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Worst U.S. Presidents.

Which were the worst U.S. Presidnts?


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alphamale

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Who was the worst president in U.S. history of those listed? Review your history if necessary - don't fall victim to "presentism" wherein one gives more weight to events within living memory.
 
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Where is the "other" choice? Reagan was the worst. He was a great speaker and that is about it. He armed our enemies and help create them. He installed voodoo economics which are a tool to create a wealth gap. He didn't defeat communism. He didn't even know what was going on at the end of his presidency. "I don't recall" at the Iran-Contra hearings is proof of that. He quoted false urban legends. The woman in Chicago cashing 103 different welfare checks was not true. He talked about aleins invading the earth at the UN.
 
I voted for george w bush but I reallly think that U.S. Grant should be there because he led a very very corrupt government and caused the greatest american tragedy in our nations history, that is the scourging of the native americans.
 
Hoover...Although it seems somebody convieniently left out the last President...

BTW - I still would have gone with Hoover...
 
FinnMacCool said:
You really think Clinton was THAT bad?

yeah clinton doesn't deserve to be on the worst president's list...
 
nkgupta80 said:
yeah clinton doesn't deserve to be on the worst president's list...

:3oops: No, just the most embarrassing. :3oops:
 
Beyond doubt it was Roosevelt.

He created a depression within a depression in his bumbling attempts to fix the disaster Wilson started. Yes. Wilson signed into law the Federal Reserve Act.

Roosevelt imposed a ponzi scheme the like of which had never before been seen, and to which all workers are still yoked, Social Security.

He totally changed the relationship between the Constitution and the people, and showed the way for using the courts to bypass legislative obstruction to his socialist agenda.
 
What do you mean by "worst"?

FDR was the worst in terms of precedent-setting policy.

Ulysses Grant and Warren Harding (neither of whom are on your list) were the worst in terms of cronyism and corruption.

George W. Bush is, without exaggeration or "presentism," the absolute worst in terms of sheer competence and ability to govern.
 
I voted for Carter because although he was a very nice guy he had no clue as a president........I wish I could have voted for "Slick Willie" though.....
 
I voted for Bush II because Ronald Reagan's name was not there. Ronny was, without a doubt, the worst president this country ever had. Or maybe it was Nancy because she was running the country while Ronny was busy being an idiot with Alzheimers.
 
Navy Pride said:
I voted for Carter because although he was a very nice guy he had no clue as a president........I wish I could have voted for "Slick Willie" though.....

True, Carter was not a great president. He was very smart. He was the last honest president. He also had the vision to call for alternative energy. I can't say he was the worst, but he was pretty bad. The fact that he was honest makes him far from worst though. To say that he was the worst is pure partisanship.
 
Scarecrow Akhbar said:
Beyond doubt it was Roosevelt.

He created a depression within a depression in his bumbling attempts to fix the disaster Wilson started. Yes. Wilson signed into law the Federal Reserve Act.

Roosevelt imposed a ponzi scheme the like of which had never before been seen, and to which all workers are still yoked, Social Security.

He totally changed the relationship between the Constitution and the people, and showed the way for using the courts to bypass legislative obstruction to his socialist agenda.

This is ridiculous. FDR is the greatest president ever. it is a shame he his even mentioned in the same topic as Bush and Carter. The five greatest presidents go in the following order: 5. Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt help create the forest perserves and was a big environmentalist. 4. John F. Kennedy. JFK, even though didn't serve very long as president, his visions for America were adopted my many presidents after him, and his work with civil rights was ahead of his time. 3. Abe Lincoln. "Honest Abe" from the great state of Illinois need slavery and stood up to the South which 15 other presidents before him couldn't do. 2. Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton brought economic prosperity to America for almost a decade. He helped improve health care and was very popular with Americans as well as the rest of the world. 1. Franklin Roosevelt. The greatest American to ever live he was president for 12 years. A pioneer for his time, during his presidency he got America out of a depression, organized and prepared American for the lagest war the world has ever seen. He also was a large part in establishing the United Nations. He created Social Security, Tennessee Valley Authority, and The New Deal. A notable mention to this list is Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ created the Great Society, which ex panned the education system, gave poverty relief, and created Medicare amenest all other things. The reason he is not on this list is his decision on Vietnam was terrible.

