Who is your favorite American President?

My personal favorite is Andrew Jackson. The man was a badass and he made some major contributions to the USA.

Who is yours?

Franklin D. Roosevelt of course, without him, we'd have struggled to win the war.

^^ The Trail of Tears guy? Yeah, I like ethnic cleansing in my presidents as well.

edited 27th Oct '11 1:34:15 AM by kashchei

Take it to a spinoff thread.

While Andrew Jackson was a truly fascinating man and a memetic badass who was apparently immune to bullets, I don't think he merits being a favorite president. Seriously, ethnic cleansing after your Supreme Justice has ruled in the Indian's favor is one of the largest dick moves a president has ever pulled.

I'll put out Teddy Roosevelt and LBJ as two of my favorites. Roosevelt was a trust buster, and LBJ had one of the best domestic policies ever.

I'm just asking you why, out of all possible less controversial options, mini-Hitler qualifies as your favorite president.

Definitely not FDR. Though my opinion of him has gotten softer as I've learned more about history, his two most shameful acts - the Court-Packing Plan and the Japanese Internment Camps - knock him out of my favorites.

I would not list and rank all 40+ presidents, but Lincoln is among my favorites. He's a brilliant politician who knew how to have the correct amount of moderation/self-control of the government regulation. He knew that moderation is the key to healing the Union most effectively and avoiding big backlash effects from conflicting sides. He really cared about keeping the nation in one piece, and was able to root out slavery, the cause of the whole fracture of the nation.

edited 27th Oct '11 1:41:17 AM by abstractematics

For one, because of him everyone can vote. Two, he helped hold the union together. Three, he saved the United States. Four, he could never have happened in any other country in the world.

Four reasons. If you want to discuss it further, take it to another thread.

edited 27th Oct '11 1:42:04 AM by TheProffesor

I think reasonable discussion of choices is on-topic.

Listing things do not a discussion make. If you make a statement, be prepared to discuss it and defend it as part of this topic under OTC rules.

Anyhow, please look up when universal suffrage was ratified before you make other patently false statements again. Hint: women's suffrage was not ratified until 1920.

Ah, ninja'd.

edited 27th Oct '11 1:51:31 AM by kashchei

I'm rather partial towards Theodore Roosevelt. Besides the national parks, there's also Mt. Rushmore. Who cares that he may not have deserved it—he managed to get his face permanently carved up there anyway.

Jackson did make progress though. Before, the Founders thought that powerful elites should rule the United States. Jackson took a step away from that.

I don't like him too much because of the other reasons, but because of the nature of the topic, I would allow others to have different opinions about him and chance to support those opinions.

I would like to hear your favorites.

edited 27th Oct '11 1:54:43 AM by abstractematics

I have an inexplicable affinity for Teddy Roosevelt. Other than that, I'm lukewarm on the subject.

Teddy Roosevelt seems to be a front runner with a lot of people. The man had balls. Balls and charisma.

I'm a dirty foreigner so America only started getting Presidents with FDR

Before attacking my post, I was simply trying to follow the rules.

Anyways, Teddy was pretty crazy himself. He had the mustache going for him.

seconded FDR, he created New Deal.

not all his policy is good. abandong African-American for example. but overall his policy is very good for American Future.

Theodore Roosevelt. Also, while I realise he's become less fashionable in the last fifty years, I still admire Abraham Lincoln a lot. He had his flaws, I'm sure, but he was a great man nevertheless.

Going with FDR. The man had major flaws, but I think he's still better than every other US President I can think of.

Teddy Roosevelt, hands down: He forced the fat cats to negotiate with unions and fought cartelization and corporatism. He didn't cater to moral hysterias nor install new restrictions on Americans' liberties.

edited 27th Oct '11 3:28:12 AM by SavageHeathen

Hm. Obviously, it's got to be Lincoln. I just can't decide which of the myriad reasons I like best.

I'm foreinger so I am going to say Arnold Schwarzenegger*

Abraham Lincoln. The reason is obvious.

In order.

Favorite Presidents

• George Washington
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Abraham Lincoln
• John Adams
• John F. Kennedy
• Lyndon B. Johnson
• Thomas Jefferson
• Richard Nixon
• Dwight Eisenhower

I'm sorry, but Washington deserves the top spot. I know everyone has Washington in their list, but he is hard to discount.

Worst Presidents

• James Buchanan
• Andrew Johnson
• Andrew Jackson
• Warren Harding (The man checked into an asylum every year, had numerous public affairs, drank during Prohibition, had several people in his administration commit suicide and barely campaigned. How on earth did he get elected President?)
• Woodrow Wilson (Oh, right.)

edited 27th Oct '11 5:04:44 AM by Pentadragon

John F. Kennedy is mine. Though Washington is a close second.