Post your favorites.
>Handled the Mexican-American war wonderfully, annexed the entire southwest of the US
>Negotiated the acquirement of the Oregon Territory
>Reduced tariffs
>Had no personal motives behind running for president
>Issued the first postage stamps
>Accomplished all of his main policy goals in one term and didn't run for reelection
>>1016173
I mean he didn't rerun cause he was dying
>major fuck ups. changed the republic for the worse
FDR, LBJ, Woodrow Wilson, Andrew Johnson
>mid tier fuck ups.
Reagan, Bushes, Clinton, Obama
>minor fuck ups
truman, hoover, Andrew Johnson
>honorable mention
the congress and state governments that passed prohibition
>>1016197
He died of cholera 3 months after leaving office
He had also pledged not to run for reelection in the past
>>1016201
Funny you should mention that, I just saw this in the bookstore. The recurring argument seemed to be that they expanded government/presidential powers too much.
Bit weird seeing someone like Lincoln on such a critical list, but I guess it isn't particularly wrong.
>>1016215
>Truman on the cover
>>1016215
>The recurring argument seemed to be that they expanded government/presidential powers too much.
this is bad?
>>1016221
muh freedoms tho
>>1016201
>major fuck ups
>FDR
the wall st. meltdown of '08 happened because retards repealed the glass steagall act(a depression era reform)
without FDR's reforms we'd all be living like pic.
>>1016221
yes.
The President is supposed to be a glorified administrator. The real power of government is supposed to be in Congress. The House Speaker should be treated as Head of Government and the President as Head of State.
Now Congress is just a retirement plan for the moderately successful and well connected. Where you can stay forever pulling down almost 200k a year plus benefits. As long as you can fund raise and not screw up enough to get replaced in a primary.
>>1016215
That book is retarded. There is no way the founding fathers could not have expected that presidential powers would be expanded at some point. The autistic devotion of constitutionalists and libertarians about >muh freedoms and >muh strict interpretation needs to die.
>>1016229
Forget about that, remember Lend-Lease?
The GOP voted against that shit.
Can you imagine a world in which the Ostfront stalemates and the Americans have to come unfuck everything with nuclear weapons?
>>1016231
The president is supposed to be a strong leader who unites the people and keeps the other two branches in check and enforces the law.
But, yes, congress has now become shit.
>>1016229
FDR's reforms made the Depression worse. What pulled America out and lead us to economic dominance was Europe committing suicide in WW2. They borrowed so much money to buy stuff, both during and after the war. Then two decades of Europe not being a global industry player, after the war.
Fannie Mae brought about the 2008 crash. Since it started the government on securing junk mortgages. To keep the credit flowing and allow the creation of housing bubbles.
GlassSteagal is a major contributor to the doubling of the national debt under Obama and a Democrat Congress. since all those banks were now too big to fail and had to be bailed out. Glass Steagal of course was repealed by Bill Clinton.
Clinton also created the subprime mortgage market bubble that burst. Passed new laws on banks that prevented them from even putting in new ATMs unless they made more garbage mortgages.
>>1016243
>The president is supposed to be a strong leader who unites the people and keeps the other two branches in check and enforces the law.
are you this guy >>1016233 too
the reason this country came into existence is "muh freedoms" my man
congress and the judiciary were created to keep the president in check, not the other way around
if the country was intended to be ruled by one person, the judiciary and congress wouldn't even exist
>>1016233
>There is no way the founding fathers could not have expected that presidential powers would be expanded at some point.
How the fuck wold you know?
>>1016243
people want the US government to run like a Westminster Parliament. where if a party has the president and a house of congress. They should get their way in everything.
>>1016173
>Texas was originally a state belonging to the republic of Mexico... An empire in territory, it had but a very sparse population, until settled by Americans who had received authority from Mexico to colonise. These colonists paid very little attention to the supreme government, and introduced slavery into the state almost from the start, though the constitution of Mexico did not, nor does it now, sanction that institution. Soon they set up an independant government of their own, and war existed, between Texas and Mexico, in name from that time until 1836, when active hostilities very nearly ceased upon the capture of Santa Anna, the Mexican President. Before long however, the same people- who with permission of Mexico had colonised Texas, and afterwards set up slavery there, and then seceded as soon as they felt strong enough to do so - offered themselves and the State to the United States, and in 1845 their offer was accepted. The occupation, separation and annexation were, from the inception of the movement to its final consummation, a conspiracy to acquire territory out of which slave states might be formed for the American Union.
> The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican War. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times.
>>1016335
>The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican War
>If people can't agree on how to give out money among a group of people, it's the person who brought the money's fault for introducing the money to the environment
to put it simply, james k polk dindu nuffin and the civil war was the later government's fault for not being able to find a compromise
Eisenhower was the greatest.
