Who do you think are the worst presidents ever?

[TheLoneWolf527]

A while ago I remember reading an article that ranked the presidents from best to worst. I didn't really care about who the best ones were, I was more interested in seeing who the worst were. I don't remember the whole list, but what I do remember is that James Buchanan was ranked last on the grounds that it was pretty much his fault the Civil War happened when his attempt to prevent the south from seceding essentially was him saying "You won't." I attempted to find this list again by googling "Worst presidents ever" or something like that and I immediately was kind of annoyed. The first few pages were nothing but recent articles about how Obama is apparently the worst president in over 70 years according to polls.

Looking at the state of the economy and such now, it absolutely baffles me that people could actually be this stupid considering some of the duds we've had over the years, especially since I still can't find these lists easily with these articles about this cluttering Google. So I had a thought then and wanted to ask everyone here who they thought the worst presidents in history are? Now I know most of us have only lived through about 3-6 presidents, but I still figured I'd propose the question in a general sense instead of just over the last few years.

 

[AlucardNatasrd]

I would nominate Woodrow Wilson. My rationale:

Ran in support of the constitutional amendment sanctioning the income tax (16th amendment)
American involvement in the Great War (a war which we had absolutely no business being apart of and which killed 100,000 Americans).
Resegregation of the military (for those on the Left who want a reason to hate Wilson, too).
The creation of the League of Nations.
Saw the passages of the amendments which granted direct election of senators (17th), banned alcohol (18th), and gave women the vote (19th).
Instituted the Federal Reserve, which has manifestedly failed in its main goal of curtailing inflation. Inflation was flat (excluding the Civil War) from the Revolution to the Great War, and has gone up hundreds of times over since the institution of the Fed.

This man was a hardcore racist Confederate, whose family actually moved to the South in order to participate in the rebellion. He was present, as a boy, with Robert E. Lee when he found out the South had seceded (a fascinating historical point)!

Woodrow Wilson was, in all senses, a spectacular failure as a president.

Also: In before someone says Obama (though he is easily in the top 10 worst, if not top 5).

 

[TheLoneWolf527]

I would nominate Woodrow Wilson. My rational:

Ran in support of the constitutional amendment sanctioning the income tax (16th amendment)
American involvement in the Great War (a war which we had absolutely no business being apart of and which killed 100,000 Americans).
Resegregation of the military (for those on the Left who want a reason to hate Wilson, too).
The creation of the League of Nations.
Saw the passages of the amendments which granted brought about direct election of senators (17th), banned alcohol (18th), and gave women the vote (19th).
Instituted the Federal Reserve, which has manifestedly failed in its main goal of curtailing inflation. Inflation was flat (excluding the Civil War) from the Revolution to the Great War, and has gone up hundreds of times over since the institution of the Fed.

This man was a hardcore racist Confederate, whose family actually moved to the South in order to participate in the rebellion. He was present, as a boy, with Robert E. Lee when he found out the South had seceded (a fascinating historical point)!

Woodrow Wilson was, in all senses, a spectacular failure as a president.

Also: In before someone says Obama (though he is easily in the top 10 worst, if not top 5).

Wait hold on a second. You have some good points here and I know that most people say Wilson is one of the worst, but are you saying that he was bad because he gave women the right to vote?

 

[AlucardNatasrd]

Wait hold on a second. You have some good points here and I know that most people say Wilson is one of the worst, but are you saying that he was bad because he gave women the right to vote?

Yes. I do not think women ought to have the right to vote. Women are not politically as engaged/involved as men on average, and generally don't think in terms of reason/justice as men do. I take this belief from Feminists, who speak of "women's ways" of knowing (see contemporary Feminist Ethics).

 

[JosephDredd]

Has to be the one who literally sold the office to the mob. McKinley?

 

[AlucardNatasrd]

Has to be the one who literally sold the office to the mob. McKinley?

Uh...?

Source on "selling it to the mob"?

 

[INTERL0PER]

Yes. I do not think women ought to have the right to vote. Women are not politically as engaged/involved as men on average, and generally don't think in terms of reason/justice as men do. I take this belief from Feminists, who speak of "women's ways" of knowing (see contemporary Feminist Ethics).

You made some solid points in your original post, then you just went full retard. Never go full retard.

I mean, I can't even... That's pretty fucked up, dude.

 

[AlucardNatasrd]

You made some solid points in your original post, then you just went full retard. Never go full retard.

I mean, I can't even... That's pretty fucked up, dude.

Feel free to ignore that part and accept my other reasons, then.

 

[INTERL0PER]

Feel free to ignore that part and accept my other reasons, then.

Haha, will do.


