Who Is Your Favorite United States President? [Archive]

Citizen Rules

11-16-16, 06:34 PM

Teddy Roosevelt by a long shot. He did 'beat the establishment' by breaking up business monopolies, thus he broke the back of the 'captains of industry' a group of ultra powerful business tycoons who had way too much influence over government. Sadly Ronald Reagan reversed this trend by allowing huge corporations to merge, thus giving us a business dominated government. And no Trump will not end that, he's part of it.

I also like Teddy for having a can do, adventurous spirit. Despite his own city upbringings and health issues he went west as a young man and made something of himself. He kept that can do attitude by finishing the failed Panama Canal project and by making the first National parks. (This is all off the top of my head, I'm sure there's tons more he did, he was a great man.)

Camo

11-16-16, 06:43 PM

My favourite Prime Minister in this country is Winston Churchill – hard to see anybody else in his league.

Attlee>Churchill

Teddy is just my favourite i wasn't actually saying he was the best. It's tough to have anyone in the top two other than Lincoln and FDR considering the amount they had to deal with. TR is the most interesting for me though.

Top Ten most interesting for me, not saying they were good and including their full lives not just their time as president:

01.Theodore Roosevelt
02.RIchard Nixon
03.JFK
04.Abraham Lincoln
05.Andrew Jackson
06.Harry Truman
07.LBJ
08.FDR
09.Thomas Jefferson
10.Ullyses S. Grant

matt72582

11-16-16, 06:52 PM

FDR for domestic policy
JFK for foreign policy (post Bay of Pigs)

Teddy Roosevelt was great for reasons mentioned above. That's about it for the last 100 years or so.

TONGO

11-16-16, 06:54 PM

I read a book years ago where Teddy Roosevelt was a recurring character in a crime novel when he was the newly appointed police commissioner in New York in 1896. The book was called The Alienist written by Caleb Carr. Its fiction, but was solid if anyone likes such things.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Ke%2Bl8ejeL.jpg

The Rodent

11-16-16, 06:59 PM

Bill Pullman

SeeingisBelieving

11-16-16, 07:00 PM

Bill Pullman

Martin Sheen — in The Dead Zone :D.

Steve Freeling

11-16-16, 07:10 PM

As far as fictional presidents go...
https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/tWDZcxl8qjAfTcr3OS2Ry4rSXmW.jpg

Camo

11-16-16, 07:19 PM

Nah, this is the best fictional president:

http://i68.tinypic.com/abr1x3.gif

Guaporense

11-16-16, 07:33 PM

Worst: FDR and Lincoln
Best: The less well remembered ones that did not do anything in office.

Daniel M

11-16-16, 07:35 PM

Attlee>Churchill

Plus Rep for this :)

Don't know too much about American politics to comment too much, but I've been trying to learn more over the last few months where I can. From what I know would say FDR too, and I would also say LBJ except for his foreign policy. Again, not really claiming that they were great, I'm not really in a position to, just ones that I personally like based on what I know.

Friendly Mushroom!

11-16-16, 08:55 PM

As for Underrated Presidents, James Polk

http://d3gl10e3tfcx91.cloudfront.net/static/widgets/sidebar/VG-Pres-Polk.jpg

I will second Gunslinger for Washington being the best. He could have taken complete control of all of the United States during the Revolution, but he never did. He served two terms as president, and no more, and returned to his farm, like Cincinnatus. Napoleon apparently once said something along the lines of "The people wanted me to be their George Washington; I couldn't." Napoleon's greed got to him and he declared himself emperor. But Washington knew dictatorship was bad and the best interest for him and everyone was for freedom. My APUSH teacher talked about this at great length, saying he was the best man in history at refusing power.

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/722/329/878.png

Sad today politicians today want power.

TONGO

11-16-16, 09:03 PM

Worst: FDR and Lincoln

How in the hell? I gotta hear this reasoning.

TONGO

11-16-16, 09:06 PM

No no no, Deep Impact y'all! A meteors gonna destroy earth, your President has to be Morgan Freeman.

https://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/system/images/photo_albums/morgan-freeman/large/22-freeman-deepimpact.jpg?1384968217

Camo

11-16-16, 09:31 PM

How in the hell? I gotta hear this reasoning.

He explained it. He's against the federal government having alot of power. My guess is his favourite(s) would be the presidents in-between Grant and Teddy Roosevelt since the government lost alot of power after Grants scandals and didn't regain it until Teddy.

