What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

timschochet's thread- Mods, please move this thread to the Politics Subforum, thank you (1 Viewer)

timschochet said:
44. Eleanor Roosevelt

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

From the time she was a child, she was an ugly, serious girl. She told friends late in life, "When your mother says that your face has character, you know you're not very good-looking." Her nickname was "Granny". She grew up in New York Society, with a famous name, and as Doris Kearns Goodwin put it, "society was horrified."

She fell in love with her first cousin, Franklin, and they were married. Whether or not he was ever in love with her, or simply chose her as suitable for his ambitions, is an open question. Very shortly after they were married Franklin began an affair with Lucy Mercer Rutherford, a southern beauty, and this affair continued throughout his life (he died at Lucy's house in Warm Springs, Georgia.) Eleanor was left for public appearances, producing an heir, etc.

...Up next: Speaking of women, there's no doubt in my mind that my next pick had sex with more of them, all stunningly beautiful, than anyone else on this list...
Click to expand...
First Ladies don't do much.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Top-5 First Ladies:

1. Martha Washington

2. Dolley Madison

3. Edith Wilson

4. Jackie Kennedy - a ROCK!

5. Lucretia Garfield - created the first presidential library and did what Edith Wilson is often lauded for, essentially standing in for her husband on many issues that required signature.

- HM: Abigail Adams.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
timschochet said:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
How do you take a top-5 President, by your own ranking, and put him lower than a First Lady?
Click to expand...
Eleanor Roosevelt is our greatest First Lady, the greatest American woman of the 20th century, and one of the most admired women of all time. It really wasn't that hard a pick, Saints.
Click to expand...
First Ladies don't remotely compare to Presidents in any way, Ike led the WORLD to victory over fascists powers over the course of nearly 5 years and then another 5 years of reconstruction. Then he was one of the best 5 presidents of all time and fended off Stalin and communism for another 8. Eleanor Roosevelt married her really super-wealthy 1st cousin.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yankee23Fan said:
Tier 8 - the Great Top Five of American Presidents

In this final group we have three of the four faces on Mount Rushmore, the final Founding Father to serve in the office, and the President who served the longest in the office and dealt with World War II. Their raw rankings for me end up being accurate and so they remain in the order the originally finished.

...
Click to expand...
Really Yank you should take all this and teach a history class somewhere.

Tim, I encourage you as well. But note if you do I will find out where it is and shout criticisms from the back of the classroom.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
timschochet said:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
How do you take a top-5 President, by your own ranking, and put him lower than a First Lady?
Click to expand...
Eleanor Roosevelt is our greatest First Lady, the greatest American woman of the 20th century, and one of the most admired women of all time. It really wasn't that hard a pick, Saints.
Click to expand...
First Ladies don't remotely compare to Presidents in any way, Ike led the WORLD to victory over fascists powers over the course of nearly 5 years and then another 5 years of reconstruction. Then he was one of the best 5 presidents of all time and fended off Stalin and communism for another 8. Eleanor Roosevelt married her really super-wealthy 1st cousin.
Click to expand...
Eleanor was the image of American leadership for much of the 20th century. Her greatest importance may have come AFTER she was First Lady when she was the greatest symbol of Amercan idealism and liberalism for nearly two decades. Year after year she was voted America's most respected woman, and this was long after FDR was dead. Whenever there was a crisis anywhere around the world during the late 40s and all throughout the 50s, there was Eleanor, an international roving ambassador of goodwill. I'm frankly astonished that out of all of my latest posted selections, this would be the one you find objectionable. I would think this would be one of the least controversial in the entire list.