Now on to the five worst presidents: 5. Ulysses s. Grant. Grant, during his term in office looked to congress for direction and was said to not know what he is doing. he also started a very corrupt line of republican presidents known as "Grant's Cronies". 4. Warren Harding was the most corrupt president of all-time. If thats not enough, he lead America into a depression. 3. George H.W. Bush. Not only did Bush start the first gulf war just because Saudi Arabia thought they would be next, but he raised taxes when he promissed he wouldn't, and the economy was in recession when he left office in 1992. 2. Ronald Reagan. Reagan could talk. That was it. He did nothing substantial during his two terms, and basically kicked the communist while they were down, he didn't defeat them. 1. George W. Bush. The Mecca of all that sucks in this world there is George Bush. The most unskillful president ever, he is worse then the other presidents for the sheer fact that he harmed this world more than he has helped it. America's economy is down, we've taken a step back in equal rights, and we've broken international laws by going into a Severn country to steal their oil. And the U.S. is more polluted and corrupt as its been in a long time. Now with the patriot act our freedoms are taken away from us.

It's funny that the five worst presidents were all republicans.
 
Not only did Bush start the first gulf war just because Saudi Arabia thought they would be next, but he raised taxes when he promissed he wouldn't, and the economy was in recession when he left office in 1992.

sometimes raising taxes is necessary, and looking at the circumstances back then, it seemed like the right thing to do. Promises on taxes are bullshit, all presidents promise lower taxes cause thats what all the people wanna hear regardless of whats good for the economy.
 
It's funny that the five worst presidents were all republicans.

abraham lincoln was republican...the same party as Ulysses S Grant, doesnt really make sense.
 
Liberal Pot Smoker said:
The five greatest presidents go in the following order: 5. Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt help create the forest perserves and was a big environmentalist.

So, being a big environmentalist makes one great? Teddy ran around South America with a big stick, if I recall, and didn't he also inspire the term "gunboat diplomacy"? And the national park/national forest system should have been self-financing. They're a drain on the budget.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
4. John F. Kennedy. JFK, even though didn't serve very long as president, his visions for America were adopted my many presidents after him, and his work with civil rights was ahead of his time.

JFK was an callow dolt with a turbo-charged zipper. Because of JFK, thousands of Cuban refugees were slaughtered in an ill-considered attempt to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro. That mission depended on US aircover. After the mission was launched, JFK declined to send the necessary planes. This is totally inexcusable in a former naval officer.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Curtis LeMay was flying bombers up to the border of Russia with nuclear weapons, trying to provoke a response. JFK should have had better control of his generals. Needless to say, the Cuban Missile Crisis was a direct result of JFK's placement of American missiles in Turkey. The whole situation developed from and hinged on Kennedy's incompetence.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
3. Abe Lincoln. "Honest Abe" from the great state of Illinois need slavery and stood up to the South which 15 other presidents before him couldn't do.

While high up on any list, Lincoln effectively destroyed the notion of "state's rights". War possibly could have been avoided if Lincoln re-opened issues that drove the South to secession, namely the tariff's imposed by the North and other economic issues. However, don't say I'm blaming the war on Lincoln. The South started the war, there's no doubt about that.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
2. Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton brought economic prosperity to America for almost a decade. He helped improve health care and was very popular with Americans as well as the rest of the world.

:2funny:You mean the impeachee with the afterburner zipper on magnetically levitated bearings? Mr Whitewater? :2funny:The Dog Wagger and the Rapist? :2funny:THAT guy?! :2funny:

Oh! You mean the guy that let Osama bin Laden get away. The guy that shot a cruise missile up a camel's butt to upstage his whore's press conference after her deposition in the period leading up to the impeachment vote. You mean the guy that took total responsbility for the murders Janet Reno committed at Waco, then didn't fire that bull dyke baby killing jello-like criminal.

Maybe you're not talking about him, though. Maybe you're talking about the guy that inspired the movie "Black Hawk Down"? Maybe you're talking about that guy that let the USS Cole get blown up with no response whatsoever?

No no no. You're talking about the man who took a couple million dollars from Bernie Schwarze and let Bernie's company, Loral, tell the Chinese how to MIRV their missiles and improve their Long Shot II rockets, so now when they threaten to nuke Los Angeles they might hit it.

You're talking about the man that let the secrets of our state of the art W88 nuclear weapons leak to China.

You're talking about the man that took more millions from the Indonesian Lippo Group and in exchange create the Escalante Staircase National Monument, thereby using Teddy's stupid national park system to forever seal off one of the world's great supplies of low-sulphur coal.

