Great President? Or Greatest?
There are a lot of weird findings in this Gallup poll of who is considered the greatest president. Reagan tops the list (thanks in part to recent news about the 100th anniversary of his birth, I’d bet) but his margin of victory isn’t much. He gets 19% of the vote, and is 5 and 6 points ahead of Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton, respectively.
Which is weird. There’s no way either Reagan or Clinton are in anything of the same class as Lincoln, and the idea that either of them – along with JFK – outpolls George Washington? Insanity.
Ditto for Obama outpolling Teddy Roosevelt and Truman.
2% of poll respondents say George W. Bush is the greatest president ever. Which clearly means 2% of the respondents to this poll are heavy drug users.
There are honest arguments to be made for FDR, Lincoln, or Washington being our greatest presidents – and maybe Teddy Roosevelt if you stretch a bit. But this poll is just bizarre.
30 Responses to “Great President? Or Greatest?”
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History. Yet another topic Americans aren’t very good at.
Any poll that places Reagan at the top of the heap of greatest presidents is a joke.
Why are people so eager to forget his record of selling weapons to Iran and using the proceeds to fund an illegal war in Central America?
Of course, if the Reagan who raised taxes 11 times were in office today, the stupid teabaggers would be in the streets denouncing him…
Any poll that places Reagan at the top of the heap of greatest presidents is a joke.
Yup.
Why are people so eager to forget his record of selling weapons to Iran and using the proceeds to fund an illegal war in Central America?
Because he gave conservatives starbursts.
This just in: a plurality of Americans think Justin Bieber the greatest musician ever, the Snuggie the most important invention ever, and Sarah Palin the most beautiful woman ever.
‘Because he gave conservatives starbursts.’
Is that code for erections? Because the record shows he offered precious little else.
Laughing through the tears c.a.t.
A majority of Americans believe Brawndo has what plants crave!
People are goldfish.
There was a function at the local convention center on Friday celebrating something called “Reagan Day.” I thought, “gee, i need to go out and pee on some poor people right away!”
But…. it has electrolytes?
There is no doubt in my mind that were Pres Obama at the top of this list, you all would be just as surprised, but this time you would be surprised at the wisdom, intelligence and insight of the same people you are now referring to as knuckle dragging morons.
Remember, liberals are the people who want us to believe that the millions of people who voted for Pres Obama despite his race in Nov 2008, had become racists because of his policies by the Fall of 2009.
If I may amend Groucho Marx’s song: If it’s on the Right, I’m against it !
Frank, why must you be dumb?
Ronald Reagan raised taxes three different times. He cut-and-run by pulling US troops out of Lebanon after the marine barracks bombing. He was an admirer of FDR and modeled his political career on his, to some extent.
If he was a young politician today, he’s either be a Democrat or a Republican about to be primaried by the ‘baggers.
Oliver, why must you call me dumb? I merely described what has taken place since 2008. Are you going to deny it. And by the way, when will you lefties stop using “dumb” as a curse word, and stick to the subject?
“Oliver, why must you call me dumb?”
Because you said he’d be praising the poll if Obama were on it. When in fact he said, in plain English, that Obama shouldn’t be on it and neither should Clinton. He just didn’t want to waste as many words explaining something you already knew as I just did.
“And by the way, when will you lefties stop using “dumb” as a curse word, and stick to the subject?”
Not sure where to start on this one, the “lefty” as a curse word or the “and by the way…stick to the subject”.
“Oliver, why must you call me dumb?”
I agree. “Drooling, wet-diapered fuckwit” would be more apropos for FDS.
Thad, I said no such thing. Pres Obama is 7th. What I said, and what I meant, was that if he were first, there would have been no negative assessment of the American people. I even said “you all would be just as surprised” about 19 or 20 words into the comment.
Also, you are wrong to say that Oliver said Obama should not be on it. His exact words were: “Ditto for Obama outpolling Teddy Roosevelt and Truman.”
Shall we go for three out of three? Let’s see: I didn’t say anything about “lefty” as a curse word – you did. And I was referring to Oliver’s comment not being at all related to the subject at hand.
But don’t feel bad – the best hitters in baseball have gone 0 for 3 sometimes.
“What I said, and what I meant, was that if he were first, there would have been no negative assessment of the American people. I even said “you all would be just as surprised” about 19 or 20 words into the comment.”
So Oliver said Obama shouldn’t outpoll either Teddy Roosevelt or Truman, but somehow he could be first and that would be fine?
