Who was the Worst American President?

[Shiranu]

I think in overall damage, Wilson probably is near the very top, if not the top. That said, Regan did a shitload of harm in his time as well, especially in terms of fucking other countries (particularly Latin American and Middle Eastern) over and recent or not it's hard not to argue that Bush extremely established the Middle East... and the world has been feeling the result of that ever since.

I think Regan and Bush feel much worse because their harm is things that still directly effect us, where as Wilson is almost all after-effect now.

[Mike Cl]

Jackson is up there for me - Native American genocide, killing the national bank, initiating an economic crisis, and disobeying the supreme court. About the only positive thing I can think of is his standing up against secession movements in the south.

Of course GW, Reagan, etc are on the list. I don't have a definite ranking.

Yeah, I agree with you about Jackson.  He was a prince of a fellow.  I had to rethink my position on him when I read Trail of Tears.

[platatomi]

Yeah, I agree with you about Jackson.  He was a prince of a fellow.  I had to rethink my position on him when I read Trail of Tears.

My eyes were really opened up about Jackson in a college history course I took last year. I am fairly well versed in history and politics, but before we began covering Jackson and the events leading up to the Trail of Tears, I thought I would never learn of a man so despicable and crude.

BTW, how is this guy on our money?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

My vote goes to Thomas Jefferson, for nearly losing the War of 1812. /obscure

[Mike Cl]

My eyes were really opened up about Jackson in a college history course I took last year. I am fairly well versed in history and politics, but before we began covering Jackson and the events leading up to the Trail of Tears, I thought I would never learn of a man so despicable and crude.

BTW, how is this guy on our money?

What money?????

[Mike Cl]

My vote goes to Thomas Jefferson, for nearly losing the War of 1812. /obscure

But, hey--Jackson pull that one out of the fire!  Well, at least according to Jackson.............so, the war was over--minor detail of no consequence--kicked those Redcoats back into the sea!  Savior of the country--just ask him! 

[trdsf]

My eyes were really opened up about Jackson in a college history course I took last year. I am fairly well versed in history and politics, but before we began covering Jackson and the events leading up to the Trail of Tears, I thought I would never learn of a man so despicable and crude.

BTW, how is this guy on our money?

There is actually an active movement to have Jackson taken off the $20 and replaced with a woman of historical note; I think the current leading candidate is Harriet Tubman.  Among the reasons they target the $20 is his involvement in organizing the Trail of Tears... and also the fact that he was opposed to paper money.

Speaking as a coin collector myself, I don't like seeing presidents on our money and miss the classic Liberty designs.  Certainly it should be the case that no president should be permanently put on a coin until they've been dead for 100 years so that their legacy can be put into full perspective.  I don't really have much problem with the "Big Three" (Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln) or FDR, but Kennedy?  That was an expression of national trauma, not commemoration of a job well done.

[aitm]

Abe Lincoln for not killing all the vampires like he should have....rat bastard.






More on topic however, the average person doesn't even know who the second president was, and history shows us no matter how bad a president was, in twenty years, "he wasn't that bad"..happens to every president. In 20 years Obama will probably be rated pretty high. Humans kind of have that whackadoodle "it wasn't that bad" thing five or ten years after. I think most everyone had that one job or one chore that was the fucking shit from hell itself, and it sucked the life out of you everyday just to go and you hope if you couldn't hit the lotto at least let someone run you over....and then ten years later you think, meh it wasn't that bad.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

But, hey--Jackson pull that one out of the fire!  Well, at least according to Jackson.............so, the war was over--minor detail of no consequence--kicked those Redcoats back into the sea!  Savior of the country--just ask him! 

If we go with "minor details" then we have to reckon that officially the war wasn't over until  signed peace treaties were in the hands of both parties. That puts the Battle of New Orleans inside the window of the War of 1812.

Live by the minor detail, die by the minor detail.

[Mike Cl]

If we go with "minor details" then we have to reckon that officially the war wasn't over until  signed peace treaties were in the hands of both parties. That puts the Battle of New Orleans inside the window of the War of 1812.

Live by the minor detail, die by the minor detail.

Well, shit, Gawdzilla that is just a minor detail!

[platatomi]

There is actually an active movement to have Jackson taken off the $20 and replaced with a woman of historical note; I think the current leading candidate is Harriet Tubman.  Among the reasons they target the $20 is his involvement in organizing the Trail of Tears... and also the fact that he was opposed to paper money.

Speaking as a coin collector myself, I don't like seeing presidents on our money and miss the classic Liberty designs.  Certainly it should be the case that no president should be permanently put on a coin until they've been dead for 100 years so that their legacy can be put into full perspective.  I don't really have much problem with the "Big Three" (Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln) or FDR, but Kennedy?  That was an expression of national trauma, not commemoration of a job well done.

I had heard of the movement to replace him on the $20, it would only be right and long overdue.

I used to dabble in coin and currency collecting, I totally agree. I really like the old designs on paper notes, and the large size fornat. Each new series was a work of art.

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Jackson deserves negatives for the Native American genocide, but killing he national bank redeem him somewhat.  Not enough, but somewhat.

Here are what I consider, in order the 10 worst.

Wilson, may he rot in Hell.
Truman
McKinley
Polk
Bush Jr.
Kennedy
Reagan
Bush Sr.
Lyndon Johnson
Franklin Roosevelt

For comparison purposes, these are the ones I consider best.

Tyler
Cleveland
VanBuren
Hayes
Arthur
Harding
Washington
Carter
Eisenhower
Coolidge

[Shiranu]

As a Texas Stater, I find your inclusion of Lyndon Johnson irrationally irritating. Maybe it's just the brainwashing of walking past his statue everyday, but still...

(I am actually not a fan of his foreign policy, or several domestic, but I do respect him immensely for just how... persuasive... of politician he was.)

[trdsf]

I had heard of the movement to replace him on the $20, it would only be right and long overdue.

I used to dabble in coin and currency collecting, I totally agree. I really like the old designs on paper notes, and the large size fornat. Each new series was a work of art.

Apparently, independently of the 'Woman on a $20' campaign, the Treasury is to announce Friday that a woman will be on the $10 by 2020.  Why the $10?  It's gone the longest without a security update (not counting the $1, of course, which is just gonna never change).  What's not decided yet is who's going on it, and whether Hamilton is to be replaced, or if the run's going to be half Hamilton, half new portrait, or if they put a woman on the front and find some other way to commemorate Hamilton on the back.

[trdsf]

As a Texas Stater, I find your inclusion of Lyndon Johnson irrationally irritating. Maybe it's just the brainwashing of walking past his statue everyday, but still...

(I am actually not a fan of his foreign policy, or several domestic, but I do respect him immensely for just how... persuasive... of politician he was.)

Johnson was without question the absolute master of power politics, and his idea of subtlety meant using a little sledgehammer instead of a big one.  Only one man in Washington was safe from being bullied by him, and that was House Speaker Sam Rayburn.