 

At the time of Lincoln republicans were liberals, democrats conservatives. Today it's reserve. Who knows, in a 100 years it could change again.

Any Republican who claims Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt as one of their own as of 2009 is a idiot especially teddy who went on to form a PROGRESSIVE third party hell Teddy was more like Ralph Nader in that regard, but when I see Democrats (including Barack Obama who did it a few times) claim themselves in the mold of Thomas Jefferson I lol.

[Cheebs]

I'm honestly surprised that GWB didn't get last.

You know very little about history I take it.

[Phoenix Dark]

Yea, let's celebrate a President who can be partially blamed for Al Qaeda's growth, the Enron scandal and creation of the housing bubble. Not to mention NAFTA, kickbacks from the Chinese and many of his cabinet members resigning from scandals. Hurray Bill.

I kinda co-sign this. Clinton looks good in comparison to what came before and after him, plus he had the luck of residing in office during business booms.

[ShogunOfFear]

10 - Reagan FUCK YEAH!  

[Ganhyun]

I'm honestly surprised that GWB didn't get last.

You know very little about history I take it.

Actually History was one of my better subjects in school. But I honestly thought that the way people feel about GWB would cloud their judgement a bit since this is a recent set of rankings.

[Cheebs]

I'm honestly surprised that GWB didn't get last.

You know very little about history I take it.

Actually History was one of my better subjects in school. But I honestly thought that the way people feel about GWB would cloud their judgement a bit since this is a recent set of rankings.

Uh...this is a ranking by 100 of  some of the most well respected historians in America, that isn't the type of person who'd rank Bush based on pure partisan dislike from recent years.

Yea, let's celebrate a President who can be partially blamed for Al Qaeda's growth, the Enron scandal and creation of the housing bubble. Not to mention NAFTA, kickbacks from the Chinese and many of his cabinet members resigning from scandals. Hurray Bill.

I kinda co-sign this. Clinton looks good in comparison to what came before and after him, plus he had the luck of residing in office during business booms.

Yeah I totally agree, George W. Bush is why Bill skyrocketed in this ranking after his rather average performance in 2000's ranking. Being followed by one of the weakest presidents in history really helps one's legacy.

[Phoenix Dark]

So why champion him for being listed so high? He certainly didn't do much of anything to deserve it. He stayed very popular for a very long time - that's about it

[AdmiralViscen]

I'm kinda surprised Truman and Eisenhower are so high.

Is this the same group that had that stupid TV show where everyone got to vote Presidents off the island?

[Cheebs]

So why champion him for being listed so high? He certainly didn't do much of anything to deserve it. He stayed very popular for a very long time - that's about it

It wasn't logical, it was just a statement of my love of the guy. If I was making a ranking I would expect he wouldn't be as high on my list, top 20 though probably.

[AdmiralViscen]

Yea, let's celebrate a President who can be partially blamed for Al Qaeda's growth, the Enron scandal and creation of the housing bubble. Not to mention NAFTA, kickbacks from the Chinese and many of his cabinet members resigning from scandals. Hurray Bill.


-- --

The list is pretty good, imo. Clinton and Reagan should probably be a bit lower and Carter and Bush Sr. weren't as bad as some people make them out to be (and this list reflects that). I think once more books and reflections about GWB come out, he will fall even lower.

It's tough to be a two-term President in America. By the second term, the knives are out and most Presidents spend their entire term getting abused by the media and putting out fires.

Uh...this is a ranking by 100 of  some of the most well respected historians in America, that isn't the type of person who'd rank Bush based on pure partisan dislike from recent years.

Oh, didn't realize this when I made my other post

[Crushed]

but when I see Democrats (including Barack Obama who did it a few times) claim themselves in the mold of Thomas Jefferson I lol.

Hey, Jefferson wanted to progressive in many ways. He just, know, never really found time for it. 

[ferrarimanf355]

Oh and Bill Clinton cracking the top 15.   Awesome president who is even more vindicated by history about a decade after he left office.

