10 Best U.S. Presidents

[CARLHAYDEN]

I still stand that without McKinley we would not have been a world power. Besides, everything Teddy got done was because of William McKinley.

A good example is the Gold Standard, the weakening of the Kelogg-Brand Act (I think that was it) of 1878 ended the inflation that caused the Panick of 1893. Thus a good economy stayed until the Panick of 1907. Other things are the strong millitary (Great White Fleet) and the industrial might that TR is given credit for are all tracked originaly to McKinley.

TR was a great President (I would have him as #11) but McKinley was the reason he was successfull at first.

Let me take your points (as I understand them) in order.

First, with respect to the economy and the monetary policy, let me suggest that the economic problems the United States experienced in the last decade of the nineteenth century (and the first decade of the twentieth) were not primarily monetary, but rather that the production of certain portions of the economy increased unevenly, and it took time for the system to adjust (agricultural production increased faster than domestic production, and export of agricultural goods did not, at the time make up the slack).  Eventually, this evened out, not due to monetary policy.

As to the Great White Fleet, this was not primarily a policy initiated by McKinley, but rather one forced on him by Mahan and his political associates such as Beveridge.

As to the 'economic might,' argument, it seems to me that the American economy was developing rapidly due to the inventiveness and hard work of the American people, rather than due to the policies of the McKinley administration.

[MaC]

we've had at least 10 good presidents running this nation?!?  What?!?

[The Vorlon]

  1. Thomas Jefferson
  2. William Henry Harrison


   Jefferson was the only good President we've ever had.   He abolished the national bank, paid off the national debt, and eleminated all internal taxes in the US.

   William H. Harrison is the next best because he died two weeks into office and never had time to screw anything up.


                                                ===OldTexas===

I see I have an natural idealogical ally..

Welcome to thje Board !

[True Democrat]

I really don't know enough about early Presidents to make an educated decision.  Here are my five best Presidents of the 20th Century in no order:

T. Roosevelt
FDR
LBJ
Clinton
Truman

[ATFFL]

  1. Thomas Jefferson
  2. William Henry Harrison


   Jefferson was the only good President we've ever had.   He abolished the national bank, paid off the national debt, and eleminated all internal taxes in the US.

   William H. Harrison is the next best because he died two weeks into office and never had time to screw anything up.


                                                ===OldTexas===

I see I have an natural idealogical ally..

Welcome to thje Board !

(Pssst!  He posted in June, 2004 and has not visited the board since that same month.)

[Beet]

1- George Washington
2- Abraham Lincoln
3- Thomas Jefferson
4- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
5- Andrew Jackson
6- Lyndon Baines Johnson
7- Theodore Roosevelt
8- James K. Polk
9- William Jefferson Clinton
10- Ronald Wilson Reagan

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

1- George Washington
2- Abraham Lincoln
3- Thomas Jefferson
4- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
5- Andrew Jackson
6- Lyndon Baines Johnson
7- Theodore Roosevelt
8- James K. Polk
9- William Jefferson Clinton
10- Ronald Wilson Reagan

Wow, of those 3 are gone from President survivor, 3 have have been close to being eliminated in some round, 1 will likely be a target soon (Polk), and only 3 are relatively safe for now (Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt).

[Beet]

1- George Washington
2- Abraham Lincoln
3- Thomas Jefferson
4- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
5- Andrew Jackson
6- Lyndon Baines Johnson
7- Theodore Roosevelt
8- James K. Polk
9- William Jefferson Clinton
10- Ronald Wilson Reagan

Wow, of those 3 are gone from President survivor, 3 have have been close to being eliminated in some round, 1 will likely be a target soon (Polk), and only 3 are relatively safe for now (Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt).

I should have added in Wilson instead of Roosevelt. I get carried away sometimes at T.R.'s popularity on the forum, but it was Wilson who not only achieved the bulk of progressivism, willing or not, but more importantly laid out the 14 points which have been a major hallmark of America's interactions with the world.

