Worst Modern US Presidents

Worst US Presidents in history

Published on May 25, 2007 By Draginol In Politics

Worst Modern Presidents in my opinion and why:

#1 Johnson. He created the "Great Society" which resulted in a massive entitlement culture that has created multiple generations of dependents and an ever increasing drain on society with little to show for it. He also got us into Vietnam with a strategy that makes Iraq look like a masterpiece.

#2 Carter. Incompetent on so many levels. His handling of the domestic economy showed a complete lack of understanding of economics. His foreign policy was a disaster -- every time we hear about a nuclear Iran, think Jimmy Carter. It was his decision to not support the Shah that we have the Iran we have. His handling of the hostage crisis was demoralizing. And like many American liberals, he believes in showing his own principle by having othres sacrifice such as his boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics.

#3 George W. Bush. Incompetent to the extreme. The man with no ideology. It's as if that lazy sales guy you know somehow managed to become President. Inept and inarticulate. He has wrecked the Republican party for the forseable future. More prone to croneyism than any modern President. Encouraged reckless spending in congress while still managing to get no credit for being "compassionate" even as he expanded entitlements, supports amnesty on immigration, and bloated up the EPA and Education budgets. Too stupid to manage foreign policy, he ignored advice from people who actually know what they're talking about to stick by his buddies who took a successful liberation of Iraq and turned it into a mess.

#4 Woodrow Wilson. The racist, elitist, knows-better-than-you President got the US into World War I, a war in which the US had zero interest in and cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. Anyone who thinks Iraq was something we shouldn't have been involved in and mourns the 3,000 American dead, then you should really despise Wilson.

#5 Warren G. Harding. Having him on this list is like shooting a fish in a barrel. Of course he was awful but he didn't really do any serious damage either. He was just a petty, corrupt, blah blah blah. But he corruptness didn't result in 117,000 American deaths like Wilson's did or set up his country for long-term economic disaster like Johnson or destroy his political party like Bush. So while Harding was a bad President, he was mostly harmless.

Comments (Page 3)

Gideon MacLeish

on May 25, 2007

F.D.R. created most of the entitlements we have today, though they didn't start out as entitlements, they started as the big old safety net provided by society. He created the precursor for that 'Great Society' that L.B.J. later brought upon us.

I disagree, terp, and here's why:

FDR operated in extreme times. No one event he dealt with with previous crises was more than any others had dealt with, but the unique combination of events (the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, escalating tensions in Europe in the leadup to WWII, the explosion of organized crime, the birth of Communism) made his tenure harrowing to say the least. His social programs were also drastically different than Johnson's in that he provided jobs rather than a check. "Work not welfare" may have been said of the Clinton administration but it was true of FDR's as well.

Do you believe the line that they were all makeshift jobs? Well, think again. Many people enjoy the electricity provided by several of the dams built during that area (including the Hoover Dam, the Davis Dam, and the Grand Coulee Dam), and drive the roads built in that era. Were FDR's solutions perfect? Not by a long shot, but they were a stopgap attempt to stop a badly bleeding economy. And FDR's able leadership during WWII definitely deserves recognition. To lump FDR with a mook like LBJ is, in my opinion, a bad comparison.

bakerstreet

on May 25, 2007

"again...how much conflict has isreal and egypt had since the agreement?"

How much conflict has Israel had on the state level with anyone since then? The ongoing Arab war against Israel is being fought through proxies. You know that. It's just convenient to ignore it in terms of this. Egypt supported Arafat's terrorist side of it, just like Hamas and Hezbollah and the rest are basically tools of other nations.

You made the claim that no one, before or after, has gotten Israel to broker a peace deal with anyone. That statement is false. As I said above, the two had already agreed to meet in interviews with the press. Granted, he provided the community center to hold the shindig at. They've swapped meaningless ink before and after Carter.

