who was the greatest american president

[JJM]

the discussion on Dakota got me interested -

presidents have come from 21 of the 50 states - so is this a inbuilt bias in the political system?

and why wasn't Clinton included in your poll?

1. George Washington (1789-97) Virginia
2. John Adams (1797-1801) Massachusetts
3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-09) Virginia
4. James Madison (1809-17) Virginia
5. James Monroe (1817-25) Virginia
6. John Quincy Adams (1825-29) Massachusetts
7. Andrew Jackson (1829-37) South Carolina
8. Martin Van Buren (1837-41) New York
9. William Henry Harrison (1841) Virginia
10. John Tyler (1841-45) Virginia
11. James K. Polk (1845-49) North Carolina
12. Zachary Taylor (1849-50) Virginia
13. Millard Fillmore (1850-53) New York
14. Franklin Pierce (1853-57) New Hampshire
15. James Buchanan (1857-61) Pennsylvania
16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) Kentucky
17. Andrew Johnson (1865-69) North Carolina
18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77) Ohio
19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81) Ohio
20. James A. Garfield (1881) Ohio
21. Chester A. Arthur (1881-85) Vermont
22. Grover Cleveland (1885-89) New Jersey
23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-93) Ohio
24. Grover Cleveland (1893-97) New Jersey
25. William McKinley (1897-1901) Ohio
26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) New York
27. William H. Taft (1909-13) Ohio
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) Virginia
29. Warren G. Harding (1921-23) Ohio
30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-29) Vermont
31. Herbert Hoover (1929-33) Iowa
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45) New York
33. Harry S. Truman (1945-53) Missouri
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) Texas
35. John F. Kennedy (1961-63) Massachusetts
36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69) Texas
37. Richard M. Nixon (1969-74) California
38. Gerald R. Ford (1974-77) Nebraska
39. Jimmy Carter (1977-81) Georgia
40. Ronald Reagan (1981-89) Illinois
41. George Bush (1989-93) Massachusetts
42. William J. Clinton (1993-2001) Arkansas
43. George W. Bush (2001-2008) Connecticut
44. Barack Obama (2009 -) Hawaii

A lot from the Northeast and Southwest. Also it is unknown wheather president Arthur was born in Vermont or Canada but he is belived to have been born in Vermont.

[theusual1]

Why isn't Lyndon B.Johnson on that list. He probably did more for African American rights than any other presidents and they are a large proportion of people in America. I don't think Kennedy was alive long enough to be counted as the greatest. This is my british perspective so i probably dont know as much as others here.

Turns out Kennedy isn't liked. What did Raegen do? i've not really heard much about him.

[neanderpaul14]

Turns out Kennedy isn't liked. What did Reagen do? i've not really heard much about him.

I was one of the 2 in here who voted for Kennedy.

Not sure why Reagan is getting so many votes in here, but I know that many people credit his "Star Wars Defense Initiative" as helping to ferment an end to the Cold War. Some will actually to go as far as to say that Reagan won the Cold War.

[Frigidus]

Turns out Kennedy isn't liked. What did Reagen do? i've not really heard much about him.

I was one of the 2 in here who voted for Kennedy.

Not sure why Reagan is getting so many votes in here, but I know that many people credit his "Star Wars Defense Initiative" as helping to ferment an end to the Cold War. Some will actually to go as far as to say that Reagan won the Cold War.

The right wing gushes over Reagan...it's comparable to the way people talk about Obama (toned down recently, but prior to the election).

[Snorri1234]

So the listing of the states are the states they were born in? It didnt make sense as I thought Lincoln and Obama were from Illinois, Bush Sr from Texas, and Reagan from California. I also thought Taft was from Massachusetts.

Yep, ones they were born in.

Actually Lincoln was born in Kentucky, Obama was born in Hawaii, and Bush Sr was born in Massachusetts. And sadly as much as it pains me Little Georgie Bush was born in my home state of Connecticut.

Obama was born in KENYA! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE ANYTHING DIFFERENT!

