who would be in your pantheon of presidents and why?
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 11:29 pmto keep it topical, let's say mt. rushmore is blank and they're thinking of adding four presidential faces to it. who would your four presidents be and why?
jefferson - encompasses everything america is about. died in debt, hugely hypocritical on social issues (owned slaves, had mad hunnies who were slaves), polymath, and hugely influential. even though most of the people who quote and reference him now bastardize the hell out of what he said, you can't deny the influence he's had on people.
teddy roosevelt - had probably the smartest foreign policy in american history, even though he was a huge racist. mans man, he deserves a rugged monument just for that. his political positions were a genius mix of what we would today consider liberal and conservative. he was a true progressive, and he enshrined everything america was at the time, but also everything america could be. he also got shot and shrugged it off so he's pretty much a demi-god
FDR - successfully led the country through two of it's four most harrowing moments, FDR was the total opposite of an empty suit. he was a great orator, and he used his ability to not only comfort america, but to inspire it when it needed it most. much of what liberal democrats today pine for, or demand we keep, come directly from FDR and his administration. he's a twentieth century legend, and arguably the greatest president we've ever had.
JFK - the first modern democrat, and one of those rare presidents that looks beyond his own term to the future. a war hero, and arguably one of the most inspiring presidents to ever live. His few notable accomplishments are examples of everything great about america (NASA, the peace corps). had he not been assassinated by LBJ, i have no doubt that he would have gone down as the greatest president in american history.
honorable mention: carter - almost toppled JFK, but space is just so cool.
jefferson - encompasses everything america is about. died in debt, hugely hypocritical on social issues (owned slaves, had mad hunnies who were slaves), polymath, and hugely influential. even though most of the people who quote and reference him now bastardize the hell out of what he said, you can't deny the influence he's had on people.
teddy roosevelt - had probably the smartest foreign policy in american history, even though he was a huge racist. mans man, he deserves a rugged monument just for that. his political positions were a genius mix of what we would today consider liberal and conservative. he was a true progressive, and he enshrined everything america was at the time, but also everything america could be. he also got shot and shrugged it off so he's pretty much a demi-god
FDR - successfully led the country through two of it's four most harrowing moments, FDR was the total opposite of an empty suit. he was a great orator, and he used his ability to not only comfort america, but to inspire it when it needed it most. much of what liberal democrats today pine for, or demand we keep, come directly from FDR and his administration. he's a twentieth century legend, and arguably the greatest president we've ever had.
JFK - the first modern democrat, and one of those rare presidents that looks beyond his own term to the future. a war hero, and arguably one of the most inspiring presidents to ever live. His few notable accomplishments are examples of everything great about america (NASA, the peace corps). had he not been assassinated by LBJ, i have no doubt that he would have gone down as the greatest president in american history.
honorable mention: carter - almost toppled JFK, but space is just so cool.