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#41
11-19-2007, 03:03 PM
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Re: Best US President
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] US entry into ww2 [/ QUOTE ] ... This would be one of those few things I really don't have a problem with. Can't imagine how anyone would. [/ QUOTE ] I think you're being a bit results oriented. I certainly think it's up for debate whether or not it was a prudent decision to enter WW2 at the time. Looking back from 65 years in the future it's too easy to question or agree with decisions made back then. [/ QUOTE ] I have no idea how this could possibly be up for debate. [/ QUOTE ] Our country was supposed to be a neutral nation. The people did not want anything to do with this war. It is well documented that we were not neutral towards Japan. We cut them off from our oil and other resources. It is debatable whether or not this was right or wrong, because it directly led to the Japanese trying to attack. 
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#42
11-19-2007, 03:08 PM
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Re: Best US President
Yeah, Coolidge is way underrated.
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#43
11-19-2007, 03:09 PM
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Re: Best US President
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] US entry into ww2 [/ QUOTE ] ... This would be one of those few things I really don't have a problem with. Can't imagine how anyone would. [/ QUOTE ] I think you're being a bit results oriented. I certainly think it's up for debate whether or not it was a prudent decision to enter WW2 at the time. Looking back from 65 years in the future it's too easy to question or agree with decisions made back then. [/ QUOTE ] I have no idea how this could possibly be up for debate. [/ QUOTE ] Debate gogogo. As Case said its very results oriented. The American public did not war, at all. So FDR basically manipulated the Japanese into attacking in order to get into the war vs Germany, which is my main problem with it. By getting the Japanese to attack first, FDR was able to get the full support of the otherwise opposed public towards the war, to get "revenge" for Pearl Harbor. Of course, there was the fact that the majority of men and material went to fight Germany and not Japan thanks to FDR's "Germany first" strategy. I've always wondered what would have happened if Hitler hadn't declared war on us, since he was not bound by the Tri-Partite agreement to do so. Specifically, I wonder what FDR would have done next to get us into the war vs Germany. And the results of WW2 weren't all that great. All of Eastern Europe (edit: and China) was lost to Communism. with millions killed by the Soviets when they won. History would have played out the same way, just with a 3-way Cold War instead of a 2-way, and the Soviets would have been stronger than us with the addition of all of Germany as a Warsaw Pact-like(which wouldn't exist with no NATO) satellite. The Soviets just would have been stronger than us in the Cold War since they would have had all of Germany instead of just Eastern Germany in their sphere of influence, so their collapse would have taken longer. The mistake most people make about ww2 is thinking that the Germans definitely would have won had we not intervened. The war would have taken longer but the Soviets still most likely would have won.
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#44
11-19-2007, 03:10 PM
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Re: Best US President
[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, Coolidge is way underrated. [/ QUOTE ] If I remember correctly one of his campaign promises was to sleep 12 hours a day.
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#45
11-19-2007, 03:12 PM
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Re: Best US President
nonfiction,
Thanks, more consice and better written than my post.
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#48
11-19-2007, 04:45 PM
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Re: Best US President
Eisenhower? You're an old fart.
I don't think there have been any good presidents in my lifetime, I'd probably go with Eisenhower as the "best." Nixon was the worst, and it isn't close. That's saying something, because Carter and the current Bush were awful.
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#49
11-19-2007, 06:13 PM
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Re: Best US President
Could people please explain their reasons? Simply listing isn't very informative. Specifically, Andyfox, could you elaborate on why Nixon was far and away the worst?
I'm curious why you make mention of "not even close", when compared to this board's railing against FDR and Lincoln.
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#50
11-19-2007, 06:45 PM
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Re: Best US President
For the presidents I've observed, Ronald Reagan and it's not even close:
1. He had the right message at the right time. After the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter years the U.S. was in what Carter called a "malaise" and I think Reagan was the cheerleader we needed to bring the U.S. out of that situation. 2. Bringing an end to the cold war. Even though the liberals will argue ad infinitum that Reagan didn't end the cold war, they're wrong, he did. Could he have done it following the same policies in 1965? Probably not but again he was the right guy at the right time. If you read Alan Greenspan's current book, The Age of Turbulence, you get a good picture of what the economic situation int he communist countires at the time Reagan was in office. It was worse than anyone had ever imagined and certainly the West had vastly overrated their economic capabilities. Reagan policies exposed this weakness. 3. Handling of the PATCO strike. He warned the Air Traffic Controllers that he'd fire every one of them if they went out on strike illegally. They did and he did. IMO this was the turning point and market the zenith in the power of unions in the U.S. 4. His leadership in fashioning a bipartisan "fix" for Social Security that created a surplus in Social Security revenue that exists to this day. Can't imagine anything like this happening in today's political environment. 5. Following through on de-regulation. Carter started the ball rolling on de-regulation of many industries. Reagan saw it through and helped it continue. 6. Reaganomics. Reagan embraced "supply side" economics. He also embraced freer less regulated markets and the U.S. economy grew as a result. One of the nastiest recessions that I've witnessed occurred early in Reagan's administration. That was due to the Fed policy of "break the back" of inflation. The era of disinflation began during the Reagan era and it continues to this day. Also he appointed Alan Greenspan during his term. 7. Supreme Court appointments. Sandra Day O'Conner, William Rehnquist, and Antonis Scalia. 8. Tax simplification. Well it didn't last but he actually championed a law (another bipartisan effort btw) that was passed that created 2 tax brackets. Did I make any liberals puke yet?
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