[supergeek24]

i will be in 20012

[Snorri1234]

i will be in 20012

Man, I don't think the US will exist at that time.

[neanderpaul14]

i will be in 20012

Man, I don't think the US will exist at that time.

Also I think supergeek may be a little old by then

[Frigidus]

So the listing of the states are the states they were born in? It didnt make sense as I thought Lincoln and Obama were from Illinois, Bush Sr from Texas, and Reagan from California. I also thought Taft was from Massachusetts.

Yep, ones they were born in.

Actually Lincoln was born in Kentucky, Obama was born in Hawaii, and Bush Sr was born in Massachusetts. And sadly as much as it pains me Little Georgie Bush was born in my home state of Connecticut.

Obama was born in KENYA! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE ANYTHING DIFFERENT!

[neanderpaul14]

the discussion on Dakota got me interested -

presidents have come from 21 of the 50 states - so is this a inbuilt bias in the political system?

and why wasn't Clinton included in your poll?

1. George Washington (1789-97) Virginia
2. John Adams (1797-1801) Massachusetts
3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-09) Virginia
4. James Madison (1809-17) Virginia
5. James Monroe (1817-25) Virginia
6. John Quincy Adams (1825-29) Massachusetts
7. Andrew Jackson (1829-37) South Carolina
8. Martin Van Buren (1837-41) New York
9. William Henry Harrison (1841) Virginia
10. John Tyler (1841-45) Virginia
11. James K. Polk (1845-49) North Carolina
12. Zachary Taylor (1849-50) Virginia
13. Millard Fillmore (1850-53) New York
14. Franklin Pierce (1853-57) New Hampshire
15. James Buchanan (1857-61) Pennsylvania
16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) Kentucky
17. Andrew Johnson (1865-69) North Carolina
18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77) Ohio
19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81) Ohio
20. James A. Garfield (1881) Ohio
21. Chester A. Arthur (1881-85) Vermont
22. Grover Cleveland (1885-89) New Jersey
23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-93) Ohio
24. Grover Cleveland (1893-97) New Jersey
25. William McKinley (1897-1901) Ohio
26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) New York
27. William H. Taft (1909-13) Ohio
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) Virginia
29. Warren G. Harding (1921-23) Ohio
30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-29) Vermont
31. Herbert Hoover (1929-33) Iowa
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45) New York
33. Harry S. Truman (1945-53) Missouri
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) Texas
35. John F. Kennedy (1961-63) Massachusetts
36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69) Texas
37. Richard M. Nixon (1969-74) California
38. Gerald R. Ford (1974-77) Nebraska
39. Jimmy Carter (1977-81) Georgia
40. Ronald Reagan (1981-89) Illinois
41. George Bush (1989-93) Massachusetts
42. William J. Clinton (1993-2001) Arkansas
43. George W. Bush (2001-2008) Connecticut
44. Barack Obama (2009 -) Hawaii

I'm sorry I hate to keep bringing this up but as a life long resident of Connecticut it just really irks the hell out of me that this person is listed as being from Connecticut. His birth place is listed as New Haven, Connecticut, so I'm picturing some unholy shrine deep beneath the compound of the Skull and Bones headquarters at Yale university. Where he was anointed on an altar beneath an upside down cross. After which he was quickly shipped to a ranch in Texas to begin his, hypocritical, training in militant conservatism.


I mean really can't we find a better champion for our state. Just off hand I'm thinking Benedict Arnold was also born in Connecticut. He caused much less damage to our country than Little Georgie. Or we may also consider John Brown, he may have been a murderous lunatic but he was responsible for far fewer senseless deaths than our former wannabe dictator.

[Skittles!]

I liked when we were talking, or laughing, at North Dakota.

[targetman377]

the discussion on Dakota got me interested -

presidents have come from 21 of the 50 states - so is this a inbuilt bias in the political system?

and why wasn't Clinton included in your poll?