[Speed of Sound]

1- FDR
2-Thomas Jefferson
3-George Washington
4-Teddy Roosevelt
5-William Clinton
6-Ronald Reagan
7-JFK
8-James Monroe
9-Dwight D. Eisenhower
10-James Carter

[J.R. Brown]

1) Washington
2) Lincoln
3) FDR
4) Jefferson
5) Monroe
6) Truman
7) Eisenhower
Kennedy
9) Reagan
10) Clinton

[skybridge]

I still stand that without McKinley we would not have been a world power. Besides, everything Teddy got done was because of William McKinley.

A good example is the Gold Standard, the weakening of the Kelogg-Brand Act (I think that was it) of 1878 ended the inflation that caused the Panick of 1893. Thus a good economy stayed until the Panick of 1907. Other things are the strong millitary (Great White Fleet) and the industrial might that TR is given credit for are all tracked originaly to McKinley.

TR was a great President (I would have him as #11) but McKinley was the reason he was successfull at first.

McKinley was the reason TR was successful at first, because McKinley fell victim to an assassin's bullet in his term, putting Roosevelt in the presidential seat. The Republicans intentionally tried to isolate the progressive Roosevelt in the vice-presidential slot, thus forbidding him to exert much political influence while still benefitting from his popularity. The Republicans had not believed in McKinley's assassination, but rather than disposing of Roosevelt, the always pro-business autocratic GOP had no reservations of using him for political gain, especially after Roosevelt declared he would only seek one term. Anyway, to make a long story short, I don't remember McKinley busting any trusts or protecting any national wildlife. The only thing McKinley and Roosevelt really had in common was an aggressive foreign policy, but that's something Republicans understand better anyway....

[TheWildCard]

New list

1. Lincoln
2. Washington
3. Reagan
4. Truman
5. FDR
6. Eisenhower
7. McKinley
8. TR
9. JFK
10. Polk

[minionofmidas]

Er...I guess there's a list of mine buried in this thread already, but what the hell
1. Lincoln
2. FDR
3. LBJ. FDR ahead on account of Viêt Nàm.
4. er...Truman was good.
5. Hm. I used to like Wilson, but the post-stroke Wilson has to qualify for worst.president.ever, so on balance he's probably not top ten matierel. Really, below these guys, it boils down to personal sympathy rather than quality...I like, in no particular order really...
Andrew Johnson, good tailor, great stump steaker. Tread on opponents after having shrunken to the denomination of a reptile
Martin Van Buren, antislavery man, spoke with a thick Dutch accent
Rutherford Hayes, antislavery man
Zach Taylor, wanted to admit New Mexico as a free state in 1850
Still missing two...what the heck...TR was undoubtedly a great president, although he also was a worthless piece of sh**t, as a man that is.
Gerry Ford was a decent bloke, which is more than can be said for any of his successors in office.

[skybridge]

Er...I guess there's a list of mine buried in this thread already, but what the hell
1. Lincoln
2. FDR
3. LBJ. FDR ahead on account of Viêt Nàm.
4. er...Truman was good.
5. Hm. I used to like Wilson, but the post-stroke Wilson has to qualify for worst.president.ever, so on balance he's probably not top ten matierel. Really, below these guys, it boils down to personal sympathy rather than quality...I like, in no particular order really...
Andrew Johnson, good tailor, great stump steaker. Tread on opponents after having shrunken to the denomination of a reptile
Martin Van Buren, antislavery man, spoke with a thick Dutch accent
Rutherford Hayes, antislavery man
Zach Taylor, wanted to admit New Mexico as a free state in 1850
Still missing two...what the heck...TR was undoubtedly a great president, although he also was a worthless piece of sh**t, as a man that is.
Gerry Ford was a decent bloke, which is more than can be said for any of his successors in office.