On topic, I nominate Bush Jr's administration (including Cheney, Rumsfeld etc as Bush took more vacation than any other president and they were running shit while he was down on the ranch):

- Illegally invaded and occupied a foreign country (war crime).
- Lied to the UN to justify said illegal "war".
- Started up Guantanamo Bay and other detention camps which were rife with torture and abuses of the Geneva Convention.
- Came to power with the country billions of dollars in surplus. Left it trillions of dollars in debt.
- Allowed closed bid contracts to be assigned to companies like Halliburton for the reconstruction of Iraq and Katrina (I imagine Cheney is largely to blame for this), effectively allowing them to set their own price. Huge funneling of public wealth to private companies.
- Response to Katrina was abysmal and as bungled as can be.
- Gutted numerous important social services by hiding amendments in other bills and also signing in many downright Orwellian things like "No Child Left Behind", which basically ensured many children would be left behind.

I'm sure there's more to his laundry list of awful fuckery. It should also be noted all the above is just off the top of my head, based on shit I read years ago.

I had my "political awakening" during the Bush years. I was in my late teens/early twenties... and that was all the politics I could handle, really. Once the shit that administration stopped shocking me, I pretty much quit following politics.

Shit is poison.

 

[TheLoneWolf527]

Haha, will do.


On topic, I nominate Bush Jr's administration (including Cheney, Rumsfeld etc as Bush took more vacation than any other president and they were running shit while he was down on the ranch):

- Illegally invaded and occupied a foreign country (war crime).
- Lied to the UN to justify said illegal "war".
- Started up Guantanamo Bay and other detention camps which were rife with torture and abuses of the Geneva Convention.
- Came to power with the country billions of dollars in surplus. Left it trillions of dollars in debt.
- Allowed closed bid contracts to be assigned to companies like Halliburton for the reconstruction of Iraq and Katrina (I imagine Cheney is largely to blame for this), effectively allowing them to set their own price. Huge funneling of public wealth to private companies.
- Response to Katrina was abysmal and as bungled as can be.
- Gutted numerous important social services by hiding amendments in other bills and also signing in many downright Orwellian things like "No Child Left Behind", which basically ensured many children would be left behind.

I'm sure there's more to his laundry list of awful fuckery. It should also be noted all the above is just off the top of my head, based on shit I read years ago.

I had my "political awakening" during the Bush years. I was in my late teens/early twenties... and that was all the politics I could handle, really. Once the shit that administration stopped shocking me, I pretty much quit following politics.

Shit is poison.

Or as Chris Rock said:

"George Bush has fucked up so bad, he made it hard for a white man to run for president!"

 

[matburn H]

Probably go with (in no particular order)
Bush sr
Bush jr
Reagan
Lincoln
FDR

 

[PorkPiePusher]

Yes. I do not think women ought to have the right to vote. Women are not politically as engaged/involved as men on average, and generally don't think in terms of reason/justice as men do. I take this belief from Feminists, who speak of "women's ways" of knowing (see contemporary Feminist Ethics).

You must me one of those guys that get easily offended by drawings of the prophet, right?

 

[5H3RD0G]

Unfortunately due to the lonewolf style of government and party system absolute failure across the board. I'm waiting for a "United" team oriented leadership system with the brightest minds funneling all the great ideas across our vast land of talent. :icon_lol:

 

[JosephDredd]

Uh...?

Source on "selling it to the mob"?

My bad. I guess I combined Harding with Boss Tweed in my head, but I swear I read about a President who was pretty openly corrupt.

 

[second sight]

you're witnessing it, George W Bush was bad as well

having said that, history (real history) will not be good for obama

 

[ElKarlo]

Probably go with (in no particular order)
Bush sr
Bush jr
Reagan
Lincoln
FDR

I think Bush sr was actually pretty decent. Agree with the rest

 

[second sight]

It's funny how Reagan won his second election by unbelievable numbers and had the nation pulled together, he restored faith and hope in all Americans yet revisionist have fooled people that weren't even alive or in diapers into thinking he was a bad president.
Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of our generation.

Conservative policies will never be accepted by liberal institutions, history will judge that as well

 

[Arkain2K]

Here, this list will help:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

 

[Thames]

Wait hold on a second. You have some good points here and I know that most people say Wilson is one of the worst, but are you saying that he was bad because he gave women the right to vote?

Hahaha
I was also like "that must have been a typo". But seems like he really means that. Interesting.

 

[Like A Bas]

It's funny how Reagan won his second election by unbelievable numbers and had the nation pulled together, he restored faith and hope in all Americans yet revisionist have fooled people that weren't even alive or in diapers into thinking he was a bad president.
Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of our generation.

Conservative policies will never be accepted by liberal institutions, history will judge that as well

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_administration_scandals


Some of us old enough to remember are not quite as enthusiastic as you are. Add to his criminal administration all the union busting and the tomfoolery with arming and training south & central American terrorists, corporate espionage, election tampering and drug running and it paints a more accurate picture of just what a disaster and piece of shit Reagan was. Fuck him, fuck his grave, and fuck his legacy.

But still probably not as bad as W. I'd have to nominate JFK as well. His dumb ass just about apocalypse'd us over a dick-waving contest, didn't pull the trigger on apartheid, and ushered in the modern era of completely illegal bullshit wars.