When someone has a talent, it doesn't just disappear after one go. Carter was a diplomatic failure before Camp David, and he was just as bad after. If you want to believe that for one shining moment he found his voice and then immediately lost it, whatever. Remind me to tell you about the time I jumped over tall buildings and caught bullets in my teeth... haven't been able to do it since, though... odd, that.

danielost

on May 25, 2007

i had a history teacher tell me carter was good for the country becouse provided a healing time after watergate

terpfan1980

on May 25, 2007

I accept that F.D.R. operated in extreme times, and that he had decent intentions with the programs he put into place. Unfortunately, like communism, his intentions were easily corrupted later because the programs he put into place weren't intended to ever be phased out, or at least weren't implemented in ways that would see many of them phased out.

He basically started the long decline in terms of companies providing retirement systems to their employees. By implementing social security as that big safety net, he got businesses off the hook for doing the proper thing for their employees and let those businesses shift the burden back to the government and to the people.

I could see where F.D.R. could easily be a person that shows up on both the best and the worst lists and would rightfully belong on either.

Dr Guy

on May 25, 2007

Duplicate

Sean Conners aka SConn1

on May 25, 2007

I could see where F.D.R. could easily be a person that shows up on both the best and the worst lists and would rightfully belong on either.

there are several that different sides see much differently. perspective has a lot to do with it. but not always. after more thought, i don't think i'd put harding on that list. like brad said, his presidency was uneventful, but not horrible or anything. but it's all debatable. after all, it's politics.

Draginol

on May 26, 2007

Is there some reason people aren't using the quoting?

Dr Guy

on May 26, 2007

Is there some reason people aren't using the quoting?

Quoting in the forums does not transfer over to JU. They are probAbly using them, but you have to view it in the forums to see it.

ProgressiveUSA

on May 28, 2007

Worst Modern US presidents:

1 - GWB: Stole an election, ignored many warnings pre-9/11, squandered the world's goodwill after 9/11, set up global torture network, borrow-and-spend, "not concerned" about Osama who's still at large, mocks the Constitution and the rule of law (habeas corpus, warrantless wiretapping, etc.), pre-emptive invasion, ignored war plans, occupation with no end in sight, promotes incompetent underlings (Rice, Wolfy, Bolton, etc.), war criminal, national disgrace.

2 - Nixon: Elected on the promise of a "secret plan" to end Vietnam, he instead escalated the war. Spied on political opponents, lied like crazy, actually went crazy, resigned in disgrace.

4 - Herbert Hoover: Commerce Secretary then President during the roaring 20s. Presided over the crash of 1929, foolishly insisted through faith in the markets that "prosperity is around the corner." Did and delivered nothing as the nation sank into a Great Depression caused by those very markets. Sent troops (including McArthur) to attack the WWI veteran "bonus marchers".

4 - Ronald Reagan: Tripled the national debt, exported terrorism to Central America costing thousands of lives, made meanspirited-ness (hating the poor, the sick, and the weak) standard operating procedure for so-called "Christians" and "conservatives," eroded civil liberties by using the military a domestic drug war that achieved nothing, appointed #1 Judicial Activist Antonin Scalia to SCOTUS, armed and bankrolled crooks and dictators the world over including Marcos, PW Botha, and Saddam -- and personally sent the Ayatollah himself a cake as part of the whole sordid Iran-Contra disgrace!

Note: I can also point out positive things each of these guys have done (even GWB), but the harm they've done outweighs the good.

A few notes on Draginol's picks:

LBJ - Yes, he was a creep. Agreed. But the man pushed through and signed the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. He managed to create an integrated society, which you posters all apparently take for granted. Don't. Before LBJ it was never never that way. Not even close.

Carter - Did the man have faults? Oh course. But he didn't invent inflation or the energy crisis -- he inherited them. More importantly, he also brokered the only lasting peace deal since Israel was born in 1948 -- between Israel and Egypt -- and it still holds to this day. No one else has even come close to making another dent in Arab-Israeli mess (except Clinton before Rabin was assassinated, and even then it was Rabin, not Clinton). And a nucular (sic) Iran? That's because of GWB's "axis of evil" crack. Compare Iraq's treatment to Pakistan and North Korea, and then tell me why Iran wouldn't want nukes.

