Who is the worst President ever?

[mikeylikesit]

Doc wrote:
Warren Harding doesn't make it to the short-list? Does the Teapot Dome scandal mean nothing to today's youth?

Nepotism, cronyism, partisan appointments, bribes, broken election promises ... if not for a fortuitous "suicide" half his cabinet would have ended up in prison.

Surely he makes the top 5?!

And what about Calvin Coolidge? Laissez-faire government, the breaking of the League of Nations, deregulation of banks and the subsequent destabilization of the dollar... Doesn't Coolidge deserve some recognition?

There's only room for three in the top three. Actually if you wanted a progression, you could nominate most Republicans following Lincoln and preceding Teddy and throw old Franklin in just for balance.

[Mac1337]

Mike Sellers wrote:
[quote=swampy]
I don't see Jimmy Carter on your list.

Selections from Jimmy Carter's 1979 "Malaise" speech, in which he never used the word "malaise".

In little more than two decades we've gone from a position of energy independence to one in which almost half the oil we use comes from foreign countries, at prices that are going through the roof. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous tool on our economy and our people. This is the direct cause of the long lines which have made millions of you spend aggravating hours waiting for gasoline. It's a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our Nation.

I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this Nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977 -- never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. The generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil will be stopped dead in its tracks right now and then reversed as we move through the 1980's, for I am tonight setting the further goal of cutting our dependence on foreign oil by one-half by the end of the next decade -- a saving of over 4 1/2 million barrels of imported oil per day.

Point three: To give us energy security, I am asking for the most massive peacetime commitment of funds and resources in our Nation's history to develop America's own alternative sources of fuel -- from coal, from oil shale, from plant products for gasohol, from unconventional gas, from the Sun.

Just as a similar synthetic rubber corporation helped us win World War II, so will we mobilize American determination and ability to win the energy war. Moreover, I will soon submit legislation to Congress calling for the creation of this Nation's first solar bank, which will help us achieve the crucial goal of 20 percent of our energy coming from solar power by the year 2000.

To make absolutely certain that nothing stands in the way of achieving these goals, I will urge Congress to create an energy mobilization board which, like the War Production Board in World War II, will have the responsibility and authority to cut through the redtape, the delays, and the endless roadblocks to completing key energy projects.

We will protect our environment. But when this Nation critically needs a refinery or a pipeline, we will build it.

Good thing we didn't listen to that loser, huh?
You just saved Obama speech writers a whole lot of work.

[$tevie]

Well, today I learned that Gutenberg is a youthful male. That's a shocker allrighty. ()

[Gutenberg]

Wait a second, let me check.

Still female, thank God. Girlz rool.

[davester]

I find it laughable that anyone at this point can possibly still defend geedubya. Unless you're an industry CEO who's golden parachuted out of the deregulated mess that is our economy, or a radical middle eastern who's thrilled at the expansion of terrorism resulting from geedubya's imperialism what has he done that's worth a @#$#?

[$tevie]

I find it extraordinary that anyone can whine about the fact that W appears on that poll. Don't vote for W if you don't think he deserves it. Or make your own poll that excludes W. Or go read up on W's 8 years and get a clue.

[michaelb]

I think it is a tough call right now as to where W stands. If effectiveness is factored in, he had a strong agenda, and steamrolled the democratics and all opposition in implementing that agenda to a large part. So he was an "effective" or "strong" president who was also wrong and misguided and lots of other bad things. How devastatingly bad his agenda was to the long term future for this country remains to be seen.

He will certainly make the top 5 worst presidents ever list though. Seems like a lock for that now.

[davester]

I agree about his effectiveness michaelb. Perhaps it'd been better if he'd followed Franklin Pierce's example and stayed drunk for both terms. Too bad he had to leave his drunk drug-abuser days behind before the election.

[BCam]

According to Robert Wuhl's HBO special "Assume the Position" ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7MqrWHM9MA&feature=PlayList&p=F9FED87B2A084D9F&index=7&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL

And then please view ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNQb3DPpf64&feature=PlayList&p=F9FED87B2A084D9F&playnext=1&index=6

You decide.

[swampy]

Yeah... those drunken drug taking days.