Rank the Presidents of your lifetime from best to worst

[variablebinary]

From what you know from memory, and historically for the years you were too young to recall, how would rank the Presidents of your lifetime from best to worst.

Not really a political debate or rant, just interested in how childhood memories, academics and age have helped mold your opinion of POTUS's you've lived through.



1 Ronald Reagan (Best)
2 Richard Nixon
3 Bill Clinton
4 George W. Bush
5 Gerald Ford
6 George H. W. Bush
7 Barack Obama
8 Jimmy Carter (Worst)

[Sensei]

1) Reagan (best)
2) Clinton
3) H. W. Bush
4) Ford
5) W. Bush
6) Obama
7) Carter

[Palmguy]

Reagan
Clinton
HW
W
Obama

[jklaughrey]

1 Ronald Reagan (Best)
2 Richard Nixon
3 George W. Bush
4 George H. W. Bush
5 Gerald Ford
6 Bill Clinton
7 Jimmy Carter
8 Barack Obama (Worst)

[crusader377]

1) Reagan (By far the Best)
2) Clinton
3) George H.W. Bush
4) George W. Bush
5) Obama (getting very close to last, might overtake Carter by 2012)
6) Carter

[Thomas M-4]

Jeezh why do so many of you rank that silver tongue devil Clinton so high.
The only thing he did was reform welfare.
I personally hold him responsible for 9/11 for his none action before the fact.
He signed the AWB .
His admin was the one that pushed the home loan mess.
I could mention the other stuff he did domestically but then the thread would get shut down.
I know alot of people give him credit for a good economy during his time. At best I can only give him partial credit for it H.W did the hard part and paid for it while Clinton took credit for all of it. He was just smart enough not to **** it up.
He didn't start governing from the center until he lost congress.

[montanadave]

Eisenhower...

and it's been downhill since.

[joe138]

Reagan
G.W. Bush
G.H.W.Bush
Nixon
Ford
Clinton
Carter
Obama

[LOKNLOD]

Reagan
GW Bush
GHW Bush
Clinton
Obama

[thopkins22]

In vertical order, not horizontal.

Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama.

All different sides of the same damn coin. With that said, Clinton almost takes the top spot as the most conservative president during my lifetime.

[Spurholder]

Reagan
Nixon
Bush '41
Bush'43
Clinton
Ford
Carter
Johnson
Obama

[ucrt]

Reagan
.
.

Eisenhower
H.W. Bush
G.W. Bush
Nixon
Kennedy
Ford
Carter
Johnson
.
Clinton
.
.
.
Obama

[Cagemonkey]

1. Reagan
2. Bush 41
3. Ford
4. Clinton
5. Nixon
6. Bush 43
7. Obama (So Far)
8. Carter

[Honu]

Reagan the best
Bushes were OK but did some stupid stuff
Clinton lying looser more worried about him than he country
Obama Carter both pussy kiss the @$$ of our enemies and weaken the country with their radical agendas

[Heavy Metal]

Reagan
G.W. Bush
G.H.W.Bush
Ford
Clinton
Nixon
Johnson
Carter
Obama

[SteyrAUG]

1 Ronald Reagan
2 George W. Bush
3 Richard Nixon
4 Bill Clinton
5 Gerald Ford
6 George H. W. Bush
7 Jimmy Carter
8 Barack Obama
9 Lyndon Johnson

I think Reagan was the only one I'd consider a "good" President. The others are just degrees of bad.

[SteyrAUG]

Jeezh why do so many of you rank that silver tongue devil Clinton so high.
The only thing he did was reform welfare.
I personally hold him responsible for 9/11 for his none action before the fact.
He signed the AWB .
His admin was the one that pushed the home loan mess.
I could mention the other stuff he did domestically but then the thread would get shut down.
I know alot of people give him credit for a good economy during his time. At best I can only give him partial credit for it H.W did the hard part and paid for it while Clinton took credit for all of it. He was just smart enough not to **** it up.
He didn't start governing from the center until he lost congress.

Because the other ones were such colossal ****ups they rank below even Clinton.

[Thomas M-4]

Because the other ones were such colossal ****ups they rank below even Clinton.

