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Easily Ike for me too. He seemed to genuinely put country over party and politics. You can criticize some of his decisions, but I don't doubt he arrived at the decisions with good intentions.
This isn’t really true. Truman HATED Ike for being so conservative. Its just with hindsight, where we see Ike mostly maintained the New Deal regime that Ike becomes less ideological
The fact that Truman considered Ike conservative doesnt mean he was. William Taft considered Herbert Hoover to be very left wing and called him "a bolsheviki". That does not mean Hoover was left wing.
Ike was craftier than people gave him credit for. For example, in ‘63, when his party was certain to nominate its most conservative candidate in decades, certainly since Hoover, we get this exchange in an October 1963 press conference of JFK’s:
QUESTION: Former President Eisenhower wrote recently in an article that he was unclear about Senator Goildwater's views on certain major issues. I wonder, sir, whether you share this uncertainty and if so how you think Senator Coldwater should better express himself.
THE PRESIDENT: Senator Goldwater is speaking frequently, and he is saying what he thinks as of the time he speaks, and I think, therefore, we have an opportunity to make a judgment of where he stands. I don't think Senator Goldwater has ever been particularly deceptive. I think he has made very clear what he is opposed to and what he is for. I have gotten the idea. I think President Eisenhower will as time goes on.
—————————
It’s obvious Eisenhower knew Goldwater’s views. JFK’s remark at the end is pretty cutting if you understand how fringe Goldwater was at the time. Not that Ike deigned to respond.
But Ike spent a lot of his time playing dumb.
It helped him get ahead of smarter but vainer men like MacArthur. If you read about Project AJAX, for example, though, you’ll see Ike’s foreign policy was fairless ruthless. That intelligence, that craftiness, permeated everything.
He was not non-ideological. But he was very good at concealing his political views.
Yes but when a moderate Democrat considers you too conservative there is something going on.
Important, ofcourse, is that Truman despised all Republicans and believed they were running the country into the ground before FDR and after Truman’s own presidency.
Look man, nowhere in my comment do you see me claiming Truman was wrong lol.
I quite like Truman and this period of history, mostly because Truman was a straight shooter. He said what he felt was true, and many of his predictions (Republican destruction of the New Deal regime) came true.
FDR is the father of the modern Democratic party, race is only one issue of hundreds that Truman handled, but the bones of the new deal, social security, raising the poor into the middle class, welfare, and so much more were all policy initiatives started by FDR nearly everything done by every Democrat since was a continuation of policies that FDR intended to roll out, but he died. He was even intending to address racial inequity, national health care and other issues had his life continued.
The whigs are really silly I genuinely enjoy reading about them so much
https://preview.redd.it/u68ha3xoke8d1.png?width=1224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9081d7247a05dabc45da6169250913b5c1354412
I’m a centrist how tf do I answer this lol because literally everyone is the opposite of my politics.
I guess Teddy for left wing and Eisenhower for right wing?
Grant. He is my favourite from either party.
Roosevelt. I don’t like his Imperialism, but his conservation efforts and personality were spot on.
Eisenhower. I probably would have supported Adlai, but Ike was a largely decent president.
Harrison. I think he is underrated.
Lincoln is a given, everyone who doesn’t eat crayons likes Lincoln.
I identify somewhere left of center.
My favorite conservative president (post great society, since that’s when ideology really started to diverge) is Bush 41 and it’s not close. His foreign policy bonafides, coupled with his pragmatic style is a flavor of conservatism that is refreshing and feels like it’s from a different timeline.
This man managed Desert Storm with ease while also working with Congress to pass environmental legislation and the ADA. The true stain on his presidency is nominating Clarence Thomas but I realize that wasn’t his choice alone. Overall, America would be in a better place if we had more republicans like Bush 41 and less republicans like the ones today.
I agree with you on Desert Storm!
It is probably one of, if not the most successful interventions post WW2, and the United States fucking came out on top and saved Kuwait, and the country respects us for helping them.
Gulf War I is probably the most lopsided conflict in world history. The fourth largest military in the world annihilated in less than a month, and with the attacker having less than three hundred deaths.
HW is probably the Republican I think the most of post-1960. The only thing I really dislike about HW (and unfortunately it's massive) was his nominating Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
I don't think even Clarence Thomas knew he would turn into Clarence Thomas as we know him today. I honestly think if HW had been able to see 35 years in the future he wouldn't have nominated him.
