Who, in your opinion, was the best and worst US president of the last 50 years?

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Best - Reagan (ended the cold war)

 

Oh bullshit.

You should read your history before coming up with that eloquent conclusion.

[GeraldFord]

Best - Reagan (ended the cold war)

 

Oh bullshit.

You should read your history before coming up with that eloquent conclusion.

If you're gonna call bullshit on that, you better call bullshit on anyone who says Clinton helped the economy.? Regan had more to do with the end of the coldwar than any other president.? Regan also appointed Greenspan who got our economy up.?

Reagan didn't end the Cold War, that is just nonsense. The Soviet Union was bound to collapse anyway, the cracks were already there from the 60s onward. The USSR would have fallen no matter who had been President at the time.

As for the Greenpan appointment, Reagan had the attention-span of a fruit-fly and left his appointment making to others. And obviously Reagan's tricke-down theory (what Bush I called "voodoo economics" in '80) worked real well.

Reagan was a nice guy and very likable, that said, he is the most overrated president ever.

[fuckin crazy]

worst - Though I hate to give this to anyone other than Bush II , probably Nixon . There is a reason that 18 minutes of tapes were erased . Could it be that the conversation was so antithetical to the American way of life , that if discovered , his name would forever be synonymous with Arnold ?

best - Though I hate to give this to anyone other than Truman (once educated by Churchill and Keenan) , Nixon . He gave us Detante , (which decresed the of threat total anihilation , I know I slept better) and thawed relations with China (which indirectly increased tensions between USSR and China , I know I slept better) .

I know , I know ; thats oxymoronic , but hey , thats just me . I'm fuckin crazy

[Surfrider]

As for the Greenpan appointment, Reagan had the attention-span of a fruit-fly and left his appointment making to others. And obviously Reagan's tricke-down theory (what Bush I called "voodoo economics" in '80) worked real well.

Every president has advisors that help them with appointments.? Part of being a good President is placing the right people in the right positions and having the right advisors around.? By the way, trickle down economics worked damn well.? Many economists believe that it led to the boom in the 90s.? As I am sure you know, economic policy does not affect the actual economy until years down the road.

[MR.BROWNSTONE]

best  Eisenhower and Reagan

Worst Clinton and Carter.

[stolat]

Here in Australia, my bro wrote his thesis on 'Democracy in the Clinton Era'........
Bill did try.......

[GeraldFord]

By the way, trickle down economics worked damn well.  Many economists believe that it led to the boom in the 90s. 

 

And on another note, the deficit we have now is the result of Clinton, felt years later, right?

[freedom78]

By the way, trickle down economics worked damn well.  Many economists believe that it led to the boom in the 90s. 

 

And on another note, the deficit we have now is the result of Clinton, felt years later, right?

Clinton didn't balance the budget UNTIL getting a Republican Congress, if you care to remember.  And, if memory serves, "balanced budget" was VERY loose terminology.  Income and expenditures were balanced...if you don't count pesky little things like interest on the debt. 

[stolat]

Democracy is a work in progress....

[Surfrider]

By the way, trickle down economics worked damn well.? Many economists believe that it led to the boom in the 90s.?

 

And on another note, the deficit we have now is the result of Clinton, felt years later, right?

Reagan's tax cuts, which were the heart of trickle down economics, actually led to an increase in tax revenue.  Have you ever heard of the laffer curve?  I am guessing you haven't. 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist (although perhaps more than just a member of this site) to figure out that economic policy that is implemented today doesn't have its effects until years later.  It takes time for policies to get put in place and then have their effect.  It isn't instant.  Please explain how trickle down economics is a bad policy?  Just to anticipate your argument, Reagan's defense spending has nothing to do with trickle down economics.

[vietnow138]

Since I'm not American and am fairly young, I'd vote Clinton as the best and Bush and Reagan as the worst.

Though folks seemed to love JFK.

they love him for the same reason people love dead rockstars. he was shot and killed at a fairly young age. (well, i think it was him who was assassinated right?)

Yeah he was but thats not at all the reason people loved him, he did A LOT for civil rights at the time and was actually an extremely good president, if he hadn't been assassinated we also would not have entered Vietnam since his view was "it is not our war to fight", something Johnson didn't seem to agree with.

oh yeah, imo Best: JFK Worst: Nixon

[stolat]

Since I'm not American and am fairly young, I'd vote Clinton as the best and Bush and Reagan as the worst.

Though folks seemed to love JFK.

they love him for the same reason people love dead rockstars. he was shot and killed at a fairly young age. (well, i think it was him who was assassinated right?)

Yeah he was but thats not at all the reason people loved him, he did A LOT for civil rights at the time and was actually an extremely good president, if he hadn't been assassinated we also would not have entered Vietnam since his view was "it is not our war to fight", something Johnson didn't seem to agree with.

oh yeah, imo Best: JFK Worst: Nixon

Yes, thankyou for making that point about JFK and civil rights.
PS. I've seen the size of the bomb craters left in Vietnam by the Americans....

