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Monday, February 21, 2011 | 9:36am
SOUND OFF: Who Is The Greatest President Of All Time?
We played an important part in Obama’s election but is he the Presidential G.O.A.T.? Washington? Lincoln?
#Presidentsday
Now I know President’s Day is really in observance of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s collective birthdays. However, I think President’s Day has taken on several different meanings over the years. With the Nation as responsible for the current sitting President as we have been for any other to inhabit the White House I thought it’d be interesting to ask the question… SOUND OFF Who Do YOU Feel is the Greatest President of All Time?
This might come as a surprise to most but I think without a doubt the greatest President was FDR. Not only does he
have a pretty cool highway named after him in New York City but he was responsible for helping to bring this country out of its darkest economic period with his New Deal. In the mid 1930′s FDR implemented his New Deal or plan for the 3 R’s or Relief, Recovery and Reform to pull the country out of The Depression. Now its your turn.
FILED IN Need to Know
Juan I’m really going to have to do some research on this before I answer. I’ve never really paid attention to politics or pretty much the news of any sort until 3 or 4 years ago. I was too young and immature to even care but I’ve grown up since then (26yrs old) and I’ll be coming back to give my 2 cents lol.
kennedy! i cant find myself to really vote because my race and or culture is not truly represented in the candidates. i will go with kennedy because he sacrificed his life by addressing the new world order. side note; 4 those who thurst for knowledge like i do, yahoo the 8 black presidents of u.s.a. its really informative seems like whenever a system breaks down they put a black man in front and then get a new 1. so barak being president is somethin thats been done before
dewayne I’m trying to school myself on things of this world that I’ve chosen to not open my mind to. Thanks for the info!
It’s hard to narrow it down, since there are several that I like.
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So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorites (excluding Obama, Lincoln and Washington, which are obvious) …
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Truman, Teddy Roosevelt, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Johnson, George HW Bush, Jackson, Obama.
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The only President I’ll say I dislike is John Tyler. I’m sure he was a nice enough guy, but when the civil war started, he renounced his citizenship and joined the confederacy. For any former president to do such a thing is a stain on the country.
Malcolm I never knew that about Tyler, that sounds crazy. And nobody took action or somewhat revenge on the guy? smh
He was elected to confederate office, but died of natural causes before he took office. Given the times, if he had outlived the war he probably would have been exiled to mexico or something.
I knew you’d go with Regan. I kind of guessed Teddy but I’m surprised by Nixon. Please explain.
Some of it is sentimental. Nixon was the first president I remember. At the time of the Watergate hearings, (when I was in the first grade and still young enough to come home from school for lunch every day), I used to like watching the hearings while eating my peanut butter and Jelly. I still remember where I was when he resigned.
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Some of it is defensive. I spent a good many years being downtrodden, so I have a natural sympathy for anyone who’s being ganged up on by others. Nixon was the poster boy for bullied kids, never having been given a days’ peace since he was nominated as Eisenhower’s VP.
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Some of it is amazement at his will power. The idea that someone who was an introvert could become president is amazing. Nixon, who was not a people person, would practice chit chat and social skills so that his actions would appear ‘normal’ when he met with people.
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But most of all I think it’s the fact that his life story is like a Shakespearean tragedy. The man was a genius, but had a damaged soul. At the height of his power, he still suffered a near-continuous inferiority complex, measuring himself below those who went to the better schools or had better breaks in life. He rose so high, and fell so far; all because within his greatness he had the seed of his own destruction. It’s a monumental story.
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If you exclude Watergate, he would have been ranked highly in terms of performance. He started the EPA; he was one of the first to recognize that treating drug addiction served the long-term public good more than jailing the addicts; his triangular diplomacy with regard to China and Russia (where he played off their mistrust of each other to gain better deals for us) was a work of a master strategist; and he was (I think) the first president to ever make a cameo appearance on a TV comedy show.
