Bottom 10 Worst Presidents

[the populist]

This list doesn't necessarily mean they did the worst job. Their impact on later events itself can warrant their placement on the list. I'm excluding the mediocrities from the "Republican era" (1868-1901) from the list because those presidents were indistinguishable from each other.

1. (worst) Bush Jr. - Spend, spend, spend! It's pander-spending at it's worst, so horrible it gives the democratic process a bad name... not that he was democratically elected the first time around. He exploits fear, kisses Sharon's rear end, etc...

2. Harry Truman - War criminal who nuked two cities and whose antagonistic foreign policy provoked the Cold War. Also was a political failure, alienating progressive dems from his party.

3. Ronald Reagan - A mentally retarded demon of a man. This asshole's father got a job from the WPA, but little Ronnie had to bite the hand that fed him when he saw that "dere was some eevul commies in Hollywood." Destroyed the career of Ford, a decent Republican, for being "soft on communism."

4. James Buchanan - "The South doesn't have the right to secede, but we don't have the right to stop them from seceding." 'nuff said.

5. Theodore Roosevelt - I acknowledge that he was a decent man with sound intentions, but his effect on politics has to be considered. This was the first president to have a "character myth." He was the first to exploit the adventurous, cowboy spirit that led to atrocities like the Reagan-at-his-ranch ad and the cult of Bush Jr.

6. Lyndon Johnson - The Bush Jr. of the 60s, only without the character myth and exploitation of racial fears.

7. Woodrow Wilson - Deceived the pacifists who voted for him in 1916 and sold his filthy capitalist war as some sort of crusade for "democracy." Had anti-communist, secret police raids. Banned disagreement. Democracy, my ass.

8. John Adams - Persecuted French and Irish Americans. Horrible foreign policy with France.

9. Andrew Jackson - Murdered Indians, reneged on debt to France.

10. William Jefferson Clinton - Can someone please explain to me how this man was any better than Bush Sr.? Maybe his constituents aren't as loathsome as the latter, but what did he do in office other than succumb to the right? Welfare reform (i.e. slavery), furthering NAFTA, backstab leftist Democrats on Larry King Live after leaving office?



Please list yours with explanations.

[Gman]

1. You lost credibility with me

when you didn't include Nixon, but included Clinton.

[CatWoman]

3. ditto!!!

[DevGrrrl]

55. agreed

Considering he was under constant attack from the right, I think Clinton did a pretty descent job. Including him and not Nixon? Ridiculous.

[Wonk]

4. That too. I only skimmed it before posting my first post in this thread.nt

[the populist]

5. Nixon

was politically corrupt, but his policies were nothing particularly terrible (especially for a repuke...and no I don't support the bombing of Cambodia). His detente with the USSR keeps Nixon off the list

[number6]

29. noted , there were some unexpected pluses for tricky

:smoke:

[durutti]

47. He was more progressive than Clinton.

n/t

[Flightful]

70. Nixon was a mixed bag

He was no more corrupt than any other politician but his paranoia was his downfall. If he stayed out of the Watergate incident he would have been fine, but trying to cover it up did irreparable damage.

Good: Getting the US out of Vietnam.
Bad: Wage controls.

[CBHagman]

74. I guess you love anti-Semitism, Chilean coups, and wiretapping, too.

"Nixon was politically corrupt, but his policies were nothing particularly terrible."

Just to recap...

*supporting the overthrow of a democratically elected leader in Chile, with the ensuing detentions, tortures, and disappearances

*wiretapping

*break-ins

*the enemies list

*anti-Semitism

*the Southern strategy

...and whatever I've forgotten.

Really, just because environmental policy made advances and outreach to the Soviet Union and China took place during the Nixon administration, a good many Democrats and Greens seem to want to crown Nixon with posthumous laurels. I haven't seen such a bizarre spectacle since Henry Kissinger appeared at the Kennedy Center Honors following a chorus of little children singing "On the Good Ship Lollipop" to Shirley Temple. Get a grip, people!

[Bertha Venation]

44. and with Truman second worst only to *?

Read a history book.

