The Best President in the 20th century.

[runawayjim]

The best president is any president that kept us out of war and that led us out of war.

FDR would be one of the worst, as would LBJ, and George Bush I and II.

FDR lead us out of the great depression... i think that should count for something. he also didn't have much choice for WWII, we were blatantly attacked.

[peaceloveunderstanding]

If you look at the numbers, his policy didn't really do much for correcting the depression. FDR's policy probably made things worse before they got better by reducing price flexibility, and by setting minimum wages. At first his policy seemed to work as the economy began to expand again in 1933 and continued to do so until May of 1937. Then, a second depression began and lasted until June of 1938.

As for WWII, you're not looking at the whole picture with how the US started blockading oil to Japan without a formal declaration of war. Japan didn't want to go to war with the US, FDR pushed their hand.

[monsoon]

FDR no doubt saved the nation from one of its darkest times. My grandfather was put to work in one of his WPA programs during the Great Depression and for that he and my grandmother were always grateful. The "Let them Eat Cake" policies of Hoover, (same mind set we have today) just simply throws out the concept that Americans should help others in society. Likewise, the spread of fascism was stopped in Europe because FDR choose to get involved with Britian before it was too late, and these decisions were made before Pearl Harbor occured.

Indeed, the Japanese Imperial Military had already decided the USA was their biggest rival to keeping them from gaining complete control of the entire pacific basin and had plans to attack the USA regardless. If they had waited until they had the resources of China firmly in their control, it would have been much worse for the USA in the long run. I don't think anyone could think of any scenarios that would have made the results of WWII better for the USA once it was over and we all have FDR to thank for that.

[cityboi]

I say Bill Clinton because he led this nation during a time when our country was at its peak for prosperity for all. I doubt we'll ever see days like that again. The current administration has just done so much damage.

[Snowguy716]

If you look at the numbers, his policy didn't really do much for correcting the depression. FDR's policy probably made things worse before they got better by reducing price flexibility, and by setting minimum wages. At first his policy seemed to work as the economy began to expand again in 1933 and continued to do so until May of 1937. Then, a second depression began and lasted until June of 1938.

As for WWII, you're not looking at the whole picture with how the US started blockading oil to Japan without a formal declaration of war. Japan didn't want to go to war with the US, FDR pushed their hand.

It is important to know that WWII is what really lifted this country out of the depression once and for all... but FDR saved this country from unraveling and spiralling out of control. His programs helped to stabilize the recession of the economy and turn it back upward.

FDR laid the groundwork for 40 years of fiscal policy that accepted that government had a roll in the well being of Americans' lives. Many conservatives have been bitter about this since the day FDR instituted the New Deal.

FDR was also very charismatic and he clicked with the American people, which made them more optimistic which is huge. A lot of the reason George Bush is becoming more and more unpopular today (Besides being the worst president in a long long time) is that people are pessimistic about the future of this country. People can be very successful and the economy can be racing up... but money is not happiness and I think that lesson has been learned in the past and will need to be re-learned again.

[runawayjim]

It is important to know that WWII is what really lifted this country out of the depression once and for all... but FDR saved this country from unraveling and spiralling out of control. His programs helped to stabilize the recession of the economy and turn it back upward.

FDR laid the groundwork for 40 years of fiscal policy that accepted that government had a roll in the well being of Americans' lives. Many conservatives have been bitter about this since the day FDR instituted the New Deal.

FDR was also very charismatic and he clicked with the American people, which made them more optimistic which is huge. A lot of the reason George Bush is becoming more and more unpopular today (Besides being the worst president in a long long time) is that people are pessimistic about the future of this country. People can be very successful and the economy can be racing up... but money is not happiness and I think that lesson has been learned in the past and will need to be re-learned again.

FDR's speaking was like that of clinton... sort of comforting in a way.

[monsoon]

Indeed about FDR's charisma. He gave Ameircans hope in what otherwise were very bad times. That is something very lacking today. For that I say he was the best president of the 20th century.

BTW, I am surprised that anyone would vote for Ronald Reagan. By all measures he was a pretty lackluster an inept president. Revisionists like to credit him with ended the Cold War, but that is simply silly nonsense.

