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Forums - General - Historians Release New Ranking of Presidents

MontanaHatchet on 16 February 2009
Kasz216 said:
MontanaHatchet said:
Kasz216 said:
MontanaHatchet said:
I'm a huge history buff, but my classes have knocked a few things out of my brain. What did Lincoln do exactly that was so amazing? He did some pretty historic things, sure, but anyone could have done what he did. The Civil War was pretty much impossible to lose for the north, and as for banning slavery, it likely had a lot more to do with economics and a lot less to do with morals than most people seem to think. I hoped that historians would have put a bit more thought into their lists but now I'm disappointed yet again.

No you've got it about right.

Banning slavery was really just a political move intended to start slave riots and help the war effort.

Lincoln was actually a bit of a jerk... what suspending the Bill of Rights and all.

 

 

Not only that, but he actually made some pretty terrible decisions during the Civil War. For example, sending Grant to the western theater where the north was already doing successfully instead of say, the eastern theater where Davis had appointed his best commander. He cost thousands of lives by picking such terrible generals. But I'm just ranting.

 

Hey, he still made better decisions then the guys before him.

Presidents who get us through hard times will always be overrated though.

Look at FDR.  A lot of people even credit him for getting us out of the great depression despite unemployment being at like 20%+ during his entire reign because he didn't do anything to help private companies... and infact restricted their abilities to produce stuff actually stopping industries growth.

That's why I think Teddy Roosevelt is the best president of all time though.

He was the only one ranked in the top 5 or 10 or so who didn't have some great crisis to get us through.

He got there soley based on legislative descisions and by being foward on the issues of civil rights.

 

I'm a huge Coolidge man myself. Way to take a great situation and just not do anything to screw it up.

 



 

 

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mrstickball on 16 February 2009

I think any ranking of presidents, by number, is kind of useless - just like trying to rank the best hard rock bands of all time. Even if you think Led Zepplin sucks, they always manage to pound out the top 10 way too easily, and always get flak (personally, I think Sabbath is the most underrated).

It'd be better to rank the presidents using a composite score: legislative decisions, leadership under national crisis, contribution(s) to future generations, blunder ranking, ect.

I'm a Grover Cleveland fan, for being underrated. He kept on republicans that were doing their job, cut federal spending, introduced tariff reform, and a number of other conservative measures. Not perfect, but underrated, I think



Back from the dead, I'm afraid.

akuma587 on 16 February 2009

Dude, Lincoln kicked the South's ass. That alone is enough in my book to put him in the Top 5.



We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls.  The only thing that really worried me was the ether.  There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. –Raoul Duke

It is hard to shed anything but crocodile tears over White House speechwriter Patrick Buchanan's tragic analysis of the Nixon debacle. "It's like Sisyphus," he said. "We rolled the rock all the way up the mountain...and it rolled right back down on us...."  Neither Sisyphus nor the commander of the Light Brigade nor Pat Buchanan had the time or any real inclination to question what they were doing...a martyr, to the bitter end, to a "flawed" cause and a narrow, atavistic concept of conservative politics that has done more damage to itself and the country in less than six years than its liberal enemies could have done in two or three decades. -Hunter S. Thompson

Kasz216 on 16 February 2009
akuma587 said:
Dude, Lincoln kicked the South's ass. That alone is enough in my book to put him in the Top 5.

You could of put "W" in Lincolns place and he would of kicked the South's ass.  (The two were actually a lot a like in their governing tactics.  What with the whole lincoln suspending the bill of rights.)

I mean the North's brilliant strategy was basically "Zerg Rush".

Then lincoln went and got assassanated before the hard part.  Reconstruction.

 

 



MontanaHatchet on 16 February 2009

You could have put a chimp in Lincoln's place and it probably would have done a better job. For example, if he were to put Grant in the eastern theater rather than morons like Ambrose Burnside, he would get a banana. He could have made better decisions with such a system in place.



 

 

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steven787 on 16 February 2009
akuma587 said:
Dude, Lincoln kicked the South's ass. That alone is enough in my book to put him in the Top 5.

 

 

I agree, which is especially hilarious because we're both Southerners.  I don't think he should be #1, I understand that he did the best he could with the situation but he still did it.  As far as leadership he was really good; but not as an alliance builder... instead he just pissed off everyone equally (the American way mind you).

Washington is the most impressive politician to me.  He kept himself so high above earthly matters that Hamilton gets all the blame for the partisan and jack-assish things Washington did.  Genius.



I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it.

segajon on 16 February 2009

Hell yeah Honest Abe. He was an Illinoisan.



Jackson50 on 16 February 2009

This survey has John Kennedy as the sixth best president? That is too high. Wilson should also be ranked lower.



steven787 on 16 February 2009

The problem is, who should be moved up?



I would cite regulation, but I know you will simply ignore it.

The_vagabond7 on 16 February 2009
Kasz216 said:
akuma587 said:
Dude, Lincoln kicked the South's ass. That alone is enough in my book to put him in the Top 5.

You could of put "W" in Lincolns place and he would of kicked the South's ass.  (The two were actually a lot a like in their governing tactics.  What with the whole lincoln suspending the bill of rights.)

I mean the North's brilliant strategy was basically "Zerg Rush".

Then lincoln went and got assassanated before the hard part.  Reconstruction.

 

 

I hate zerg rushing bastards. Damn little bitch, north, prolly playin on BGH too.

 



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