Question for Dems: W or Perry? You choose

[Paul Kemp]

D-Leaning Independent: GWB, obviously.

[Paul Kemp]

I love how Dems always think the latest Republican is somehow the worst.

When Nixon and Ford were president, they said Eisenhower was better.

When Reagan and Bush 41 were president they said Nixon and Ford were better.

When Bush 43 was president they said Reagan and Bush 41 were better.

Now they're going to think Bush 43 is better than Perry? Really?

Yes, that's because your party keeps moving right-ward, CircleJerK.

I'm afraid of the fact that I've been agreeing with opebo lately.

[Paul Kemp]

DW Perry.

Obviously the only correct answer.

Eisenhower was, by any reasonable standard I can think of, the most "leftwing" Republican President, either ever of since Rutherford Hayes. So he's a very unfair point to start.

More than TR?

[Paul Kemp]

Absolutely. Nothing remotely leftwing about TR.

what.

[Paul Kemp]

Arch-imperialist, injun-hating upper class twit. Concerned mostly with economic "progress".
Yeah, there's the toothless (except against unions) trust-busting rhetoric, but that's neither here nor there. There is, and I hadn't thought of that, the conservation pioneer thing. I suppose that can be counted in his favor.

TR instituted the greatest era of government regulation, next to the New Deal.

I don't understand how not only you can believe that TR wasn't somewhat leftwing but that Ike was more leftwing than him, unless you're using an extraordinarily narrow focus.

[Paul Kemp]

Although Eisenhower did defend the 91% tax rate for the top rate.

Exactly. Eisenhower presided over the greatest era of equality the world has ever seen. (And "planning", howdy boy.)
And let's not forget Little Rock, please.

You're pulling my leg right? That makes him more left wing than massive government regulation?

What in the world do you mean by "the greatest era of equality the world has ever seen?" I believe there are a great many pockets of society that will disagree on that one.

It's not as if Eisenhower was a dove either. Look at some of the coups of the decade and the beginnings of Vietnam.

The biggest thing Eisenhower had going for him was that it was a period of relative calm, compared to the decade prior and after.

I'm saying this all as a fan of the Eisenhower presidency too.

[Paul Kemp]

Yes but Lewis is in no way affiliated in any circumstance to the GOP.