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10 Best & Worst Presidents

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Best & Worst U.S. Presidents
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There have been some great presidents throughout U.S. history. There have also been some less-than-great ones. Here are the 10 best and 10 worst presidents as ranked in 2010 by the Research Institute of Siena College, who have surveyed presidential scholars five times since 1982.
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  • Citizen

    Not even close ‘CCO – You’re missing Jimmy Carter and the current president in the list of 10 worst.

    • BettyC

      No not even close Richard Nixon needed to be included among the worst though

      • Dave

        Really? Do you know anything about him besides Watergate? How about the fact that he started the EPA? How about that he ended the Vietnam War? Or that he opened up China to trade and the Western world? Or the fact that he ended the draft? Or that he fulfilled JFK’s promise of a man on the moon? Or that he brought down the highest inflation rate in the century (brought about by LBJ’s policy’s)? He help facilitate racial integration of schools and dozen other accomplishments. Watergate guaranteed he would never be thought of as part of the ten best, but the ten worst? Use your brain BettyC!!!

        • Jorge

          TOROBUITRE808 on March 29, 2011 And are you suggesting that ppoele just pay somebody whatever they ask just because they called and demanded payment? You can make an argument that not paying a debt is a dishonorable thing and in many cases I would agree that you are right. However, wouldn’t you also consider it dishonorable for some company to buy a bunch of debt for $.02 on the dollar and then start calling ppoele demanding payment when they have no real proof these ppoele actually owe anything?

    • Larry C.

      How did Jimmy Carter not come in as the worst. He was a humiliation but then again, he promised nothing and delivered nothing. When asked for specifics during his campaign, the answer was always “Trust me.”

  • Willard

    The problem I have with this is that there is nothing that says how or why they were rated as they were. That would make it more interesting.

  • Because

    That’s an easy one. Anyone, anything, anytime anywhere is better than bush. Even a pile of dung.

    • Stellett

      Highly doubt a 2 term president (Bush) could be one of the worst. Where is Jimmy Carter? Nixon? LBJ? Taft? This list is a joke…

      • Burg

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    • Izumi

      knersi1 on April 16, 2011 etzel33! Wind irebtnus have a little accessory called vane’ which detects the direction the wind is coming from and turns the turbine into that direction dooooh!!!

  • Journeyone

    1st WORST is GEORGE W BUSH
    2nd WORST is RONALD REAGAN
    3rd WORST is GEORGE H. W. BUSH

    • GOPSUX

      Bravo

    • Slo

      You are such a Jack; Ronald Reagan was one of the great ones. He is the reason we were able to enjoy the 90′s. Fiscal policy alone was one of rebuilding the American dream. I hesitate to even mention the fall of the Soviet Union because that’s too easy. A president universally respected and feared around the world as one of the most powerful men to sit and lead a nation since the greats of WWII. You’re way off and GW1 was not worst or a best. He was a fill in, a president of little note. Much like veggies at dinner, they rarely get rated or remembered but they always get eaten.

      • The Crux of the Buscuit

        Reagan thought ketchup was a vegetable. Reagan started the fiscal calamity the country is still trying to dig itself out of. Reagan was popular, but not a great president. Iran-Contra ring a bell? W stated once that he was the logical extension of Reagan, nuff said…..

        • blueskies

          Just because W said he was the logical extension of Reagan doesn’t make it true – which it isn’t. Reagan created a surplus after the hole Carter dug us into which was then squandered by Bush the Elder. Clinton created a surplus which was then squandered by Bush the Younger – and now Obama is following W’s lead and taken a bad situation and made it much worse. So where you’re getting that Reagan started this “calamity” is completely false. Go back and read some history instead of just throwing out partisan, unresearched statements…

    • jack

      Journeyone is obviously a young Democrate & needs to do a little more research.

    • Kayley

      josedejesusgallardo on November 19, 2009 I own a 2007 Aspen and a 2008 300 Limited, I love Chrysler is just so sad to look at those legtneman talking about a strong Chrysler, when in reality it was about to collapse.I’ll love my CHRYSLER’S FOREVER, (Both are silver)

  • sandy

    Get somebody with an open mind someone who doesn’t mind telling the truth about George W Bush. Look who is in office now. We are worse off today then we where four years ago and we will be worse off tomorrow.