[durutti]

48. Some response!

You say, "Read a history book" rather than provide any evidence to support your position.

[Bertha Venation]

50. What can I say in this limited arena that would sway populist's opinion?

Truman wasn't perfect -- name me a perfect man in the office. But to call him second worst president -- to George W. Bush as the first worst -- is just plain ignorant. But for one, he belongs up w/ LBJ (also a "worst president") in the advancement of civil rights in that he ordered the integration of the armed forces.

Anyone who believes Harry Truman is the second worst president is ignorant of the history of the era -- especially for holding the use of the bomb against him. Whoever was in office would've done the same thing. No one who believes the bomb was used because it was Truman in office is going to accept anything someone posts on a message board.

I suggest David McCullough's Pulizer-prize biography, Truman.

[Wonk]

2. Bottom 10 worst = Top 10 best? I think you meant Top 10 worst. nt

[tinrobot]

6. No Nixon? No Hoover?

...and yet you put Clinton on the list?

Next!

[jonnyblitz]

7. wow somebody else on here agrees with me about Truman

and for the same reasons. "Loyalty oaths" began under him too.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. Ten Worst Presidents

1. G.W. Bush-need I explain why?

2. Nixon-he tried to steal this country. Remember that Rove was taught by Nixon dirty trickster Donald Segretti

3. Reagan-Destroyed the air traffic controller's union, savings/loan scandal, Iran-Contra

4. G.H.W. Bush-perpetuated the rot started under Reagan

5. Herbert Hoover-ousted the Bonus Marchers with the Army & bullets; did little to stave off the Great Depression

6. Calvin Coolidge-did little or nothing to stop the agriculural Depression of the twenties.

7. Harding-Teapot Dome scandal.

8. McKinley-against labor, pro business trusts.

9. B. Harrison-same as 8.

10.A. Jackson-for his policies against Native Americans.

[Traje]

12. I think that Clinton Deserves Inclusion

Simply because he ran around giving gifts to his corporate buddies while fooling everyone that he was a suave, 'hip' individual into the Democratic ideals of helping those who need it.

[Jen]

42. Clinton Wasted His Presidency

He was a DINO.

1) Botched the Gays in the military thing.

2) Suppported the anti-Gay, "In Defense of Marriage Law"

3) Signed Welfare Reform, (Newt Gingrich just wished he had screwed the poor as bad as Bill)

4) Followed the polls instead of an agenda.

5) Never used his awesome charisma to accomplish any good.

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Toots]

53. I like your list and reasons much better

Your list explains itself and I agree wholehearetedly although I would have bumped Hoover up a notch.

[bhunt70]

59. I agree with your list more than I do the first.

[DBoon]

9. LBJ was a very brave president when it came to civil rights

Recently released tapes of his conversations show this was a basic moral issue with him, and he was willing to suffer the ire of southern democrats for it.

He was the last president to attempt to do something positive about poor and working class Americans.

His handling of Vietnam was a tragedy. Bears a striking similarity to Shrub Jr.'s Iraq invasion.

LBJ was the great president with the flaw that destroyed him.

[the populist]

10. There is no morality in American politics

Johnson saw the discontent of Southern whites and did the best of his situation to win Southern blacks

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

13. Wow, I thought I was cynical..

[Norbert]

34. LBJ went back on his promise no to escalate troops into Vietnam

he made in the 1964 campaign. Then there was the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. Even thou he carried on the fight for civil rights I can never forgive him for the broken promise and mistakes he made in Vietnam.

[Lone_Wolf_Moderate]

11. a rebuttal...

Wilson, Reagan, and Bush I can understand, but Harry Truman? Adams? LBJ? Don't be silly. I understand the anti-war sentiment here, but LBJ's civil rights initiatives are enough to warrant his placement on the top 10.

Do I really need to explain how Clinton was different than Bush I?

[ldoolin]

14. Truman? LBJ? TR? Clinton?

There are a lot of things to dislike about Truman, LBJ, Teddy Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, and Clinton, but I hardly see where they belong in the 10 worst list. There are a lot of things to like about those five too.

