03-19-2019, 09:03 PM,
(This post was last modified: 03-19-2019, 09:24 PM by Gene C.)
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Gene C
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RE: Your top 10 Presidents.
1. Lincoln
2. Washington
3. Samuel Tilden (I refuse to accept the illegitimate presidency of Rutherford Hayes)
I was afraid of this
I'm just to upset now, I just can't go on
I have to go to my safe space and listen to some calming music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbbKjDjMDok
So when is this "Old Enough To Know Better" supposed to kick in?
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03-20-2019, 08:04 PM,
(This post was last modified: 03-20-2019, 08:08 PM by Rob Wick.)
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Rob Wick
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RE: Your top 10 Presidents.
My list in made with the idea that it would be historically wrong to consider anyone who has been president from 1992 on, given that more time needs to elapse before a competent historical assessment can be made. That said, I believe eventually Obama will make the list.
1. Abraham Lincoln
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. George Washington
4. Woodrow Wilson
5. Harry Truman
6. Theodore Roosevelt
7. Thomas Jefferson
8. John Adams
9. John Quincy Adams
10. Lyndon Johnson
The most difficult one for me to place on the list was Johnson. His record on Vietnam is abhorrent, but the results of the Great Society did far more to move America forward second only to FDR. Neither Reagan nor Kennedy made it as both lack any real accomplishments other than in the minds of their supporters. Some might point to the Cuban Missile Crisis, although I would argue that had Kruschev not believed Kennedy to be weak (especially after the Bay of Pigs), he never would have placed missiles in Cuba to begin with, so in reality it's a Kennedy failure. I placed FDR ahead of Washington because the sheer volume of that which would have been lost if Washington had failed would not have been as great as it would have been if Roosevelt had lost World War II.
My criteria for presidential greatness has always been how well they performed in crisis, or in the aftermath of one. While not all of those on my list faced as serious a crisis as others, most still showed something that other leaders lacked.
Best
Rob
Abraham Lincoln is the only man, dead or alive, with whom I could have spent five years without one hour of boredom.--Ida M. Tarbell
I want the respect of intelligent men, but I will choose for myself the intelligent.
--Carl Sandburg
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03-20-2019, 08:40 PM,
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Rob Wick
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Posts: 3,038
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Joined: Jul 2012
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RE: Your top 10 Presidents.
Mike,
There is a great deal of truth to what you write, although I hasten to add that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is far older than Roosevelt. The intricacies and nuances of the relationship between FDR and Stalin is far too great for me to comment on intelligently in a brief forum post, but given the situation at the time I'm not really sure what else could have been done. There is no question that Stalin was as much a monster as Hitler, but Stalin was willing to fight against Hitler, who at the time was a far greater threat to western civilization, in my opinion. My selection of FDR came about more for his realization that Hitler would have to be confronted long before other Americans reached the same conclusion.
Best
Rob
Abraham Lincoln is the only man, dead or alive, with whom I could have spent five years without one hour of boredom.--Ida M. Tarbell
I want the respect of intelligent men, but I will choose for myself the intelligent.
--Carl Sandburg
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03-21-2019, 07:57 PM,
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Rob Wick
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Posts: 3,038
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RE: Your top 10 Presidents.
Quote:I guess subjective opinion always seeps into these kind of lists.
I agree completely with you, Steve. I chose Wilson because of his zeal for Progressive reform and in spite of his stubborness where the Treaty of Versailles was concerned. While I personally am repelled by his racial views (many Progressives weren't very progressive where race was concerned) I believe his overall presidency was very successful.
That said, Ronald Reagan could walk on water (and many of his supporters believe he did) and I would never rate him high.
Best
Rob
Abraham Lincoln is the only man, dead or alive, with whom I could have spent five years without one hour of boredom.--Ida M. Tarbell
I want the respect of intelligent men, but I will choose for myself the intelligent.
--Carl Sandburg
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