Worst US President of the last 50 years (1 Viewer)

[LHUCKS]

This poll will be even more lopsided in ten years' time. W in a landslide.

Exactly...just wait till we see what become of the Middle East.Not good.

You act like the Middle East wasn't a mess before all this.

You aint seen nothing yet.Just because you got bit by a hornet, doesn't make it wise to attack the hornets nest.

 

[Foosball God]

This poll will be even more lopsided in ten years' time. W in a landslide.

Exactly...just wait till we see what become of the Middle East.Not good.

You act like the Middle East wasn't a mess before all this.

You aint seen nothing yet.

Just what exactly are you predicting?

 

[ThisGuy]

Too bad the children on this board have no idea how much worse this country was in the late 70's. Carter should win this in a landslide.

 

[QUEZILLA]

After reading this, http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/arti...p;storyid=45135 , I may want to change my vote from Reagan to GW.

Should have known, GW has had his eye on drilling in the Gulf for years. Another last min bill attached like the internet gambling.

 

[bueno]

Can someone smarter and older than me elaborate on why Carter is considered such a miserable failure? Please include specifics if you don't mind.I've heard that he wasn't the "tough" guy on some issues, but was he a total failure?I've heard that Carter did most of the negotiating for the hostage release, only to have Reagan steal his thunder after the election - is this not the case?

No. Carter tried a rescue and blew it.

Yeah, nothing like a military failure to hurt the legacy of a Prez.

True that.

 

[RoarinSonoran]

Can someone smarter and older than me elaborate on why Carter is considered such a miserable failure? Please include specifics if you don't mind.

I've heard that he wasn't the "tough" guy on some issues, but was he a total failure?

I've heard that Carter did most of the negotiating for the hostage release, only to have Reagan steal his thunder after the election - is this not the case?

No. Carter tried a rescue and blew it.

I wouldn't call that much of an attempt. U.S. soil was invaded and held captive. He should have carpet-bombed Iran back to the stone age the molten planet age. I'd like to think that a lot of the problems in the Middle East since then would have been avoided had ol' Jimmuh grown a pair.Instead, his foreign policy got as far as boycotting the freakin' Olympics (yes, I know that was in response to Afghanistan/Soviets, but it's representative).

 

[LHUCKS]

This poll will be even more lopsided in ten years' time. W in a landslide.

Exactly...just wait till we see what become of the Middle East.Not good.

You act like the Middle East wasn't a mess before all this.

You aint seen nothing yet.

Just what exactly are you predicting?

By destabilizing the region we have increased the chances of 9/11 part two.GW is a complete idiot.

 

[saintfool]

Every silver lining has a cloud with you doesn't it?Greatest President of the 20th century.

Iran-contra was insignificant compared to his restoring faith in America.

restoring america was a first term objective. iran contra managed to crap all over that in the second term.

Star Wars broke the economic back of the Soviet Union.

The Soviets were more than willing to keep going. It was Gorbachev's policy of "Glasnost" that began the reform. Star Wars was just fantasy that cost us millions.

The AIDS crisis quite frankly, wouldn't have been solved by any decision Reagan made, unless he outlawed cornholing. Want to try to apply the same logic to his successors as they haven't solved this "crisis" either.

"silence = death" means nothing to you, i guess. while people were talking about AIDS, the president was conspicuously silent. it took him 5 years to even mention it publicly! he cut CDC funding and kneecapped men within his administration, like surgeon general c everett koop, who wanted to discuss it publicly. reagan was beholden to social and religious conservatives who felt that AIDS was God's wrath. His silence meant that no national dialogue could really take place. He let thousands die without even mentioning how they died! And, for the record, AIDS was never solely a gay man's disease. Your suggestion that it is somehow is points to ignorance at best.

The economy? Yes, he did that. The aftermath of the tax cuts spurred the biggest ecominic boom in history, allowing his successors to pay off the debt. The miltary spending was necessary to break the Soviet Union.

volker and the Fed set the interest rates that helped abate inflation. reagan only cut domestic speding. his military spending did nothing to end the "evil empire" that diplomacy with gorbachev didn't do already.

 

[Foosball God]

This poll will be even more lopsided in ten years' time. W in a landslide.

Exactly...just wait till we see what become of the Middle East.Not good.

You act like the Middle East wasn't a mess before all this.

You aint seen nothing yet.

Just what exactly are you predicting?

By destabilizing the region we have increased the chances of 9/11 part two.GW is a complete idiot.

That's it? That we've increased the chance of a second large terrorist attack?