No argument from me about the other ones being **** ups except maybe Reagan I believe he actually whole heartily tried to do right and has been the last one to do so since then.
But I despise Clinton the man NEVER took responsibility for any thing, spineless lying piss of shit he has no loyalty to any thing except for the 2 things that are below his belt one being his pocket book and the other being his dick. They say you can only truly judge a president after they have left office we are still dealing with Clinton's shit. Obama may be worse I certainly don't agree with his policies but it seems that he his loyal to his beliefs. I will at least give him that little nugget.

[chadbag]

Reagan


The others don't really rank.

I was alive for Johnson and Nixon, but not old enough to really have an opinion on how they did as President.

[SteyrAUG]

No argument from me about the other ones being **** ups except maybe Reagan I believe he actually whole heartily tried to do right and has been the last one to do so since then.
But I despise Clinton the man NEVER took responsibility for any thing, spineless lying piss of shit he has no loyalty to any thing except for the 2 things that are below his belt one being his pocket book and the other being his dick. They say you can only truly judge a president after they have left office we are still dealing with Clinton's shit. Obama may be worse I certainly don't agree with his policies but it seems that he his loyal to his beliefs. I will at least give him that little nugget.

I was referring to those we ranked below Clinton. As noted, Reagan was the only "good" President on my list. Loyalty to beliefs is only admirable if the beliefs are admirable. Charles Manson was loyal to his beliefs.

[Abraxas]

Reagan
.
.

Eisenhower
H.W. Bush
G.W. Bush
Nixon
Kennedy
Ford
Carter
Johnson
.
Clinton
.
.
.
Obama

Seriously!? You have Regan above Eisenhower? This is in no way an insult but I am very curious as to why. There are several in you list that I would put in a different order, but we all have our own rulers by which to measure.

I my life time:

Regan
W
HW/Clinton
Carter
Obama

[ralph]

Eisenhower...

and it's been downhill since.

Bingo! I was 4-5yrs old,and remember seeing Ike on TV...

[Abraxas]

Bingo! I was 4-5yrs old,and remember seeing Ike on TV...

I like Ike

[Avenger29]

I was born in March of 1988, so I was alive for the last year of Reagan's presidency.

1. Reagan
2. George H.W. Bush
3. George W. Bush
4. Clinton
5. Obama

[ZRH]

......

[ucrt]

Seriously!? You have Regan above Eisenhower? This is in no way an insult but I am very curious as to why. There are several in you list that I would put in a different order, but we all have our own rulers by which to measure.

.....

===========================

... maybe it's just my ignorance.... ;)

Eisenhower had the country when it was on a roll but just couldn't get the space program going or stop Russia's spread, got us in SE Asia, lost Cuba, ...

Reagan had the country when it was in horrible shape...really sad. Inflation was 20%, military was hamstrung, homo's were trying to get an (ERA)amendment, ...Heck, cotton-pickin' Iran held our hostages for a year but the day he took office, they suddenly let them go. He took a bullet and laughed about it. Got our economy going until Clinton screwed it up, fired union air traffic controllers, caused the collapsed Russia, rejoined Germany, built the military up, gave the country hope and Patriotism, ...

I think a pretty good measure is to just look at how things were when a President took office and how they were when he left office....

But maybe it's just me...

.

[SteyrAUG]

===========================

... maybe it's just my ignorance.... ;)

Eisenhower had the country when it was on a roll but just couldn't get the space program going or stop Russia's spread, got us in SE Asia, lost Cuba, ...

Reagan had the country when it was in horrible shape...really sad. Inflation was 20%, military was hamstrung, homo's were trying to get an (ERA)amendment, ...Heck, cotton-pickin' Iran held our hostages for a year but the day he took office, they suddenly let them go. He took a bullet and laughed about it. Got our economy going until Clinton screwed it up, fired union air traffic controllers, caused the collapsed Russia, rejoined Germany, built the military up, gave the country hope and Patriotism, ...

I think a pretty good measure is to just look at how things were when a President took office and how they were when he left office....

But maybe it's just me...

.

I question your placement of Kennedy below both Bush's and Nixon.

JFK should be #3, possibly #2.

[thopkins22]

I question your placement of Kennedy below both Bush's and Nixon.

And I question the notion that anything other than failed ideology and a bloated welfare state can claim any significant impact on the failure of the Soviet Union.