On the other hand, there are many presidents for whom there is nothing at all to like. My 10 worst list, in order:

1. George W. Bush.
2. George H.W. Bush
3. Richard Nixon
4. Ronald Reagan
5. Warren Harding
6. Ulysses S. Grant
7. Calvin Coolidge
8. William McKinley
9. William Taft
The token Democrat on the list:
10. Woodrow Wilson

[Zynx]

16. Truman in fact is one of the greatest.

I will defend that point to the last.

He dropped the atomic bombs, but that was the right call. A ground war would have cost the US more men than had been lost in the war thus far and millions of Japanese deaths. Weighing the options, it was the right thing to do.

The charge that he aliented the "progressive" wing of the party is nonsense. Henry Wallace was an outright Soviet appeaser. Truman pushed for universal healthcare and many other progressive policies. He also began work on the Civil Rights movement which Roosevelt didn't do at all to keep the Southern wing happy. Truman had the courage to say that the southern wing can be damned.

As far as the Soviets, it was the right call without question. Stalin had designs on world domination without question and was trying to push Western Europe towards Communism. Our system may have flaws, but not nearly as many deadly flaws as Communism. We had to stop them and Harry Truman had the courage to do it.

The author of this thread puts Truman in the bottom two, I put him in the top five. A truly great and honest leader.

[ldoolin]

64. Yes, he was

If asked I often call myself a "Truman Democrat", because if anything he was one of the most progressive presidents this country has ever had.

And I am one who thinks that dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was morally reprehensible and unnecessary - nevertheless - that one thing doesn't take away from all the good he did:

* Truman was the president who desegregated the military and other government agencies, and all it took was an executive order to do it.
* Truman was the president who first made civil rights an integral part of the Democratic Party platform. In doing so he so alienated the southern segregationist wing of the party, for the first time, that they ran a third-party presidential campaign against him running none other than a young Strom Thurmond. The southern segregationists would continue to run third party campaigns against the Democratic candidate (the National States Rights Party in the 1950s, Byrd in 1960, Wallace in 1968, etc.) until such time as the Repukes starting with Nixon '72 began their Southern Strategy of bringing white racists out of the D's and into the R's.
* Truman was the first president to propose universal health care - something that he unfortunately couldn't get passed, and has yet to pass in this country.
* Truman vetoed the Taft-Hartley Act. Vetoed it! Congress then passed it over his veto. Could anyone imagine any other president this century (except maybe FDR) having the guts to veto such a despicable bill?
* Truman was the president who had the guts to come out in favor of recognizing the establishment of Israel. That was a political decision that was considered political suicide at the time and required Truman to stand up to anti-Semitism in this country. It was probably Truman's decision that made the establishment of Israel possible. He had the guts to do it.
* Truman refused to allow the right-wing demagogues have their way and cause the United Nations to go the same way as the League of Nations. Because of Truman we have a United Nations today, which does have its faults and hasn't entirely lived up to its promise, but nonetheless is on balance a good thing.
* Truman fired Douglas MacArthur! Again, a politically unpopular decision that Truman had the guts to do. Could anyone imagine any other president having the guts to do this?
* The McCarthy era, blacklisting, and other Red Scare excesses were *not* Truman's doing and I'm surprised anyone would blame him for them just because he was in the white house at the time. That is like blaming Bill Clinton for the far-right militia movement in the 1990s.
* Truman was senator was responsible for cleaning up a lot of graft and corruption that was at one time common in such things as government contracting. He probably saved a lot of lives during WWII by doing this.

[Zynx]

15. Not even close.

1. James Buchanan-His ineptitude caused the greatest calamity in this nation's history. NOTHING has been worse than the Civil War.

2. Franklin Pierce-Interestingly enough, related to Dubya, and down here for the same reasons as Buchanan

3. Warren Harding-Ineffective and scandalous.

4. Herbert Hoover-Destroyed the nation's economy and by extension the world economy and this caused WWII along with another runner-up.

5. Woodrow Wilson(second term)-His first term was excellent, but his second led to diplomatic blunders in the Treaty of Versailles that crushed Germany way too harshly considering that they weren't even responsible for WWI, Austria was, and getting involved in WWI in the first place was a mistake as well.