 

[Jayrod]

Both Bushs' and Ronald Regan is/were just absolute horrible presidents. Regan did some good things as president, but Reganomics and almost the downfall of our farms. Old man Bush just took vacations and we all or should be informed on what young man bush is doing.

Holy liberal blinders, Batman! Yeah, they really ran what is now the dominant superpower in the world into the ground didn't they? Sure wish I didn't live in the most prosperous nation in history!In reality, I think Clinton did a good job, but didn't have any real challenges that he didn't create himself. Bush Jr. hasn't done a good job, but I think this was the toughest time to be President in our history. Bush Sr. was probably the worst of the three, but nothing was so aweful as to label him the worst.During Carter's administration, the US definitely took a dive and Reagan turned things around. I voted Nixon mostly because of the damage he did to the US psychologically, but Carter is really probably the worst.

 

[NCCommish]

I would have said Nixon prior to this Presidency but there is no way that at this point in time it's anyone but GWB. And I expect the picture to get bleaker not prettier as the years wear on.

Oh and before anyone tries the "you don't remeber the 70's" shtick I remember them just fine. I watched everyday of the Watergate hearings. I remember the helicopter ride of shame away from the White House. I remember the pardon. I remember Carter and the mess he inherited. I remember that the fiscal policies started under Carter gave Reagan the basis for his economy. I remember it all just fine.

 

[bueno]

Can someone smarter and older than me elaborate on why Carter is considered such a miserable failure? Please include specifics if you don't mind.

I've heard that he wasn't the "tough" guy on some issues, but was he a total failure?

I've heard that Carter did most of the negotiating for the hostage release, only to have Reagan steal his thunder after the election - is this not the case?

No. Carter tried a rescue and blew it.

I wouldn't call that much of an attempt. U.S. soil was invaded and held captive. He should have carpet-bombed Iran back to the stone age the molten planet age. I'd like to think that a lot of the problems in the Middle East since then would have been avoided had ol' Jimmuh grown a pair.Instead, his foreign policy got as far as boycotting the freakin' Olympics (yes, I know that was in response to Afghanistan/Soviets, but it's representative).

Which was one of the dumbest moves he could have made. The guy was a freaking moron that makes Bush look like Einstein.

 

[bueno]

I would have said Nixon prior to this Presidency but there is no way that at this point in time it's anyone but GWB. And I expect the picture to get bleaker not prettier as the years wear on.

Oh and before anyone tries the "you don't remeber the 70's" shtick I remember them just fine. I watched everyday of the Watergate hearings. I remember the helicopter ride of shame away from the White House. I remember the pardon. I remember Carter and the mess he inherited. I remember that the fiscal policies started under Carter gave Reagan the basis for his economy. I remember it all just fine.

You are truly delusional if you believe this is even remotely true.

 

[DoubleG]

Carter should be the answer here but too many Bush haters on this board. Take this poll in about 10 years for better results.

Carter should run away with this if people would just think about this objectively...

I believe the highlighted part is the problem.

BTW, whoever posted the wikipedia linky on "Misery Index"

The reason the hostages weren't released was BECAUSE Carter was in office (The Iranian government made it a point to release them withing a few hours of Reagan being innaugurated). That should give some indication as to his prowess in regards to foreign policy. Double digit inflation, unemployment, etc. and many of the other points already brought up are why this shouldn't be close. Now, whether it is or not, is more a function of current press and Bush bashers than objectively looking at the situation from a historical perpective...but Jafo has already pointed that out.

 

[TwinTurbo]

The economy has everything to do with disposable income, which has everything to do with tax cuts.

disposable income is only a very small piece of the pie in a global economy...I love it when presidents try to take credit for the economy. Bush didn't effect the economy nor did Clinton.

The last election is pretty much meaningless, as it was as much a vote against incumbents in Congress as it was against the war. And the seats lost were fewer than a typical election in the sixth year of a presidency.

Almost everybody agrees it was a referendum on the war. Only far righties comically attempt this spin.

LHUCKS, stating that the economy has nothing to do with the President is like stating the IRS has nothing to do with taxes. Sure the President gets far too much blame/credit for the overall state of the economy, but the stock markets respond instantly and over time to policy decisions and political strategy. There are clear short term and long term economic implications directly related to Presidential decisions. Even non-American political figures such as OBL have a direct impact on our economy.

 

[NCCommish]

I would have said Nixon prior to this Presidency but there is no way that at this point in time it's anyone but GWB. And I expect the picture to get bleaker not prettier as the years wear on.

Oh and before anyone tries the "you don't remeber the 70's" shtick I remember them just fine. I watched everyday of the Watergate hearings. I remember the helicopter ride of shame away from the White House. I remember the pardon. I remember Carter and the mess he inherited. I remember that the fiscal policies started under Carter gave Reagan the basis for his economy. I remember it all just fine.