[Oscar 319]

Best- Reagan

Worst- Tie: Obama/Carter

Favorite?

http://www.greatkat.com/03/roosevelt1.jpg

[Avenger29]

How awesome is T. Roosevelt? This awesome:

http://i52.tinypic.com/15yylxk.jpg

[lethal dose]

Bush
Obama
I'm only nine years old.

[SteyrAUG]

And I question the notion that anything other than failed ideology and a bloated welfare state can claim any significant impact on the failure of the Soviet Union.


Ok, you lost me.

Are you attributing a failed ideology and bloated welfare state to Kennedy?

[variablebinary]

Reagan has taken the number 1 spot for many I see.

He really was a good president, and the people's president.

I just can't imagine anyone in politics now delivering a victory like Reagan did in 1980 and 1984. It's probably impossible in fact.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/ElectoralCollege1980.svg/350px-ElectoralCollege1980.svg.png

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/ElectoralCollege1984.svg/800px-ElectoralCollege1984.svg.png

[Abraxas]

===========================

... maybe it's just my ignorance.... ;)

Eisenhower had the country when it was on a roll but just couldn't get the space program going or stop Russia's spread, got us in SE Asia, lost Cuba, ...

Reagan had the country when it was in horrible shape...really sad. Inflation was 20%, military was hamstrung, homo's were trying to get an (ERA)amendment, ...Heck, cotton-pickin' Iran held our hostages for a year but the day he took office, they suddenly let them go. He took a bullet and laughed about it. Got our economy going until Clinton screwed it up, fired union air traffic controllers, caused the collapsed Russia, rejoined Germany, built the military up, gave the country hope and Patriotism, ...

I think a pretty good measure is to just look at how things were when a President took office and how they were when he left office....

But maybe it's just me...

.Thank you for the reply.

[thopkins22]

Ok, you lost me.

Are you attributing a failed ideology and bloated welfare state to Kennedy?

Not at all...I quoted the wrong text. I was questioning the notion that Reagan won the cold war and beat the Soviet Union. It was a house of cards to begin with.

I suppose I just generally can't wrap my head around Reagan being the end all be all. He campaigned a good game, and accomplished some good things with the tax code. And that's about it.

Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton actually deregulated more things than Reagan did. Reagan not only didn't cut the Department of Energy and the Department of Education, federal spending increased as a percentage of GDP. And as gun owners I would think that we might remember 1986.... I suppose it's like picking between a bank robber who will take you for your savings and a thief who will take you for a dollar.

And don't get me started on W...he made Clinton look benign. Until Obamacare, he had the "honor" of having created the largest entitlement increase since Johnson.

Many here should read Gene Healy's "The Cult of the Presidency."

[SteyrAUG]

Not at all...I quoted the wrong text. I was questioning the notion that Reagan won the cold war and beat the Soviet Union. It was a house of cards to begin with.

I suppose I just generally can't wrap my head around Reagan being the end all be all. He campaigned a good game, and accomplished some good things with the tax code. And that's about it.


It was the same house of cards during the Carter and Ford Administrations. Reagan really did take the bull by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. Pumping up the US military to fighting strength had a lot to do with finally making the cards tumble.

And it isn't that Reagan had a shirt with a big S and a red cape. He was as you said "a good President." What gets him the #1 spot for so many is that all the others were so bad.

[chadbag]

federal spending increased as a percentage of GDP. And as gun owners I would think that we might remember 1986.... I suppose it's like picking between a bank robber who will take you for your savings and a thief who will take you for a dollar.


According to this (admittedly biased source) Congress consistently spent more than Reagan asked for in the budget 7 out of 8 years. Congress was D controlled for 6 of his 8 (R had Senate for 2 years IIRC) and the House for all 8.

http://www.presidentreagan.info/reagan_budgets.cfm

Yes, gun owners remember 1986 and we are all better for it. Have you bought ammo on the internet or over the phone and had it delivered by UPS? Thank Reagan for that.

The changes that came about due to the GOPA 86 were mostly for the better for gun owners. (And rumor has it that Reagan did not want to sign it due to the MG ban but had to be prevailed to by Larry Craig and others due to all the good stuff in it which made it a net win for gun owners).

[Armati]

I'll just give them a grade:


Ford - C-

Carter - F

Regan - C+

Pappy Bush - D

Clinton - F

Little Bush - D+

O(mymother****ingod)bama - an Incomplete but trending toward F

And any current likely Republican replacement will be D+ material at best.