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Comparing James K. Polk's and Trump's successes: One of the most successful one-term U.S. Presidents in history
American Thinker ^ | 03/14/2021 | Fritz Pettyjohn

Posted on 03/14/2021 10:48:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

James K. Polk was one of the most successful presidents in our history, exceeded in his accomplishments only by Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson. He had four goals when he took office in 1845, and he achieved all of them in his one term. He wanted to complete the process of Texas annexation, take California and its ports of San Diego and San Francisco from Mexico, settle the boundary dispute with Britain over the Oregon Territory, and reform the finances of the federal government. If you include Texas, the amount of territory he added to the United States exceeded that of the Louisiana Purchase.

He was the proud protégé of Andrew Jackson, and he completed what Jackson had begun. But he was not a good politician, and he obtained the Democratic nomination only by promising to serve only one term. During his presidency, he was roundly disliked by foes and allies alike. Due to a horrifically painful operation when he was very young, he was probably impotent. He died shortly after he left office at the age of 53, an embittered and unloved man.

Donald Trump is not a politician and never pretended to be one. Throughout his short career in politics, he has completely alienated half of the country. But in one term his accomplishments rank only behind James K. Polk and Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson. He succeeded in doing what he said he would do, even to a greater extent than Ronald Reagan, who was a great president for winning the Cold War and revitalizing the economy.

Trump doesn't need a second term to embellish his record. He has permanently reshaped the Republican Party, and the 2024 Republican nominee will only ratify this transformation. The Trump agenda, minus the personal Trump drama, will easily prevail without him.

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


TOPICS: History; Society
KEYWORDS: donaldtrump; endlesswar; jamespolk; mexico; presidency; proslavery; success; tennessee

1 posted on 03/14/2021 10:48:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Makes me think Trump should have not run a second time. He certainly got the wheels turning.


2 posted on 03/14/2021 10:52:44 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (`)
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To: SeekAndFind

Interesting. I didn’t know anything about President Polk. Now I do. Thanks for posting.


3 posted on 03/14/2021 11:07:33 AM PDT by Mr. N. Wolfe
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To: DIRTYSECRET

RE: Makes me think Trump should have not run a second time.

If not Trump then who?


4 posted on 03/14/2021 11:09:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I went to James K. Polk ES in VA. Also went to John Adams Middle School. I’m betting that, unless it’s already happened, those 2 will be chalked up racists and the names will be changed. Floyd, Ginsburg, Obama, K Harris. Lots of woke choices.


5 posted on 03/14/2021 11:24:00 AM PDT by albie
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To: SeekAndFind

Some military units still celebrate Millard Fillmore’s b’day as a reason to party. (Dad’s ‘Nam stories).


6 posted on 03/14/2021 11:38:42 AM PDT by SkyDancer (Remember Ashli Babbitt!)
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To: SeekAndFind
...[Polk]... wanted to take California and its ports of San Diego and San Francisco from Mexico

And we've got good Republicans running around today saying, "Let them secede, let them secede. Who needs them?" BS!!!.

The ports, mineral wealth, etc., to say nothing of the fact that California has some of the best, most productive and expensive farm real estate (land and buildings) in the nation... And you (not you, SeekAndFnd) want to hand it over to the communists on a silver platter??? Not. An. Inch! Good men died protecting it.

7 posted on 03/14/2021 11:47:03 AM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: SeekAndFind

Onr of the greatest things trump did was prevent awful things from happening


8 posted on 03/14/2021 12:16:06 PM PDT by genghis
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To: Mr. N. Wolfe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StTiCU_fqCg


9 posted on 03/14/2021 12:32:23 PM PDT by o-n-money (Not my president: WRONG Not the president: RIGHT)
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To: SeekAndFind

I still have hope that GOD will seat the duly elected President Trump into office. He has the final say. His time, His way.


10 posted on 03/14/2021 1:25:19 PM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. (Psalm 33:12))
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To: Mr. N. Wolfe
He was an amazing President. Historians have frequently ranked him among the top ten.

My only issue was that the boundary with Mexico should have been more straighter. We should have annexed the entire Baja California peninsula and moved the existing boundary about 50 miles South of what it is today (keeping the Rio Grande as part of the Texas boundary though). This would have solved a lot of problems and we would have had a cool vacation spot.

11 posted on 03/14/2021 1:34:20 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Trust the plan of the 17th letter of the English alphabet!)
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To: SeekAndFind

What did Andrew Jackson accomplish as President, aside from successfully persecuting the Cherokee and other native Americans? It is true that the economy boomed during his time in office, but it quickly collapsed on his chosen successor, Martin Van Buren.


12 posted on 03/14/2021 1:47:10 PM PDT by devere
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Wm. F. Buckley’s on the worst president: “I can think of one or two in-between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln when slavery was the big issue of the day and nothing got done.”
Polk was one of them-from the south. Where does he fit in?


13 posted on 03/14/2021 1:48:36 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (`)
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To: SeekAndFind

No, the media alienated half the country. Ppp president Trump was in the public eye for decades and no one said he was a racist. Then he stomps on hillary’s coronation and boom, he’s public enemy #1.


14 posted on 03/14/2021 2:05:20 PM PDT by subterfuge (RIP T.P.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Like Trump, Polk failed to carry his home state. If Birney had not run on the Liberty Party ticket, Clay probably would have been elected.

Polk's Postmaster General, Cave Johnson, introduced postage stamps. (He failed to foresee the internet and paying online.) I guess that doesn't count as one of the major accomplishments of Polk's term.

Polk died of cholera so it was not inevitable that he would die so soon after leaving office.

15 posted on 03/14/2021 5:05:04 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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