You are truly delusional if you believe this is even remotely true.

Carter was battling infaltion that had been on the rise for 15 years. It peaked on his watch. How he can be blamed for inflationary pressures that started under Johnson is a bot of a mystery to me. He also bit the bullet and let Volker do what he had to do to end stagflation. Cheered on by Wall Street I might add. While costing Carter his political career. Because of this Volker was able to expand the money supply in late 81, early 82 which launched the economy of the 80's. And for those who want to talk taxes the top tax rate was the same under Carter as it was under Kennedy. And in fact Carter cut the capital gains tax by something like 10% IIRC.Delusional? Not really.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Can someone smarter and older than me elaborate on why Carter is considered such a miserable failure? Please include specifics if you don't mind.I've heard that he wasn't the "tough" guy on some issues, but was he a total failure?I've heard that Carter did most of the negotiating for the hostage release, only to have Reagan steal his thunder after the election - is this not the case?

No. Carter tried a rescue and blew it.

Yeah, nothing like a military failure to hurt the legacy of a Prez.

So carter's shortcoming lead to the killing of a few American's and Bush's disastrous foreign policy has lead to the death of tens of thousands of innoncent persons.Good, glad we're on the same page here.

Yep - and it sounds like Bueno is unintentionally on board too.

 

[jafo]

Can someone smarter and older than me elaborate on why Carter is considered such a miserable failure? Please include specifics if you don't mind.I've heard that he wasn't the "tough" guy on some issues, but was he a total failure?I've heard that Carter did most of the negotiating for the hostage release, only to have Reagan steal his thunder after the election - is this not the case?

No. Carter tried a rescue and blew it.

Yeah, nothing like a military failure to hurt the legacy of a Prez.

So carter's shortcoming lead to the killing of a few American's and Bush's disastrous foreign policy has lead to the death of tens of thousands of innoncent persons.Good, glad we're on the same page here.

Yep - and it sounds like Bueno is unintentionally on board too.

Had the hostages not been released under Reagan we would have had a lot more to worry about than the death of "a few Americans". I think some of you underestimate the magnitude of that situation.

 

[(HULK)]

I voted for W. Bush.

Carter was terrible, thats no lie.

But Bush has put our country way back in terms of international politics.

Someone said to re-evaluate in 10 years... I am certain history will not be kind to the Bush adminstration, when the fallout from his cut tax and spend policy hits home, as well as the lasting reverberations of his senseless foriegn policy driven by the choice lining his friend's pockets with money over protecting the interest's of this nations citizenry.

 

[Redwes25]

Tough choice between carter and GWB. Went with Carter but it is close. I think they are both far and away the worst presidents we have had in last 50.

 

[Sister Havana]

I would have said Nixon prior to this Presidency but there is no way that at this point in time it's anyone but GWB. And I expect the picture to get bleaker not prettier as the years wear on.

 

[saintfool]

I believe the highlighted part is the problem.

BTW, whoever posted the wikipedia linky on "Misery Index"

The reason the hostages weren't released was BECAUSE Carter was in office (The Iranian government made it a point to release them withing a few hours of Reagan being innaugurated). That should give some indication as to his prowess in regards to foreign policy. Double digit inflation, unemployment, etc. and many of the other points already brought up are why this shouldn't be close. Now, whether it is or not, is more a function of current press and Bush bashers than objectively looking at the situation from a historical perpective...but Jafo has already pointed that out.

Pure happenstance. The new Iranian leadership (post-revolutionaries really) were willing to negotiate following the Carter initiated embargo. They began a costly war with Iraq that same year and their new prime minister was advised following a UN appearance (October 1980) to return the hostages. The Iranian's agreed to release them following the end of the embargo and the return of frozen assets. Reagan's impact is sheer coincidence.

 

[GDogg]

John F. Kennedy [ 5 ] ** [3.14%]

I wonder if the second gunman on the "grassy knoll" posts here.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

The right two guys are leading this poll. Doesn't really matter which of them wins.

 

[LHUCKS]

LHUCKS, stating that the economy has nothing to do with the President is like stating the IRS has nothing to do with taxes. Sure the President gets far too much blame/credit for the overall state of the economy, but the stock markets respond instantly and over time to policy decisions and political strategy. There are clear short term and long term economic implications directly related to Presidential decisions. Even non-American political figures such as OBL have a direct impact on our economy.

I never said it had nothing to do with the President, I'm simply saying any time a Presidency gets blame for a bad economy or gets credit for a good economy it is usually complete BS.

