Who Do You Think Was The Best President?

[Archaeology cat]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1948343' date='Aug 14 2009, 01:23 AM']Anybody else think the wrong Kennedy was elected President? I'm not the kind of person who keeps up with famous people, so beyond a vague memory of her name, I didn't know anything about Shriver until reading an article about her today.[/quote]
I've thought that before as well.

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Hassan' post='1948438' date='Aug 14 2009, 12:39 AM']no.


Some economists of a particular ideological bent say that. However to claim that economists as a whole say that is just false.[/quote]

I didn't say that. I said there is general agreement. Economists are kinda like Protestants: they all agree on a few things and agree to disagree on a lot of things.

[quote name='Zoecool13' post='1948623' date='Aug 14 2009, 04:45 AM']If you're going to blame FDR for Obama, you can blame Reagan too as Reagan was the first to really increase our national debt by tripling it during his presidency.[/quote]

Hmm... blaming is a little far. FDR simply represents a great progression of the big-government politics that continued through most administrations of both parties since him.

As for the national debt under Reagan, whether it's good or bad depends on how you measure it. As a percentage of GDP, the debt was relatively low at the beginning of Reagan's first term, so accumulating debt wasn't all that unreasonable.

[StColette]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1948343' date='Aug 13 2009, 08:23 PM']Anybody else think the wrong Kennedy was elected President? I'm not the kind of person who keeps up with famous people, so beyond a vague memory of her name, I didn't know anything about Shriver until reading an article about her today.[/quote]

I believe it is said in a biography about her that her dad always said that had Eunice been a man she would have been the first Catholic US President.

[pat22]

clintons's social views sucked but his foreign policies were acutually pretty good.(i still didnt vote for him thought )

[kamiller42]

[quote name='Zoecool13' post='1948623' date='Aug 14 2009, 03:45 AM']Not to mention he raised the taxes on the middle class, social security, and medicare while giving himself and his rich buddies and business friends huge tax breaks.

If you're going to blame FDR for Obama, you can blame Reagan too as Reagan was the first to really increase our national debt by tripling it during his presidency.

Not to mention he takes the credit for a lot that was put into place before him.

Ugh, sorry... i just don't like how so many people make Reagan out to be the greatest politician of all time. I swear, to be a Republican politician you have to take an oath to recite his name at least 4 times in every speech you make.[/quote]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5yxFtTwDcc"]Interesting visualization of the national debt over presidencies[/url].

Yea, Reagan was that good. It is sad his programs were held hostage in exchange for increased spending by the democrat congress. Programs he proposed like workfare was thought to be evil until Clinton proposed a similar plan. Then it was acceptable.

Reagan did inherit somethings put in place before his term: outrageous inflation, through the roof interest rates, a contracting economy, a dilapidated military (his spending fixed that and won the cold war), Iranian hostage situation, an energy crisis, and so much more. Overrated? Don't think so.

And [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs"]this audio[/url] shows what a really great communicator sounds like. His words in 1961 sound like they could have been said today.

[Lounge Daddy]

I can't decide if I would vote JFK or Clinton as President of horsing around. But i guess that wasn't the question that was asked.

[img]http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/01/18/grope.gif[/img]

[Zoecool13]

[quote name='kamiller42' post='1948807' date='Aug 14 2009, 01:11 PM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5yxFtTwDcc"]Interesting visualization of the national debt over presidencies[/url].

Ugh... I just wasted two and a half minutes of my life that I can never get back. Sorry, anything that biased in either left or right i take with a grain of salt.

Yea, Reagan was that good. It is sad his programs were held hostage in exchange for increased spending by the democrat congress. Programs he proposed like workfare was thought to be evil until Clinton proposed a similar plan. Then it was acceptable.

As long as we have a two party system, this is always and has been going on. Clinton with a republican congress had the same issues. Bush had issues with the Democratic congress. In 2010 when the Congress probably will end up back to the Republican side, it's going to happen too.

Reagan did inherit somethings put in place before his term: outrageous inflation, through the roof interest rates, a contracting economy, a dilapidated military (his spending fixed that and won the cold war), Iranian hostage situation, an energy crisis, and so much more. Overrated? Don't think so.

Inflation, interest Rates, bad economy... all things Reagan gets too much credit for fixing as the policies that helped those issues were already in place before he came to office... no one thinks about that though as we forget it takes a few years to fix economic problems.

And [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAs"]this audio[/url] shows what a really great communicator sounds like. His words in 1961 sound like they could have been said today.[/quote]


um... if you're going to base the best president on how he communicated almost 20 years before he became President, that's just silly. Not to mention he was an actor. That was his job.

However, more then anything, who cares about him as a communicator? That didn't make him a good President. Most people argue that the greatest communicator ever in terms of communication was a certain German named Adolf Hitler. Would anyone (besides a fascist) say he was a good leader of Germany? (It just so happens he came to power in 1933, so it could be related to this poll).

