The Worst U.S. President of all Time?

[EliManningLover]

Throughout U.S. history Harding was definately the worst President ever. I mean when a man gambles away antique White House china, he's no good.

I think Nixon gets a worse light then he should. Nixon got us out of Vietnam, Nixon made peace with China. if it hadn't been for Watergate he would've gone down as one of the greats.

Although Johnson may not have been one of the worst, he certainly was bad. Since Eisenhower we avoided sending troops to Vietnam. It was a disaster for sure, and completely Johnson's fault. The Great Society would have been great if we could've afforded it AND vietnam. He shouldve picked one.

Certinly U.S. Grant was one of the worst presidents. A drunk, and probably the most corrupt administration ever. R.B. Hayes certainly saved the Republican party (which was Lincoln's republican party, which is really now the democratic party.)

And now Jimmy Carter. Debated by many as to his administration's greatness. Noe one could forget the hostage crisis, which because of bad foreign relations he was unable to resolve. Althogh the camp david peace talks will be remembered. Personally from my point of view of history, he was a do nothing president.

My List of Greats in no particular order
1. George Washington.
2. Abraham Lincoln
3. Dwight D. Eisenhower
4. Harry S. Truman
5. Ronald Reagan
( I just don't like FDR's kind of politics, I'm sorry.)

 

[thatcrap]

Herbert Hoover. Hands down.

 

[ronboy]

Here's a list strictly from a historical viewpoint (in historical order)...

1. John Quincy Adams (he was no John Adams!)

2. Millard Fillmore (did nothing)

3. James Buchanan (ditto)

4. Andrew Johnson (impeached)

5. William Howard Taft (another do-nothing kind of guy)

6. Warren Harding (the Teapot Dome Scandal)

7. Herbert Hoover (2 cars in every garage and 2 chickens in every pot for his rich friends and depression for everyone else)

8. Dwight D. Eisenhower (played golf for 8 years and maintained the status quo)

9. Lyndon B. Johnson (so wildly unpopular because of Vietnam, that he couldn't run for a second term)

10. Richard M. Nixon (Watergate brought him down...a potentially great presidency gone bad.....)

11. Gerald Ford (he was an Edsel)

12. Jimmy Carter (a great Democrat, and unparalleled international statesmen, but had no domestic policy. The Iran hostage crisis brought his presidency down)

13. George W. Bush (Dubya) (perhaps the most ill fated of presidents. He was so anxious to get involved in a war that he used untrue information to justify it to the American people. Now he's trying to keep an un-winable situation going (shades of Vietnam here).

Just my own humble opinion folks....

 

[seven_sins]

This might have been asked before, but as a non-American, I would be very curious to know whom you would pick.

I was driving home this evening listening to Janeane Garafalo & Sam Seder on Air America Radio. They were talking about the Quinnipiac University national poll in which Bush was cited as the worst of the 11 post-war presidents by 34 percent of those surveyed between May 23 and May 30. Bush far outdistanced runnerups Richard Nixon at 17 percent and Clinton at 16 percent.

 

[thehayesman]

Before I even read the first post, Warren Harding came to my mind as the worst.

I think Franklin Pierce did a good job. From what I remember, I think he was a pretty shrewed business man for the U.S.

Taft and Buchanan would also have to be near the top of my list.

I don't know so much about the most current presidents. Issues seem so much more complex than they used to be; I can never decide who's policies are right.

 

[EliManningLover]

Ronboy, We probably shouldn't forget Eisenhower's great accomplishments-
-National Highway system
-Ending the Conflict in Korea
-Overthrowing oppressing governments in Guatemala and Iran
-His passion for spreading peace worldwide
-Avoided sending toops to Vietnam, even when Nixon encouraged him too
-Refused to back the Europeans in the attempt to take the Suez Canal from Egypt
-Proposed the Open Skies policy to the Soviet Union
-Sent the national guard to Arkasnas to enforce court ordered school integration.

 

[james1200]

I was driving home this evening listening to Janeane Garafalo & Sam Seder on Air America Radio. They were talking about the Quinnipiac University national poll in which Bush was cited as the worst of the 11 post-war presidents by 34 percent of those surveyed between May 23 and May 30. Bush far outdistanced runnerups Richard Nixon at 17 percent and Clinton at 16 percent.

Aside from escalating the Vietnam war Nixon was a damn good president...he set up the environmental protection agency and otherwise governed like a big government liberal...how times have changed...

 

[The_Reaper]

Seeing as I don't know American Presidents very well...I'll just go with what "America: The Book: A Citzen's Guide to Democracy In Action" tells me and why.

FDR, why? A Cripple!? We elected a cripple?!

But in all seriousness, I'd say the current president has a pretty good shot of getting the title...

 

[blooeyz]

Here is my list: Geo W Bush (a criminal and should be impeached), Nixon (another criminal) and Reagan (a vaccuous puppet)

 

[ronboy]

Ronboy, We probably shouldn't forget Eisenhower's great accomplishments-
-National Highway system
-Ending the Conflict in Korea
-Overthrowing oppressing governments in Guatemala and Iran
-His passion for spreading peace worldwide
-Avoided sending toops to Vietnam, even when Nixon encouraged him too
-Refused to back the Europeans in the attempt to take the Suez Canal from Egypt
-Proposed the Open Skies policy to the Soviet Union
-Sent the national guard to Arkasnas to enforce court ordered school integration.