You're talking about the man that invaded Kosovo just coincidentally at the same time the Cox Report detailing his illegal dealing with the Chinese PLA was due to be published.

The only thing great about the Rapist is the number of bad things he did.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
1. Franklin Roosevelt. The greatest American to ever live he was president for 12 years.

Longevity does not mean greatness. The skill to win elections is not the same skills needed to do a good job. If Roosevelt doesn't prove that, no one does.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
A pioneer for his time, during his presidency he got America out of a depression, organized and prepared American for the lagest war the world has ever seen.

No, he didn't get America out of the Depression. His policies made it worse. You did see where I said he created a depresion within a depression didn't you?

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
He also was a large part in establishing the United Nations.

Like I said, Roosevelt is the worst president in history. If you're going to disagree with me, you should present facts that support your contention, not mine.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
He created Social Security, Tennessee Valley Authority, and The New Deal.

Ditto what I just said.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
A notable mention to this list is Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ created the Great Society, which ex panned the education system, gave poverty relief, and created Medicare amenest all other things. The reason he is not on this list is his decision on Vietnam was terrible.

Please note: "expanding the education system" is not the same thing as "teaching kids better".

The Great Society had absolutely no impact on the rate of poverty decline. That had been in process from a 22% peak in 1959 and was marked by a linear decrease of about a percent a year, down to 11 % in 1969. The data clearly show that the GS scam had nothing to do with it. The decline hit the basement just as the Great Society was taking effect.

Created Medicare, and thereby commenced the destruction of affordable medical care for all Americans.

It wasn't "his decision on Vietnam", his reaction to the so-called "Gulf of Tonkin Incident" was the purest lies imaginable.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
Now on to the five worst presidents: 5. Ulysses s. Grant. Grant, during his term in office looked to congress for direction and was said to not know what he is doing. he also started a very corrupt line of republican presidents known as "Grant's Cronies".

That's an interesting notion. You're holding Grant responsible for other elected president's actions. I don't know enough about the time, but Grant's an odd choice, IMO.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
4. Warren Harding was the most corrupt president of all-time.

That's only if time stopped at Jan 19, 1997. On 20 Jan 1997, the most corrupt man since Pope Alexander took the Lie of Office, and Harding was reprieved. Did I mention the phony stone cross on the SANDY Normadie Beach, or the flag the conveniently fell over and rolled itself up at the cemetary?

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
If thats not enough, he lead America into a depression.

No, Wilson's signing of the Federal Reserve Act caused the Depression.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
3. George H.W. Bush. Not only did Bush start the first gulf war just because Saudi Arabia thought they would be next,

Actually, Saddam Hussein started the war, in case you missed it. And isn't it strange for a UN worshipper to be blaming Bush for an action that he took with 100% UN backing?

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
but he raised taxes when he promissed he wouldn't,

You do realize that if Bush hadn't broken that promise that your boy the Rapist would never have been elected, don't you? How can you penalize Bush for doing something that you claim was ultimately beneficial?

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
and the economy was in recession when he left office in 1992.

Because he raised taxes. Apart from which, however, it wasn't that big of a recession, there's no law forbidding recessions in election years, the nation was out of the recession in late 1991, and you didn't ding Clinton when he left GW Bush with a recession in the spring of 2001. You should apply your criteria consistently.

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
2. Ronald Reagan. Reagan could talk. That was it. He did nothing substantial during his two terms, and basically kicked the communist while they were down, he didn't defeat them.

I can't think of anyone who was more deserving of kicking while they were down. He did nothing substantial, eh? Can't name a thing, is that it? We just kept wending down the recession path paved by Carter and Ford and barely came out on top in the Cold War. Who was it that said you can be ignorant, you can be free, but you can't be both?

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
1. George W. Bush. The Mecca of all that sucks in this world there is George Bush. The most unskillful president ever, he is worse then the other presidents for the sheer fact that he harmed this world more than he has helped it. America's economy is down, we've taken a step back in equal rights, and we've broken international laws by going into a Severn country to steal their oil.

The American economy is growing, has been since a little while after Clinton's pals attacked the WTC. I don't care if any US president harms or hurts the world, it's his duty to not harm the US population. Outside of spending enough to make even a Democrat blush, Bush hasn't done too bad. He doesn't top any list of mine, good or bad.

What step back in equal rights? Define equal, and what do you mean by "rights"?

Liberal Pot Smoker said:
And the U.S. is more polluted and corrupt as its been in a long time. Now with the patriot act our freedoms are taken away from us.