>>1016372
You didn't really put forward an argument against Grant's, you just ignored them. If you decide to march thousands of soldiers to the border then of course you're going to have an engagement. If you go against the wish of the government with whom you'd negotiated the territory grant by bringing in slaves, then you're going to have an engagement. And if you bring in a huge, new border state full of strategic slave holders, then that's going to have an effect in the future.
>>1016385
>Coolidge 2.0
>But with more lets secretly take down democratically elected leaders in threatening states but keep it real shhh
>>1016495
didn't intend to address the ethical justification of the mexican-american war, only the notion that the civil war was somehow his fault due to his expansionist policy
>>1016221
when looking at stability of nations consolidation of power in a single person generally shows to create the most possibility instability. As the people holding such an office stop making the nation's goals their own and instead look to creating their own legacy via the national budget the problems become self evident i.e. Imperial Triumphs, obamacare, and other trivial accolades
Of course on the other hand by consolidating power long term planning, big problem solving, and public works generally benefit.
It's a trade off like anything else
T E D D Y
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My favorites in no particular order
God tier:
>Washington
Pretty good tier:
>Monroe
>Quincy Adams
>Arthur
>Coolidge
>Ford
Meme tier
>Jefferson
>Jackson
>both Roosevelts
War criminal tier:
>Lincoln
>McKinley
>Obama
Worst
1. Woodrow wilshit
2. FDR
3. LBJ
4. Regan
4.5. Buchanan
5. Truman
5.5 Johnson
6. G.H.W. boosh
7. Obangy
8. Lil' boosh
9. George Wallace
10. Huey Long
>>1016255
>all this stupidity in one post
>>1016201
You listed Johnson twice
>>1017225
Not that anon but most of what he said is correct.
Crashes are rarely a presidents fault at all.
Except when you're FDR and you go full oogabooga on the government because of muh "necessary and proper" clause.
>>1016335
Grant was a good general but he didn't know shit about politics. The South would've left regardless once they lost the senate, the mexican war delayed the civil war if anything.
>>1017039
why do people like JQA again? He was an ineffectual president. Is it just the muh new england pride thing?
>>1017235
>congress goes full libertarian and demands for cut spending
>this causes a recession
>this is fdr's fault
>>1017258
Sorry, I was referring to two completely different periods of time. I didn't make that clear.
Most of our economic issues stem from LBJ, and his "Great Society". 70% of our spending is social welfare.
>>1017257
Probably social justice stuff because of his defense of the slaves in the Amistad stuff and his opposition to the Mexican-American War and evil shitlord Andrew Jackson.
Guy was a great Secretary of State though, up there with Seward, Fish and Hay as among the best.
>mid tier fuck ups
>Reagan and Obama
One reclaimed the national identity and helped end the cold war, and the other got assraped by a butthurt congress
>>1017473
>Reagan
>helped end the Cold War
the Soviets already created a good mess of their economy, anon. Reagan didn't do much to change that.
>>1016215
>roosevelts
>lincoln
>wilson
u wot m8
>>1017475
TEAR DOWN THIS WALL, MR. GORBACHEV
Was Kennedy a good president? Why?
>>1016201
>major fuckups
>no Carter
>>1017732
Carter made the mistake of telling people they were going to have to cut back.
>>1017739
He also let the Cuban criminal refugees in which arsefucked southern Florida and acted like a monumental cuck in foreign policy.
>>1017644
Ask yourself if LBJ was a good president. Your answer to that question is the answer to your question. Kennedy's only saving grace was Lee Harvey Oswald.
>>1017830
LBJ's major mistake was the escalation of Vietnam (and other associated decisions), and it's impossible to say what policy Kennedy would have pursued in that regard.
>>1017475
>Reagan didn't do much to change that.
Actually, Reagan's amped up military spending forced the Soviets to cut further away from domestic spending than they already were which created crises across the COMBLOC in the 1980's.
>>1017835
>LBJ's major mistake was the escalation of Vietnam
And the Great Society, and turning his back on parts of Latin America, and many other domestic and foreign policy fuck ups. The thing about LBJ is that he followed the Kennedy status quo. I don't fully get the "KENNEDY WAS AWESOME, but that Johnson guy was a dick" meme. Kennedy had poor approval ratings, was elected on shady grounds, was extremely controversial in office and LBJ followed most of Kennedy's plans to a T. Like I said, the only thing that saved Kennedy from being as marred as LBJ was the fact he was killed (which wasn't as surprising to many Americans as is currently believed).
The Immigration Act of 1965 was inevitable but LBJ still leaves a bad taste in my mouth because of it.
>>1017865
Why are so many Ethiopians going to that one midwestern state (Wyoming?)
