Rate the Presidents from beginning to current (restarted from History) (Reagan, radical)

[jbgusa]

I started this on the wrong forum. Here goes.

Over the country's history surprisingly few of the Presidents have been great or even good. Here's my ranking. Yours?

1. George Washington (1789-1797) - Great

2. John Adams (1797-1801) - Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) - Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
4. James Madison (1809-1817) - Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
5. James Monroe (1817-1825) Good

6. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) - Poor to Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
7. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) Good but his policies ended in the Panic of 1837. Also one of two times that a two term or more Democratic president was succeeded by a Democrat.

8. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841) - Mediocre; term was stained by Panic of 1837
9. William Henry Harrison (1841) - Too short a time in office to know

10. John Tyler (1841-1845) Poor, and near-traitor. Voted for secession while serving on Virginia convention in 1861.

11. James K. Polk (1845-1849) Good.

12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) - Too short a time in office to know
13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) - Poor; mishandled sectional crises leading up to Civil War

14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) - Poor; Drunk, and mishandled sectional crises leading up to Civil War
15. James Buchanan (1857-1861) Poor; mishandled sectional crises leading up to Civil War
16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) Great

17. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) Mediocre; Radical Republicans didn't give him a chance.

18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) Poor to Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) Good but ending reconstruction without ensuring equity and justice for freed slaves was a stain.

20. James A. Garfield (1881) - Too short a time in office to know
21. Chester Arthur (1881-1885) - Mediocre. Passed Civil Service but otherwise didn't do much

22. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) Mediocre

23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) Mediocre
24. Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) Mediocre
25. William McKinley (1897-1901) Mediocre
26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Great

27. William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Mediocre
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Poor. Racist turned idealist who gave away America's nascent leadership position in world.

29. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923) Mediocre syphilitic

30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) Mediocre
31. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) Mediocre
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) Poor. One of the worst. Lots of Jewish blood on his hands. Basically a grandstander.

33. Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) Good to great.

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) Mediocre
35. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) Mediocre. Image better than reality

36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) Mediocre and divisive.

37. Richard Nixon (1969-1974) Poor. One of the worst. Congenital liar and hypocrite.

38. Gerald Ford (1974-1977) Good and underrated

39. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) Poor to terrible

40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Great

41. George Bush (1989-1993) Mediocre
42. Bill Clinton (1993-2001) Good

43. George W. Bush (2001-2009) Mediocre
44. Barack Obama (2009-2017) Poor to terrible
45. Donald Trump (2017- ) Too soon to say but earmarks of being medium to good.

[LKJ1988]

Bill and Nixon were the best in my book.

[Finn_Jarber]

So far Trump is worst ever (by far).

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by jbgusa

Over the country's history surprisingly few of the Presidents have been great or even good. Here's my ranking. Yours?

.

Based entirely on your biased opinion, got something a bit more credible to rate Americas Presidents?
Something like this perhaps = The top 20 presidents in US history, according to historians - Business Insider

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Based entirely on your biased opinion, got something a bit more credible to rate Americas Presidents?
Something like this perhaps = The top 20 presidents in US history, according to historians - Business Insider

I don't agree with most of the selections in your link, and certainly not the reasons. FDR was a disaster, for example, when it came to international relations. See FDR Stalin: A Not So Grand Alliance, 1943–1945
by Amos Perlmutter.

In your country I would put Macdonald and Harper on top, both Trudeaus, Chretien and King at or near the bottom.

[ottomobeale]

Originally Posted by jbgusa

I started this on the wrong forum. Here goes.

Over the country's history surprisingly few of the Presidents have been great or even good. Here's my ranking. Yours?

1. George Washington (1789-1797) - Great

2. John Adams (1797-1801) - Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.

3. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) - Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
4. James Madison (1809-1817) - Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
5. James Monroe (1817-1825) Good

6. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) - Poor to Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
7. Andrew Jackson (1829-1837) Good but his policies ended in the Panic of 1837. Also one of two times that a two term or more Democratic president was succeeded by a Democrat.