    • BettyC

      No, its just taken longer than expected to recover from the damage W caused

      • Paul Willette

        Betty your dead wrong!! Bush made some bad moves, but this current president made the snowball that much bigger!!! He did everything wrong!! And when this bubble pops,its going to make 08-09 look like disney world.. Just ask Greece,, The Keynesian method has never worked!!!

    • Gary

      I like how it takes an “open mind” to realize Dumbya was a better President than Obama. We may never recover from the damage he and his awful administration did to this country — how’s that for an “open mind.”

    • tan pup

      Exactly – W might not have been the best, but he was much better then the clown we have now. No question about that!!

    • Republicanus

      really? Look at the S & P in January, 2009 and look at where it is today. I don’t know about you but I am a lot better off than I was when the Bush/Cheney team were cooking up the Great Recession.

    • Ferdinand

      wwacaien on October 25, 2011 Come on, boy. Hold on to that hat! Run forit, boy! Run straight home and don’t stop ’til you getthere!

  • Po Po

    Stupid biased liberal opinion.

    • Whatever

      I second that!

  • Bob M

    Oh, come one, George Bsuh as 5th worst? How Democratically biased is that. He was among the top 10 in my list of best.

    • The Crux of the Buscuit

      But Bob, didn’t you once state that you thought self flagellation should be an Olymipc sport?

  • Brian

    As a Social Studies teacher and History major, this list is absolutely awful and if I had to grade it I would give it an F. It is less about who is on the lists and who isn’t and more about the absolute failure to analyze and explain the selections. For example, if economic slumps were a factor (what I would assume the rationale behind the Bush and Hoover selections are) Martin Van Buren should also be listed as he was president during a recession that was even worse then the one this country just went through. Also, it could be argued Coolidge greatly contributed to the mess Hoover found himself in through his strict hands off government policies. Also, I’m not sure what the rationale behind Johnson’s ranking is, especially when you consider the fact he wanted to follow Lincoln’s plan to reunite the North and South, however Congress wanted to punish the South. This led to Congress impeaching him and effectively hamstringing him for the remainder of his term. Finally, at this point it would be unfair to put Bush on either list as nobody can say with any degree of certainty what his legacy is (this is the exact same reason Obama cannot be rated, not enough time has passed to judge the full impact of the choices they made).

    • brian

      That and they cited Wikipedia. Even college kids know that’s a big no-no.

    • Donald

      I can see and acknowledge your feelings on timing of the Bush inclusion, but…: two unfunded, unending, unjustified wars, the financial system meltdown and subsequent bail-outs, Hurricane Katrina response, and tax cuts that effectively bankrupted the Treasury. And that’s just off the top of my head. Bush was a complete failure because of all the things the caption listed. His only defense could be that none of the decisions made during his administrations were his (and therefore Cheney’s).

      • Pete

        freeing 10 million people from tyrannical rule and establishing the first democratic arab nation along with saving millions of lives in Africa are not bad. I think history will judge GW as one of the best, as they will only look at facts and not media bias and political spin.

        • DontTread

          Freeing 10 million people at the expense of killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. That surely is greatness. And on a domestic note, committing a nation to an unfunded war with unattainable goals, while stripping freedoms, lying to them, and then vacationing. Yes, that is surely worthy. You speak of facts, but your opinion seems to be formed by that of maybe, Fox?

        • Lishe

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    • DontTread

      “worse then the one this country just went through”? What planet do you live on? 9% unemployment (higher if you consider under employment and those no longer counted), inflation at unseen levels, more than ever before vulnerable dollar, debt for generations to come, ect. I’d say we are still very much in the think of it. In fact, I might even venture to guess it will get worse before it gets better. But heck, you’re the social studies teacher, not the economics teacher. Financial feasibility means nothing to the liberal wing-nuts when determining success factors. Yet to hear an argument backed by dollars and sense.

      • john

        guess I missed the high rate of inflation?

        • DontTread

          A loaf of bread cost 90 cents in early 2008. It now costs $2. That’s nothing gradual. Ya, that’s affordable for most, yet food stamps are in higher demand than ever. Congressional committees have been formed to combat the unusual rise of inflation. Libs live in a fantasy world where they believe its all good and “progress”.