>>1017874
That's South Dakota. And for some reason midwest has been getting an influx of these goofy meme ethnicities like Ethiopians and Somalis recently.
>>1017849
I mean, Great Society being a fuck-up is a basically ideological question. You could equally say the VRA and civil rights stuff was a fuckup. I would disagree, because I'm not profoundly racist. I guess what I'm saying is it kind of seems like you're just bashing LBJ for being more to the left than you'd like in that instance.
>>1016215
>no reagan on the cover
>>1017899
>Great Society being a fuck-up is a basically ideological question
>I guess what I'm saying is it kind of seems like you're just bashing LBJ for being more to the left than you'd like in that instance
Actually, the Great Society program is one that is continually harped on by those on the left and right. Economists and sociologists generally see it as a massive fuck up that did considerable damage to both the American economy and to American minorities. It is in no way comparable to civil rights campaigns of the 1960's because it did objective irreparable damage to the United States economy and to the U.S. as a community.
>>1017899
>I would disagree, because I'm not profoundly racist.
thats not actually a disagreement, thats just you admitting you could not argue it was a good thing
>>1016201
>major fuckups
>FDR
Wow, literally one name in and it's already trash. Lets see if the second set is better...
>mid tier fuckups
>George HW Bush
DROPPED
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You don't know shit about US history.
>>1017462
John Adams is who you're thinking of.
JQA was his idiot son who funded an expedition to attempt to go to the center of the earth to trade with mole people.
>>1017849
>Great Society
>mistake
t. recucklican
>>1016266
Er, all the primary source documents.
Hamilton wrote most of the Federalist Papers, which are cited more than any other document by SCOTUS, and he wanted a more powerful executive. Madison wanted more centralized government as well (but not to the degree of Hamilton).
State's were used to running their own mini-states, so they had to bargain with governors like George Clinton who thought they could become mini-kings.
Funny enough, most historians think Washington's Administration was the only one that really had anything like a prime minister, with Hamilton serving in that basic role. Washington was head of state, Hamilton headed legislative stuff, kind of the opposite of what he wanted, although I'm sure he thought he'd become president some day.
BEST OF THE BEST GOAT PRESIDENTS:
GEORGE MOTHER FUCKING WASHINGTON
ANDREW "THE REDSKIN NIGGER KILLER" JACKSON
JAMES "MANIFEST THE FUCK OUT OF MEXICO IS OUR DESTINY" POLK
THEODORE "TAKE NO SHIT FROM NO ONE" ROOSEVELT
DWIGHT "FUCK THE COMMIES" EISENHOWER
TRAITORS TO THE SYSTEM:
JOHN "TOO FAT TO TAKE THE BANTER" ADAMS
JAMES "THE MAN WHO LITERALLY DID NOTHING" BUCHANAN
ULYSSES "THE USELESS" GRANT
WOODROW "GIVE THE BANKS ALL THE POWER" WILSON
GUYS WHO GET A GOOD RAP ONLY BECAUSE THEY WERE PRESIDENT DURING A MAJOR WAR:
LINCOLN
FDR
PEOPLE WHO ARE HATED BECAUSE THEY WERE PRESIDENT DURING A WAR:
PRACTICALLY EVERYONE AFTER EISENHOWER
Does he count?
The years before the expansion of presidential power had the best non-executive statesmen.
John Calhoun
Noah Webster
Henry Clay
>>1018760
Well if he didn't have that affair, he might have. He still managed to sabotage Burr.
>>1018782
> start war you have little chance of winning
> kill 20% of your regions military aged men
desu senpai, the importing of African slaves was one of the stupidest things Americans did and it is still costing us
>>1018782
Seeing as he was the president of a completely different country, no.
>>1018782
No.
>>1018789
>John C. Calhoun
>good
>>1018789
>Henry Clay
>Henry "Run For President More Times Than Anyone And Lost Every Time" Clay
>>1018713
>my opinion is fact the post
>>1018746
>great society
>Not a mistake
t. Jew
>>1018731
Idiot? He was arguably smarter than his father and the greatest Secretary of State ever. Not too shabby of a president either, considering it was fixed and the general public did not like him.
>>1018731
John Adams was a terrible president, his son didn't deport people for calling him fat.
Best:
Polk
Jefferson
Washington
Jackson
Roosevelt
>>1018915
fuck off anyone who says otherwise
>>1016173
>WUZ CONDUCTOR OF DA UNDAGROUN RAILROAD TRAIN
>WUZ A EGIPSHIAN QWEEN
>DID MAGIC N SHYT
>FIRST FEMALE PREZIDENT OF AMERICA
>IZ GONNA FINALY B PUT ON THE DOLLA LIKE SHE SPOSED TO B
>>1019023
Lel
>>1019023
Kek
>>1016231
>House Speaker should be treated as Head of Government and the President as Head of State
Hopefully, I'm not too late in the thread, but how come they didn't name him 'Prime Minister' as opposed to 'Speaker'?