TONGO

11-16-16, 09:34 PM

He explained it. He's against the federal government having alot of power. My guess is his favourite(s) would be the presidents in-between Grant and Teddy Roosevelt since the government lost alot of power after Grants scandals and didn't regain it until Teddy.

wow :nope:

Steve Freeling

11-16-16, 10:12 PM

Nah, this is the best fictional president:

http://i68.tinypic.com/abr1x3.gif
https://media.giphy.com/media/tF4dxByGDIUGA/giphy.gif

Captain Steel

11-16-16, 10:36 PM

Jeepers, Sexy Celebrity... who is YOUR favorite President? ;););)

Movie Max

11-16-16, 11:42 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/John_F_Kennedy_Official_Portrait.jpg/406px-John_F_Kennedy_Official_Portrait.jpg

Steve Freeling

11-16-16, 11:46 PM

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/John_F_Kennedy_Official_Portrait.jpg/406px-John_F_Kennedy_Official_Portrait.jpg
"We do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

McConnaughay

11-16-16, 11:50 PM

George Washington. My life was so much better when he was running the country.

Captain Steel

11-16-16, 11:55 PM

I'll use this opportunity to tell my story of how I met Richard Nixon (probably my biggest "claim to fame").

1984 - was on a camping trip with my buddy at a place called Tupper Lake in upstate New York - we drove to Lake Placid (about 20 minutes away) to get supplies and while walking I saw a group of "businessmen" in suits. I said to my friend, "That was Richard Nixon!"

He scoffed, "No it wasn't! What would Nixon be doing walking around Lake Placid?"

At that point loud speakers (they're around the lake, left over from the Olympics) went off saying, "We'd like to welcome former President Nixon to Lake Placid."

So we walked back, and by then he had a crowd around him. But we waited and shook hands with him (kind of embarrassed because we were dirty from days of camping). Nixon's Secret Service agents surrounded me when I got in to shake his hand, each one was about 6' 4" and two were on each side with one behind me. I asked Nixon how he was doing and he said, "Fine, young man, fine! How are you?"

And that was it. There were photos of me shaking hands with Nixon, but they were on my friend Dan's camera and Dan died in 1990 - I have no idea what became of the photos.

This doesn't mean Nixon is my "favorite" President, but he's the only one I've met or even seen in real life.

Sexy Celebrity

11-17-16, 12:17 AM

I'll use this opportunity to tell my story of how I met Richard Nixon (probably my biggest "claim to fame").

1984 - was on a camping trip with my buddy at a place called Tupper Lake in upstate New York

Oh, you mean Richard Nixon didn't just walk into your house unannounced, causing you to scream like a girl and immediately make a thread telling the whole story?

Captain Steel

11-17-16, 12:28 AM

Oh, you mean Richard Nixon didn't just walk into your house unannounced, causing you to scream like a girl and immediately make a thread telling the whole story?

No! That was OBAMA that walked into my house! ;)

Camo

11-17-16, 12:44 AM

Nixon is fascinating. Guy could've been an amazing president if he wasn't a terrible human being. I'd still say he was a pretty good president, at least when you compare him to everyone else.

Captain Steel

11-17-16, 12:49 AM

Nixon is fascinating. Guy could've been an amazing president if he wasn't a terrible human being. I'd still say he was a pretty good president, at least when you compare him to everyone else.

I'm fairly empathic, and I got the feeling that he was an okay guy - kind of like a kindly grandfather at that point (granted that was 10 years after he'd left office).

Sexy Celebrity

11-17-16, 12:54 AM

McConnaughay

11-17-16, 01:00 AM

You're empathic? How do I come across to you?
You're an *******, ... that's not my opinion, but I am very empathetic, and when I try to look at it from Captain Steel's perspective, that's what I conclude he thinks of you.

... Kidding! ...

Captain Steel

11-17-16, 01:01 AM

You're empathic? How do I come across to you?

I had to correct - when I met Nixon in 84 then he left office 10 years earlier.

Sexy, to me you are literally text on a screen - you see; I touched Nixon. Made physical contact - skin to skin - I stood a foot away from him and looked in his eyes!

It's like in that movie where the guy touches someone and can feel their spirit and emotions (you know that movie... which one is it? I don't know but it's... like something that happens a hundred different movies.)

So, not being able to touch you ;) I think you are a lot like me - you have a very good but sometimes caustic sense of humor. You enjoy pushing the envelope with people, but this sarcastic and wise-cracking exterior hides a lot of deep-seated pain and a soul constantly engaged in searching and pondering the meanings of life and death, but rarely exposing this side of yourself to casual acquaintances.