8. Martin Van Buren (1837-1841) - Mediocre; term was stained by Panic of 1837
9. William Henry Harrison (1841) - Too short a time in office to know

10. John Tyler (1841-1845) Poor, and near-traitor. Voted for secession while serving on Virginia convention in 1861.

11. James K. Polk (1845-1849) Good.

12. Zachary Taylor (1849-1850) - Too short a time in office to know
13. Millard Fillmore (1850-1853) - Poor; mishandled sectional crises leading up to Civil War

14. Franklin Pierce (1853-1857) - Poor; Drunk, and mishandled sectional crises leading up to Civil War
15. James Buchanan (1857-1861) Poor; mishandled sectional crises leading up to Civil War
16. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) Great

17. Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) Mediocre; Radical Republicans didn't give him a chance.

18. Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877) Poor to Medium but better in most roles than his term as President.
19. Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) Good but ending reconstruction without ensuring equity and justice for freed slaves was a stain.

20. James A. Garfield (1881) - Too short a time in office to know
21. Chester Arthur (1881-1885) - Mediocre. Passed Civil Service but otherwise didn't do much

22. Grover Cleveland (1885-1889) Mediocre

23. Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) Mediocre
24. Grover Cleveland (1893-1897) Mediocre
25. William McKinley (1897-1901) Mediocre
26. Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) Great

27. William Howard Taft (1909-1913) Mediocre
28. Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921) Poor. Racist turned idealist who gave away America's nascent leadership position in world.

29. Warren G. Harding (1921-1923) Mediocre syphilitic

30. Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) Mediocre
31. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) Mediocre
32. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) Poor. One of the worst. Lots of Jewish blood on his hands. Basically a grandstander.

33. Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) Good to great.

34. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) Mediocre
35. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) Mediocre. Image better than reality

36. Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) Mediocre and divisive.

37. Richard Nixon (1969-1974) Poor. One of the worst.Congential liar

38. Gerald Ford (1974-1977) Good and underrated

39. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) Poor to terrible

40. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Great

41. George Bush (1989-1993) Mediocre
42. Bill Clinton (1993-2001) Good

43. George W. Bush (2001-2009) Mediocre
44. Barack Obama (2009-2017) Poor to terrible
45. Donald Trump (2017- ) Too soon to say but earmarks of being medium to good.

Those I differ and have an opinion
7. Andrew Jackson. Trail of Tears would lower my opinion.
18. Grant. Corruption
32. FDR Mediocre of multitudes of things terrible and terrific.
34. Eisenhower. Good
42. Bill Clinton. Mediocre
43. Bush Jr. Awful. Reckless cowboy.
44. Obama. Just when you think Bush is bad you go from reckless cowboy to incompetent pandering bumbler.
45. Trump. Just when you think Obama couldn't possibly be beaten for awful saving the disasters before and after Lincoln, along comes a narcissistic game show host with an ego measured in solar masses surpassed only by the size of his big fat mouth.

[ottomobeale]

Originally Posted by Finn_Jarber

So far Trump is worst ever (by far).

Until he starts a civil war with actual guns blazing and 600K+ dead. Sorry. Buchanan is safely at the bottom.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Based entirely on your biased opinion, got something a bit more credible to rate Americas Presidents?
Something like this perhaps = The top 20 presidents in US history, according to historians - Business Insider

Can we rate the Canadian PM's? I know them by heart only back to Laurier and even then I get a few wrong between 1920 and 1936. For greats I would put Macdonald and Harper. For the bottom of the barrel I'd put Chretien, TrueDope (both big hair and bowtie), and especially (talks to dead mother and dogs) King.

[Indigo Cardinal]

Originally Posted by ottomobeale

Until he starts a civil war with actual guns blazing and 600K+ dead. Sorry. Buchanan is safely at the bottom.

I dunno, having to resign in disgrace (Nixon) might tie with that.....

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by Indigo Cardinal

I dunno, having to resign in disgrace (Nixon) might tie with that.....

FDR, wanting the death of European Jews is in there somewhere.