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Historians rank Reagan #8 among presidents
Wall Street Journal ^ | November 16, 2000

Posted on 06/10/2004 8:55:07 AM PDT by Cableguy

More than 3 years old, but still valid. Clinton should go down next time, given his failures on Al Qaeda and North Korea. Reagan will probably move up.

------------------ The Wall Street Journal Survey on Presidents

RANK NAME MEAN GREAT 1 George Washington 4.92 2 Abraham Lincoln 4.87 3 Franklin Roosevelt 4.67 NEAR GREAT 4 Thomas Jefferson 4.25 5 Theodore Roosevelt 4.22 6 Andrew Jackson 3.99 7 Harry Truman 3.95 8 Ronald Reagan 3.81 9 Dwight Eisenhower 3.71 10 James Polk 3.70 11 Woodrow Wilson 3.68 ABOVE AVERAGE 12 Grover Cleveland 3.36 13 John Adams 3.36 14 William McKinley 3.33 15 James Madison 3.29 16 James Monroe 3.27 17 Lyndon Johnson 3.21 18 John Kennedy 3.17 AVERAGE 19 William Taft 3.00 20 John Quincy Adams 2.93 21 George Bush 2.92 22 Rutherford Hayes 2.79 23 Martin Van Buren 2.77 24 William Clinton 2.77 25 Calvin Coolidge 2.71 26 Chester Arthur 2.71 BELOW AVERAGE 27 Benjamin Harrison 2.62 28 Gerald Ford 2.59 29 Herbert Hoover 2.53 30 Jimmy Carter 2.47 31 Zachary Taylor 2.40 32 Ulysses Grant 2.28 33 Richard Nixon 2.22 34 John Tyler 2.03 35 Millard Fillmore 1.91 FAILURE 36 Andrew Johnson 1.65 37 Franklin Pierce 1.58 38 Warren Harding 1.58 39 James Buchanan 1.33

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: reagan; ronaldreagan; topten; turass
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To: Coroner
We were attacked. FDR defended the United States and freed 1/2 of Europe. Reagan, of course, finished the job.

The backlash from conservatives on FDR comes from the left's love of the man. However, much like most on the left giving a begrudging respect to Ronaldus Magnus this week, I am willing to give FDR the same courtesies.

81 posted on 06/10/2004 9:26:40 AM PDT by bigeasy_70118
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To: Coroner

"how did FDR get so high??"

Probably on the very best Scoth that money can buy.


82 posted on 06/10/2004 9:26:45 AM PDT by F.J. Mitchell (So the Dems actually loved Reagan, huh? et tu, Bru-te ?)
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To: Servant of the 9

LBJ ahead of JFK?? Wow!


83 posted on 06/10/2004 9:28:15 AM PDT by RetiredArmy ( I am a Vietnam Vet, thus I am a war criminal according to Flip Kerry.)
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To: Fiddlstix

As much as I hate to say it, Carter deserves some credit for listening to Milton Freedman about deregulation, and Clinton
for signing the free trade agreement.


84 posted on 06/10/2004 9:28:56 AM PDT by conejo99
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Comment #85 Removed by Moderator

To: r9etb
It's far too soon to give an objective answer on Clinton: in essence, the historians are having to predict into the future in order to assess his actions. My sense is that his ratings will go way down after there's been some time for the hype to shake out, and the true consequences of his presidency to become clear.

As I predicted to a pathetic lib last night:

Fifty years from now, my guy's gonna be remembered for the quote "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" (and my great grandchildren will ask "What wall?"). Yours will be remembered for "Ahhhh did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky". Now, that's a fitting legacy.

86 posted on 06/10/2004 9:29:28 AM PDT by Bob
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To: Servant of the 9

President Ford should be recognized for pardoning Nixon. It probably cost him several positions on the chart and any chance at being elected president, but it eliminated much of the devisiveness that was in the country at the time and helped the country to get on with its business.


87 posted on 06/10/2004 9:30:46 AM PDT by herzo
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To: Cableguy
SUGGESTION

Free Republic should post its own official Presidential rating...put it to a vote "questions" and when it is completed put out an official Free Republic press release.

FR opinions are more balanced than those of the so-called 'experts.'