Cobpyth

11-17-16, 01:20 AM

Attlee>Churchill

Disagree. Attlee was without a doubt an important economic prime minister, though, but Churchill will always be the most interesting British PM of all time for me.

Top Ten most interesting for me, not saying they were good and including their full lives not just their time as president:

01.Theodore Roosevelt
02.RIchard Nixon
03.JFK
04.Abraham Lincoln
05.Andrew Jackson
06.Harry Truman
07.LBJ
08.FDR
09.Thomas Jefferson
10.Ullyses S. Grant

Extremely good list. Would probably keep TR at #1, because he was, in my opinion, the most visionary American president of all time, on par perhaps with Jefferson and FDR, while also at the same time mostly succeeding in what he tried to achieve.

I probably wouldn't have Truman on my top ten "most interesting presidents" (care to explain that one?) list and JFK would also be a little lower, because I'm not as fascinated by his persona as most people are (still understand very much why you have him as high up there), but I mostly agree with these ten names.

dadgumblah

11-17-16, 04:08 AM

TONGO, did you ever read the sequel to The Alienist? It was called The Angel of Darkness and was almost as good as the first book. It has the same team of crime solvers but is told from the point of view from one of them and not the main character.

Captain Steel, is the movie you're thinking about The Dead Zone?

As for my favorite President...William H. Taft:

http://a1.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,g_face,h_300,q_80,w_300/MTE5NDg0MDU1MTQ2MTY5ODcx.jpg

He was eaten by wolves. I heard he was delicious.

matt72582

11-17-16, 08:59 AM

What a great story about meeting Nixon... He's definitely NOT the worst President in modern history.

Camo

11-17-16, 10:17 AM

Disagree. Attlee was without a doubt an important economic prime minister, though, but Churchill will always be the most interesting British PM of all time for me.

I meant Attlee was the better PM in my opinion. I'd agree Churchill is more interesting.

care to explain that one?

It's partially because i really like Truman. Last year i started reading about the Korean War; i found his problems with Douglas Macarthur very interesting in particular. I love how unlikely it was for him to become president as well; born dirt poor, working various small jobs before he joined the military then afterwards getting elected to office through the corrupt Pendergast machine which he'd abandon to become Senator, his unlikely electione win, etc. He just sounded awesome as well, memorizing an eye chart to pass the eye test for the military, the way he ran his election, etc.

Yoda

11-17-16, 10:56 AM

I can never pick.

My first thought is always "Teddy," because he's such a great, rich mix of so many qualities that I want in a President. Though, paradoxically, it could be that I think of his qualities as "Presidential" in part because he had them.

Then, of course, I think of Lincoln, because he probably had the hardest job of any of them, and handled it about as well as could have been realistically hoped. And as I grow older, I tend to think that making the best of bad situations is maybe the most important quality in a leader.

And then I think of Washington, and the precedent he set by stepping down, and how it's rippled throughout our system and culture and possibly done more to preserve the orderly transition of power than anything actually written into our laws.

The best I can do is to say that Washington made our system possible, and Lincoln let it continue, so that we could have Presidents like Teddy Roosevelt later. It's the famous "I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy" quote, writ large across our nation's history. Which probably explains why I usually think of them in that order: I start with what I want a modern President to be, but end up considering what makes that ideal possible, and trace it backwards in time to the source.

TONGO

11-17-16, 11:00 AM

I meant Attlee was the better PM in my opinion. I'd agree Churchill is more interesting.

It's partially because i really like Truman. Last year i started reading about the Korean War; i found his problems with Douglas Macarthur very interesting in particular. I love how unlikely it was for him to become president as well; born dirt poor, working various small jobs before he joined the military then afterwards getting elected to office through the corrupt Pendergast machine which he'd abandon to become Senator, his unlikely electione win, etc. He just sounded awesome as well, memorizing an eye chart to pass the eye test for the military, the way he ran his election, etc.
I remember you once told me you didnt like Truman. You must have read this book since then. Dude definitely check out HBOs Truman (1995). Gary Sinise played him in the movie.

Camo

11-17-16, 11:29 AM

I remember you once told me you didnt like Truman. You must have read this book since then. Dude definitely check out HBOs Truman (1995). Gary Sinise played him in the movie.

I meant i didn't like how he started in politics through a corrupt political system in Kansas City. Still find him interesting though and i love some of the stories about him, i don't like Nixon as a person but i still find him really interesting.

NedStark09

11-17-16, 11:40 AM

From what I can remember till now have to say either Reagan or Bush Senior.