1. George Washington (1789-97) Virginia
2. John Adams (1797-1801) Massachusetts
3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-09) Virginia
4. James Madison (1809-17) Virginia
5. James Monroe (1817-25) Virginia
6. John Quincy Adams (1825-29) Massachusetts
7. Andrew Jackson (1829-37) South Carolina
8. Martin Van Buren (1837-41) New York
9. William Henry Harrison (1841) Virginia
10. John Tyler (1841-45) Virginia
11. James K. Polk (1845-49) North Carolina
12. Zachary Taylor (1849-50) Virginia
13. Millard Fillmore (1850-53) New York
14. Franklin Pierce (1853-57) New Hampshire
15. James Buchanan (1857-61) Pennsylvania
16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) Kentucky
17. Andrew Johnson (1865-69) North Carolina
18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-77) Ohio
19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-81) Ohio
20. James A. Garfield (1881) Ohio
21. Chester A. Arthur (1881-85) Vermont
22. Grover Cleveland (1885-89) New Jersey
23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-93) Ohio
24. Grover Cleveland (1893-97) New Jersey
25. William McKinley (1897-1901) Ohio
26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) New York
27. William H. Taft (1909-13) Ohio
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) Virginia
29. Warren G. Harding (1921-23) Ohio
30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-29) Vermont
31. Herbert Hoover (1929-33) Iowa
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-45) New York
33. Harry S. Truman (1945-53) Missouri
34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) Texas
35. John F. Kennedy (1961-63) Massachusetts
36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69) Texas
37. Richard M. Nixon (1969-74) California
38. Gerald R. Ford (1974-77) Nebraska
39. Jimmy Carter (1977-81) Georgia
40. Ronald Reagan (1981-89) Illinois
41. George Bush (1989-93) Massachusetts
42. William J. Clinton (1993-2001) Arkansas
43. George W. Bush (2001-2008) Connecticut
44. Barack Obama (2009 -) Hawaii

I'm sorry I hate to keep bringing this up but as a life long resident of Connecticut it just really irks the hell out of me that this person is listed as being from Connecticut. His birth place is listed as New Haven, Connecticut, so I'm picturing some unholy shrine deep beneath the compound of the Skull and Bones headquarters at Yale university. Where he was anointed on an altar beneath an upside down cross. After which he was quickly shipped to a ranch in Texas to begin his, hypocritical, training in militant conservatism.


I mean really can't we find a better champion for our state. Just off hand I'm thinking Benedict Arnold was also born in Connecticut. He caused much less damage to our country than Little Georgie. Or we may also consider John Brown, he may have been a murderous lunatic but he was responsible for far fewer senseless deaths than our former wannabe dictator.

dumb ass

[SultanOfSurreal]

Some will actually to go as far as to say that Reagan won the Cold War.

Some will be morons

[PLAYER57832]

presidents have come from 21 of the 50 states - so is this a inbuilt bias in the political system?

As opposed to the fact that we have not actually HAD 50 states for most of our history? LOL

[SultanOfSurreal]

There's an argument that FDR's policies did not help get us out of the Great Depression. Those people argue that World War Two got us out of the Great Depression. Which, frankly, I agree with

then you're another dullard who fell for a conservative canard older than your parents. the depression was effectively over by 1938, well before america entered the conflict.

At the risk of being subject to nonsensical abuse with no backup information (from the good Sultan)... What was wrong with President Reagan?

he was the progenitor of the modern conservative movement, which has done more to harm america socially, financially, and culturally than anything else in the current era. he ballooned defense spending to insane levels, cutting funding for vital social programs to do it -- among them education and healthcare.

his voodoo economics are the single worst, most discredited economic theory to ever hold sway over the country and represent a transparent attempt to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor that would have been laughable if it hadn't worked.

basically he was a demagogue and by the end of his second term he was a literal doddering moron who barely remembered that he was even president.

further if the ussr hadn't had the single weakest (by a huge margin) head of state to ever serve, and if the ussr hadn't already raped itself to death with obscenely poor planning, reagan would not have been able to "end" the cold war. in fact his "tear down this wall" and other brinksmanship-type antics probably would have led to nuclear war if someone like stalin had been in office. though i prefer to think reagan possessed some semblance of sanity and wouldn't have tried ridiculous stunts like that if he didn't know he could get away with them.

and i haven't even touched on nicaragua, iran, his lasting effects on the supreme court, or about 10,000 other things that make him probably one of the worst figures in all american history

[thegreekdog]

then you're another dullard who fell for a conservative canard older than your parents. the depression was effectively over by 1938, well before america entered the conflict.