6. Richard Nixon-So dishonored the White House and damaged the credibility of the presidency that it has never been the same. Let's not forget Cambodia and some economic failures as well.

7. Calvin Coolidge-Inept and misguided policies that led the nation towards an economic calamity never seen before or since.

8. George W. Bush-A ruining of the nation's finances, weak leadership on domestic affairs, and a costly and unnecessary war with Iraq.

9. Benjamin Harrison-Ruinous economic policies such as the Sherman Silver Purchase Act and a complete bankrupting of the government.

10. John Tyler-A completely inept political leader with many serious failures.

[Snow]

18. Thank you! somebody finally said Tyler,

the president who took over half of Mexico.
And what about Andrew Johnson? There was a good reason he was impeached, but beyond that, he was reversing Lincoln's policies. And I have serious reservations about Washington and Adams 1, as well - but putting them in the bottom 10 is probably a bit extreme.

[wuushew]

20. I think you probably mean President Polk

not Tyler

On Edit

Yes I know Texas was annexed in 1845, but more territory was gained by war under the next administration

[Snow]

21. Yes, I think I did - thanks for the correction...

on the other hand, it did give young Abe Lincoln a chance for some quotable invective.

[Zynx]

22. Andrew Johnson is on my crap list sometimes depending how I'm feeling.

Washington though is the greatest president ever. Given what he had to accomplish and the means and experience he had, he did an A+ job.

[Snow]

24. The Whiskey Rebellion was response to taxation without

representation - seems like there'd just been a revolution that was supposedly about that issue.

[Aristus]

17. Sorry. Poorly thought out list there.

Clinton is on it, but Grant and Harding aren't?

Harding was Shrubbie, but with good intentions and terrible regrets for the corrupt monsters he set loose on the country.

Grant was as ineffective in the White House as he was brilliant on the battlefield.

Bill Clinton deserves much better than to be on this list. If for no other reason than because of the Family Medical Leave Act and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

[DemoTex]

19. LBJ? Surely you jest!

LBJ had a bucket of faults. But the Great Society made life better for millions of Americans. LBJ's social programs (and FDRs) are in the center of Bu$hco's sights. Not good.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zynx]

25. The stock market rose like mad in Coolidge's term.

Does that make him a good president? Also, that will not happen. The market is severely overvalued at the moment and ready to fall badly. Mark my words, the Dow will be atleast 15% lower by election day than it is today.

On the WMD front, even if they did exist in the quantity Bush said they did, were they a threat? The evidence clearly points to no. Saddam would have never used them as anything more than a deterent. If he did, we would have nuked Iraq and thus make the use of WMDs quite pointless. We know he didn't have any nuclear program and chemical weapons are not much of a threat anyway. A large car bomb is far easier to deliver and just as devastating.

[the populist]

36. Good answer. I would like to add though

that the stock market does not determine how the economy is doing. It's only a measure of business optimism or pessimism. And I don't care if the stock market rises to 20000 and GDP grows 10% per quarter if there are no net new jobs.

About the WMDs: I would not trust Bush if he found WMDs. I suspected from the start that Bush and co. would plant some WMDs in Iraq. Why they haven't done so is a mystery. Maybe they want to use the absence of WMDs as a case against Syria (LMFAO!, if our compatriots fall for that, we deserve what we get) or "discover" the WMDs just before election time.

[Snow]

26. You realize those are both fairy-tale land, but granted your

postulates, do you think those are the only things the man's done wrong? We're trying to figure out what to do with poor people in LA because all their care is being covered by ER's, because of medicare/aid cutbacks, and the ER's are now so swamped that several have had to close. We're losing schools because they get their funding cut back due to not passing the tests of the 'no child left behind' horror. The list goes on, including the reaming of the bill of rights, Enron, and so forth.

[number6]

30. yep, still

..

[LWolf]

52. Yes.

[DerekG]

27. Replace LBJ with Nixon and you've got a great list....

Both presidents killed a lot of civilians in Southeast Asia, but LBJ was the last visionary to reside in the Oval Office, as well as the last soldier in the New Deal war.