>>1017473
Reagan did a lot for national pride, true. He also did a lot of shitty stuff. And not for anything he did but I find the deification of him by the Republicans, over even people like Lincoln, to be creepy.
>>1018790
He wouldn't have been able to because he was born outside of the United States and was not a child of Americans. Shadow president was basically as high as he could get.
>>1017279
>citation please
>>1019441
Great society is garbage.
>>1018841
I was going to say James G. Blaine but he actually only got the nomination once and damn near won. He only lost New York by 1047 votes which is what decided the election.
Kind of wonder how different things would've been if we would've had President Blaine.
>>1017279
most of our economic woes after the 60s directly result in deindustrilization. The world just didn't need as many thing as we were making. Not to mention there much much more competition from nations like Japan and Germany.
>>1016215
The fuck is my waifu Theodore doing there?
>>1016618
He hated being called teddy :/
>>1019486
then we really screwed shit up by letting American companies move production to other countries.
>>1016215
>as brought to you by a cuckfederate sympathizer
DROPPED
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>>1019531
Yes globalism is a mistake.
>>1016221
When the purpose of your government is to ensure liberty and decentralization of power, the tendency of power to head into one person is bad.
>>1017254
Grant is one of my favorite presidents but not because of what he did as president just because he himself was cool and interesting
>>1019242
Prime Minister as a title was not formally declared during the time of the revolution, I believe.
>>1016503
>Coolidge
>Bad
>>1018796
>start war you have little chance of winning
actually Jeff Davis was staunchly against secession. He constantly spoke out against it before hand. He was just a very accomplished statesmen, so he was elected as Presidents of CSA and stepped up out of duty for his state. He gets a lot of hate but I think he was in an impossible position.
>the importing of African slaves was one of the stupidest things Americans did and it is still costing us
The US would've gone no where without slave labor. Our early economy was built of the back of it.
>>1019470
>50% reduction over 36 years
>shit
>>1022489
One can argue the trend was already going down to a variety of other facts long before the Great Society was enacted. Anyway for an even longer period of time, the poverty rate has remained static while our costs have ballooned. Clearly, the Great Society's impact, if it had any to begin with is reaching its economic limit and all were doing is pissing money into the wind. Politicians will never re-calibrate the spending though because they'll lose voters to even the concept of having benefits cut, even if the majority of people don't use them and they provide no real service whatsoever.
>>1019023
Someone's buttmad
>>1016215
>Lincoln
fucking retarded
>Teddy Roosevelt
muh isolationism
>Franklin Roosevelt
muh small government
>Truman
muh noninterventionism
>Johnson
muh vietnam/I hate black people
>Nixon
muh watergate
>Obama
muh reaction to not liking the current president
>>1018760
Don't forget Jefferson, the small government common folks man, who went out on his own to buy a plot of land that doubles the size of the US
>>1019470
Give me a fucking per capita graph the population grows too
Distinct lack of Grant in this thread
>>1016173
I like Ike
Polk is most definitely overrated. Something of a "meme" president, in the way he has a cult of loyal adorers.
He needlessly & unilaterally flung the US into a war with Mexico, sabotaged his generals because of their political affiliations, exacerbated sectarian tensions in the way he threw northern democrats and their territorial demands in Oregon under the bus to get more slave territory from Mexico.
>>1022536
>reaching its economic limit
Or there are a bunch of new people who need the assistance to keep above poverty due to the consistently declining real value of hourly wages. That graph doesn't really prove anything on its own.
>>1022857
>conquering the southwest
>overrated
What the flying fuck.
>>1022812
He wasn't a particularly good president. He was, for the most part, a good man and had some good intentions with his wanting to stomp down on the KKK and even partially his reasons for wanting to annex Santo Domingo. But he wasn't a particularly good political leader and was overly trusty of people close to him (i.e. family and army buddies) which allowed corruption to fester. His economic policies during the recession didn't help things either.
Like I said good man, a respectable man and he certainly tried his best on social issues but he still wasn't a particularly good president.
>>1022857
>sabotaged his generals because of their political affiliations
sauce
>needlessly and unilaterally flung the US into the Mexican-American war
People keep talking about the ethical justification of the war, but the US would be a fundamentally different place if we didn't have the territories we gained in the Mexican Cession and/or the Oregon Territory
Who started the war is also arguable, hostilites between Mexico and Texas started well before the war occured
Whatever you think about his policies in the context of the issues of his time, you can't deny that they've helped us in the long run.
