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Ranking U.S. Presidents
New Boston Post ^ | Wednesday, February 21, 2018 | Matt McDonald

Posted on 02/21/2018 12:19:26 PM PST by SonofCuchulainn

... The next time you see some bow-tied, goateed, bespectacled tweedy intoning on television about some historical this-or-that, just keep these rankings in mind. This is not just a difference of opinion; it’s lunacy.

Ideology obviously informs how someone looks at political figures. But in the case of these political scientists, ideology doesn’t just color their opinions; it crushes common sense.

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


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: bias; politicalscientists; rankingpresidents; sockpuppet

1 posted on 02/21/2018 12:19:27 PM PST by SonofCuchulainn
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To: SonofCuchulainn

Pretty keen on the “New Boston Post” aren’t you?

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/by:sonofcuchulainn/index?tab=articles


2 posted on 02/21/2018 12:33:08 PM PST by humblegunner
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To: SonofCuchulainn

Regardless of political ideology, I think we can all agree that Teddy Roosevelt had the temperament, drive, and intelligence to be the greatest president: it’s a shame he lived in mediocre times.

Hard times make great men. Roosevelt was a great man without the opportunity to show his quality.


3 posted on 02/21/2018 12:33:39 PM PST by Thalean
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To: SonofCuchulainn

I can never understand why LBJ is always ranked so generously.


4 posted on 02/21/2018 12:53:36 PM PST by castlegreyskull
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To: Thalean

No we can’t all agree.

Teddy Roosevelt was a Progressive.

He strongly argued for greater government control over the economy.
His Congress created the Bureau of Corporations which eventually became the Federal Trade Commission. TR was a trust buster.
He called for a graduated income tax and inheritance taxes.

Roosevelt declared the idea of natural rights was scientifically wrong and morally obsolete. He believed humans could progress beyond their selfish individualism.

TR believed that the right of property could be justified only if it benefited the community, and wealth must be redistributed. Government is not just about the rule of law but was about bringing “social justice” to the citizenry.

TR evolved to embrace the idea of a “living Constitution.”

Denied the Republican nomination of 1912, Roosevelt ran for president under the Progressive Party ticket. Enough said.

I would trade TR on Mount Rushmore for Calvin Coolidge any and every time.


5 posted on 02/21/2018 12:54:45 PM PST by Auslander154 ("Political correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred." Jacques Barzun)
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To: Thalean

“I think we can all agree...” No...The whole point and strength of this forum is to air similar or differing opinions.


6 posted on 02/21/2018 1:22:45 PM PST by pfflier
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To: Thalean; Auslander154

I certainly do not agree.

My opinion pretty much aligns with post #5.

In addition, I disagree with your theory he would have done better had it not been for mediocre times.

In terms of this nation falling flat on it’s a$$ and going to actual full blown socialism if not communism, this almost happened to us with Hitlery. IMO, this qualifies as hard times. During hard times true heroes come out to become great Presidents. In terms of greatness, Trump has both socialist Roosevelts beat 10 times over.


7 posted on 02/21/2018 4:31:35 PM PST by redfreedom
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To: Auslander154
TR as president and TR as post-president weren't the same.

He moved left after he left the White House and bought into a lot of the ideas that he didn't have during his presidency.

That natural rights thing is bad, but it was pretty typical of his generation.

It was part the influence of Darwin and Hegel, part the fear of popular upheavals like the French Revolution.

8 posted on 02/21/2018 4:40:22 PM PST by x
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To: SonofCuchulainn
So when it comes to evaluating this list: It’s not just that McKinley was a better president than Bush. McKinley is a top-tier president; Bush is a bottom-tier president. They shouldn’t be anywhere near each other.

One, the way we look at the presidents of our lifetime is going to be less reverential than the way we look at earlier presidents.

Two, I wouldn't prejudge the "top-tier/bottom-tier" thing. You shouldn't lock yourself in with terms like that beforehand.

He's probably right that McKinley was a better president than Bush I, but it may not be as easy a call as he thinks it is.

Yet Bush was an internationalist, McKinley a nationalist. If you assume that America’s prosperity on the home front means little and that globalism covers a lot of sins …

McKinley made us an empire. That may be one reason he gets a lower rank. And empire and nationalism aren't necessarily the same.

9 posted on 02/21/2018 4:45:16 PM PST by x
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To: Thalean
In 1927, when the Mount Rushmore monument was started, it was far too early to evaluate the Theodore Roosevelt Administration in historical perspective.

10 posted on 02/21/2018 6:32:42 PM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion (Presses can be 'associated,' or presses can be independent. Demand independent presses.)
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