The great thing about Clinton is that he installed a hot tub on top of the White House.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Assuming that Cruis'n USA is accurate...

[close]

[ToxicAdam]

Reflecting on the Clinton years, I had forgotten that he signed one of the greatest tax cuts in history in 1997 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxpayer_Relief_Act_of_1997). We then experienced a few of the greatest years of economic growth we had seen in 15 years (when Reagan did a similar thing in 81).

I always try to argue with Republican friends (that still support Bush) that Bill Clinton was the best Republican we have ever had. Then I lay out all the things he got done (that other Republicans were incapable of doing) and they have no answer to it. 

[Ganhyun]

Reflecting on the Clinton years, I had forgotten that he signed one of the greatest tax cuts in history in 1997 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxpayer_Relief_Act_of_1997). We then experienced a few of the greatest years of economic growth we had seen in 15 years (when Reagan did a similar thing in 81).

I always try to argue with Republican friends (that still support Bush) that Bill Clinton was the best Republican we have ever had. Then I lay out all the things he got done (that other Republicans were incapable of doing) and they have no answer to it. 

Bill was a pretty good President.

[Cheebs]

It's funny though, Bill Clinton claimed the era of Big Government was over and now we have the largest public mandate for Big Government since perhaps WWII. Shows how despite being from the same party so much can change in their politics. Although to be far Clinton was president still in the so called media-obsession "Reagan Revolution" which was dead and buried by the time Obama took office (of which I credit Bush for killing it off far more than Obama).

[ToxicAdam]

Bill was a pretty good President.

He was an enigma. A superior intellect that knew policy (probably better than any president since Nixon) both foreign and domestic like the back of his hand. A charming guy (by all accounts) that could work with both sides of the aisle when needed. But he was purposely crooked. Not in the hapless, naive way that W was.

[brawndolicious]

I don't get what was so great about Woodrow Wilson.  Even history books don't talk about him because he was a piece of shit.

[Cheebs]

I don't get what was so great about Woodrow Wilson.  Even history books don't talk about him because he was a piece of shit.

Well, to be fair he did warn about WWII saying they can't treat Germany so cruelly after WWI that it would come back to bite us. Which it did.

[brawndolicious]

He just stated the obvious though.  It doesn't excuse the other things he did.

[ToxicAdam]

I don't get what was so great about Woodrow Wilson.  Even history books don't talk about him because he was a piece of shit.

There was so much that happened on his watch, it's hard not to put him in the top 20. In some ways, he had a greater influence on our country than FDR did.

[Tabasco]

These lists are distinguished mentally-challenged.  What exactly has Grant done in the last 8 years that have let him jump 10 spots?

Not to mention there is obvious political motivation behind any President from the last 40 years or so.

[Human Snorenado]

Reflecting on the Clinton years, I had forgotten that he signed one of the greatest tax cuts in history in 1997 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxpayer_Relief_Act_of_1997). We then experienced a few of the greatest years of economic growth we had seen in 15 years (when Reagan did a similar thing in 81).

I always try to argue with Republican friends (that still support Bush) that Bill Clinton was the best Republican we have ever had. Then I lay out all the things he got done (that other Republicans were incapable of doing) and they have no answer to it. 

It's funny, as a moonbat liberal I too feel that Clinton was the best modern Republican President.

[Human Snorenado]

but when I see Democrats (including Barack Obama who did it a few times) claim themselves in the mold of Thomas Jefferson I lol.

Oh?  Didn't Jefferson oversee the largest expansion of the US ever in the Louisiana Purchase?  Someone who hated the Federal govt. would never do that. 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Bill Clinton was too moderate for my tastes.  Still, I felt he did the best he could against the growing fundie movement and whiny Republicans who try to stop any liberal or moderate legislation.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I watched JFK for the first time a few days ago. Is that any weres close to truth?

Also why was NH's only president so bad

[recursivelyenumerable]

By the second term, the knives are out and most Presidents spend their entire term getting abused by the media and putting out fires.

it seems to happen around midway through the second term, really.