[number6]

28. take Bill Clinton and Teddy off , add Nixon and Ford

add post # 8 make it the 20 worst.

[the populist]

37. Ford, never.

He was a perfectly decent president who tried to ease relations with the Soviet Union. Too bad Reagan and the neocons had to start hijacking the GOP right after his term.

[LTR]

40. Ford was fairly underrated, IMO

He was thrust into an unenviable spot following Nixon's resignation. But he did the best with what he had.

I understand the reasoning for the pardon of Nixon, since he really wanted to keep the country moving forward.

He also responded well to women's issues, particularly abortion. He was probably the last pro-choice Republican president we will ever have.

He wasn't great, but he wasn't bad.

[Doomsayer13]

31. TR does not belong on that list, neither does Truman

just becuase he was an independent Cowboy doesn't make him accountable for the Bush fiasco. He was a progressive Republican who succeeded in strengthening the executive and pushing through corporate reform, as well as environmental conservation.

And I hardly call Truman's Fair Deal as an alienation of Democratic progressives. There's a reason why progressives look up to Truman, and that's because he was the a take-no-prisoners brawler for labor, as well as the first President since Lincoln to really take Civil Rights seriously.

Lyndon Johnson can be faulted for Vietnam, but you ignore the Great Society, The War on Poverty, Medicare, Medicaid, and most importantly Civil Rights, things that without his legislative genius would have had a harder time passing so quickly. I don't get how you can completely fauld Johnson for Vietnam and ignore his programs yet give Nixon a pass.

[Printer70]

32. Worst 3 Presidents

1. Reagan
2. Bush Jr.
3. Hoover

[devilgrrl]

33. This list is deplorable...

Where's Nixon, Bush Sr., Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Chester Arthur, William McKinley or that sacred cow, Abraham Lincoln?

Get back to class school boy.

[the populist]

38. Well

Nixon - I've already explained. He did some good things, adopting a less confrontational attitude towards the USSR and his domestic policy was quite fair.

Harding - A prototypical corrupt repuke, but nothing really distinguishable.

Coolidge - Didn't do anything as president.

Hoover - To compare this man to Bush is unfair to Hoover. Hoover tried to incorporate associationalism in American industry and was an idealist, not a businessman. Sure, he may have been the only true fascist president we've had; but he I think he was mostly a victim of circumstance.

Arthur and McKinley - I told you I wasn't including anyone from the age of sh**ty presidents (1869 - 1901).

Abraham Lincoln - You're right; he does deserve a place. He detained those who disagreed with him and started a brutal unnecessary war. His presidency paved the way for the industrialist exploitation of the worker and for American imperialism.

[salin]

56. hmmmmmmmmm Harding

to your description - seems to fit the same reasons you cited for including Clinton on the list. Odd.

Your description of Hoover rather stuns me. Turning away from growing problems that he KNEW were huge (at least he was smart enough to know the looming problems... w seems completely and intentionally clueless).... he chose to appease business interests and take less than bandaid quality steps to dealing with brewing problems. This exacerbated a depression that had world-wide ramifications.

I really do not understand this perspective... there seems to have a harsher threshold for inclusion on progressive presidents than it does for republican presidents... and the reason seems to be... handicapping republicans (eg we expect them to be bad so they get an x point advantage before it counts against them for inclusion.)

Not sure whether it is intentional or not - but it does suggest a slight bias in the methodology for creating the list in this particular way.

Perhaps if the overall assumptions were spelled out in terms of criteria used - we might be able to better understand - even if not agree - with your assessment.

[the populist]

65. True.

I judge Democratic presidents more harshly than Republicans because I hold them up to a different standard.

[salin]

66. but in judging ALL presidents

and creating such a list - one should use a single set of standards. Lest it appears that repub presidents are better overall than democratic presidents - due to the different criteria being applied.

[lumpy]

58. It can be claimed that

most presidents are 'victims of circumstance' for the problems inherited from previous administrations. For example Vietnam 'problem' started by US involvment during JFK's tenure. There is no question that GWB is the worst ever president who's policies have been determined by truly corrupt power hungry 'advisors'.