  • DEEP

    Even adjusting for inflation Obama has increased war spending 17%!? Who is imprisoning and killing and who is making the money?

  • randy

    Franklin D. Roosevelt is by far the worst for starting the modern welfair state that will bring down the US. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a total socalist and hated the free market and the fact that states had any rights. We need to undo all things started by him.

    • The Crux of the Buscuit

      Nixon tried to get Congress to pass a nationalized health care package.

  • Reality

    Wow WCCO puts the most socialist president in history as #1 FDR. Also Teddy Roosevelt another socialist in the top ten. The FDR gave us social security enacted policies that kept up in the great depression. Also how can you not put George Washington as #1 or even Abe. Where is Jimmy Carter and LBJ as worse presidents. Ronald Regan should be in the top 10 for best. Did he not beat USSR and recover the economy that he inherited from Jimmy Carter?

  • Silvertogold

    Who the hell came up with this list and what moron decided it was worthy of publishing – CBS – get real

  • MrX

    Obama is the best president ever in the eyes of morons.

    • Sawthin

      ahmedghunaim on December 2, 2007 Accadia z jst a showy carit has no piwerots jst waste ofmoneyGmc z g@y alsoit only produce a showy cars wid no real powerlike H3 it hs no accleration power

  • jk

    This list is as absurd is it is useless.
    I suspect the writer was looking for a quick and easy paycheck.

  • Xanthophyll

    Franklin D. Roosevelt before Abraham Lincoln and George Washington? He deserves to be in the top 5, but not before those two. C’mon.

  • debate can be civil

    Well, WCCO did not compile this list. As stated on the first slide: “as ranked in 2010 by the Research Institute of Siena College, who have surveyed presidential scholars.” And the Wikipedia credits are for the images, not the rankings.

    Like Willard above, I was also troubled by the lack of context provided in this gallery. I found the Siena College press release online: “Over two hundred presidential scholars ranked the 43 U.S. Presidents on six personal attributes (background, imagination, integrity, intelligence, luck and willingness to take risks), five forms of ability (compromising, executive, leadership, communication and overall) and eight areas of accomplishment including economic, other domestic affairs, working with Congress and their party, appointing supreme court justices and members of the executive branch, avoiding mistakes and foreign policy.”

    The press release doesn’t provide the full ranking of 1-43 (Pres. Obama is not part of the survey since he’s still in office), but it does provide some detail around other names mentioned in the comments.
    http://www.siena.edu/uploadedfiles/home/parents_and_community/community_page/sri/independent_research/Presidents%20Release_2010_final.pdf

  • mike

    No surprise that George W. Bush is among the worst of them. After all he sure led this nation into an economic mess. Do you all think he really gave a damn whether his approval rating hit an all-time low? Huh, think again!

    • Mike

      Mikey if you remember correctly the mess didn’t start till the Democrats took full control of congress. Can you name any bill the Democrat congress passed that Bush vetoed that would have stopped the mess we are in today? Do you think Bush could have waved a magic wand and stopped this mess with a Democratic congress?
      Fact is both parties got us in this mess. Blaming one man is just silly.

  • Rich C

    How can George W. Bush NOT be the worst!
    He and Cheney should be in prison!
    Look what’s become of America since 9/11, when they lied and took
    us into invading and destroying a sovereign nation. Thousands have
    died or been maimed, a country destroyed and now corrupted nation
    building by us continues. And, they did this by expensing it all on the dole,
    while throwing away income by tax cuts to the rich. The eight years
    they “led” have brought this country to its knees, and we are still trying
    to recover from it all. Its insanity and yet people blame Obama and
    still salute both those shameless goons.

  • The Crux of the Buscuit

    “If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I’m the dictator.” –Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000

    http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushism-dictatorship.htm

    He should have been impeached for this statement. Bush, the ‘littlest Hitler’.

  • John Galt

    Only the Red Tribune could conceive such a laughable list…

  • Hank Rearden

    0bama: failed stimulus, $17 trillion debt, weakened dollar, record people on food stamps, unpopular 0bamacare jammed down our throats, lowest employment in 30 years, $4.00 gas…

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