Who is the most underrated President in history?

[DownWithTheLeft]

Clearly George W. Bush.

He broke international law, invaded a country on false pretenses and shoddy reasonings, then on top of that ran up a huge deficit in a time of economic prosperity. Yeah he isn't underrated.

Wow, did you just copy/paste DailyKos?  I'm impressed good computer skills

[RScannix]

James K. Polk and Calvin Coolidge...two of the best.

What is with people and Polk? He invaded another country to annex some land and is imperialist scum. We probably could have bought the land anyways without a war, if a more liberal minded government came to power in the 1850's with Mexico's debt being such a problem.

Agreed. Screw Polk.

As for mine, I'll go with Cleveland or Truman. I like Coolidge, but I don't think he faced as many challenges as the other two, so I have to give them more credit. This Arthur kick intrigues me as well; I must admit that I overlook him all the time.

[MasterJedi]

Polk

[The Duke]

Clearly George W. Bush.

He broke international law, invaded a country on false pretenses and shoddy reasonings, then on top of that ran up a huge deficit in a time of economic prosperity.

He didn't do any of those things.  It amazes me that Bush was a terrible President, yet most of his critics seem to have no clue as to what the reasons for his failure were.

[Scam of God]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

[Associate Justice PiT]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

     Generally speaking, I find that most admirers of John Adams & Richard Nixon admire them for reasons completely unrelated to the policies that they supported. Of course, that makes posting them in a topic about the most underrated President nonsensical.

[Scam of God]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

     Generally speaking, I find that most admirers of John Adams & Richard Nixon admire them for reasons completely unrelated to the policies that they supported. Of course, that makes posting them in a topic about the most underrated President nonsensical.

It's all conservative inconsistency and hypocrisy. They know they're supposed to support someone, someway, for some reason, but the actual reasons for that support utterly escapes them. So Nixon - who created, among other things, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, and then escalated our interventionist exploits in Vietnam - is given the same lauds as the isolationist Coolidge, who would have gutted both, only because he was "demonized" by the dag-gummed lib-uh-rul media.

American conservatism is a hollow pretense.

[RScannix]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

The hell with expanding the government, Nixon imposed price and wage controls for a time. I don't see how any economic conservative could support that, unless they simply didn't care about free competition.

     Generally speaking, I find that most admirers of John Adams & Richard Nixon admire them for reasons completely unrelated to the policies that they supported. Of course, that makes posting them in a topic about the most underrated President nonsensical.

It's all conservative inconsistency and hypocrisy. They know they're supposed to support someone, someway, for some reason, but the actual reasons for that support utterly escapes them. So Nixon - who created, among other things, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, and then escalated our interventionist exploits in Vietnam - is given the same lauds as the isolationist Coolidge, who would have gutted both, only because he was "demonized" by the dag-gummed lib-uh-rul media.

American conservatism is a hollow pretense.

[WillK]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

I'll take a guess.
Expanded government:  Cleveland (signed the bill creating the Interstate Commerce Commission and used the army against labor unions) and Nixon (wage and price controls, EPA, OSHA, Consumer Product Safety Commission)

 

[Alexander Hamilton]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

     Generally speaking, I find that most admirers of John Adams & Richard Nixon admire them for reasons completely unrelated to the policies that they supported. Of course, that makes posting them in a topic about the most underrated President nonsensical.

It's all conservative inconsistency and hypocrisy. They know they're supposed to support someone, someway, for some reason, but the actual reasons for that support utterly escapes them. So Nixon - who created, among other things, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, and then escalated our interventionist exploits in Vietnam - is given the same lauds as the isolationist Coolidge, who would have gutted both, only because he was "demonized" by the dag-gummed lib-uh-rul media.

American conservatism is a hollow pretense.

LOL at thinking I'm a mainstream conservative, I think most people here see me as more liberal than conservative. This thread wasn't which President do you agree with. This thread was "Who is the most underrated President in history?" I, of course, pluralized it. I do think these four are very underrated, never given enough credit for what's come of their administrations and policies, and frankly, aren't done justice by the disgusting congregation of high school textbooks.

[RScannix]

Whoops. Really screwed up my last post. All that quoting was necessary. This is all I meant to insert:

The hell with expanding the government, Nixon imposed price and wage controls for a time. I don't see how any economic conservative could support that, unless they simply didn't care about free competition.

[Scam of God]

Whoops. Really screwed up my last post. All that quoting was necessary. This is all I meant to insert:

The hell with expanding the government, Nixon imposed price and wage controls for a time. I don't see how any economic conservative could support that, unless they simply didn't care about free competition.

Because he was a Republican. Ronald Reagan raised taxes and ballooned the deficit to massive proportions in order to stimulate jobs in his favorite side of pork (the military-industrial complex), and these same self-styled "economic conservatives" salivate over his gilded prick, too. The Republican Party is not the economic conservative Party; it is the Party of bloated white hypocrites.

As a libertarian, you need to rethink your association with conservatism.

[RScannix]

Whoops. Really screwed up my last post. All that quoting was necessary. This is all I meant to insert:

The hell with expanding the government, Nixon imposed price and wage controls for a time. I don't see how any economic conservative could support that, unless they simply didn't care about free competition.

Because he was a Republican. Ronald Reagan raised taxes and ballooned the deficit to massive proportions in order to stimulate jobs in his favorite side of pork (the military-industrial complex), and these same self-styled "economic conservatives" salivate over his gilded prick, too. The Republican Party is not the economic conservative Party; it is the Party of bloated white hypocrites.

As a libertarian, you need to rethink your association with conservatism.

What do you mean by "association with conservatism"?

If you're implying that I side with Reagan or Nixon, then I have no idea what you are talking  about. I do not, nor have I ever, supported their views.