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And Watergate, in my opinion, needs to be looked in the context of the times. Yes, he violated the law. And yes, it is right that he had to resign because of it; but his dirty tricks weren’t any dirtier than what everyone else was doing; and if you consider where it all started (with the illegal leaking of classified Pentagon documents), it might even be justified.
I saw the movie Frost/ Nixon. Very interesting. There was a whole lot I didn’t understand about the man. Unfortunately he will forever be associated with his demise than anything he did over his long career. The Bill Buckner of politics.
@Juan… watch the movie ‘nixon’ with Anthony Hopkins. Very good
“Greatest” is the operative term here. Not favorite. My favorite thus far is Clinton, but only because he got a bj from an intern in the oval office. That’s awesome, you’d have to agree! and then he unjustly caught so much crap for it! hypocrites! but I digress…The greatest was probably Lincoln for how he handled the problems with the south. He didn’t compromise. He knew that to have a strong nation, he couldn’t compromise…FDR is a distant second. I think that his decisions were easy: he had to go to war…well, by being the friend of the enemies of the original “axis of evil” (Germany, Japan, Italy) the U.S. in fact was at war with those countries. That is why I am puzzled at why they were soooo shocked at the Pearl Harbor attack. They should have seen it coming…
It’s not even close. It’s Lincoln. By all rights the South had legally seperated themselves from the Union. He was the President during the Civil War knowing that being elected would cause a Civil War, just that fact puts him in the top tier. The most dramatic and significant changes happened during his Presidency and because of his Presidency. F.D.R would be second on the list.
I dont know… not enough was done in the name of freed slaves rights when the Emancipation Proclaimation was signed. Slaves were just freed and sent off to do whatever and have whatever done to them, and they still werent considered people, at least not a whole one.
I would say Theodore Roosevelt, Ulysses Grant or George Washington. To see the leader of the country who served in combat is very honorable, in my personal opinion. Too many presidents haven’t even served in the military but are willing to sent others into combat while jockeying behind a desk.
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I think minimal military duty should be a standard to be president, regular military, Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, or even Coast Guard, no Air Force Auxiliary or any other glorified cub scout troop, lol.
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Beside the I would have to go with the president that I think could knuckle up and hold their own in a fight. The arena of politics is too formal, alot of these guys wouldn’t get their hands dirty if they were forced to. The three already mentioned are a definite, along with Lincoln & Taft, maybe Kennedy.
Glad we inspired some research. I hope Mr. Bad Guy Jr. was able to learn a little something too.
Not too much research was needed. Just some thoughts I had in the back of my head for a while that were Highbrid Nation jarred loose. Thanks for the platform to project…
I’m a black male. I’m assuming most of the posters here are black as well. I can’t say there is great president because all of them are or were racist or did racist things. Would a jew have a great Nazi party leader of all time? I think not! Ha Ha.
I get what you’re saying but can you honestly equate the President to Hitler? I’m just as cynical as the next one. Illuminati aside, lets be honest there are a few things these figure heads did to better America no?
I thought about this too. That’s why I took a while to post. However, I just took the question at face value. The institutions that make this country “great” are all racist. Thus, the person in charge is working for racists. He knows this. President Obama knows this. He is upholding a racist way of life for a country where he was born and given the freedoms and opportunities to be where he is right now. He has had to “play ball” with all these racists in all walks of life in order for his career to advance and to now be in the position to try and effect change (and he now sees just how difficult making changes really is)…that makes President Obama GREAT: his personal sacrifices in order to advance Black people (he could be making more money in the private sector, without the scrutiny and crap he has to deal with)…oh, and don’t forget the First Lady, Michelle, with her beautiful, intelligent, refined self! She is great also!
I hear what you’re saying but I’m not so quick to jump to the race card all the time. My issue is not that Obama isn’t working for a racist institution but how do we know he’s not in support of it. After all it was that institution that made him ONE OF the most powerful men in the world.