 
timschochet said:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
timschochet said:
SaintsInDome2006 said:
How do you take a top-5 President, by your own ranking, and put him lower than a First Lady?
Click to expand...
Eleanor Roosevelt is our greatest First Lady, the greatest American woman of the 20th century, and one of the most admired women of all time. It really wasn't that hard a pick, Saints.
Click to expand...
First Ladies don't remotely compare to Presidents in any way, Ike led the WORLD to victory over fascists powers over the course of nearly 5 years and then another 5 years of reconstruction. Then he was one of the best 5 presidents of all time and fended off Stalin and communism for another 8. Eleanor Roosevelt married her really super-wealthy 1st cousin.
Click to expand...
Eleanor was the image of American leadership for much of the 20th century. Her greatest importance may have come AFTER she was First Lady when she was the greatest symbol of Amercan idealism and liberalism for nearly two decades. Year after year she was voted America's most respected woman, and this was long after FDR was dead. Whenever there was a crisis anywhere around the world during the late 40s and all throughout the 50s, there was Eleanor, an international roving ambassador of goodwill.I'm frankly astonished that out of all of my latest posted selections, this would be the one you find objectionable. I would think this would be one of the least controversial in the entire list.
Click to expand...
I'm not really objecting, haven't popped in in a while, but I just think a top-5 president is far more significant than any First Lady, regardless of how you want to rank them.

Ike helped save the world. What did Eleanor actually do? Yes, she was a positive female leader and speaker, expanded the role of the First Lady.... I mean with all due respect (and frankly I have a lot for her, all kidding aside) it really doesn't compare though.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The key player in the sexual revolution was the US Supreme Court.

Hef, as much as we appreciate his contributions, is a smut merchant. Nttawwt but I wouldn't file it under "Great".

 
Last edited by a moderator:
If there's only one woman left, I guess that means either Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton is not in the Top 100, but Madonna is?

 
40. Ernest Hemingway

All things truly wicked start from innocence.

Arguably the most colorful and larger than life person on this list. Although he died in 1961, his legacy around the world as "the American" is a rather large one. I can personally attest to having traveled several places around the world in which one of the featured attractions for tourists is the inevitable "Ernest Hemingway was here" or "Ernest Hemingway ate at this restaurant" or "Ernest Hemingway fought with bulls here" or "You see that house? Ernest Hemingway hung out there." etc. etc.

Some literally critics argue that he is our greatest novelist. That is debatable; he certainly has fierce competition from Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, his buddy Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and one other guy to be named later. Hemingway certainly has as many great classics as any of them, and he has a style of prose that is all his own (personally, I was never much of a fan of it.) In any case, Hemingway's life is far more interesting than any of the others I mentioned, and he's had a legendary presence that has only grown over time. If James Dean was a famous novelist, that would be Ernest Hemingway.

Like so many other of our greatest artists, unfortunately, Hemingway's boozing and pills finally caught up with him, as did his severe depression, which caused him to put a gun in his mouth. The bell tolled for him, but this event didn't detract from his legacy; it only made it more of a tragic romance. He was a man's man who matched the most famous of his contrived heroes.

Up next: well, we've had a few kings on this list (with more to come); how about a sultan?

 
Tim, did you ever read Dan Simmons' The Crook Factory? It's a novelization of Hemingway's time in Cuba trying to help the war effort.

 
39. Babe Ruth

Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.

His achievements on the baseball field defy description, but that's not the reason the Babe is on this list, and so high. It's because he is the ultimate archetype American athletic hero, the first (and perhaps greatest) celebrity athlete. There are two athletes remaining on this list that will be ranked above Babe Ruth, but they will be there as much for sociological and political reasons as for athletic stardom.

In terms of sheer celebrity, only three athletes in world history can be compared to Babe Ruth. One I won't mention, as he is one of the two that will be coming up a little later. One is Pele, the soccer player, born in Brazil and thus ineligible for this list. And one is Michael Jordan, who I considered but could not find space for in this list. There really are no others who have achieved this level of fame. And what makes it most remarkable is that baseball is not so much of an international sport like soccer or boxing or even basketball- there are large chunks of the planet where it is not played or popular at all. Yet the Babe, a man whose accomplishments were fully completed prior to World War II, remains among the best known greatest athletes ever. Even my daughters at a young age, who followed no baseball whatsoever, somehow knew the name Babe Ruth. (Part of this is probably the simplicity of the name itself which of course was not his real name- it rolls off the tongue quite easily. If Babe Ruth had kept his real name of George Herman Ruth, Jr., he would still be regarded as the greatest baseball player ever, but would his name be recognized all over the world? I doubt it.)