NedStark09

11-17-16, 11:44 AM

Now If your Going By History The Best 3 Presidents for me would be

George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Teddy Roosevelt

Camo

11-17-16, 02:44 PM

Just thought i'd throw this in. On this wiki page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

It compiles various scholar surveys, media rankings, etc, and comes up with the average rankings for each president. I'd say take Bush SR to Obama, or maybe even Reagan to Obama with a grain of salt since it usually takes a while for a presidents reputation to get cemented. TThis is what it looks like, the number next to their names is which president they were so you can see which eras it gravitates towards:

01.Abraham Lincoln (16)
02.Franklin Roosevelt (32)
03.George Washington (1)
04.Thomas Jefferson (3)
05.Theodore Roosevelt (26)
06.Harry Truman (33)
07.Woodrow Wilson (28)
08.Andrew Jackson (7)
09.Dwight Eisenhower (34)
10.James Polk (11)
11.John F. Kennedy (35)
12.John Adams (2)
13.Lyndon Johnson (36)
14.James Madison (4)
15.Ronald Reagan (40)
16.James Monroe (5)
17.Barack Obama (44)
18.Grover Cleveland* (22 & 24)
19.William McKinley (25)
20.Bill Clinton (42)
21.John Quincy Adams (6)
22.George H.W. Bush (SR) (41)
23.William Howard Taft (27)
24.Martin Van Buren (8)
25.Rutherford B. Hayes (19)
26.Gerald Ford (38)
27.Jimmy Carter (39)
28.Chester A. Arthur (21)
29.Benjamin Harrison (23)
30.Calvin Coolidge (30)
31.James A. Garfield (20)
32.Herbert Hoover (31)
33.Richard Nixon (37)
34.George W. Bush (JR) (43)
35.Zachary Taylor* (12)
36.Ullyses S. Grant (18)
37.John Tyler (10)
38.Millard Filmore (13)
39.William Henry Harrison* (10)
40.Andrew Johnson (17)
41.Franklin Pierce (14)
42.Warren Harding (29)
43.James Buchanan (15)

* Obviously all of the americans will know this but for some non-americans who might not, Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms meaning he served his first term then lost an election then won a second term in the next election. He is the only president who has done this and for some reason he is counted as both the 22nd and 24th president, there's only been 43 different presidents really; Trump will be the 44th but counted as the 45th.

*On some of the surveys counted certain presidents weren't counted because their time in office was so short. I think i agree with that in regards to William Henry Harrison and James Garfield, maybe Zachary Taylor too. It's absurd to count Harrison in particular, he died a month into his term most of which was spent in bed ill.

So too highs, too lows?

Captain Steel

11-17-16, 03:20 PM

Captain Steel, is the movie you're thinking about The Dead Zone?

Yep. :)

AdamUpBxtch

11-17-16, 03:43 PM

Gotta say the most interesting to me would be Teddy, Franklin Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Yes Washington made all this possible but I just don't find him as compelling as these other 3.

TONGO

11-17-16, 05:36 PM

Gotta say the most interesting to me would be Teddy, Franklin Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Yes Washington made all this possible but I just don't find him as compelling as these other 3.

The same but after reading the commentary in here I respect him a whole lot more than before. Yeah hes deserving to be on the $1.00 :)

http://onedollarbill.info/one_$1_dollar_bill.jpg

gandalf26

11-17-16, 05:48 PM

Andrew Jackson, because he stood up to the European Banking families trying to gain economic control over the USA.

Captain Steel

11-17-16, 06:12 PM

I'm going to put in a vote for John Adams.
Simply because when weighing his contributions to his recognition - the guy was cheated.

He's not on any money. He has no giant statues or monuments erected in his honor in Washington D.C.
And although he was an allegedly rigid, pugnacious and unlikable fellow, he was utterly uncompromising in his principles - probably one of the purist, most ethically-driven spirits to ever hold the office.

He was a staunch abolitionist who abhorred slavery (while the author of the Declaration, T. Jefferson owned slaves until he died, George Washington owned slaves, and even abolitionist Ben Franklin once owned slaves). Adams refused to engage in political mud-slinging while his opponents were unrestrained in doing such to him.

I have a rather unsavory theory - the men with monuments in Washington D.C. (Washington, Jefferson & Lincoln) were all over six-foot tall, rugged, stoic or handsome men. Adams was short, pudgy and squat - not at all attractive. Our society places special emphasis on physicality when it comes to our "heroes".

