John F. Kennedy vs. Jimmy Carter: Who was the better president?

[TDAS04]

Carter.

[Oppo]

Kennedy’s actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis are among the bravest of all statesmen

[Mr. Smith]

If trajectories are taken into account: JFK

If the actual terms for what we got only [my vote is here]: Carter

[LBJer]

Kennedy’s actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis are among the bravest of all statesmen

Once the crisis was underway, yes he showed excellent judgement.  But was it really necessary to go public to begin with, telling the nation about the missiles in Cuba?  Kennedy put Khrushchev in an extraordinarily difficult position--risk nuclear war or be humiliated in front of the entire world.  What would have happened if Khrushchev hadn't backed down?

I voted for JFK here, by the way. 

[dw93]

The former is the 2nd most overrated President of the 20th Century (after Reagan) while the later is somewhat underrated. Kennedy was still the better President but Carter was/is by far a better person.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Carter didn't bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

[TheReckoning]

Carter didn't bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

There is not a single problem the Middle East has had (with the exception of some Israel/Palestine stuff) since 1979 that cannot directly be traced to the awfulness of the Carter Administration towards Iran.

[dw93]

Carter didn't bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

There is not a single problem the Middle East has had (with the exception of some Israel/Palestine stuff) since 1979 that cannot directly be traced to the awfulness of the Carter Administration towards Iran.

I'd argue it could be traced back to 1953 when a Democratically elected government was taken out in a coup. What specifically could Carter have done to prevent the revolution? Was he supposed to bomb Iran after the hostages were taken?

[TheReckoning]

Carter didn't bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

There is not a single problem the Middle East has had (with the exception of some Israel/Palestine stuff) since 1979 that cannot directly be traced to the awfulness of the Carter Administration towards Iran.

I'd argue it could be traced back to 1953 when a Democratically elected government was taken out in a coup. What specifically could Carter have done to prevent the revolution? Was he supposed to bomb Iran after the hostages were taken?

Anyone who knows anything about modern Iranian history knows that Operation Ajax played only a supporting role in the coup of 1953. The fact is that there were significant and powerful forces in Iran which preferred the Shah to the prime minister, including the Islamists in power now.

Anyways, the Carter Administration did seemingly everything they could to delegitimize the Shah when he was at an extremely vulnerable point in his power, and when various nefarious leftist groups (both religion and secular) were working to bring him and down and instill their own dictatorship. Every Iranian American I know (and I know a lot) look at Carter as being one of the worst presidents in American history because of how he played a key role in creating not only the mess in Iran, but in the entire Middle East.

[dw93]

Carter didn't bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

There is not a single problem the Middle East has had (with the exception of some Israel/Palestine stuff) since 1979 that cannot directly be traced to the awfulness of the Carter Administration towards Iran.

I'd argue it could be traced back to 1953 when a Democratically elected government was taken out in a coup. What specifically could Carter have done to prevent the revolution? Was he supposed to bomb Iran after the hostages were taken?

Anyone who knows anything about modern Iranian history knows that Operation Ajax played only a supporting role in the coup of 1953. The fact is that there were significant and powerful forces in Iran which preferred the Shah to the prime minister, including the Islamists in power now.

Anyways, the Carter Administration did seemingly everything they could to delegitimize the Shah when he was at an extremely vulnerable point in his power, and when various nefarious leftist groups (both religion and secular) were working to bring him and down and instill their own dictatorship. Every Iranian American I know (and I know a lot) look at Carter as being one of the worst presidents in American history because of how he played a key role in creating not only the mess in Iran, but in the entire Middle East.

If we're talking the Middle East as a whole, I think Dubya was the President of the last 50 years most responsible for the mess.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Remember guys, it's the job of the US to prop up notoriously cruel and ill-suited leadership that pursued disastrous macroeconomic and religious policies that turned its entire population against it.

[Ferguson97]

Carter didn't bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

There is not a single problem the Middle East has had (with the exception of some Israel/Palestine stuff) since 1979 that cannot directly be traced to the awfulness of the Carter Administration towards Iran.

You're right, there were never any conflicts or wars in the Middle East until 1979.

[Vice President Christian Man]

Carter didn't bring us to the brink of nuclear war.

A lot of the Cuban fiasco started under/because of Eisenhower

[Vice President Christian Man]

Hard to tell. While I can give Kennedy the benefit of the doubt based on what he accomplished, I feel as if his second term could've gone down the same road as LBJ. On the other hand, I have a soft spot for Carter and he seemed to be less corrupt.

[Sir Mohamed]

Clearly Kennedy.

Carter was a medicore prez.

[President Johnson]

Stark contrast between presidency and person here. Kennedy was a more competent presidents who better understood how to rally people behind him. On the other hand, he had severe personal shortcoming Carter doesn't have.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

The former is the 2nd most overrated President of the 20th Century (after Reagan) while the later is somewhat underrated. Kennedy was still the better President but Carter was/is by far a better person.

This.