 

[Power Monster]

Where the hell is the "All the Above" option?

 

[LHUCKS]

The right two guys are leading this poll. Doesn't really matter which of them wins.

That may very well be true. I feel bad for Carter. He made some poor decisions in what was a very tough four years to be the President.He really is a nice guy with great intentions...kind of like GW, but not as delusional.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

Can someone smarter and older than me elaborate on why Carter is considered such a miserable failure? Please include specifics if you don't mind.I've heard that he wasn't the "tough" guy on some issues, but was he a total failure?I've heard that Carter did most of the negotiating for the hostage release, only to have Reagan steal his thunder after the election - is this not the case?

No. Carter tried a rescue and blew it.

Yeah, nothing like a military failure to hurt the legacy of a Prez.

So carter's shortcoming lead to the killing of a few American's and Bush's disastrous foreign policy has lead to the death of tens of thousands of innoncent persons.Good, glad we're on the same page here.

Yep - and it sounds like Bueno is unintentionally on board too.

Had the hostages not been released under Reagan we would have had a lot more to worry about than the death of "a few Americans". I think some of you underestimate the magnitude of that situation.

What might have happened < What happened.Carter trusted his generals. They came to him with a plan and he gave it the green light. They screwed up - he took the responsibility. Compare to W and Iraq.

 

[Idiot Boxer]

The right two guys are leading this poll. Doesn't really matter which of them wins.

That may very well be true. I feel bad for Carter. He made some poor decisions in what was a very tough four years to be the President.He really is a nice guy with great intentions...kind of like GW, but not as delusional.

Carter was a terrible President. To his credit, he's been an above-average ex-President.I agree that both seem to be nice guys doing what they believe is best. They just both happened to be wrong about that a lot.

 

[NCCommish]

I believe the highlighted part is the problem.

BTW, whoever posted the wikipedia linky on "Misery Index"

The reason the hostages weren't released was BECAUSE Carter was in office (The Iranian government made it a point to release them withing a few hours of Reagan being innaugurated). That should give some indication as to his prowess in regards to foreign policy. Double digit inflation, unemployment, etc. and many of the other points already brought up are why this shouldn't be close. Now, whether it is or not, is more a function of current press and Bush bashers than objectively looking at the situation from a historical perpective...but Jafo has already pointed that out.

Pure happenstance. The new Iranian leadership (post-revolutionaries really) were willing to negotiate following the Carter initiated embargo. They began a costly war with Iraq that same year and their new prime minister was advised following a UN appearance (October 1980) to return the hostages. The Iranian's agreed to release them following the end of the embargo and the return of frozen assets. Reagan's impact is sheer coincidence.

Everybody seems to forget the emails between Ollie and Poindexter:

All involved on our side recognize that this does not meet one of the basic criteria established at the opening of this venture: a single transaction which wd be preceded by a release of hostages.

Emails My error here. Getting all my hostages confused. This was for Hezbollah hostages held after the Embassy deal. My apologies.

 

[NCCommish]

Can someone smarter and older than me elaborate on why Carter is considered such a miserable failure? Please include specifics if you don't mind.I've heard that he wasn't the "tough" guy on some issues, but was he a total failure?I've heard that Carter did most of the negotiating for the hostage release, only to have Reagan steal his thunder after the election - is this not the case?

No. Carter tried a rescue and blew it.

Yeah, nothing like a military failure to hurt the legacy of a Prez.

So carter's shortcoming lead to the killing of a few American's and Bush's disastrous foreign policy has lead to the death of tens of thousands of innoncent persons.Good, glad we're on the same page here.

Yep - and it sounds like Bueno is unintentionally on board too.

Had the hostages not been released under Reagan we would have had a lot more to worry about than the death of "a few Americans". I think some of you underestimate the magnitude of that situation.

What might have happened < What happened.Carter trusted his generals. They came to him with a plan and he gave it the green light. They screwed up - he took the responsibility. Compare to W and Iraq.

I served with guys invovled in that cluster. There were so many mistakes made, due to everyone defending their little fiefdoms, that the way interservice operations were handled was fundamentally changed to make sure it didn't happen again.

 

[saintfool]

Everybody seems to forget the emails between Ollie and Poindexter:

All involved on our side recognize that this does not meet one of the basic criteria established at the opening of this venture: a single transaction which wd be preceded by a release of hostages.

Emails

i thought those hostages were post-1980 victims...?

 

[bakes]

it was close. both nixon and reagan are worthy of contempt. however, our current president is really staking his claim for being the "worst" of the last 50 years.