More polluted, eh? Got any Stage One Smog Alerts in your town recently? And since Mr. Cattle Future left, the stench of corruption from Washington isn't as bad as it used to be. Oh, so long as you see corruption in only one party and not both, you'll never stop seeing it.
 
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nkgupta80 said:
sometimes raising taxes is necessary, and looking at the circumstances back then, it seemed like the right thing to do. Promises on taxes are bullshit, all presidents promise lower taxes cause thats what all the people wanna hear regardless of whats good for the economy.

Bush had no valid reason to break that campaign promise. It was the central issue of his campaign. He was a fool.

The tax raise issue came up because of the Gulf War. The Democrats in Congress held up funding for the troops unless Bush would raise taxes. Bush, being fairly stupid, went along. All he should have done was go to the American people and explain the situation, that the Democrats in Congress were holding their sons and daughters hostage for a tax increase instead of working to cut spending in useless areas to find the money.

At a single stroke Bush would have won re-election and decimated Democrat control of the House. Raising those taxes was probably the single most stupid thing a president has done since Carter whacked the bunny.
 
Scarecrow Akhbar said:
Bush had no valid reason to break that campaign promise. It was the central issue of his campaign. He was a fool.

The tax raise issue came up because of the Gulf War. The Democrats in Congress held up funding for the troops unless Bush would raise taxes. Bush, being fairly stupid, went along. All he should have done was go to the American people and explain the situation, that the Democrats in Congress were holding their sons and daughters hostage for a tax increase instead of working to cut spending in useless areas to find the money.

At a single stroke Bush would have won re-election and decimated Democrat control of the House. Raising those taxes was probably the single most stupid thing a president has done since Carter whacked the bunny.
Raising those taxes and the discretionary spending caps that Bush Sr. put into effect helped to build the fiscal climate that made the nineties boom possible and you will find very few economists who would disagree with that statement. It was probably the best thing Bush Sr. did for this country. Of course, having read your post above, reason is probably lost on you.:roll:
 
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The choices in this poll leave a lot to be desired. Some like Carter and Hoover definitely belong on it. However, FDR, whether you agree with his agenda or not, was undoubtedly one of the greatest presidents in our nation’s history if not the greatest president in our nations history. If it were not for him, we would probably not be the world’s only super power today. In fact, if you live in a rural area, you would not even have electricity if it were not for FDR.

Neither Richard Nixon, or Lyndon Johnson belong in the list either. Granted, they both left office under disgraceful circumstances. However, in the case of LBJ, no other president has shaped our society more than LBJ. Ask any senior if they would rather Medicare would have never been passed. In the case of Nixon, he may well have been one of the most intelligent presidents ever, and in terms of foreign policy was a true genius.

Woodrow Wilson definitely does not deserve to be on the list either.

Why in the hell isn’t Gerald Ford on the list? Grant ought to be on it too, many historians consider him the worst president ever.
 
The Republicans back then weren't the same as the republicans now. Democrats and republicans switched roles over the years. If the republicans of yester year were like the republicans of today, all the democrats would be republicans. Thats why I think its funny when republicans think that republicans are a great party cause of him.
 
Liberal Pot Smoker said:
This is ridiculous. FDR is the greatest president ever. it is a shame he his even mentioned in the same topic as Bush and Carter. The five greatest presidents go in the following order: 5. Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt help create the forest perserves and was a big environmentalist. 4. John F. Kennedy. JFK, even though didn't serve very long as president, his visions for America were adopted my many presidents after him, and his work with civil rights was ahead of his time. 3. Abe Lincoln. "Honest Abe" from the great state of Illinois need slavery and stood up to the South which 15 other presidents before him couldn't do. 2. Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton brought economic prosperity to America for almost a decade. He helped improve health care and was very popular with Americans as well as the rest of the world. 1. Franklin Roosevelt. The greatest American to ever live he was president for 12 years. A pioneer for his time, during his presidency he got America out of a depression, organized and prepared American for the lagest war the world has ever seen. He also was a large part in establishing the United Nations. He created Social Security, Tennessee Valley Authority, and The New Deal. A notable mention to this list is Lyndon B. Johnson. LBJ created the Great Society, which ex panned the education system, gave poverty relief, and created Medicare amenest all other things. The reason he is not on this list is his decision on Vietnam was terrible.

