Best and Worst President

[MRCC]

This kind of started in another thread about NAFTA so I decided to move it here.

I think the best president was Thomas Jefferson, and the Worst FDR.

 

[Horns2005]

Best president - Woodrow Wilson
Worst president - Calvin Coolidge

 

[Fried JJ Pickles]

You've got it pretty much backwards. Jefferson's ideals were incompatible with a modern economy and urban environments, both of which were an inevitable part of human future.

He was essentially the aggy of US presidents. His ideology was strong and unwavering despite its conflict with reality.

 

[DAGMAR]

Best President - Lincoln
Worst President - Richard Nixon

Most Overrated President - Kennedy

 

[MRCC]

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[THEU]

WORST: FDR, LBJ, and Grant

BEST: Reagan, Wilson

 

[Laphroaig10]

I'd substitute Jackson for Wilson on THEU's list and go with that one.

 

[UT-69745551]

Best: William Henry Harrison
Worst: Karl Rove

 

[Fried JJ Pickles]

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[Mike_Tyson]

Best: William Henry Harrison
Worst: FDR

 

[Nivek]

Best: Harrison

 

[pmg]

Best: Maybe Lincoln.
Honorable Mention: James Garfield. Anybody who could write Latin with one hand and Greek with the other, simultaneously, is worthy of some praise.
Worst: James Buchanan. Almost no redeeming value to his administration, other than to usher along the Civil War.

 

[Hayden_Horn]

i think an argument could be made that lincoln was both.

 

[Roger]

I think an argument could be made that FDR is both the best and worst as well. IMHO most of the do nothing presidents don't belong in this conversation as while they did nothing good they generally did no harm either.

 

[pevodog]

The best was the first-George Washington. He was a conquering general who turned power over to a civil government. He was a president who could have become an emperor , but stepped down.

 

[LonghornLawyer]

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[Summerof79]

Best-George Washington- for the very reasons pevodog gave. Lincoln probably second to me follwoed by Bill Clinton (just kidding).

Worst- Grant or GWB (need more time for all the scum to trickle out on him and his administration, and don't we all wish the email communications of the first two years were around to paint a clearer picture).

 

[FondrenRoad]

The best was FDR for the reasons LL stated above. You may not agree with his methods, but he absolutely saved this country in its time of need. Same argument could be made for Lincoln.

The worst was Hoover, though GWB may give him a run for his money once the dust clears.

 

[borna_horn]

Best: FDR

Worst: Hoover

Good thing for us that FDR followed Hoover.

 

[pevodog]

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[ousuxndallas]

Worst: Grant (stinking Yankee, corrupt)
Best: Reagan (ended the Cold War, brought the U.S. out of stagflation under Carter, renewed the country's spirit and patriotism)

Most Likeable: Teddy Roosevelt (hunter, outdoorsman, war hero, who didn't like Teddy R?)

 

[UTIceberg]

Yeah, I don't know about best, but Teddy at least deserves some mention in this discussion. He really was quite an individual and one whom I would have loved to have met.

 

[washparkhorn]

Best: Lincoln; FDR; Reagan

Worst: Harding (he admitted he was not fit for office); Buchanan; Andrew Johnson.

Most underrated: Calvin Coolidge

Most overrated: Woodrow Wilson

 

[MRCC]

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[softlynow]

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[Mr. Orange]

Hard for me to imagine that when people ask this question in 50 years, GWB won't be the slam dunk winner in the worst category.

 

[judgroybeanbag]

Speaking of Kennedy I had Walt Rostow as an economics professor for a few weeks one semester. That was interesting.

 

[LonghornLawyer]

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[GatorHorn]

Best: FDR, Washington

Worst: Hoover/Harding

 

[FattyMac]

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