[AngryAmish]

41. Chester Arthur

I always forgot him when I had to memorize the Presidents. What did he do other than being pro-Robber Baron?
(I'm not accusing or challenging. I really don't know).

[Muddleoftheroad]

63. Lincoln?

Are you kidding?

[NicRic]

35. PRESDIENT CLINTON--ALL AROUND GREAT PRESIDENT

I had this former post saved ,and agree with it ,that President Clinton was one of the best we have seen in decades ,how Dems can eat their own , is probably why we are in the situation we are today. What ever happen to loyalty !
PRESDIENT CLINTON--ALL AROUND GREAT PRESIDENT-116 GOOD THINGS LISTI am an LOA Historian of 1980's and 1990's and have a list of 116 Good things done by Clinton. It is too long to post on one forum but will give a sample. 1. Bill Clinton never once Lied to me on his policies the way Bush has done many times. 2. Bill Clinton put into a book the things he promised us he would do as President. In his first two years he took action on 56 of 58. Of couse, he did not get all of them but he kept trying. 3. In his first two years he had the second best (LBJ #1)record for getting his legislation through Congress. 4. Universal Health Care "effort".Had HRC & Ira gone for single oayer it would have had a chance. The plan was a disaster. 5. National Helth Care was rising at 10% per year and HRC & Ira effort got it to 3% per year, a hugh difference. 6.Deficit Reduction Program=Greatest Economy in history 7.Crime Bill 8. 100,000 cops on street=dramatic drop in crime rate 9.welfare reform-mend it do not end it. Came back next year and got what was lacking(funding for legal immigrants and homeless) 10.80% increase in child support payments 11. Job Growth--236,00 per month to RR/GWB 167,000. 12.Largest percent of americans working in history13. 13. Balanced budget with surplus 14. largest home ownership in history 15. PEACE ON EARTH--BLESS YOU PRESIDENT CLINTON 16.record number of small business formation 17.Only--only--one person "convicted" of a "felony" which was "committed while working for him". Doesn't that make right wingnuts sick? 18. Tax cut for 15 million working families 19.Family Medical Leave 20.direct loan programs for students--less interst cost 21. Defense Reinvest and Conversion--left Bush with what Bush called "strongest military in history" 22. Reinventing government--reduced number on payroll.This does not impress an old cost reduction nut. # people or # $$$? 23. fewest number of civilian employees on payroll in 16 years. 24. Attacking Cop Killing Nasty Rifle Association--guts 25. attacking cancer inducing tobacco industry--guts 26. promoting a global effort to ban abusiove forms of child labor 27. loaning 12.8 billion to Mexico and making 800 million profit 28. taking on prejudice toward other americans i military-guts 29. NEVER WHINING--NEVER WHINING--NEVER WHINING Lordie,how I admired him for his courage uner smear attacks. clarence swinney--#1 clintonut in America

[mopinko]

61. so unfair to judge clinton without mentioning the opposition

that he had from day one- before day one. imo, he never really got to BE president. from the day he was inaugurated, he was blindfolded, and had one hand tied behind his back. unfulfilled campaign promises CANNOT be counted as lies. he never had the power of his office to fulfill them. blame the "lies" on newt & co.

[Hippo_Tron]

71. Agreed, very limited as to what he could do with Newt controlling congress

He had to compromise at some point.

[liberalcapitalist]

39. wow, your list sucks

A Gephardt supporter who ranks Truman the second worst president ever?

Truman so alienated the progressives when he intergrated the armed forces, making him the first Dem to ever lose the south in forever; and proposed national health care.

Woodrow Wilson, LBJ, TR, Truman, and Clinton are some of the BEST presidents ever. Your list is missing the obvious choices of Nixon, Hoover, Coolidge, Bush I, and Harding.

LBJ: Almost every advance in civil rights can be attributed directly to his admin, the TWO Dems to lose the south in the name of the advancement of Blacks. Good job.

T.R.: The Bush of his day? WOW! More like the anti-Bush. He broke up monopolies and "alienated" the corporatists of his polices. Sounds just like Bush.