Now on to the five worst presidents: 5. Ulysses s. Grant. Grant, during his term in office looked to congress for direction and was said to not know what he is doing. he also started a very corrupt line of republican presidents known as "Grant's Cronies". 4. Warren Harding was the most corrupt president of all-time. If thats not enough, he lead America into a depression. 3. George H.W. Bush. Not only did Bush start the first gulf war just because Saudi Arabia thought they would be next, but he raised taxes when he promissed he wouldn't, and the economy was in recession when he left office in 1992. 2. Ronald Reagan. Reagan could talk. That was it. He did nothing substantial during his two terms, and basically kicked the communist while they were down, he didn't defeat them. 1. George W. Bush. The Mecca of all that sucks in this world there is George Bush. The most unskillful president ever, he is worse then the other presidents for the sheer fact that he harmed this world more than he has helped it. America's economy is down, we've taken a step back in equal rights, and we've broken international laws by going into a Severn country to steal their oil. And the U.S. is more polluted and corrupt as its been in a long time. Now with the patriot act our freedoms are taken away from us.

It's funny that the five worst presidents were all republicans.

Well, that is in your opinion. :roll:

Clinton is not one of the 5 greatest presidents and neither is JFK. Reagan is certainly not one of the 5 worst and neither is Bush Sr. FDR in the opinion of the majority of historians is the greatest president ever followed very closely by Lincoln. Its to early to judge Bush's presidency yet since it isn't even over, but he certainly is headed for one of the worst ones.
 
I voted for Richard Nixon (Never thought I'd say that!). I was 18 when he resigned in utter disgrace in 1974. It was a cumulation of a passionate time that included the Vietnam War, multiple assasinations (1968) and Watergate.

As much as W has divided this country, as much as he is despised for starting a war and cronyism and the outrageous spending, Richard Milhous Nixon was much, much worse.

Nixon had an "enemies list"made up of prominent Democrats and Liberals that he then tried to discredit, or have their taxes audited, or use "Dirty Tricks" to fool the public, he misused multiple departments of the government, he and his buddies plotted to deceive the nation and the world. There were amazing and frightening events that occurred between June 17, 1972 and August 9, 1974 when Nixon was forced to resign.

I can't recap it all here, but hopefully our country will never go through that type of nightmare again.

Do you know that Nixon was an alcoholic in 1974, getting drunk nightly as he crumbled.

Do you know that Nixon taped his conversations in the Oval Office, even the ones that proved he was a criminal?

It goes on and on and on.

Please spare me the "good" things that Nixon did. He was a paranoid meglomaniac. Remember this was during the Cold War and because of Nixon we were very weak and Russia was very much a threat. The whole world watched him lie, watched him get nailed, watched him put the whole world close to the edge.

Hands down, Richard M. Nixon was the worst President ever. May he rest in peace.
 
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FinnMacCool said:
The Republicans back then weren't the same as the republicans now. Democrats and republicans switched roles over the years. If the republicans of yester year were like the republicans of today, all the democrats would be republicans. Thats why I think its funny when republicans think that republicans are a great party cause of him.

No, they didn't. "Switching roles" would imply that the Democrats assumed positions previously held by the Republicans. What really happened is the Republicans pushed the Democrats to the far left (or the Republicans were pulled over by the Democrats fall off the cliff, take your pick), but no one of significance is holding positions that respect individual freedom, property rights, or the concept of limited government.
 
26 X World Champs said:
Nixon had an "enemies list"made up of prominent Democrats and Liberals that he then tried to discredit, or have their taxes audited, or use "Dirty Tricks" to fool the public, he misused multiple departments of the government, he and his buddies plotted to deceive the nation and the world. There were amazing and frightening events that occurred between June 17, 1972 and August 9, 1974 when Nixon was forced to resign.

Enemy's lists, abuse of the IRS! Hey, thanks for reminding me. You know, there are sooo many things Clinton did it's really impossible to keep track of it all without a good concordance.

Billy Dale, improperly fired from his position as White House travel agent, and his staff, and then the IRS was improperly used in a lame attempt to substantiate his removal. Hillary was (is) such a clod. During the reign of the Rapist, many "enemies" of the Clintons got special attention from the IRS.

Here's a question: Is there anything Nixon did that Clinton didn't do worse?
 
Well its pretty obvious what is happening with this poll........All the Liberal Bush hater are voting President Bush the worse and the Conservatives are actually taking the time to vote for the actual worse one............The poll starter very conventiently left off "Slick Willie' because if were there he would win in a landslide.................
 
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