Reagan
this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2024
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Does worst mean:
- least able to achieve their stated agenda, ie worst at their job. (Trump)
- worst vision for America, ie most evil (Reagan)
- worst overall impact to America, ie one you'd kill with a time machine (Bush Jr, but Trump might catch up in term 2)
- Worst for the world, ie the one I'd kill with a time machine (Washington)
Although I'm not American and don't know your history that well.
Idk I think Jackson beats Reagan there. He was the trail of tears guy. He ran on genocide against the indigenous peoples of the continent and delivered
You probably know it way better than the average American. I say this not only as an American, but as one who has been outside North America. I find that our own perspective on us is pretty skewed, and it takes a lot of work to set it straight. More than most of us are willing to do.
Agree with most of the comments about jackson being the worst, but I'm surprised no one's mentioned Eisenhower and Hoover, who would easily go in the top ten.
I also wanted to throw Truman in the ring for signing off nuclear strikes on mainly civilian targets (i.e. cities) and for the American war crimes in Korea (but I mainly blame MacArthur for that) but he also fired MacArthur and roasted him and the other generals whilst doing so. So maybe somewhere in the top 15 to 25. If MacArthur's run for president had succeeded tho we'd have another strong candidate.
I don't care about others opinions on this one bit, for my money. When looking at how much long term damage they have done to the country, our global relations and to the world in general; it's Donald and it's not even a close contest.
Ronald Reagan did more damage to this country than any president before or after him.
Just wait until the turd tanks the economy 1920s style.
Before or after him so far
I feel like the "so far" is implied...unless you've somehow figured out how to 100% accurately predict the future and you haven't told anyone.
...By the way, if that's the case, rude.
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While W. sucked in many ways, there is no way he is the worst. Off the top of my head I can easily think of four better contenders: Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan (both guilty of pro-slavery fuckery before the Civil War), Andrew Johnson (fought to let the Confederates off the hook after the war and opposed the 14th amendment), and Donald Trump (first president to be impeached twice, first to be convicted of a felony, and may be remembered by future historians as the spark that ignites the next Civil War).
donvict ain't done yet, either. i think the damage and legacy he leaves behind, leaking out that giant diaper, will be the worst of the bunch.
Btw. question from Germany regarding Trumps Felony: I read that people convicted of a felony may not vote yet I also read that Trump cast his in Florida. Hoe does it actually work?
He was convicted in New York so Florida doesn't care.
It is complicated because the rules are different in each state. Also, Trump was convicted in New York state but he resides and votes in Florida.
For out-of-state convictions, Florida defers to the other state's rules. New York would allow Trump to vote if he resided there because he is not currently in prison, so Trump can vote in Florida legally.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-felony-conviction-can-he-vote-b95e7b4c9158d999e8bc89b00fbda911
America doesn't have laws and isn't a functioning society.
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Question from another European about that, he's convicted but never got a sentence? Or did he and why in that case isn't he serving?
Sentencing was delayed until after Nov. 5th, and now it's been permanently delayed. I'm sure the conviction will be overturned at some point while he's in office
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It's tempting to pick someone recent, but the real answer is probably Andrew Jackson. He successfully engineered a genocide, trampled the Constitution and human rights, and was actively hostile to limits on Presidential power.
We'll see if 47 surpasses him. He's set up to do so. It's going to be wild to see what happens when Trump order troops to fire into crowds of American citizens.
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George W Bush Jr.
Yes I am handing him the worst president title, even over Trump.
Because, it was his mishandled War on Terror, that plunged the country into massive national debt. He crashed the housing market. He literally had waged a war on obese people, minorities and other things as distractions from his failure to capture Osama. He allowed American Surveillance with Patriot Act I and II. His cabinet were all crooks and he was just a dumb puppet.
He is essentially the ripple effect of everything we're dealing with today and Trump is merely the symptom of that.
He allowed American Surveillance with Patriot Act I and II.
People at the time were begging for that. There were a very, very few civil libertarians that realized just how dangerous those acts would be, but the people, as a whole, were really behind them. Just like the people went in gung-ho for the start of GWoT.
He is essentially the ripple effect of everything weโre dealing with today and Trump is merely the symptom of that.
I'd put that at the feet of Reagan first. Reagan was the one that cozied up to the 'moral majority', which was based in racism and misogyny, what with Bob Jones University being forced to desegregate. That's where the birth of the alt-right (which I guess is now just mainstream Republicans) happened.
People at the time were begging for that. There were a very, very few civil libertarians that realized just how dangerous those acts would be, but the people, as a whole, were really behind them. Just like the people went in gung-ho for the start of GWoT.
"Do you want the terrorists to win?!?" was hurled at me a bunch back then.
I agree. Bush Jr. was the one who broke the window, Trump is just the inevitable crackhead who climbed in and started living on the couch.
lol trump is bad but not like Andrew Jackaon bad.
Probably
- Andrew Jackson - Crimes against native people
- Andrew Johnson - Fucked up reconstruction
- Ronald Reagan - Trickle down economics
- 45/47 ๐คฎ - We all know why...
- Richard Nixon - The Infamous Crook
Might have some memory gaps, but these are what I can remember from the top of my head.
Don't forget that the SCOTUS appointed by 47 ended the American experiment since Presidents are now effectively kings. Thanks to Presidential immunity, we no longer get to say nobody is above the law.
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I dunno, Nixon's fuckery is downright provincial these days.
Reagan definitely deserves a top 5 spot.
This question is too difficult, there are too many candidates...
I would hire nucular George every day for the next 4 years to get rid of the orange dipshit.
It is absolutely fuckin bonkers that Trump is so bad that a person can say they yearn for the good old days with Dubya without a hint of sarcasm
Dubya at least had a face of 'compassionate' conservatism, and believed in the rule of law. Yeah, he bent the law a lot, but he never outright broke it. He was incompetent--or, he was at least not up to the task of being a president--but not apparently malicious.
Pity that SCOTUS stepped in with the Florida recount, since it was eventually found that Gore should have won. I wonder where we'd be on climate change now if Gore had won? Oh well Florida, enjoy your flooding and hurricanes.
The idiot son of an asshole
Now there's a song I haven't heard in a long time. Thanks!
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andrew jackson (or johnson can never remember which) for the trail of tears. absolutely awful
Trump is definitely in the bottom quintile, but also anyone putting him in the bottom 5 is just recency bias.
Most people who argued for Trump said it's because of Jan 6th and his other felonies and that he was allowed to run again and became reelected (even tho a partition of the us citizens are to blame for the latter). I also think people already value him lower because of Project 2025 and out of fear what will happen during his 2nd term.
Going for the low hanging fruit, huh?
I'm having a hard time deciding between grape and kiwi what about you?
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It's Reagan or Nixon, no contest. Bush pales in comparison
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