Right! we don’t know that. I think he drank the koolaid that made him think that the US has eradicated racism, etc…and he can point to himself being the president, as though it is proof…well, the fact that he is the president doesn’t necessarily mean that there is no more racism…I mean, look around, what has changed, other than the color of the president’s skin? … Many Blacks/Hispanics who have played ball and get good jobs all of a sudden lose their perspective. They talk about how, since they made it, anyone can make it…True to some degree, for some people…I think affirmative action is necessary, but I don’t like it because people in power (White people) use it as a recipe: instead of adding one cup of flour, the recipe says we need our workforce to be 10% minority. Well, white women are considered minority too. If they hire a Black woman, they killed several birds with one shot. That is one of the reasons why it’s so hard for a Black/Latino man to get employment (outside of the service industry). They will only hire enough to satisfy the quota. Obviously, there are many, many more of who are qualified and ready to work, who will not get certain jobs because of our race…this subject I know about very well, having been the victim of it for many years and can give several personal examples to illustrate the point…I think I got off the point some, but it’s in the big picture, lol.
Yes, I can equate certain presidents to Hitler. Hitler was about white supremacy. There is a long history of US presidents who subscribe to white supremacy (overtly and covertly). Now I know you don’t like my saying this. But I can back it up.
I dont believe in the illuminati in the same way the average person does. But thats another story. I’m just saying, why would i look for greatness in people who didn’t have my interests in the first place?
For example, you claim FDR is great. If we lived during FDR’s time in office, we would live in a segregated socitey. Imagine not having the freedom to choose where to go to school or live.
Yes,FDR took the country out of finanical depression but people who were not considered white suffered from oppression. The same oppression which would have refused to give you a job because of your skin color whether there was a depression or not.
well said truth well said!
That’s a very good point but I also haven’t lived long enough to know the true character of most of these Presidents. As a matter of fact I’ve only been of voting age for two of them so while I remember the policies of Clinton I’m hardly an expert enough to give a first hand account of who classifies as Great.
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Your point is an excellent one. Any President that somehow allowed four or better yet 8 years of segregation to occur while passing laws and signing bills without the outrage of the condition of black folks is to be ashamed of themselves. The only problem I see with that logic is I do believe in covert and ulterior motives held by the government both past and present. While slavery, segregation, fire hoses and drugs were the weapons of the past it will be some time before we discover the weapons of the future. Lets start with Google.
I have 2 go with drum roll please bbbbbbrrrrrr Our current President Barack Obama not bcuz he is closer 2 my shade of skin tone.Not just bcuz he has over come the obvious road blocks, haters,and FOX NEWS.I have not agreed with all issues any president has put b4 us much less Pres.Obeezee but I do admire how he crept on a come up “Bone Thugs” style and pissed AmeriKKKa off 2 no end .I love it!!!! He is trying 2 undo the fucked up state AmeriKKKa is in now, no fault of his own . He is somewhat the clean up man a high paid Janitor and no disrespect 2 our PREZ but I would go the George W.Hitler Bitch route and just mess up this K.K.Kuntry more than what is is get my cheez and bounce , write a book or 2, movies, lunch boxes, video games,coloring books, etc but I admire him most bcuz he would never do that PunKKK shit I just suggested. He has 2 much class , now chef should do who is the seXXXiest 1st lady. I would have 2 say Michelle Obama damn she got hella Ass. Then Jackie O she was a rider 4 her man , did u c her get on top of that open top limo , when the AmeriKKKlan Gov. set up JFK in Dallas ?!! She really loved Pres Kennedy str8 ryder DOWN ASS CHICK. Plus she was a dime as well.
President Obama did something else no other President has done he made it possible 4 PPL of Color Hispanic, African American , Native American etc 2 really shoot 4 impossible . I was 1 of the 1z saying”There is no damn way he is going 2 be President, as racist as AmeriKKKa is” !! I am glad I changed my mind on that bet back in Nov 2008.