In recent years some baseball historians have denigrated Ruth's achievements and argued that they should be given a big fat asterisk. The main reason for this is that there were no black players in Major League Baseball. That was hardly Ruth's decision, and I think it's very unfair to his legacy that this argument is even made.

Up next: the most recognizable person of anyone on this entire list...

 
38. Elvis Presley

Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.

In many ways, Elvis represents the ultimate dichotomy of the American image. He is arguably our greatest rebel figure: his appearance in popular culture in the mid 1950s represented a significant departure from the norms of everything that came before it: rock music, of which Elvis Presley was the first and most visible progenitor of all time, has managed to change every aspect of American and world culture. By shaking his pelvis on national television, Elvis Presley shattered conformity in a way that all other social rebels who have ever lived can only dream of aspiring to.

And yet Elvis is also arguably our greatest symbol of conformity as well. There is no more "establishment" figure than the older Elvis, traveling between Las Vegas, Graceland and Hawaii in his white jump suits, hanging out with Richard Nixon, etc. And this, too, is so typical of what America does to its rebels: we absorb them and make them part of the culture, until they are part of us and rebels no more.

Does Elvis truly belong on this list, and in such a high spot? He didn't write his own music. As a performer, he was decidedly mediocre (IMO). His dance skills and presentation were all stolen from African-American artists. His singing skills were fine but he wouldn't make my top ten of greatest rock vocalists. His music is certainly not timeless in the same way as the Beatles 10 years later; partly because of the lack of stereo for most of his recordings, they sound dated. And even his best output is pretty simplistic rock and roll. His movies are dreadful. His last years, in which he was a bloated parody of himself, were awful and sad to witness. He has more impersonators than anyone whose ever lived, and I've never seen one that didn't suck.

And yet- it's a dumb question. Of course Elvis belongs on this list! Of course Elvis deserves this high ranking! It's Elvis ####### Presley! What could be more American?

Next up: West Point's finest student of all time...

 
timschochet said:
38. Elvis Presley

Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.

In many ways, Elvis represents the ultimate dichotomy of the American image. He is arguably our greatest rebel figure: his appearance in popular culture in the mid 1950s represented a significant departure from the norms of everything that came before it: rock music, of which Elvis Presley was the first and most visible progenitor of all time, has managed to change every aspect of American and world culture. By shaking his pelvis on national television, Elvis Presley shattered conformity in a way that all other social rebels who have ever lived can only dream of aspiring to.

And yet Elvis is also arguably our greatest symbol of conformity as well. There is no more "establishment" figure than the older Elvis, traveling between Las Vegas, Graceland and Hawaii in his white jump suits, hanging out with Richard Nixon, etc. And this, too, is so typical of what America does to its rebels: we absorb them and make them part of the culture, until they are part of us and rebels no more.

Does Elvis truly belong on this list, and in such a high spot? He didn't write his own music. As a performer, he was decidedly mediocre (IMO). His dance skills and presentation were all stolen from African-American artists. His singing skills were fine but he wouldn't make my top ten of greatest rock vocalists. His music is certainly not timeless in the same way as the Beatles 10 years later; partly because of the lack of stereo for most of his recordings, they sound dated. And even his best output is pretty simplistic rock and roll. His movies are dreadful. His last years, in which he was a bloated parody of himself, were awful and sad to witness. He has more impersonators than anyone whose ever lived, and I've never seen one that didn't suck.

And yet- it's a dumb question. Of course Elvis belongs on this list! Of course Elvis deserves this high ranking! It's Elvis ####### Presley! What could be more American?