Clinton: Every single advancement in gay rights can be attributed directly to his admin-- EVERY SINGLE ONE. He presided over the greatest economy the world has ever known, and that meant that myself and others were able to enjoy life for eight years, unlike under the current and previous admins. He sucked, all right.

[LTR]

43. My list

1. Bush II - For single-handedly turning the US into a near-dictatorship.

2. Nixon - A corrupt human being.

3. Harding - Known to be a fairly nice guy. Maybe TOO nice. Let his cabinet members get away with anything. A very corrupt administration with a leader who didn't have the guts to put his foot down.

4. Grant - See Harding.

5. Hoover - A vastly intelligent man who was in way over his head as President. Seemed indifferent to the suffering of the country.

6. A. Johnson - A pro-slavery president in a post-slavery country. Tried to single-handedly erase what Lincoln accomplished.

7. John Tyler - Very pro-South and pro-slavery.

8. Reagan - Iran-Contra, pandering to the religious right, screwing over the poor. Set the stage for Bush II.

9. Buchanan - polaized the nation.

10. Fillmore - Can anybody state ANYTHING this guy did whlie he was in office?

Presidents that were better than expected:

1. Arthur - Came to power through corrupt machine politics. But he surprised many when he ushered in civil service reform, and an end to the 'spoils system". This decision is evident even today. He was far from a great president, though. He took more vacations and was perhaps the laziest president ever up until Bush II. Cared more about nice clothes and fancy 8-course dinners that running the country. Probably the vainest president. But civil service reform and a rare corruption-free administration gave him a better standing in history

2. Ford - Did what he felt was best to heal the country. Made necessary decisions that were unpopular. Was a strong proponent of the ERA. Was an honest, credible president when the country needed one.

[Faygo Kid]

54. I like your list - would replace Grant with Bush 1; kudos for Arthur

Bush II and Nixon head my list, too. Bush I was an empty suit. Arthur came in as a "spoils" candidate, and promptly reformed the civil service. He is underrated in my opinion, too. Also agree about Ford; we will never see a GOP moderate like him again. Thanks!

[LTR]

73. I knew I forgot someone!

I'll slide him in Buchanan's slot.

Thanks.

[Retrograde]

75. Fillmore's achievements

10. Fillmore - Can anybody state ANYTHING this guy did while he was in office?


Installed a bathtub in the White House. Also signed the Fugitive Slave Act. Later ran as the Know-Nothing candidate for president. Definitely belongs in the bottom quartile.

It's hard for me to come up with numerical ratings. I tend to group them into categories:

Not Enough Data: WH Harrison, Garfield (didn't serve long enough to judge)

Bottom Layer: corrupt administrations, or manipulated by their advisors, or generally put personal (and that includes friends') benefit and ideology ahead of the country
GW Bush, Reagan, Harding, Grant, GHW Bush, Nixon.

Top Layer: left the country in general better than when they found it
Washington, J Adams, Jefferson, Madison (of course, they were making it up as they went along!), Lincoln (for all his faults: what if his Reconstruction plans were actually followed?), T Roosevelt, FD Roosevelt, Truman. I'm inclined to add JQ Adams (although I think he did his best work in other offices) and Clinton, even though he's recent. Possibly Kennedy for his space vision

Then it gets hard. L Johnson gets a plus for his domestic programs but a minus for his handling of Vietnam. Same (almost) for Wilson: plus for his work with the League of Nations, minus for reimposing segregation in government office. Hoover I see as a lot like Carter: good human being but in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Then there the ones I don't know enough about: van Buren, Pierce, Hayes, Taft off the top of my head.

linda

[Faygo Kid]

76. A mighty fine analysis, Retrograde

Van Buren: presided over a depression; Old Kinderhook was a great politician, but not a great president. Pierce: A tragic figure. Alcoholic, and his son was decapitated in front of his and his wife, Jane's, eyes on the way to the inauguration (train wreck). Very sad figure, and ineffective, even bad, president. Taft: Didn't really want to be president. Innately conservative in a progressive era; a decent man who was not a visionary. Hayes: Another decent guy; he and his wife, Lemonade Lucy (because she wouldn't serve booze at the White House) were the symbols of rectitude. However, his election was the most dishonest until Bush-Gore. The deal was that he would pull troops out of the South to keep the White House in Repuke hands, despite the loss of the popular vote. He and his handlers did, and we paid for it with Jim Crow and worse until the 1960s. Like I said, though, a good analysis, and would all Americans possess your sense of history.