Blasphemy.

remind me of what made reagan great again? he restored our faith in america and was a good president! iran-contra anyone? he won the cold war! gorbachev had everything to do with glasnost, while reagan was engaged in his "star wars" boondoggle. he was a good man? he was asleep at the wheel during the AIDS crisis, if you'll recall. the economy? certainly, streamling gov't was a good thing but volker's policies at the fed kept inflation down. reagan kept everything but military spending under wraps. as a result, we went from a creditor nation to the world's largest debtor nation. hmmm. looking at the man's record again, i might have to change my vote.

Every silver lining has a cloud with you doesn't it?Iran-contra was insignificant compared to his restoring faith in America.

Star Wars broke the economic back of the Soviet Union.

The AIDS crisis quite frankly, wouldn't have been solved by any decision Reagan made, unless he outlawed cornholing. Want to try to apply the same logic to his successors as they haven't solved this "crisis" either.

The economy? Yes, he did that. The aftermath of the tax cuts spurred the biggest ecominic boom in history, allowing his successors to pay off the debt. The miltary spending was necessary to break the Soviet Union.

Greatest President of the 20th century.

Did you go with the "official" 16x20 portrait, or did you opt for the 24x36 poster sized photo of Dutch?

 

[NCCommish]

Everybody seems to forget the emails between Ollie and Poindexter:

All involved on our side recognize that this does not meet one of the basic criteria established at the opening of this venture: a single transaction which wd be preceded by a release of hostages.

Emails

i thought those hostages were post-1980 victims...?

Yeah getting my hostage situations confused. Those were Hezbollah hostages held, my bad.

 

[Axisofevil]

Good to see Big **** Nixon getting a pass nowadays.

Nixon at least had a few positives one could list. The entire Carter presidency was a symphony of failures.

Carter blew foreign realtions and the economy. At least the economy is doing fairly well under Bush.Carter has to be the answer here. Nobody remembers the Arab oil boycott, gas lines, the hostage taking, inflatio, price controls, more inflatio, etc. The entire presidency was an unmitigated disaster that makes Bush look like a genius in comparison.

Carter was there? He made the rescue plan?

 

[saintfool]

Everybody seems to forget the emails between Ollie and Poindexter:

All involved on our side recognize that this does not meet one of the basic criteria established at the opening of this venture: a single transaction which wd be preceded by a release of hostages.

Emails

i thought those hostages were post-1980 victims...?

Yeah getting my hostage situations confused. Those were Hezbollah hostages held, my bad.

I know, it's tough to keep the Reagan crapfest straight. Let's not forget in his misguided anti-communist foreign policy that he supported apartheid and almost every single dictator in Latin America...

 

[SofaKings]

lol at laying the AIDS crisis on Reagan.

"...and to the homosexuals out there watching/listening, please stop having irresponsible unprotected sex.

Good night and God Bless America."

 

[NCCommish]

Everybody seems to forget the emails between Ollie and Poindexter:

All involved on our side recognize that this does not meet one of the basic criteria established at the opening of this venture: a single transaction which wd be preceded by a release of hostages.

Emails

i thought those hostages were post-1980 victims...?

Yeah getting my hostage situations confused. Those were Hezbollah hostages held, my bad.

I know, it's tough to keep the Reagan crapfest straight. Let's not forget in his misguided anti-communist foreign policy that he supported apartheid and almost every single dictator in Latin America...

True.

 

[bueno]

I would have said Nixon prior to this Presidency but there is no way that at this point in time it's anyone but GWB. And I expect the picture to get bleaker not prettier as the years wear on.

Oh and before anyone tries the "you don't remeber the 70's" shtick I remember them just fine. I watched everyday of the Watergate hearings. I remember the helicopter ride of shame away from the White House. I remember the pardon. I remember Carter and the mess he inherited. I remember that the fiscal policies started under Carter gave Reagan the basis for his economy. I remember it all just fine.

You are truly delusional if you believe this is even remotely true.

Carter was battling infaltion that had been on the rise for 15 years. It peaked on his watch. How he can be blamed for inflationary pressures that started under Johnson is a bot of a mystery to me. He also bit the bullet and let Volker do what he had to do to end stagflation. Cheered on by Wall Street I might add. While costing Carter his political career. Because of this Volker was able to expand the money supply in late 81, early 82 which launched the economy of the 80's. And for those who want to talk taxes the top tax rate was the same under Carter as it was under Kennedy. And in fact Carter cut the capital gains tax by something like 10% IIRC.Delusional? Not really.