[Izzy]

Regan had more to do with the end of the coldwar than any other president.?

I love this blatant lie

If only someone was to check a respectable text on Soviet affairs in the 1980's they'd learn that a collapsing economy and a misguided new leader brought the Soviet Union down

..all Reagen did was waste money on yet more weapons

as for 'best' and 'worst' - each of these men might have helped America temporaily, but have greatly damaged the world. Each one helped fan flames in the middle east, aide military conflicts around the globe and do little or nothing to reduce global warming. I dont think any of them deserve praise.

[stolat]

Regan had more to do with the end of the coldwar than any other president.?

I love this blatant lie

If only someone was to check a respectable text on Soviet affairs in the 1980's they'd learn that a collapsing economy and a misguided new leader brought the Soviet Union down

..all Reagen did was waste money on yet more weapons










































as for 'best' and 'worst' - each of these men might have helped America temporaily, but have greatly damaged the world. Each one helped fan flames in the middle east, aide military conflicts around the globe and do little or nothing to reduce global warming. I dont think any of them deserve praise.

Don't forget that Polish Soldiarity movement was able to topple a system of government through peaceful means!! Set the wheels in motion first!!

[freedom78]

Don't forget that Polish Soldiarity movement was able to topple a system of government through peaceful means!! Set the wheels in motion first!!

I teach about Solidarity when I cover the Cold War in my international relations class.  Great story!

[GeraldFord]

Reagan's tax cuts, which were the heart of trickle down economics, actually led to an increase in tax revenue.  Have you ever heard of the laffer curve?  I am guessing you haven't. 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist (although perhaps more than just a member of this site) to figure out that economic policy that is implemented today doesn't have its effects until years later.  It takes time for policies to get put in place and then have their effect.

So I guess Hoover was really the guy who pulled us out of the Depression?

http://www.faireconomy.org/research/TrickleDown.html

[Surfrider]

Since I'm not American and am fairly young, I'd vote Clinton as the best and Bush and Reagan as the worst.

Though folks seemed to love JFK.

they love him for the same reason people love dead rockstars. he was shot and killed at a fairly young age. (well, i think it was him who was assassinated right?)

Yeah he was but thats not at all the reason people loved him, he did A LOT for civil rights at the time and was actually an extremely good president, if he hadn't been assassinated we also would not have entered Vietnam since his view was "it is not our war to fight", something Johnson didn't seem to agree with.

oh yeah, imo Best: JFK Worst: Nixon

That is actually not true. ?Kennedy was beginning to escalate our involvement in Vietnam before he died. ?To say that we wouldn't have entered Vietnam, in my opinion, is not an accurate speculation. ?You do realize that Dean Acheson, one of Kennedy's key advisors, was a uge proponent of the theory of containment. ?Now it is quite possible that we would have withdrawn from Vietnam, but Kennedy's actions point the opposite way.

[stolat]

Don't forget that Polish Soldiarity movement was able to topple a system of government through peaceful means!! Set the wheels in motion first!!

I teach about Solidarity when I cover the Cold War in my international relations class.? Great story!

Thankyou! I hope your students enjoy discussing it!

[vietnow138]

Since I'm not American and am fairly young, I'd vote Clinton as the best and Bush and Reagan as the worst.

Though folks seemed to love JFK.

they love him for the same reason people love dead rockstars. he was shot and killed at a fairly young age. (well, i think it was him who was assassinated right?)

Yeah he was but thats not at all the reason people loved him, he did A LOT for civil rights at the time and was actually an extremely good president, if he hadn't been assassinated we also would not have entered Vietnam since his view was "it is not our war to fight", something Johnson didn't seem to agree with.

oh yeah, imo Best: JFK Worst: Nixon

That is actually not true.  Kennedy was beginning to escalate our involvement in Vietnam before he died.  To say that we wouldn't have entered Vietnam, in my opinion, is not an accurate speculation.  You do realize that Dean Acheson, one of Kennedy's key advisors, was a uge proponent of the theory of containment.  Now it is quite possible that we would have withdrawn from Vietnam, but Kennedy's actions point the opposite way.

What you said is true about Kennedy beginning to get more involved in Vietnam but you have to realize that his stance on such matter was quick to change and by the time of his death his view point was that it was not our wat to fight. Considering the degree of involvement in Vietnam at the time there would have been no problem withdrawling and IMO if Kennedy was to do anything it would definately have been to withdrawl form Vietnam. When Johnson took office he had a much different policy and escaladed the involvement in Vietnam and got our Country in one of the, if not the biggest messes  in U.S. history.

[jameslofton29]

Best- Reagan

Worst- a tie between George W. and Carter


I cant believe people actually think JFK is the best ever. He was prez for 2 years. All he did was fuck a bunch of women, bluff the Soviets in the Cuban Missile Crisis, and get his head blown off.

What an awesome resume.




I'll give an honorable mention to Clinton. I never liked him, but he did do some good things during his 2 terms.