[Jen]

45. Truman, interesting choice.

Nowadays Truman would be right of Lieberman, but I still like the guy. Just an average Joe propelled into the presidency.

On one hand, he was clearly out of his element since the Cold War was starting. On the other hand, I think he did a good job considering the times.

[durutti]

46. There is no "best" or "worst".

We live in a capitalist society. Presidents are just window-dressing.

[greekspeak]

49. Drink some more Nyquil and sleep a few more hours

What about Harding? Coolidge? Hoover? Grant? Nixon? Why are they not on your list? But Clinton? Come on! Mediocre in some ways but great in others. Johnson? I think he had serious issues, but without some of what he did, America would not be where it is today. ANDREW Johnson maybe! T.Roosevelt? That man would laugh in Dubya's face. I do agree that Dubya belongs at the bottom of the barrel, but your list is comical to me for the most part. True...Jackson murdered indians...how many other presidents murdered indians or ordered them murdered? How many presidents have reneged on debt?

[LWolf]

57. Mine:

1. (worst) George W. Bush: brought the nation to the brink of destruction. Destruction of the constitution, the bill of rights, democracy, and freedom.

2. Ronald Reagan--set the nation up for GWB with his pandering to the right wing, deficit spending, abandoned care of domestic issues in favor of a big military budget

3. Bush I...see #2

4 - 9, no particular order, and no reasons because I'm lazy. Others have already mentioned them:

Tyler

Buchanan

McKinley

Coolidge

Hoover

Wilson

10. Nixon....Watergate

[NewJerseyDem]

60. My list

1. Ulysses Grant (corrupt and drunk)
2. Herbert Hoover (couldn't stop Great Depression)
3. Calvin Coolidge (policies kind of caused Great Depression)
4. Andrew Johnson (didn't do enough in reconstruction)
5. John Adams (Alien & Sedition Acts)
6. James Buchanan (let civil war happen)
7. Warren G. Harding (Teapot Dome)
8. James K. Polk (Mexican War)
9. Ronald Reagan (Reaganomics)
10. Richard Nixon (Watergate)

I left out George W. Bush because I don't think the results of his policies have been realized yet. I'm not even sure if I should have included Reagan.

[Muddleoftheroad]

62. Not even close

I won't even bother to try to poke holes in your entire list. I will leave that to others.

But a couple points:

* Truman had the courage to not only end the war with Japan, but also set things in motion to make Japan the great democracy it is today.

* You might hate LBJ's war record, but what about his efforts toward civil rights, or do you care about that?

* Clinton? Are you kidding?

[the populist]

67. Civil Rights?

So you can massacre millions of Vietnamese but as long as you give American citizens then that's all right. Giving Civil Rights to African Americans is not a "plus" it's a moral obligation.

[Muddleoftheroad]

68. Moral obligation sure

But one that others did NOT do.

As for Vietnam, I will not defend it, but you need to put it in perspective with the Cold War.

[Hippo_Tron]

69. For those of you who call Clinton a DINO...

Remember that he proposed the healthcare bill to a DEMOCRATIC controlled congress and they killed it. So unless your definition of DINO is anybody to the right of Dennis Kucinich, please tell me how he was on the "Republican" end of the democratic party.

[economic justice]

72. Since you mentioned it

The Clinton health plan was nothing more than a wholesale sell-off of our health care system to corporate HMOs. It was defeated by the HIAA and their "harry and Louise" commercials. HIAA represented the indemnity insurance industry which would have been ruined under the Clinton plan. Better than nothing? Absolutely not. The illusion would have been that we "fixed" the system. Nothing short of Single-Payer, Universal health care will be just and effective.

[BigBigBear]

77. Truman worse than Hoover or Nixon?

You ARE kidding, right?

Where's the hidden camera?