If you're implying that I always side with the Republican party, I don't understand either. I vote on a candidate-by-candidate basis. Generally, I support Liberal Republicans and Blue-dog Democrats.

If you are referring to economic conservatism, then you don't make sense. Economic conservatism is part and parcel of virtually any libertarian program.

[Хahar 🤔]

Generally, I support Liberal Republicans and Blue-dog Democrats.

They're diametrically opposite from each other.

[12th Doctor]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

     Generally speaking, I find that most admirers of John Adams & Richard Nixon admire them for reasons completely unrelated to the policies that they supported. Of course, that makes posting them in a topic about the most underrated President nonsensical.

Oh yes, keeping us out of an international war that would have destroyed us, while people on both sides of American politics were screaming for one, and holding back people who genuinely wanted to use their new military to pursuit the broadest interpretation possible of the Alien and Sedition Acts (which he didn't enforce, BTW) to lock up their political enemies and basically preventing the United States from becoming a busted-up, backwards, third world country is no political accomplishment.

[12th Doctor]

Whoops. Really screwed up my last post. All that quoting was necessary. This is all I meant to insert:

The hell with expanding the government, Nixon imposed price and wage controls for a time. I don't see how any economic conservative could support that, unless they simply didn't care about free competition.

Because he was a Republican. Ronald Reagan raised taxes and ballooned the deficit to massive proportions in order to stimulate jobs in his favorite side of pork (the military-industrial complex), and these same self-styled "economic conservatives" salivate over his gilded prick, too. The Republican Party is not the economic conservative Party; it is the Party of bloated white hypocrites.

As a libertarian, you need to rethink your association with conservatism.

Like most Americans, you demonstrate a clear misunderstanding of Reagan's actual economic legacy.  I don't blame people, since controlling inflation is not a sexy issue, and it is hard for alot of people to understand, but it must be particularly grating for someone like you to be lumped with average people.

[RScannix]

Generally, I support Liberal Republicans and Blue-dog Democrats.

They're diametrically opposite from each other.

I am referring to socially liberal Republicans, not fiscally liberal. I support candidates who are generally liberal on social issues and moderately conservative on fiscal issues.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Lyndon B. Johnson.

His work is one of the greates in History : the fulfillment of Lincoln's one, he was the man of the Great Society, but all his presidency is reducted to the Vietnam war. That's really a shame...

[Associate Justice PiT]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

     Generally speaking, I find that most admirers of John Adams & Richard Nixon admire them for reasons completely unrelated to the policies that they supported. Of course, that makes posting them in a topic about the most underrated President nonsensical.

Oh yes, keeping us out of an international war that would have destroyed us, while people on both sides of American politics were screaming for one, and holding back people who genuinely wanted to use their new military to pursuit the broadest interpretation possible of the Alien and Sedition Acts (which he didn't enforce, BTW) to lock up their political enemies and basically preventing the United States from becoming a busted-up, backwards, third world country is no political accomplishment.

     I did not say that John Adams was without political accomplishments. I was saying that most people who admire him do so without really knowing why they admire him or for that matter what he did. The same can be said for most Presidents, though.

[12th Doctor]

Cooldige, Nixon, Cleveland, John Adams.

Those four two.

You realize, do you not, that Nixon and Adams were philosophically antithetical to Coolidge and Cleveland? Two of the above wanted to decrease the size and scope of the Federal government; two of the above massively expanded it. Care to take a guess as to who did what?

     Generally speaking, I find that most admirers of John Adams & Richard Nixon admire them for reasons completely unrelated to the policies that they supported. Of course, that makes posting them in a topic about the most underrated President nonsensical.

Oh yes, keeping us out of an international war that would have destroyed us, while people on both sides of American politics were screaming for one, and holding back people who genuinely wanted to use their new military to pursuit the broadest interpretation possible of the Alien and Sedition Acts (which he didn't enforce, BTW) to lock up their political enemies and basically preventing the United States from becoming a busted-up, backwards, third world country is no political accomplishment.

     I did not say that John Adams was without political accomplishments. I was saying that most people who admire him do so without really knowing why they admire him or for that matter what he did. The same can be said for most Presidents, though.

Adams was also the last of the truly pro-urban Presidents (well, you could argue that John Quincy was, but...).  After Adams, the thoroughly anti-urban mindset of this country, which has been disastrous in the modern era, set in.

[Psychic Octopus]

Lyndon B. Johnson.

His work is one of the greates in History : the fulfillment of Lincoln's one, he was the man of the Great Society, but all his presidency is reducted to the Vietnam war. That's really a shame...

LBJ isn't so underrated, he frequently makes the Top 12 Presidents in history.

[Alexander Hamilton]

Lyndon B. Johnson.

His work is one of the greates in History : the fulfillment of Lincoln's one, he was the man of the Great Society, but all his presidency is reducted to the Vietnam war. That's really a shame...

LBJ isn't so underrated, he frequently makes the Top 12 Presidents in history.

Which means he is about 20 places overrated.

[Mart]

Either Arthur or Nixon.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Lyndon B. Johnson.

His work is one of the greates in History : the fulfillment of Lincoln's one, he was the man of the Great Society, but all his presidency is reducted to the Vietnam war. That's really a shame...

LBJ isn't so underrated, he frequently makes the Top 12 Presidents in history.

Which means he is about 20 places overrated.

*7 places underrated

[Alexander Hamilton]

Lyndon B. Johnson.

His work is one of the greates in History : the fulfillment of Lincoln's one, he was the man of the Great Society, but all his presidency is reducted to the Vietnam war. That's really a shame...

LBJ isn't so underrated, he frequently makes the Top 12 Presidents in history.

Which means he is about 20 places overrated.

*7 places underrated

You know the reason most people hate him is your country's fault, right?