Next up: West Point's finest student of all time...
Click to expand...
My grandfather?

 
37. Douglas MacArthur

Age wrinkles the body; quitting wrinkles the soul.

William Manchester, the historian and author of American Caesar, regarded General MacArthur as America's greatest professional soldier of all time. This is certainly arguable. I'm no expert, but I have him ranked as #2 (the #1 guy will be up shortly.) MacArthur's brilliance in World War II against the Japanese is as good, according to military experts, as any general in world history. Add to that his stellar leading of the Rainbow Division during World War I, and his masterful landing at Inchon during the Korean War, and we have a man who, at the head of American troops, won more superlative victories in more wars than any other.

Balanced against this, however, were his failures due mainly to arrogance: the loss of the Philippines in 1941 because of the mystifying destruction of the air force at Clark Field in Luzon, the discounting of Chinese troops massing behind the Yalu river during the Korean War. These are phenomenal failures which led to the deaths of thousands of Americans and cost us much treasure to extricate ourselves, and they were avoidable. There is also MacArthur's history of insubordination, disobeying the direct orders of 3 US Presidents, his destruction of the Bonus Army in 1932, and his eagerness to deploy nuclear weapons against China. MacArthur is likely the most egotistical person in this entire list, often referring to himself in the third person. He was one of the most polarizing figures in American history, especially after Truman fired him.

One aspect of MacArthur's life that gets little play here yet is extremely vital to world history was his superb governorship of Japan following World War II. From the Dai Ichi building in Tokyo, MacArthur committed American resources to the rebuilding of Japan's economy and the formation of a liberal Democratic society. Japanese history, world history, and the world economy would be very different today had MacArthur been a different, more vengeful sort of man.

Though MacArthur's Rainbow Division achievements were in France, he always despised Europe, considering it a competition with HIS Asia. This included a contempt for Dwight Eisenhower, who had once been MacArthur's aide. MacArthur let it be known that he would be interested in the Presidency in 1952; when the Republicans chose Ike instead, THE GENERAL (as he liked to be known) considered it an insult to his legacy. He died bitter that he had not been properly respected. (Before he did though, he warned President Kennedy against getting bogged down in Vietnam.)

Next up: the quintessential American hero...

 
36 Davy Crockett

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas

The ultimate American iconic folk hero, not only during his own time but made even more into a legendary figure afterwards, especially during the 1950s when the hit Disney TV show, the theme song, and the coonskin cap that every boy in America had cemented his status for all time. Davy is rivaled only by Paul Bunyan, a fictional character, and Daniel Boone, who was a big man.

But Davy is for real. He was not born on a mountaintop in Tennessee; he was born in Virginia, and moved to Tennessee as a young child. Many of his legendary aspects are actually true: he really could stick an axe into a tree trunk, fire his long rifle from 40 yards away, and hit the edge so precisely that the bullet split in two. He really did kill himself a bear as a young child (though 3 is probably TOO young.) And apparently he really did kill 16 Mexicans before he died himself in hand to hand fighting at the Alamo.

Less legendary is Davy's time as a politician, fighting against the reforms of Andrew Jackson. But it was his decision to ultimately quit politics, and head to the Alamo, that transcended Crockett and arguably transformed him into our greatest hero: King of the Wild Frontier, indeed.

Next up: the highest ranking female on this list.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Pip's Invitation
The THIRD 100 from 1971. #1: Echoes
5 6 7
Replies
310
Views
19K
BobbyLayne
BobbyLayne
Pip's Invitation
The Next 100 Songs from 1975, aka Sanbornpalooza. #1: Black Friday
9 10 11
Replies
527
Views
32K
Pip's Invitation
Pip's Invitation
krista4
In this thread I rank my favorite Beatles songs: 204-1.
138 139 140
Replies
7K
Views
260K
rockaction
rockaction

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top