Posted on 02/17/2008 10:45:07 PM PST by Dawnsblood
1. Jimmy Carter (the absolute worst)
2. Lyndon Baines Johnson
3. Ulysses S. Grant (Grant himself was a decent-enough fellow, but he was sooooo incompetent as a president).
There are many who believe that Lincoln was murdered so that Johnson, a slave owner, could become president and undo the Lincoln program.
Contrary to your statement, he did not follow Lincoln’s plan for reconstruction and the “Radical Republicans” led the charge to have him impeached because of it. He is responsible for cancelling the “40 acres and a mule” promise that Sherman had made, for example.
4. Abraham Lincoln
1. FDR
2. Lincoln
3. Wilson
If you read his December 1860 message to Congress you would see that nothing could be further from the truth. Buchanan believed that the Union was permanent, but also believed the federal government lacked the authority to force the Southern states to end their secession. Lincoln, in fact, followed the same course until the South turned to armed rebellion and initiated the war at Charleston. Then all bets were off.
But since you seem to be one of the lost causers then wouldn't it be fair to include Jeff Davis in the poll? If so then any rational person would have to put him dead last by a wide margin, wouldn't they? Seizing private property, nationalizing business, ignoring his constitution, launching an illegal war, high taxes, you can't get much worse a performance than that.
My list would be:
(1) Carter
(2) Clinton
(3) FDR
I've been reading Amity Shales "The Forgotten Man", and have really come to loathe the economic jealousies that FDR fostered.
You think that two hostile countries on the same continent wouldn't be a bad thing?
You mean the War of Southern Rebellion, don't you?
Clinton is the only verifiable traitor in the bunch.
I never stated he was the worst. If you read my posts on the thread you will see who I listed.
I just stated that he was a bad President. His wife and cabinet essentailly ran the Presidency for him after he had a nervous breakdown.
He also advocated high tariffs and economic isolationism that led to the Great Depression.
Johnson, Carter, FDR. 3 Commies.
2. For a long impact, Bill Clinton - the crime boss - excalated partisanship to where this country is tearing itself apart, but more importantly, gave away our military secrets to the Chinese, weakened our own military, emboldened terrorists around the globe because he was soft/non-existent on fighting terror, and as a bonus, nominated 2 liberals to the supreme court and put communists in the state department. Then Clinton became the 2nd worst ex-president.
3. FDR - the New Deal is going to bankrupt this country. It launch a major lurch to the left in this country, which has now snow-balled into things like earn-income tax credits for people that didn't "earn" money enough to pay taxes. The sense of entitlement in this country is truly one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen. Thanks FDR, thanks democrats, keep pumping out namby pamby panty-waise kids that hate our military but love daddy's lawyer.
Clinton; our most eager traitor.
“Why is FDR not included as one of the three worst Presidents?”
FDR’s lend/lease made the U.S. the richest nation in the world at the end of WWII and the world’s only super power. Because of lend/lease, at the end of the war, all our allies were broke, and all of them owed us money.
True. On the other hand I don't think anyone back then was really sounding the alarm about al Queda. Were there any Republicans saying we needed to squash al Queda at the time?
It also kept Great Britain in the war while we rearmed, both of which were very unpopular acts at the time. Do you really think that a President Landon or a President Wilkie would have come up with Lend-Lease or the Two Ocean Navy or the peacetime conscription at a time when the entire Republican leadership were almost fanatically isolationinst?
After reading the article and then all of the comments, I am saddened to see that we haven’t learned a damned thing from the past. The only “good guy” in the bunch doesn’t even get credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (1957). Our current choices are the worst of a bad bunch...on both sides. Don’t start the Revolution without me.
I hope you guys continue your debate on this subject. It fascinates me. I've always said that the failure to annex Mexico at that time was the second greatest mistake this nation ever made. The greatest mistake, which was the failure to address the slavery issue within the timeframe the Founders had hoped for, helped lead to this second mistake (and later, such problems as the War between the states, Reconstruction, the LBJ Great Society debacle, and now, a possible Obamamamama presidency, etc.) I would be curious to see what some of my fellow FReepers have to say.
As for the worst Presidents: Carter has to top the list. LBJ could easily be up there as well. A President can be ruled "rotten" by either doing nothing when action is required, or by being a screw up by pushing the wrong solutions...
Carter and Clinton have to be 1 and 2. Getting impeached buys the Toon his second place finish to Carter.
Good point.
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