I don't think we had too many great presidents between Jefferson and the Civil War (Polk, maybe), but your first three seem alright. Btw, what happened to Lewis Trondheim?

[minionofmidas]

Er...I guess there's a list of mine buried in this thread already, but what the hell
1. Lincoln
2. FDR
3. LBJ. FDR ahead on account of Viêt Nàm.
4. er...Truman was good.
5. Hm. I used to like Wilson, but the post-stroke Wilson has to qualify for worst.president.ever, so on balance he's probably not top ten matierel. Really, below these guys, it boils down to personal sympathy rather than quality...I like, in no particular order really...
Andrew Johnson, good tailor, great stump steaker. Tread on opponents after having shrunken to the denomination of a reptile
Martin Van Buren, antislavery man, spoke with a thick Dutch accent
Rutherford Hayes, antislavery man
Zach Taylor, wanted to admit New Mexico as a free state in 1850
Still missing two...what the heck...TR was undoubtedly a great president, although he also was a worthless piece of sh**t, as a man that is.
Gerry Ford was a decent bloke, which is more than can be said for any of his successors in office.

I don't think we had too many great presidents between Jefferson and the Civil War (Polk, maybe), but your first three seem alright. Btw, what happened to Lewis Trondheim?

What do you mean, what happened?
It's in my signature, man.

[PBrunsel]

I will go down in Atlas History as the only man who put Hoover in everyone of his top 10 Presidents lists.

[Speed of Sound]

I will go down in Atlas History as the only man who put Hoover in everyone of his top 10 Presidents lists.

im surprised anyone would put him in a top 40 presidents list.

[PBrunsel]

I will go down in Atlas History as the only man who put Hoover in everyone of his top 10 Presidents lists.

im surprised anyone would put him in a top 40 presidents list.

You know next to nothing about American History I presume. Most people would put him in the top 20.

[A18]

I will go down in Atlas History as the only man who put Hoover in everyone of his top 10 Presidents lists.

im surprised anyone would put him in a top 40 presidents list.

You know next to nothing about American History I presume. Most people would put him in the top 20.

Hoover was Roosevelt-lite. Not that Roosevelt-lite wasn't better than Roosevelt-full.

[PBrunsel]

I will go down in Atlas History as the only man who put Hoover in everyone of his top 10 Presidents lists.

im surprised anyone would put him in a top 40 presidents list.

You know next to nothing about American History I presume. Most people would put him in the top 20.

Hoover was Roosevelt-lite. Not that Roosevelt-lite wasn't better than Roosevelt-full.

He had his mistakes, yes, but he was no failure. Hindsight is 20/20 Phillip.

[A18]

He greatly increased the size and power of the federal government, unconstitutionally. He should have been impeached.

[PBrunsel]

He greatly increased the size and power of the federal government, unconstitutionally. He should have been impeached.

It's unconstituional to have taxes now? Face it Phillip, if you wanted a red or Facist Revolution by 1932 than we would do things the "Phillip Way." So what if ever other person in the country starves and children die of hunger in Chicago's streets, we haven't "violated" the Constitution.

[A18]

Taxes are not unconstitutional, but public works programs are.

And no, if you wanted to have a New Deal the "Philip way," you would have just done it at the state level. Although it's a waste of productivity and doesn't help anything.

[PBrunsel]

Taxes are not unconstitutional, but public works programs are.

And no, if you wanted to have a New Deal the "Philip way," you would have just done it at the state level. Although it's a waste of productivity and doesn't help anything.

Hoover did not have a "huge" plan like FDR. He left most of it to the states and the Red Cross. He was the first President to use the Red Cross in bulk to help the helpess. He trully was a man who felt that men should help themselves by hard work, but when hard work proved not to be enough, he intervended. Last time I checked that was called having a heart.

[A18]

Easy to have a heart with other people's money, and in violation of the Constitution you swore to uphold. Needless to say, we need less people with hearts in Washington. A lot less.