Yes delusional. In Carter's first year in office, inflation was 6.5% annually. Inflation actually came down from the disasterous 11.3% as a result of the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, to 9.2% in 1975 and 5.75% in 1976. In other words, when Carter became President in 1977, inflation was already well under control.Then in 1978, it jumped to 7.62%, then 11.22% in 1979, 13.58% in 1980 and 10.35% in 1981. Then suddenly in 1982, it dropped to 6.16% Why, you may ask? The Economic Recovery Tax Act (ERTA) of 1981, the Reagan tax cuts. Source

Inflation was already under control when Carter took office. Carter screwed the pooch with regard to the economy. The Reagan tax cuts was what allowed the economy to recover.

The figures don't lie, NCC.

 

[NCCommish]

lol at laying the AIDS crisis on Reagan. "...and to the homosexuals out there watching/listening, please stop having irresponsible unprotected sex.Good night and God Bless America."

Reagan blinked on AIDS. He said nothing for years in the face of a growing epidemic. He said nothign after his friend Rock Hudson was diagnosed. It wasn't until there had been over 20k deaths that Reagan, near the end of his second term in '87, would finally say something. Dr. C. Everett Koop, the Surgeon General, said he was cut out of all AIDS discussions because the presidents advisers felt that Reagan couldn't risk pissing off Falwell and his ilk. Who knows how many might have lived and where we would be now had the very popular president used the bully pulpit to address this problem sooner than he did.

 

[saintfool]

lol at laying the AIDS crisis on Reagan.

"...and to the homosexuals out there watching/listening, please stop having irresponsible unprotected sex.

Good night and God Bless America."

laugh all you want but he waited 6 years to speak about the crisis publicly. how could the POTUS not say a single thing after 27,000+ men and women have died from it? the CDC was refused adequate money by the administration to research it even. reagan's and his staff scuttled Koop's attempts to introduce AIDS education in the schools. 6 years and "the great communicator" could not come up with a single statement about the AIDS crisis? #### you, ronald reagan. i hope you rot in hell.

 

[Irregardless]

The right two guys are leading this poll. Doesn't really matter which of them wins.

This is the correct answer.Both have a litany of failings, including some in the same venue, but for different reasons. For example - foreign policy:

JC was perceived to be soft, and thus not well-respected as a force by the global community as a whole.

GWB is perceived to be a dictatorial maniac, and thus is reviled by the global community as a whole.

 

[bueno]

it was close. both nixon and reagan are worthy of contempt. however, our current president is really staking his claim for being the "worst" of the last 50 years.

Blasphemy.

remind me of what made reagan great again? he restored our faith in america and was a good president! iran-contra anyone? he won the cold war! gorbachev had everything to do with glasnost, while reagan was engaged in his "star wars" boondoggle. he was a good man? he was asleep at the wheel during the AIDS crisis, if you'll recall. the economy? certainly, streamling gov't was a good thing but volker's policies at the fed kept inflation down. reagan kept everything but military spending under wraps. as a result, we went from a creditor nation to the world's largest debtor nation. hmmm. looking at the man's record again, i might have to change my vote.

Every silver lining has a cloud with you doesn't it?Iran-contra was insignificant compared to his restoring faith in America.

Star Wars broke the economic back of the Soviet Union.

The AIDS crisis quite frankly, wouldn't have been solved by any decision Reagan made, unless he outlawed cornholing. Want to try to apply the same logic to his successors as they haven't solved this "crisis" either.

The economy? Yes, he did that. The aftermath of the tax cuts spurred the biggest ecominic boom in history, allowing his successors to pay off the debt. The miltary spending was necessary to break the Soviet Union.

Greatest President of the 20th century.

Did you go with the "official" 16x20 portrait, or did you opt for the 24x36 poster sized photo of Dutch?

The life-sized one taken with me, Ronnie and Bob Adickes, what else? I'm the guy on the left. BTW: that was sarcasm.

 

[NCCommish]

I would have said Nixon prior to this Presidency but there is no way that at this point in time it's anyone but GWB. And I expect the picture to get bleaker not prettier as the years wear on.

Oh and before anyone tries the "you don't remeber the 70's" shtick I remember them just fine. I watched everyday of the Watergate hearings. I remember the helicopter ride of shame away from the White House. I remember the pardon. I remember Carter and the mess he inherited. I remember that the fiscal policies started under Carter gave Reagan the basis for his economy. I remember it all just fine.

You are truly delusional if you believe this is even remotely true.