Movie Max

11-17-16, 06:37 PM

Camo

11-17-16, 06:39 PM

To respond to my own questions up there, two too lows and too highs IMO, not including anyone from Reagan to Obama:

Highs:

Andrew Jackson: Maybe people judge him a bit too much for his time, but eighth best? That's a bit way too much IMO. I'm not really clear on anything that he did good, when i ask it seems to be a he set precedents thing in opposing the Central Bank. Fair enough but other than that and ignoring his Native American policy, i'd be interested in a positive assessment of him.

John Adams: Don't know. The Alien and Sedition Acts were something completely against the idea of this new country, he is usually criticized for that so fair enough but only counting his time as president i don't get what he did to deserve 12th.

Lows:

Ulyses S. Grant: I wouldn't claim he was a good president but 36/43 seems a bit too much, his scandals really didn't involve him at all and he had a quick hard opposition to the KKK and other racist groups, even sending Militias in to fight them. The collapse of his govermnent was due to his trusting nature towards people he placed in his cabinet, it's kind of unfortunate that this led to Jim Crow when his intentions were the opposite. I'd say he was a failure as president but that there's at least four or five he deserves to be above in those rankings.

Monroe: With the exception of the Louisiana Puchase the Monroe Doctrine was probably the most influential piece of legislation in the first five presidencies. Not saying he deserves to go far from his respectable 16th, but i really don't understand why he is below James Madison who is 14th?

Captain Steel

11-17-16, 06:55 PM

Except for that Presidential $1 coin.

He also has his own HBO miniseries, which is excellent, by the way. So, I think he's finally getting some well deserved love and recognition.

https://secure.netflix.com/us/boxshots/ghd/70087091.jpg

Yes. I read the book by McCullough (which the HBO series was based on). I'm not a big biography reader, but enjoyed that book.

As far as Camo's question - Adams' Presidency was rather lack luster (although he did avoid war with France) and the Alien & Sedition acts are often criticized. But I think the basic fact that he was a founding father and the 2nd U.S. President makes us take into consideration many of his political accomplishments since so many were "firsts" of a new nation that he helped found.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1495488#post1495488

Camo

11-17-16, 08:05 PM

But I think the basic fact that he was a founding father and the 2nd U.S. President makes us take into consideration many of his political accomplishments since so many were "firsts" of a new nation that he helped found.

Exactly. I think if we are including their full lives Adams should be really high, his defence of the Boston Tea Party folk alone gives him an undeniably strong position in the creation of the US.

As a President i'm not sure though, his most praised thing as president if i'm correct is the creation of the US Navy, but if i'm right it was actually the people Jefferson put in place that built the Navy and it was just Adams idea.

Cobpyth

11-17-16, 08:19 PM

Andrew Jackson: Maybe people judge him a bit too much for his time, but eighth best? That's a bit way too much IMO. I'm not really clear on anything that he did good, when i ask it seems to be a he set precedents thing in opposing the Central Bank. Fair enough but other than that and ignoring his Native American policy, i'd be interested in a positive assessment of him.

I haven't read enough about him to really get into policy discussions regarding Andrew Jackson's presidency, but from what I understand, he was definitely one of the strongest political figures America has ever seen, right? He was an absolute beast. He's a prime example of how strong, firm and straightforward a president can be.
I mean, who else besides perhaps FDR dared to be more ruthless to help his own cause, while also getting away with it?

I'm sure "strength" and "being able to push your own policies" must be one of the factors they use for those top presidents lists, so that's why I'm bringing it up in Jackson's case.

Camo

11-17-16, 08:47 PM

I haven't read enough about him to really get into policy discussions regarding Andrew Jackson's presidency, but from what I understand, he was definitely one of the strongest political figures America has ever seen, right? He was an absolute beast. He's a prime example of how strong, firm and straightforward a president can be.
I mean, who else besides perhaps FDR dared to be more ruthless to help his own cause, while also getting away with it?

I'm sure "strength" and "being able to push your own policies" must be one of the factors they use for those top presidents lists, so that's why I'm bringing it up in Jackson's case.

I think everything you said about him here is true but i'm not convinced that should be seen as a good thing. Strong? Maybe. I think an argument could be made that he was childish and stubborn and held the country hostage, just as well as the 'he pushed the boundaries' argument 200 years later. I think Jackson is unique because he was the first president to challenge the system and both the pros and cons of it seem to get thrown at him whether he had much to do with it or not. I definitely think people ignore Polks presidency which was the closest thing to a continuation of Jacksons, except Polk was more successful in a shorter period of time and he doesn't get as much praise or flak as Jackson when he probably deserves more of both.