Explain that math to me.
God, calling you dumb is a compliment.
‘Remember, liberals are the people who want us to believe that the millions of people who voted for Pres Obama despite his race in Nov 2008, had become racists because of his policies by the Fall of 2009.’
Where is your evidence that ‘millions’ of Obama supporters are now aligned against him?
‘And by the way, when will you lefties stop using “dumb” as a curse word, and stick to the subject?’
Says the guy who calls me stupid in nearly every post.
The sun rises in the East, each and every day. Shit stinks, each and every day. And FDS makes a complete ass of himself, EACH AND EVERY DAY.
“Oliver, why must you call me dumb?”
Because you missed the fact that Oliver wrote “Insanity. Ditto for Obama outpolling Teddy Roosevelt and Truman”, which made your argument that Oliver would have praised the poll if Obama had been awarded the #1 spot a painfully stupid thing for you to have said.
I merely described what has taken place since 2008.
In your feverish, insane imagination. Reality looks nothing like the world you’ve constructed for yourself, Frank.
And by the way, when will you lefties stop using “dumb” as a curse word, and stick to the subject?
We use dumb as a descriptor. Not a curse word. It’s accuracy we’re interested in here.
Because you missed the fact that Oliver wrote “Insanity. Ditto for Obama outpolling Teddy Roosevelt and Truman”
He didn’t miss that. He read it. He just didn’t understand that it meant that there’s no way that Oliver would be okay with Obama @ #1 given this precondition. Because he’s a fucking dolt.
Those of you who have suggested that I said that Oliver would have been happy had Pres Obama polled #1, are still misquoting me…
I repeat for the reading impaired with sufficient emphasis so that there can be no mistaking what I meant (and, thus, you can all shut the fuck up about it): “There is no doubt in my mind that were Pres Obama at the top of this list, you all would be just as surprised * , but this time you would be surprised at the wisdom, intelligence and insight of the same people you are now referring to as knuckle dragging morons.**
* Meaning that you would have been surprised that he made it to the top of the list, “surprised meaning”, as it usually does, “To encounter suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares”. NOT ‘happy’.
** Meaning that you would not be calling the people who voted for him, stupid or Kool – Aid drinkers, or implying, as Oliver did, that what moved Reagan to the top was the news about his 100 birthday. What’s wrong with that guess, you ask? (Well, you probably didn’t ask, but I’ll tell you, anyway). If Reagan can be propelled to the #1 position from somewhere in the top 10, by the publicity attendant with his 100th birthday, then how come Pres Obama, whose name and picture, and whose every pronouncement, are in all that press, all the time; was not propelled to #1 by virtue of that publicity?
In case you missed it, let’s review: You are all misquoting me, and misstating my point (which I have difficulty believing is an accident), so SHUT THE FUCK UP, and move on !!
That goes out to Strowbridge, Prodigal, Randall Brown, and the execrable mambochicken.
Frank, people wouldn’t jump on your stupidity if you would just try and think ONCE before you responded to a post. Instead, you write things that are untrue and continue to beclown yourself.
Frank, you are priceless.
Meaning that you would have been surprised that he made it to the top of the list, “surprised meaning”, as it usually does, “To encounter suddenly or unexpectedly; take or catch unawares”. NOT ‘happy’.
Nobody interpreted the word “surprised” any differently than you defined here.
Meaning that you would not be calling the people who voted for him, stupid or Kool – Aid drinkers
I feel comfortable calling anyone who voted for Obama as the greatest President an idiot. He’s not even close at this point, as OW was pointed out in his post. And you’re lying here – you said that we would be lauding these individuals as being very wise – this certainly seems to indicate that we’d be “happy” about the poll result. When that’s a ludicrous claim. Oliver referred to this kind of outcome as “insanity”. Direct quote.
In case you missed it, let’s review: You are all misquoting me, and misstating my point (which I have difficulty believing is an accident), so SHUT THE FUCK UP, and move on !!
Not misquoting. Not misstating. Just pointing out that you are again, as you nearly always are, full of shit. Idiot.
Maybe? The man knew jujitsu, owned a lion and a bear, and gave a speech with a fresh fucking gunshot wound.
He gets my vote on these things alone.
OW, jvst ban the little shit already.
The man knew jujitsu, owned a lion and a bear, and gave a speech with a fresh fucking gunshot wound.
It boggles me to imagine such a person in politics today. Hell, I can’t even imagine such a person in a comic book today.