Wilson - 116,000 US troops died in WWI, not "hundreds of thousands" as claimed by Draginol. Is that too many? Of course it is, but troops were sent to END the stalemate of slaughter -- not to START it. And the effort succeeded. Oh, and BTW, the German subs attacked American vessels.

danielost

on May 29, 2007

1 - GWB: Stole an election, ignored many warnings pre-9/11, squandered the world's goodwill after 9/11, set up global torture network, borrow-and-spend, "not concerned" about Osama who's still at large, mocks the Constitution and the rule of law (habeas corpus, warrantless wiretapping, etc.), pre-emptive invasion, ignored war plans, occupation with no end in sight, promotes incompetent underlings (Rice, Wolfy, Bolton, etc.), war criminal, national disgrace.

did not steal the election

al gore is not the only man to have gotten popular vote and lose

al gore is the only man to take it to the courts

the constitution says that the senate breaks all ties not the courts

but since the senate was republican run al gore decided to go to the courts

the courts should have sent it to the senate period

what warnings were those the ones that said something was going to happen on 9/11 and nobody knew what

the worlds good will which part of world the part that burnt the flag whenever it suited them or the part where they burnt the flag whenever something went wrong

osama is in pakistan or iran pakistan is an ally so what do we do invade an ally
(i would but that is me)

even one i hear talking about torture hasn't actually seen anything or they say it didn't happen

i agree on the constitution mocking but that is still better than the democrats who want to kill the constitution all together

whats the deference borrow and spend or tax and borrow and spend

he is not a war criminal unless your saddam

national disgrace not according to his numbers

the only thing nixon did wrong was end the vietnam war

the laws that he broke WERE NOT laws when he broke them

in other words for you small brained people he didn't brake any laws

and reagon was the best president during my life time

lbj inhereted the rights act and the civil rights act

sent troops into vietnam so that the weapons makers could test weapons

carter INHERETED THE ENERGY CRISIS what energy crisis i was 16 and i was laughing at him over it

and his homes for the homeless the people who are get these homes only get to live there for 5 to 10 years before the property taxes force them out

and the only thing clinton did was try to save face other than that he didn't do anything

except rob the white house when he moved and destroyed computers in the white house

rzhang87

on May 29, 2007

Ahh... GalCiv2 forums still are sluggish so I might as well hang out here some more.

Worst Modern Presidents:

5. Jimmy Carter: Not the best time for the US, although again he inherited the energy crisis.

4. Richard Nixon: Would probably be one of the better presidents if not for Watergate or his "enemies' list".

3. Warren G. Harding: Unsustainable ultra laissez-faire policies started us down the path to the Great Depression

2. Lyndon Johnson: Will forever be known for getting the US into the Vietnam War under false pretenses (and possibly the decline of liberalism up until right now), and NOT for Medicare/aid or signing of civil rights legislation

#1 George W. Bush: Without a doubt the worst president on so many levels. In fact, so bad that I'm going to split this down to categories and in non complete sentences to be concise.

Some presidents had good domestic but bad foreign policies, and vice versa. But very few have both, and to top it off, attack the patriotism of their political opponents and skeptics with such vitriol as this administration.

Domestic policy: Median income fell by $1600. Poverty and # of people without health insurance and underinsured persons up. Massive, inefficient $500 billion healthcare plan that makes importing from Canada or negotiating w/ companies for lower prices illegal. Lack of federal response to Hurricane Katrina. Took a week to even set foot in New Orleans. The "Patriot" Act. Lack of support for greater CAFE standards. Denial of anthropogenic global warming. Editing out of EPA/NASA documents supporting consensus on anthropogenic global warming. Drilling for 1/2 years' supply of oil in ANWR. Raced back to capital hill to sign "Terry (Schaivo)'s Law". Underfunded Leave No Child Left Behind. Massive, unnecessary increase in military budget. Increased outsourcing/offshoring of manufacturing sector a "good thing". Veto of stem cell research bill. Building of unprecedented $500 Million presidential library. Samuel Alito. Irresponsible Tax Cuts in the middle of a war and during deficits. Managed to turn Clinton surplus into colossal deficit. Stop-loss programs, use of national guard, and extended tours destroying military. Lack of cohesive energy strategy towards renewable resources. Irrelavent amendment to ban gay marriage.

