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Post by CaerRialis on Aug 22, 2004 1:57:28 GMT -5
You really cannot answer this question well as each president has come into office under different circumstances, with different expectations, and in different eras.
It would be easy to just say James Knox Polk (1845-1849). He campaigned under three issues: Annex Texas, gain California, and gain Oregon. When he left office, all three had been accomplished. But I won't.
To me, we look at era and in doing so, three presidents stand out: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Washington (1789-1797), as first president, established precedents that have lasted through this day. He took the Constitution and made it a working document. Remember, he built taht first administration with no examples to go on.
Lincoln preserved the Union. When he took office, seven southern states, convinced he was going to end slavery (he had campaigned only to restrict the growth of slavery), voted to leave the Union. He took the encessary steps to prevent this ultimate secession and, had he survived, his plans for Reconstruction may have shifted the race problems of the later 19th and 20th centuries.
FDR (1933-1945) entered office with more than a quarter of the nation out of work and banks declaring insolvency throughtout the country. Through his New Deal he took steps to provide the relief that so many needed, a relief his predecessor and detractors were philosophically unwilling to give. Similarly, the programs helped direct the nation to recovery, though it would take the Second World War to do that. And, of course, the safety net established by the New Deal instituted enough reforms that a similar depression would not occur again. Anyone remember 1987? We didn't collapse.
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Post by TheShaft on Aug 25, 2004 12:44:59 GMT -5
FDR (1933-1945) entered office with more than a quarter of the nation out of work and banks declaring insolvency throughtout the country. Through his New Deal he took steps to provide the relief that so many needed, a relief his predecessor and detractors were philosophically unwilling to give. Similarly, the programs helped direct the nation to recovery, though it would take the Second World War to do that. And, of course, the safety net established by the New Deal instituted enough reforms that a similar depression would not occur again. Anyone remember 1987? We didn't collapse. Sorry but I have to disagree with you on that one cr. World War 2 was what brought the USA out of depression. Things only got worse for the most part till we went to war. If the economy is in the can what better way to revive it than to manufacture bombs and guns and tanks ect. Hmmmm that seems similar to what we have today dosen't it just not working as well as it did in the 40's.
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Post by Brezhnev on Aug 25, 2004 14:51:10 GMT -5
Well, we're not putting our full production capacity behind the war. The U.S. Army didn't have everything it needed to win WWII, so there was a lot of money going for that. Back then just about everyone was doing something or another. They even stopped using copper in pennies so it could be used for bullets. Iraq on the other hand, the U.S. has all it needs and more besides. The most average people are getting involved with today is sending cards and maybe a plate of cookies to the troops.
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Sir Paul
Senator / Director of the Pacific Press
This is PNN
Posts: 617
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Post by Sir Paul on Aug 25, 2004 15:49:11 GMT -5
Jefferson is the best president ever. He reduced the size of the Federal Government by 50% and ran it without a tax on a single American (only a very modest tarriff kept the feds going).
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Post by TheShaft on Aug 25, 2004 18:26:36 GMT -5
I don't know if I could select just 1. It would depend of what was happening at the time they were in office as cr stated before.
JFK for instance why was he in Dallas?
The Democratic party was falling apart in Texas and LBJ didn't seem to be having any luck in resolving the problems. So JFK was there to lay down the law and get the party reunited.
Dose that make him a bad Pres or a good politician?
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Post by Warrior Thorin on Aug 26, 2004 8:52:14 GMT -5
WWII did help the economy, but the big boom occurred after WWII and into the 1950s because the USA rebuilt Europe and Japan and was given basically carte blanche to do so, shutting out other nations from having the same opportunity. I do not really believe the best way to better an economy is by creating a war. Wars actually cause a bit of panic on Wall Street and people tend to not consume as many domestic products.
As for President Kennedy's trip to Dallas, I think it was a necessary political move and I think he had to do it to maintain his Presidency as well as other democrats who were running for office. The dumb part was that he never listened to the Secret Service, so in a sense he made the worst decision as a President that he could and it resulted in his death and a pig-headed bastard became President (I'm not a big fan of LBJ).
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Post by Black Adder on Aug 26, 2004 12:11:13 GMT -5
As for President Kennedy's trip to Dallas, I think it was a necessary political move and I think he had to do it to maintain his Presidency as well as other democrats who were running for office. The dumb part was that he never listened to the Secret Service, so in a sense he made the worst decision as a President that he could and it resulted in his death and a pig-headed bastard became President (I'm not a big fan of LBJ). Of course his intention to disband the CIA had little effect on the outcome either. Come to think of it they're talking about it again. *starts calculating odds for dead pool he's going to form*
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Post by CaerRialis on Aug 27, 2004 17:26:52 GMT -5
Sorry but I have to disagree with you on that one cr. World War 2 was what brought the USA out of depression. Things only got worse for the most part till we went to war. I think that was what I said...the major impact of the New Deal was in preventing future depressions.
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Post by TheShaft on Aug 28, 2004 12:36:44 GMT -5
Sorry about that cr. makes note to self got learn to read those post with more care.
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Post by Mammothistan on Aug 29, 2004 19:20:30 GMT -5
In Mammothistan there is a temple erected to the lasting memory of the greatest statesmen and peacemaker to ever live, Richard M. Nixon.
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Post by Warrior Thorin on Aug 30, 2004 13:59:46 GMT -5
In the capital city of Warrior Thorin, we have a statue for the greatest statesman who ever lived: Yogi Bera.
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Post by Black Adder on Aug 30, 2004 14:13:16 GMT -5
We briefly considered commissioning one after Will Rogers but we have an unreasonable dislike for Cowboy hats so we opted for Buddy Holly.
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Sir Paul
Senator / Director of the Pacific Press
This is PNN
Posts: 617
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Post by Sir Paul on Aug 30, 2004 14:16:45 GMT -5
When Orange County went bankrupt, Sir Paul bought the statue of John Wayne from the international airport.
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