George W. Bush's favorable rating among liberals has pulled a complete 180

[Jack V Savage]

Obama did well, and might be seen in an even better light if Trump fumbles the ball, due to Obama being sandwiched between two hypothetically worst candidates.

But out of 45 presidents, I wouldn't say top 5. Washington, Lincoln, FDR, Teddy, and Jefferson easily take the cake and won't be overthrown anytime soon. I would say Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ and Nixon were great presidents as well, other than Kennedy's being cut too short, LBJ's Vietnam and Nixon's corruption.

A lot of it is determined by circumstances so a hard, objective ranking is impossible. Plus, there are other factors affecting rankings (like the way some presidents are kind of sainted, plus partisanship). But Obama did take office during especially trying circumstances, and it's only because we did such a good job handling the financial crisis in particular that it's not seen as worse than the Great Depression (certainly it was worse than the GD in other countries that had inferior policy responses). And that's just a small part of his successes.

I would say that there is no basis at all for rating JFK highly, and NIxon is ridiculously overrated (and I'm not just referring to the idea that gross corruption is just some minor blemish). LBJ was very mixed. No way he can be compared to Obama, IMO, though he had some great accomplishments.

 

[Jack V Savage]

I would even go as far to say his admin set the precedent for the dirty anti intelectual partissan politics today.

Started before that. I think there's a clear line from Reagan to Bush 43 to Palin to Trump.

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

Like I've said before in a decade or so morons will be looking favorably back on Trump and swearing the current POTUS is the next hitler for realz this time.

Thats just the climate of politics. Short term memory and over reacting all over the place.

 

[Higus]

He's much more likeable as an alcoholic hermit than POTUS

 

[nac386]

To say something like this is completely ignorant. The man promoted racism, supported hate groups, promoted violence against police, celebrated the life of Mandela, murdered Gadafi, and spent 10 trillion. He is also responsible for destroying our healthcare.

How did he do those things?

Reagan is top 5. Arguably #1

Can you explain how Reagan deserves the nod over the 5 Presidents that were listed in his top 5?

 

[Ruprecht]

I've posted it at least a dozen times before, but GWB's pre-election rhetoric never matched his actions and his post-office rhetoric doesn't either.
Aside from looking like an idiot for his "Bushisms", if his actions had matched his campaign rhetoric he wouldn't have been so bad.



Of course that didn't stop America from reelecting him...

 

[nac386]

I've posted it at least a dozen times before, but GWB's pre-election rhetoric never matched his actions and his post-office rhetoric doesn't either.
Aside from looking like an idiot for his "Bushisms", if his actions had matched his campaign rhetoric he wouldn't have been so bad.



Of course that didn't stop America from reelecting him...

I felt like George Bush was on the "learn on the job" path as a President at the start, as somebody who really was not fully prepared when he was elected but may have gotten there eventually. But 9/11 happened so early in his Presidency that he was almost immediately put in way over his head and relied heavily on the people around him.

 

[Ruprecht]

I felt like George Bush was on the "learn on the job" path as a President at the start, as somebody who really was not fully prepared when he was elected but may have gotten there eventually. But 9/11 happened so early in his Presidency that he was almost immediately put in way over his head and relied heavily on the people around him.

Thing is, he already had Wolfowitz et al as his foreign policy advisors, and their outlook and goals were clear enough well prior to 911 (PNAC).
His "on the job learning" mostly consisted of using the culture war as a smoke screen for his war and economic policy.

 

[Higus]

To say something like this is completely ignorant. The man promoted racism, supported hate groups, promoted violence against police, celebrated the life of Mandela, murdered Gadafi, and spent 10 trillion. He is also responsible for destroying our healthcare.

 

[Jack V Savage]

Not yet, but we're well on that path imo.

If our dumb asses invade Iran, he will have beat Bush by a mile.

Yeah, Trump just finished one year in office. He has a long way to go to catch up to the damage that Bush did, but he's definitely capable of doing it.

How did he do those things?

Can you explain how Reagan deserves the nod over the 5 Presidents that were listed in his top 5?

HH is a satire account.

 

[nac386]

HH is a satire account.

I was giving him the chance to come up with some new material.

 

[The Diplomat]

A lot of it is determined by circumstances so a hard, objective ranking is impossible. Plus, there are other factors affecting rankings (like the way some presidents are kind of sainted, plus partisanship). But Obama did take office during especially trying circumstances, and it's only because we did such a good job handling the financial crisis in particular that it's not seen as worse than the Great Depression (certainly it was worse than the GD in other countries that had inferior policy responses). And that's just a small part of his successes.

I would say that there is no basis at all for rating JFK highly, and NIxon is ridiculously overrated (and I'm not just referring to the idea that gross corruption is just some minor blemish). LBJ was very mixed. No way he can be compared to Obama, IMO, though he had some great accomplishments.

Lbj signed the civil rights act, which was Kennedy's baby. Nixon ended the Vietnam war, opened up diplomatic relations with China, signed the EPA into law and did a lot for women.

 

[Seano]

the only decent president we had in those days was clinton

Well, he redefined the term "decency" it seems.

 

[Cake4Breakfast]

GW was a bad president who was in over his head and allowed the old Nixon folks to run to chart the course, but he was never a bad person. I disagree with a lot of his views, but I could have a couple of beers with him without coming to blows.

 

[MeatheadMike]

I believe this is the mediocre chick who looks hot because she's standing next to a bunch of ugly friends phenomenon.

Just look at the candidates the GOP has put out since Bush.

 

[nixkid]

Even bad look good when its competing against horrible.

 

[Jack V Savage]

Lbj signed the civil rights act, which was Kennedy's baby. Nixon ended the Vietnam war, opened up diplomatic relations with China, signed the EPA into law and did a lot for women.

I'm aware of what they did.

 

[The Diplomat]

I'm aware of what they did.

Im explaining my reasoning.

 

[InternetHero]

McCain was beloved by the left, and then he ran for President and was an enemy, because he represented the right.

When he returned to the Senate and was against Trump, he became beloved again...

It is almost as if the right having power is the true enemy.

 

[Lord Commander Palis]

Just goes to show how idiotic people are at the polls. Especially a CNN poll.