Who is the best President of the 20th century? - Page 15

Dylan · 09-26-2005, 07:22 PM

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Originally Posted by RidinHighSpeeds

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Originally Posted by Dylan

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Originally Posted by tadpole256

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Originally Posted by Dylan

My vote goes to Eisenhower, even though he was a Republican. He did a lot to expand welfare and critical infrastructure during the 50's, and he pulled us out of the Korean War.

I would have voted for FDR, but that whole internment camps for Japanese people thing is a little hard to ignore.

The expansion of welfare is precisely why I did not vote for Eisenhower. He was a great general, and a great man, but I'd only describe him as a decent president. Regan was the best president this country has ever had, at least in modern times.

I think he is one of the worst presidents we have ever had. There are so many fucked up things about the Reagan Administration, I'm going to have to put this in list form. Maybe I'll try to reduce it to the top ten, or something.

1. Ignoring AIDS. Seriously, that was just plain awful.

2. Trickle down economics: the only economic plan to favor the rich which actually sounds like pissing on the less fortunate.

3. The Iran-Contra Scandal. I don't think I even need to say more about that.

4. Wasting money on Star Wars, which every mainstream, respectable physisyst in America said wouldn't work.

5. he got rid of a federal program that gave employment and training to over 300,000 people in poverty, 'trimmed' medicaid rolls, cut a lot of children off of welfare, while cutting taxes for rich people.

6. His Agriculture Department wanted to count ketchup as a vegetable when providing school lunches for poor children. For a lot of disadvantaged children, their federally provided school meal is the only hot, complete meal they get.

7. He eliminated 300,000 people from Social Security disability payments.

8. He suggested that most homeless people are homeless by choice. Because obviously, a lot of people enjoy sleeping outside in the winter, and not bathing. Obviously.

9. Reagan was the father of a gigantic deficit.

10. Reagan stepped up tensions against the Soviet Union when the USSR was already in decline, from lack of well... basically everything. The USSR would have collapsed whether Reagan was president or not.

11. He supported blacklisting, and was an informant during the freaky McCarthy era.

12. Bombing Libya was a quagmire, and really didn't improve the Middle East's impression of America. It's only one tiny part of a number of things which have come back to bite us in the ass. Also see Iran-Contra.

I'm going to stop here, because I already have ten, and two for good luck. I could easily go on though.

Would you say that Jimmy Carter was a better president than Ronald Reagan?

Hmmm... that's a toughie. Jimmy Carter screwed a lot of things up too. The Iran Hostage Crisis didn't go well, for example, although it was mostly the result of giving the Shah asylum and medical treatment. His heart was in the right place. If he had tried to attack Iran, things would have been much, much, much worse. Inflation and unemployment were at an all time high since the 1930's during his term, which was pretty bad.

The Carter Doctrine paved the way for modern terrorism by instilling a strong sense of nationalism in Middle Eastern countries. His plan of funding Pakistani and Afganistani rebels did contribute greatly to the fall of the USSR, but they also helped cause the surge of Islamic findamentalism and the Taliban we see today. Reinstating the draft kind of sucked, as did banning us from attending the Olympics in Moscow.

Saying we didn't need to apoligize for the Vietnam war because "The destruction was mutual" was downright stupid.

Supporting the Indonesian government's genocide against East Timor was horrific.

Attempting to cover up Three Mile Island was bad.

On the other hand, Carter did good things, which Reagan's administration is curiously devoid of. For example, Carter attempted to encourage Americans to save energy, and actually pitched in by getting solar panels for the White House. Reagan tore them up after coming into office. Carter helped make a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, the only such peace treaty to ever be accomplished between Israel and any other Middle Eastern country. Carter enacted strong environmental legislation. Carter strongly opposed apartheid. After Carter left the White House, he worked with Habitat for Humanity, and won a Nobel Peace Prize.

So, while Carter did a lot of ass-backward things, at least he did some good things, even after leaving office. He was rather bad for the economy, but at least he didn't intentionally screw over poor people.

Steven M · 09-26-2005, 10:39 PM

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Originally Posted by tadpole256

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Originally Posted by Dylan

My vote goes to Eisenhower, even though he was a Republican. He did a lot to expand welfare and critical infrastructure during the 50's, and he pulled us out of the Korean War.

I would have voted for FDR, but that whole internment camps for Japanese people thing is a little hard to ignore.

The expansion of welfare is precisely why I did not vote for Eisenhower. He was a great general, and a great man, but I'd only describe him as a decent president. Regan was the best president this country has ever had, at least in modern times.

Exactly! Eisenhower is one of my favorite presidents as a person, but his policies on welfare were foolish.