88 posted on 06/10/2004 9:31:22 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever
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To: F.J. Mitchell
FDR along with Lincoln is basically untouchable.

Even the great Reagan used to quote him in admiration, so does Bush.

I am not certain if they really do think that highly of him or just know it is pointless to not praise him.

89 posted on 06/10/2004 9:31:43 AM PDT by Shanda
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To: F.J. Mitchell

Why is a below average President, Grant on our currency?


90 posted on 06/10/2004 9:31:49 AM PDT by Sybeck1 (Kerry: how can we trust him with our money, if Teresa won't trust him with hers!)
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To: bigeasy_70118

What puts Coolidge up in your book?


91 posted on 06/10/2004 9:32:40 AM PDT by Thebaddog (Half staff for President Reagan. Rest in peace, old friend.)
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To: conejo99
As much as I hate to say it, Carter deserves some credit for listening to Milton Freedman about deregulation, and Clinton for signing the free trade agreement.

Yeah. "One in a row" for both of them.

92 posted on 06/10/2004 9:33:10 AM PDT by Fiddlstix (This Tagline for sale. (Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: bigeasy_70118

Not me, thanks to FDR we had 50 years of cold war and Reagan had to clean up his mess!! The Russian army was destroyed and what did FDR do at Yalta? HE GAVE STALIN HALF OF EUROPE!!! FDR was the founder of the nanny state with all of his failed social programs. What a turd!!!


93 posted on 06/10/2004 9:34:12 AM PDT by Coroner
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To: Positive

I was talking about the historians being liberal. They would rank FDR, Kennedy, Clinton, Carter higher than conservative historians would.


94 posted on 06/10/2004 9:34:55 AM PDT by Cableguy
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To: jpsb
I disagree on both counts, although personally I have several objections to the list one being US Grant should be last, but Wilson declared war in 1917 when the nation was against it, but it was a daring thing in that era because it ended our isolationism, same for Truman, his cold war policies may seem trivial now but once again the nation was against it and had either of them bowed to public pressure this nation would have paid dearly.
95 posted on 06/10/2004 9:35:30 AM PDT by THE MODERATE
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To: Thebaddog
"The Business of America is Business".

A Reagan-esque quote if there ever was on. He presided over great propserity and although the term was not used in the sense it is today, Coolidge was a conservative President.

96 posted on 06/10/2004 9:40:39 AM PDT by bigeasy_70118
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To: Bonaventure

Reagan should be above FDR. I wouldn't even consider FDR to be a great president.


97 posted on 06/10/2004 9:41:46 AM PDT by Dr. Marten (I donated to the Demcratic Party today, but I forgot to flush it down the toilet....)
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To: Cableguy

These guys must include a healthy sampling of leftists.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Period.

FDR doesn't belong there. He gave away half of Europe and helped create the mess that Ronald Reagan had to clean up. Truman was President during the first war we lost.

I'd give Polk honorable mention for stealing away the entire southwest from that tinhorn dictator Santa Ana.

Andrew Jackson was a crook, an alcoholic, a racist, and he cheated when he dueled - which was frequently - typical Democrat.


98 posted on 06/10/2004 9:42:00 AM PDT by ZULU (They weree)
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To: Cableguy
Clearly overrated in this list is Truman, Kennedy, Hoover and Carter, and Wilson.

Under rated--Warren Harding, Coolidge, George Bush I, and Richard Nixon.
99 posted on 06/10/2004 9:45:09 AM PDT by Busywhiskers (Non entia multiplicandia sunt prater necessetatum. William Occam)
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To: Shanda

I believe you have nailed it. Some were placed so high upon pedestals, and praised for so long, before their warts were discovered, that now they are untouchable.

Considering how many of those untouchables were already set in stone before President Reagan came along and him being rated at # 8, I don't believe it would be unreasonable at all for us to presume that if all positions were open and the ratings were today, President Reagan would more than likely be placed within the top five.

Dang! that is one long sentence, but I couldn't find a stopping place.


100 posted on 06/10/2004 9:47:29 AM PDT by F.J. Mitchell (So the Dems actually loved Reagan, huh? et tu, Bru-te ?)
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