Carter was battling infaltion that had been on the rise for 15 years. It peaked on his watch. How he can be blamed for inflationary pressures that started under Johnson is a bot of a mystery to me. He also bit the bullet and let Volker do what he had to do to end stagflation. Cheered on by Wall Street I might add. While costing Carter his political career. Because of this Volker was able to expand the money supply in late 81, early 82 which launched the economy of the 80's. And for those who want to talk taxes the top tax rate was the same under Carter as it was under Kennedy. And in fact Carter cut the capital gains tax by something like 10% IIRC.Delusional? Not really.

Yes delusional. In Carter's first year in office, inflation was 6.5% annually. Inflation actually came down from the disasterous 11.3% as a result of the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, to 9.2% in 1975 and 5.75% in 1976. In other words, when Carter became President in 1977, inflation was already well under control.Then in 1978, it jumped to 7.62%, then 11.22% in 1979, 13.58% in 1980 and 10.35% in 1981. Then suddenly in 1982, it dropped to 6.16% Why, you may ask? The Economic Recovery Tax Act (ERTA) of 1981, the Reagan tax cuts. Source

Inflation was already under control when Carter took office. Carter screwed the pooch with regard to the economy. The Reagan tax cuts was what allowed the economy to recover.

The figures don't lie, NCC.

They can be twisted. You seemed to have forgotten the second oil crisis of '79 contributed to that spike. You also fail to note the Feds rates in there anywhere I see. Incomplete numbers are meaningless.

 

[bueno]

lol at laying the AIDS crisis on Reagan.

"...and to the homosexuals out there watching/listening, please stop having irresponsible unprotected sex.

Good night and God Bless America."

laugh all you want but he waited 6 years to speak about the crisis publicly. how could the POTUS not say a single thing after 27,000+ men and women have died from it? the CDC was refused adequate money by the administration to research it even. reagan's and his staff scuttled Koop's attempts to introduce AIDS education in the schools. 6 years and "the great communicator" could not come up with a single statement about the AIDS crisis? #### you, ronald reagan. i hope you rot in hell.

You'll be disappointed when you get there and can't find him.

 

[Redwes25]

lol at laying the AIDS crisis on Reagan.

"...and to the homosexuals out there watching/listening, please stop having irresponsible unprotected sex.

Good night and God Bless America."

Reagan blinked on AIDS. He said nothing for years in the face of a growing epidemic. He said nothign after his friend Rock Hudson was diagnosed. It wasn't until there had been over 20k deaths that Reagan, near the end of his second term in '87, would finally say something. Dr. C. Everett Koop, the Surgeon General, said he was cut out of all AIDS discussions because the presidents advisers felt that Reagan couldn't risk pissing off Falwell and his ilk. Who knows how many night have lived and where we would be now had the very popular president used the bully pulpit to address this problem sooner than he did.

Incorrect - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_Admini...esponse_to_AIDSWhile not having good policies about Aids he is not the devil some people like to make him out to be. His spending on Aids did go up throughout his adminstration.

 

[saintfool]

I would have said Nixon prior to this Presidency but there is no way that at this point in time it's anyone but GWB. And I expect the picture to get bleaker not prettier as the years wear on.

Oh and before anyone tries the "you don't remeber the 70's" shtick I remember them just fine. I watched everyday of the Watergate hearings. I remember the helicopter ride of shame away from the White House. I remember the pardon. I remember Carter and the mess he inherited. I remember that the fiscal policies started under Carter gave Reagan the basis for his economy. I remember it all just fine.

You are truly delusional if you believe this is even remotely true.

Carter was battling infaltion that had been on the rise for 15 years. It peaked on his watch. How he can be blamed for inflationary pressures that started under Johnson is a bot of a mystery to me. He also bit the bullet and let Volker do what he had to do to end stagflation. Cheered on by Wall Street I might add. While costing Carter his political career. Because of this Volker was able to expand the money supply in late 81, early 82 which launched the economy of the 80's. And for those who want to talk taxes the top tax rate was the same under Carter as it was under Kennedy. And in fact Carter cut the capital gains tax by something like 10% IIRC.Delusional? Not really.

Yes delusional. In Carter's first year in office, inflation was 6.5% annually. Inflation actually came down from the disasterous 11.3% as a result of the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo, to 9.2% in 1975 and 5.75% in 1976. In other words, when Carter became President in 1977, inflation was already well under control.Then in 1978, it jumped to 7.62%, then 11.22% in 1979, 13.58% in 1980 and 10.35% in 1981. Then suddenly in 1982, it dropped to 6.16% Why, you may ask? The Economic Recovery Tax Act (ERTA) of 1981, the Reagan tax cuts. Source

Inflation was already under control when Carter took office. Carter screwed the pooch with regard to the economy. The Reagan tax cuts was what allowed the economy to recover.