[Snowguy716]

Again, Metro.. Charisma.

[runawayjim]

Indeed about FDR's charisma. He gave Ameircans hope in what otherwise were very bad times. That is something very lacking today. For that I say he was the best president of the 20th century.

BTW, I am surprised that anyone would vote for Ronald Reagan. By all measures he was a pretty lackluster an inept president. Revisionists like to credit him with ended the Cold War, but that is simply silly nonsense.

reagan was just as charismatic as clinton and FDR, if not moreso.

[monsoon]

reagan was just as charismatic as clinton and FDR, if not moreso.

Yes, he was a good actor. There is a big difference.

[runawayjim]

Yes, he was a good actor. There is a big difference.

he appealled to a great many people, including democrats because of his speeches... his policies however....

[JerseyBoy]

... his policies however....

ughhhh Reaganomics!

[Snowguy716]

Voodoo-Economics...

A healthy middle class creates the best economy. They spend the most in relation to their income (taking into account they have more disposable income than the working poor). They spend their money on toys and trinkets and vacations and houses and cars and college educations...

While the rich tend to save and hoard and make money in the stock market...

How is it that these same rich are creating the jobs for the other 95%?

I'd like somebody to prove to me how this works, I just don't get it. Maybe I'm just too stupid to understand modern Republican economics.. other than "Personal responsibility trumps over all other aspects, even if it means lowering incomes and quality of life because people aren't smart enough to know how to be personally responsible because they didn't learn in our schools that will be harder to pay for with lower taxes!"

[Snowguy716]

I thought I'd share this quote from a book I am currently reading called "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by Paulo Freire. He has a lot of interesting things to say about the oppressed and oppressors in society. He wrote this book in 1972 in Brazil and was asked to leave the country for it. Brazil, in 1972, was ruled by an oppressive dictatorship.

This comes from page 59:

"The oppressors do not perceive their monopoly on having more as a privilege which dehumanizes others and themselves. They cannot see that, in the egoistic pursuit of having as a possessing class, they suffocate in their own possessions and no longer are; they merely have. For them, having more is an inalienable right, a right they acquired through their own "effort," with their "courage to take risks." If others do not have more, it is becuase they are incompetent and lazy, and worst of all is their unjustifiable ingratitude towards the "generous gestures" of the dominant class. (Dominant class being the oppressed.)

Immediately upon reading this, things like "personally responsibility" and "laziness" and "welfare" and things like that come to mind. It is hard not to see subtle oppression in our society by the super-rich and those they have dooped into believing their claptrap.

[MR-2]

Supply Side Economics was actually named specifically to aggravate Keynesian school economists. Most forms of Keynesianism focus on the demand aspects of economic systems, and naming the new school "Supply Side" was meant as a blatant contrast to it, signalling its rejection.

I'm still bitter about it.

I know most of the problems people have with Reagan involve his heavy-handed foreign policy, but it was the domestic stuff that irritated me to the point of insanity.

For all that he was, Reagan still had a great sense of humor. I can't deny that.

[snoogit]

Maybe I am missing something, but he isn't on there. In any case, he soundly beat kerry in the 2004 election.

Dubya has served completely in the 21st century anyways. 20th century doesn't count

[monsoon]

Dubya has served completely in the 21st century anyways. 20th century doesn't count

Maybe you should have read forward a few posts from that.

[Pillsbury]

Indeed about FDR's charisma. He gave Ameircans hope in what otherwise were very bad times. That is something very lacking today. For that I say he was the best president of the 20th century.

BTW, I am surprised that anyone would vote for Ronald Reagan. By all measures he was a pretty lackluster an inept president. Revisionists like to credit him with ended the Cold War, but that is simply silly nonsense.

Exactly, the pope had as much to do with ending the Cold War as President Reagan.

[RiverwoodCLT]

Theodore Roosevelt

Many of us could go back and see what he did, you would agree he was one of our best presidents ever.

[snoogit]

Maybe you should have read forward a few posts from that.

I thought it needed an explaination

(I understand what you mean though)