"You cannot extend the mastery of government over the daily life of a people without somewhere making it master of the people’s souls and thoughts."

sgtdmski · 10-21-2005, 08:50 PM

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Originally Posted by Dylan

So, while Carter did a lot of ass-backward things, at least he did some good things, even after leaving office. He was rather bad for the economy, but at least he didn't intentionally screw over poor people.

So unintentionally screwing over poor people is okay???? Who the hell do you think double digit inflation and unemployment hurt worse, the rich or the poor???

dmk

sgtdmski · 10-21-2005, 08:55 PM

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Originally Posted by Dylan

On the other hand, Carter did good things, which Reagan's administration is curiously devoid of.

Revamping the military, ending the fuel shortage, eliminating double digit inflation, lower taxes, and experience 86 months of continuos economic growth are not good things. More people moved from the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder under President Reagan than at any other time in this country. Not to mention he did appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court. Or can we forget the fact that along with Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II, he roled back communist aggression that led to the solidarity of Poland, and the eventual fall of the Eastern Bloc. Yeah I guess your right, he really didn't do much good, especially if freeing billions from the repression of communism, doesn't count for much.

dmk

RidinHighSpeeds · 10-24-2005, 10:58 AM

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Originally Posted by sgtdmski

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Originally Posted by Dylan

So, while Carter did a lot of ass-backward things, at least he did some good things, even after leaving office. He was rather bad for the economy, but at least he didn't intentionally screw over poor people.

So unintentionally screwing over poor people is okay???? Who the hell do you think double digit inflation and unemployment hurt worse, the rich or the poor???

dmk

With mortgage rates around the rate of a credit card during Carter's times, I would think that would also hurt the poor and many middle class people.

Dylan · 11-11-2005, 03:53 PM

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Originally Posted by sgtdmski

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Originally Posted by Dylan

On the other hand, Carter did good things, which Reagan's administration is curiously devoid of.

Revamping the military, ending the fuel shortage, eliminating double digit inflation, lower taxes, and experience 86 months of continuos economic growth are not good things. More people moved from the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder under President Reagan than at any other time in this country. Not to mention he did appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court. Or can we forget the fact that along with Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II, he roled back communist aggression that led to the solidarity of Poland, and the eventual fall of the Eastern Bloc. Yeah I guess your right, he really didn't do much good, especially if freeing billions from the repression of communism, doesn't count for much.

dmk

I've already written extensively as to why Reagan did nothing to end Communism, since it was collapsing in on itself without his pointless military expenditure and sabre-rattling, but I digress.

And no, it's not OK. I didn't say it was OK, and I didn't say I liked Jimmy Carter. I didn't vote for him as best President. I just happen to think that he was better than Reagan, but I also don't believe that's saying much.

tadpole256 · 01-04-2006, 10:11 PM

The people are speaking... Reagan is winning!

hevusa · 01-04-2006, 10:16 PM

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Originally Posted by tadpole256

The people are speaking... Reagan is winning!

They spoke when they voted for dubya too

RidinHighSpeeds · 01-04-2006, 10:19 PM

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Originally Posted by hevusa

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Originally Posted by tadpole256

The people are speaking... Reagan is winning!

They spoke when they voted for dubya too

Nah just 1 vote allowed...Those who spoke for Dubya are probably long gone now...

tyreay · 01-05-2006, 01:43 AM

Hands down Bill Clinton. He got a bad rap. If Hillary doesn't care where Bill's dick goes, why should I? He was a fiancial wizard who had this country back on the top. Then Mr. Over Draw My Credit Card got in there and ruined all the great work Bill did.
My second choice is Richard Nixon, from back when republicans were honest.

View Poll Results: Who Was the best President of the 20th Century?
McKinley, William 1897-1901	0	0%
Roosevelt, Theodore 1901-09	2	5.41%
Taft, William H. 1909-13	0	0%
Wilson, Woodrow 1913-21	1	2.70%
Harding, Warren 1921-23	1	2.70%
Coolidge, Calvin 1923-29	0	0%
Hoover, Herbert 1929-33	0	0%
Roosevelt, Franklin D. 1933-45	8	21.62%
Truman, Harry 1945-53	2	5.41%
Eisenhower, Dwight 1953-61	3	8.11%
Kennedy, John F. 1961-63	3	8.11%
Johnson, Lyndon 1963-69	1	2.70%
Nixon, Richard 1969-74	0	0%
Ford, Gerald 1974-77	0	0%
Carter, Jimmy 1977-81	2	5.41%
Reagan, Ronald 1981-89	11	29.73%
Bush, George H.W. 1989-93	2	5.41%
Clinton, William J. 1993-2001	1	2.70%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll

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