Reagan was overrated. He gets the credit for so much more then he should, and I just hate the idolization he is given. I walk into too many of my republican friends' homes and next to their picture of Jesus is Reagan. Now, don't get me wrong, I think some of my democrat friends' homes will be having a picture of Obama up next to their Jesus someday soon, but that just makes me even prouder of being an Independent and choosing (if I choose to choose) who is the best candidate at the time, not just based on a party affiliation.

[Zoecool13]

[quote name='Lounge Daddy' post='1948829' date='Aug 14 2009, 02:01 PM']I can't decide if I would vote JFK or Clinton as President of horsing around. But i guess that wasn't the question that was asked.[/quote]

That's gotta go to George W. Bush with his 200 days of vacation and retreat he went on to go hunting and ride his horses.

Clinton had his issues and his "fun", but at least he was still working during it. Can't really go hunting in the oval office.

[Ash Wednesday]

[quote name='Lounge Daddy' post='1948829' date='Aug 14 2009, 01:01 PM'][img]http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2009/01/18/grope.gif[/img][/quote]


LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!

[kamiller42]

[quote name='Zoecool13' post='1948867' date='Aug 14 2009, 03:08 PM']um... if you're going to base the best president on how he communicated almost 20 years before he became President, that's just silly. Not to mention he was an actor. That was his job.[/quote]
His skill was innate; it didn't suddenly appear when he became president. The fact he spoke on a topic several decades ago on a topic, and it still resonates today is impressive.

[quote]However, more then anything, who cares about him as a communicator? That didn't make him a good President. Most people argue that the greatest communicator ever in terms of communication was a certain German named Adolf Hitler. Would anyone (besides a fascist) say he was a good leader of Germany? (It just so happens he came to power in 1933, so it could be related to this poll).[/quote]
Being able to communicate ideas, sometimes complex ones, and sway the masses to your side is not an easy thing to. Good communication is one of many skills a great president needs.

Hitler was a leader with a good skill in communicating, his "form" as we might say in Catholic parlance. His atrocious error was in the substance of what he was saying. Imagine if he used such skill to tell his countrymen to love one another rather than hate.
[quote]Reagan was overrated. He gets the credit for so much more then he should, and I just hate the idolization he is given. I walk into too many of my republican friends' homes and next to their picture of Jesus is Reagan. Now, don't get me wrong, I think some of my democrat friends' homes will be having a picture of Obama up next to their Jesus someday soon, but that just makes me even prouder of being an Independent and choosing (if I choose to choose) who is the best candidate at the time, not just based on a party affiliation.[/quote]
Reagan is not overrated. He represents an ideal that conservative republicans yearn to reach again some day.

I don't have a problem with people hanging pictures of presidents in their homes. Maybe they hang a picture of Reagan next to Jesus because they are celebrating the fact Reagan was a gift from God. Aren't we all?

[CatherineM]

[quote name='StColette' post='1948692' date='Aug 14 2009, 09:07 AM']I believe it is said in a biography about her that her dad always said that had Eunice been a man she would have been the first Catholic US President.[/quote]

I kind of wondered if the last pro-life Kennedy just died.

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[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='StColette' post='1948692' date='Aug 14 2009, 11:07 AM']I believe it is said in a biography about her that her dad always said that had Eunice been a man she would have been the first Catholic US President.[/quote]

That's an excuse. If you want something bad enough, you find a way to get it. And she would've been a better President than Kennedy for it.

[Mercy me]

I disagree that Reagan was overrated. I think that he was a great president. He had the courage of his convictions which is rare for politicians. He was able to compromise to get things done when needed. But most importantly for me is that he did not compromise on his core principles. Remember that he once walked out on a summit with Gorbachev which is just not done. He took a lot of heat over that but the message was sent. He really stood where he said that he stood.

[Hassan]

[quote name='kamiller42' post='1948909' date='Aug 14 2009, 03:18 PM']Reagan is not overrated. He represents an ideal that conservative republicans yearn to reach again some day.[/quote]


I like the way government shrank under him and how he refused to exchange arms for hostages with the Iranians.

Edited August 15, 2009 by Hassan

[StColette]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1949568' date='Aug 15 2009, 10:56 AM']That's an excuse. If you want something bad enough, you find a way to get it. And she would've been a better President than Kennedy for it.[/quote]

That's an excuse for what? I don't quite understand you on this one. The biography says her father said this of her, not that she said that of herself. So I'm not sure how she was making the excuse of "I'm a woman thus I won't ever be elected" excuse. Plus, I don't believe it has ever been stated that she even wanted to run for President. It's quite possible that she just didn't want to enter into the political mad house that is our government. I know, personally, that you could not pay me enough or offer me anything that would make me want to become or even run for President. So I believe it's a tad bit judgmental and out of line to say that the "woman" card was used as an excuse for her to not run for the Presidency.