Ah, yes... those dullards who actually understand history.

I wonder what would have happened has we not started selling weapons to the UK and the USSR or oil to Japan? Did FDR do those things? Sure, but it wasn't his social policies, it was his foreign policies.

[SultanOfSurreal]

then you're another dullard who fell for a conservative canard older than your parents. the depression was effectively over by 1938, well before america entered the conflict.

Ah, yes... those dullards who actually understand history.

I wonder what would have happened has we not started selling weapons to the UK and the USSR or oil to Japan? Did FDR do those things? Sure, but it wasn't his social policies, it was his foreign policies.

once again the depression ended before the start of wwii, now please move to the back of the line

[thegreekdog]

once again the depression ended before the start of wwii, now please move to the back of the line

Just because you want something, doesn't make it true. I heard President Obama is setting aside $3 billion for re-education related to the Great Depression. Perhaps you are eligible for a cut?

[SultanOfSurreal]

once again the depression ended before the start of wwii, now please move to the back of the line

Just because you want something, doesn't make it true. I heard President Obama is setting aside $3 billion for re-education related to the Great Depression. Perhaps you are eligible for a cut?

Click image to enlarge.

[targetman377]

once again the depression ended before the start of wwii, now please move to the back of the line

Just because you want something, doesn't make it true. I heard President Obama is setting aside $3 billion for re-education related to the Great Depression. Perhaps you are eligible for a cut?

Click image to enlarge.

sulton i hate to say it but it was not him who got us out of the depprision it was the war. we started selling weapons, planes, and amuniton to britian. and THAT WAS NOT FDR WHO SAID DO IT that my friend is somthing you may have herd about it's called THE FREE MARKET the us government was not making thouse planes no privit companys where and they where hiring people so it was the war and the military build up. sulton learn some history

[SultanOfSurreal]

sulton i hate to say it but it was not him who got us out of the depprision it was the war. we started selling weapons, planes, and amuniton to britian. and THAT WAS NOT FDR WHO SAID DO IT that my friend is somthing you may have herd about it's called THE FREE MARKET the us government was not making thouse planes no privit companys where and they where hiring people so it was the war and the military build up. sulton learn some history

hmm yes fascinating

[thegreekdog]

Sultan, when do you think World War Two started?

And, did you even read the first graph?

You're a strange dude.

[SultanOfSurreal]

Sultan, when do you think World War Two started?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Poland_(1939)

And, did you even read the first graph?

yes in fact i did and i happened to see the part where the gdp graph is well above the "depression begins" marker by the time you see the "us rearmament begins in earnest" marker

the war effort did speed up recovery, yes, but the new deal ended the worst of it and without the war effort we still would have been just fine

[Frigidus]

sulton i hate to say it but it was not him who got us out of the depprision it was the war. we started selling weapons, planes, and amuniton to britian. and THAT WAS NOT FDR WHO SAID DO IT that my friend is somthing you may have herd about it's called THE FREE MARKET the us government was not making thouse planes no privit companys where and they where hiring people so it was the war and the military build up. sulton learn some history

hmm yes fascinating

Wow, the 'free market saved' us, huh? Question. I'm no economist, but if weapon sales were really the sole reason we were pulled out of the Great Depression, then wouldn't the end of the war left us right where we started? I mean, what with everybody other than ourselves no longer in war mode and all.

Also, read the charts, your theory is pure, unbridled conjecture. Point out how your theory lines up with our GDP.

[neanderpaul14]

Some will actually to go as far as to say that Reagan won the Cold War.

Some will be morons

I didn't say that was my belief, at all, I'm saying that some people do go that far.