Foreign Policy: Refused foreign aid for Hurricane Katrina. IRAQ. Brinksmanship w/ Syria. Brinksmanship w/ Iran. Unwillingness to deal directly w/ North Korea. Somehow alienated all of South America resulting in elections of Chavez, Kirchner, Morales, Ortega, Correa, and other left-wing presidents. Alienated populace of war allies Spain and Italy, resulting in elections of Zapatero and Prodi. Sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. Support of autocratic regime in Uzbekistan. Downing St. Memos. False WMD claims. False Niger yellowcake claims. False aluminum tubing claims. Veto of troop pullout timeline bill. 2007 troop "surge" despite 2006/5/4 "surges" failing. Propping up of corrupt government in Iraq. Not enough troops in Afghanistan. No regulation over opium trade in Afghanistan. MASSIVE DECREASE in US Soft Power. Managed to turn global sympathy after 9/11 to global resentment, causing aforementioned, by invading Iraq. Complete lack of understanding of the root causes of terrorism. More terrorists today than after 9/11. Lack of action in Darfur. Reneging on Kyoto Protocol. "You're either with us, or aiding the terrorists" rhetoric. Breaking of nonproliferation deals with Russia. Activation of "mini-nuke" program.

Probably will be known best for being in office at the "tipping point" where China becomes the next world superpower and the US steadily declines in influence and relevance.

Cronyism/Scandals: Arabian Horse Association President as head of FEMA. "Brownie, You're Doing a Heck of a Job". Harriet Miers Nomination. Scooter Libby. Alberto Gonzales. Monica Goodling. Kyle Sampson. Guy who got shot by Dick Cheney "sorry for causing his family pain", NOT the other way around. Draft dodging allegations. Enron/Ken Lay connection.

danielost

on May 29, 2007

where China becomes the next world superpower

thanks to bill clinton

did you think we forgot that clinton give them the ability to launch rockets

Draginol

on May 29, 2007

Wilson - 116,000 US troops died in WWI, not "hundreds of thousands" as claimed by Draginol. Is that too many? Of course it is, but troops were sent to END the stalemate of slaughter -- not to START it. And the effort succeeded. Oh, and BTW, the German subs attacked American vessels.

The rest of "Progressive's" response isn't worth responding to but this part needed addressing:

German subs were attacking any vessels entering the blockade area. The US did the same thing during the civil war.

Also, no, I don't think "ending a stalemate" is worth the lives of 116,000 Americans.

Given the angst over the 3,000 Americans who have died over a period of 4 years in Iraq, I don't think most other people today would be either.

rzhang87

on May 31, 2007

Well also take into account that our medicines are far better today than they were 90 years ago, and that US weaponry is far superior to anything the Iraqi insurgents can throw at us, as opposed to the Germans, whose weaponry was comparable to ours. But just because we suffer less casualties doesnt mean that invading Iraq was the right thing to do, both morally or policy-wise.

SilentPoet

on Jun 01, 2007

Coincidence that 3 out of the 5 are democrats? Meh, perhaps, just something i noticed.

Not to be disagreeable, but history has a way of looking at things quite differently than it was at the times it happened.

Exactly, a good example is Lincoln. He was hated, threatened, mocked, despised, etc... (similarly to bush) Look how most folks view him now.

~

For me, the list would go:

1. Nixon - Watergate.

2. Hoover - He just couldn't handle the economy.

3. Carter - Good humanitarian,that's it.

4. Clinton - I forget, what exactly did he accomplish?

5. LBJ - One word: Vietnam

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