Okay, I'm easy (not in THAT way!). Strike Ike from ther list. He did a few things in between rounds of golf!

 

[DryIce]

What a no-brainer question. The only president who comes remotely close to topping our current president as the worst in U.S. history is Richard Nixon, and if he were running against Bush today, I would gladly be standing on the street corner campaigning for him if it meant getting Bush out of office. The Bush administration, without question, will go down in history as the most corrupt, incompetent, vile, morally bankrupt administration in U.S. history -- you can mark my words on that, and if anyone disagrees, check back with me in 100 years, 200, 500, 1000 so I can say "I told ya so."

 

[sheep]

The Bush administration, without question, will go down in history as the most corrupt, incompetent, vile, morally bankrupt administration in U.S. history -- you can mark my words on that, and if anyone disagrees, check back with me in 100 years, 200, 500, 1000 so I can say "I told ya so."

You may have to check with the United Nations who pooled their resources and bought the bankrupt former USA for 10 cents on the dollar.

 

[james1200]

Nixon! His performance in 'Futurama' is appalling!

So was Al Gore's...though a robot body is more fitting to him than Nixon.

 

[jdb2001]

Here's a list strictly from a historical viewpoint (in historical order)...

1. John Quincy Adams (he was no John Adams!)

2. Millard Fillmore (did nothing)

3. James Buchanan (ditto)

4. Andrew Johnson (impeached)

5. William Howard Taft (another do-nothing kind of guy)

6. Warren Harding (the Teapot Dome Scandal)

7. Herbert Hoover (2 cars in every garage and 2 chickens in every pot for his rich friends and depression for everyone else)

8. Dwight D. Eisenhower (played golf for 8 years and maintained the status quo)

9. Lyndon B. Johnson (so wildly unpopular because of Vietnam, that he couldn't run for a second term)

10. Richard M. Nixon (Watergate brought him down...a potentially great presidency gone bad.....)

11. Gerald Ford (he was an Edsel)

12. Jimmy Carter (a great Democrat, and unparalleled international statesmen, but had no domestic policy. The Iran hostage crisis brought his presidency down)

13. George W. Bush (Dubya) (perhaps the most ill fated of presidents. He was so anxious to get involved in a war that he used untrue information to justify it to the American people. Now he's trying to keep an un-winable situation going (shades of Vietnam here).

Just my own humble opinion folks....

In my opinion, #13 Should be at the top of the list. He has gotten away with so much crap that Bill Clinton or any other president would have been crucified over. But once again that's just my $.02!

 

[TechPepsi]

The one that wasn't elected to begin with and the one who was elected the second time around out of fear.

hehehe nice image
comes to show you that BUSH is a monkey

 

[frankfrank]

Bush, most definitely. There's no contest whatsoever here. What are the chances that, come 2008, there will be a terrorist attack just in time to convince the public that we can't possibly change presidents midstream, but that he should be president for life? I put nothing past that guy. He has also helped create the greediest and most corrupt government ever to grace this planet because, unlike other dictators** who have fostered more greed and theft per capita in their nations, these policies have usually affected only the nation in question or a handful of others; Dubya has overseen a corporate superstructure which robs and pillages from nearly all the nations of the world.

**And, yes, he IS a dictator. ONLY a dictator breaks treaties, disregards laws passed by Congress, has people tortured, etc. AS HE SEES FIT, without oversight.

 

[Kurn]

Harding was like they say of certain French kings, 'roi faineant' I think it goes. "do nothing."
But Bush is harmful like no other President. To be sure, remember to blame the People who ignorantly elected the guy. He's not a bad person; He just has horrible ideas about how to run a country.
I wanna see Hillary in the Oval Office! I might even go to church once if that happens.

 

[Snickers52]

It has been mentioned by one or two others that Jimmy Carter was the worst president of the 29th century. I definitely disagree. His administration was one of the worst, but he was a wonderful president who did not succeed in the job because he is one of the few presidents we ever had who tried to do things honestly. It's very well known that to succeed in that job, you basically have to be a consumate liar and crook. An truly honest, decent man has no chance in that job when you've got a congress and senate full of underhanded crooks working against everything you do.

Luckily for President Carter, his methods have worked far better after his presidency. He does more for this country and the world in 1 week than this pathetic cretin of a human George Bush will do in 2 full terms.

Bill Clinton was a fantastic president. Probably the 2nd best in my life, after JFK. But, personally I wouldn't trust the man any farther than I could throw him.

 

[RationalLunacy]

It has been mentioned by one or two others that Jimmy Carter was the worst president of the 29th century.

I just returned to the present in my time machine, and apparently the posters are absolutely right -- Jimmy Carter's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-
great-great-great-great-grandson is also named Jimmy Carter, and was elected president in the year 2874, and became the worst president of all time.

 

[teadrinker]

It's very hard to judge a current President - you really do need a historical lens to judge his achievements and proper place. G W Bush is certainly an idiot and a blundering fool, but who knows how history will make him?

For my part, not being American, and so having no first-hand knowledge of life under any president, Grant and Harding I believe are the two worst - both hopelessly unqualified for the job, and both unable to stop major scandals.

As for Andrew Johnson, he was certainly tried for impeachment, but wasn't he acquitted? Also, he was at least himself a good and honest man, if not a good president.

-T.