The figures don't lie, NCC.

Paul Volcker means nothing to you, I gather?

 

[Saints-Man]

it was close. both nixon and reagan are worthy of contempt. however, our current president is really staking his claim for being the "worst" of the last 50 years.

Blasphemy.

remind me of what made reagan great again? he restored our faith in america and was a good president! iran-contra anyone? he won the cold war! gorbachev had everything to do with glasnost, while reagan was engaged in his "star wars" boondoggle. he was a good man? he was asleep at the wheel during the AIDS crisis, if you'll recall. the economy? certainly, streamling gov't was a good thing but volker's policies at the fed kept inflation down. reagan kept everything but military spending under wraps. as a result, we went from a creditor nation to the world's largest debtor nation. hmmm. looking at the man's record again, i might have to change my vote.

Let's take this one by one.remind me of what made reagan great again? he restored our faith in america and was a good president! iran-contra anyone?

So, you consider JFK invading a sovereign country (Cuba) less offensive than Reagan selling arms to people who wanted overthrow a government? JFK invaded a sovereign country, while Reagan's actions allowed people to overthrow their own oppresive government? Our policy should be hands off, and for that I do blame Reagan. However, when comparing the two, one crime (JFK's) is akin to murdering people and another's crime(Reagan) is to stealing bread.

he won the cold war! gorbachev had everything to do with glasnost, while reagan was engaged in his "star wars" boondoggle

There were many contributors to ending the Cold War, but to deny Reagan's role is denying reality. When Reagan took office, it was a fool's folly to believe that the Cold War would end any time soon. Yet, a little over a decade later the USSR fell. Reagan had a roll in that.

he was a good man? he was asleep at the wheel during the AIDS crisis, if you'll recall.

Asleep at the wheel? You do realize that every year that the number of AIDS cases grows don't you? That means the policies of every president since and including Reagan have failed. No one knew what to do when the AIDS epidemic broke. When AIDS governmental activists attempted to shut down the gay bath houses of San Francisco in an effort to slow unprotected sex with random partners, the gay community strongly protested. Not one action Reagan could have taken would have stopped or even slowed down the progression of this dreaded deadly disease. To blame him for AIDS is to blame FDR for polio.

the economy? certainly, streamling gov't was a good thing but volker's policies at the fed kept inflation down. reagan kept everything but military spending under wraps. as a result, we went from a creditor nation to the world's largest debtor nation.

Wow, this is damning by faint praise. The economy under Reagan turned totally around after the mess Carter left behind. The military spending is what forced the USSR under. It is hypocritical to claim Reagan did nothing to win the Cold War and blame him for high military spending. THAT IS WHAT WON THE COLD WAR.

 

[Buckychudd]

lol at laying the AIDS crisis on Reagan.

"...and to the homosexuals out there watching/listening, please stop having irresponsible unprotected sex.

Good night and God Bless America."

laugh all you want but he waited 6 years to speak about the crisis publicly. how could the POTUS not say a single thing after 27,000+ men and women have died from it? the CDC was refused adequate money by the administration to research it even. reagan's and his staff scuttled Koop's attempts to introduce AIDS education in the schools. 6 years and "the great communicator" could not come up with a single statement about the AIDS crisis? #### you, ronald reagan. i hope you rot in hell.

A lot more people died in automobile accidents than that, seems he would have been better off speaking out on that.

 

[NCCommish]

lol at laying the AIDS crisis on Reagan.

"...and to the homosexuals out there watching/listening, please stop having irresponsible unprotected sex.

Good night and God Bless America."

Reagan blinked on AIDS. He said nothing for years in the face of a growing epidemic. He said nothign after his friend Rock Hudson was diagnosed. It wasn't until there had been over 20k deaths that Reagan, near the end of his second term in '87, would finally say something. Dr. C. Everett Koop, the Surgeon General, said he was cut out of all AIDS discussions because the presidents advisers felt that Reagan couldn't risk pissing off Falwell and his ilk. Who knows how many night have lived and where we would be now had the very popular president used the bully pulpit to address this problem sooner than he did.

Incorrect - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reagan_Admini...esponse_to_AIDSWhile not having good policies about Aids he is not the devil some people like to make him out to be. His spending on Aids did go up throughout his adminstration.

Since it started at zero it should go up. In 1981 it was 200,000. The point isn't spending. The point is the President could have come out and led on this. He could not have prevented his Surgeon General from reporting on it until 1986. He could have rebuked Buchanan for arguing that "AIDS is natures revenge on homosexuals". He didn't. He didn't lead on something that was killing Americans and he didn't because of political considerations taking precendence over Americans lives.