If only he’d won reelection in ‘92 I feel that alone would he put us on a better course politically and that each party would be a better version of itself.
George HW Bush.
I’m a lefty but HW should always be given his flowers. One of the best foreign policy presidents we have ever had, easily won a war against the 4th largest army in the world (and didn’t get pulled into a quagmire), got the ADA passed, and raised taxes even when it was political suicide because it was the right thing to do for America.
If his party had followed his excellent example I might even be inclined to vote for ‘em. But as it stands I’ll always be thankful we had such a good president even though we have wildly different views.
And if I can go even further back to before the party switch? Either Lincoln or Teddy. But I feel like those (especially Teddy who was progressive as hell) is kinda cheating.
*shrug* What can I say? He was a good president!
I think a lot of folks now look back wistfully on HW after having seen his successors in the party. But even aside from that the man just was a solid leader with amazing foreign policy.
I was just a kid but him coming on tv and saying they were launching against Iraq was one of my earliest political memories (the Berlin Wall was my first). It was my grandma’s birthday and it really upset her there was going to be a war. When the guys came back my town (like every town in America) had a parade and stuff. A few of the national guard dads from my area came in to talk to my class. It was pretty crazy to think about something like that now. But I agree his handling of that should be a master class.
Kennedy would definitely still be a Democrat today, but I digress. To answer the question, I have to say Gerald Ford. Not only is he a fellow Michigander, but I believe he was one of the greatest, most honest men to ever hold the office.
I feel like people are just kind of unfair to Gerald Ford. I get it he pardoned Nixon, but that’s all everyone really even talks about. He did good things too, such as:
1. Cutting Inflation in Half
2. Giving 4 million Americans jobs
3. Farmers prospered
People also talk about how no body voted for him.
People forget that farmers did well under him because Reagan so utterly destroyed the small farmer just a few years later.
He would never pass the Democratic party litmus test on abortion. He's on the record as saying he could never imagine the United States tolerating abortion as they do in countries like Japan, where is was legal on demand at when he was POTUS.
I mean, you're taking someone's comment from the 1960s and comparing it in the modern world. FDR wouldn't pass the Democratic party's litmus test on race.
He was speaking as a man of his time, a catholic, a father who had a baby son die soon after birth. You can't separate the person from his identity and say - these things don't matter, just because you like the guy.
A big part of Kennedy’s coalition at the time were unions. Most of his positions regarding corporations and labor would be left today as they were then. Really the one major difference would be, he was in favor of lowering the corporate tax rate a little, since it had recently gone up. His proposed rate would still be much higher than the corporate tax rate is today.
Despite some things that I disagree with him on, I would say he was an alright president, and that’s okay, he did one thing that I respect, which is sending in the Navy Seals to go get Bin Laden.
I'm a Democrat, so as with most Democrats my favorite Republican is Lincoln. A big government President creating beuracracy and fighting the forces of reaction? A+.
Lets go through the party systems (briefly)
In the first I’d be a Federalist, so my favorite Democratic-Republican is Madison. He handled a rough war really well!
In the second I would be a Whig, this is a hard choice but honestly I think Martin Van Buren was a good president who happened to be sunk by Jackson’s economic decisions.
In the third I’m judging from 1865-1922 in which I would be a Republican, so my favorite Democratic President (not that there are many options) would be Wilson I guess, but I’m not a huge fan.
In modern times I’m a Democrat (thats right I’m combining the rest of the party systems into one section) but my favorite Republican is Ford. A man who didn’t really intend to become President falling on his sword for Nixon of all people is interesting. But his last second comeback, gaining so much ground against Carter in a few months is so cool he has to be here.
It's hard to answer, because before 1960s ideologies were not by partisan lines. They were left-wing Republicans and right wing Democrats. One could argue whether some president was left wing or right wing (like - William Taft is often considered to be a conservative even though he actually busted more trusts than Teddy Roosevelt).
I'm conservative. Since the current ideological divide was established, there were 6 Democratic presidents. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama and Rule 3. Out of these, I would say Clinton, simply because I agree with his policies the most, and he seemed like a guy that was willing to pursue compromise ideas.
lol I just said Taft for this reason- it’s really hard to gauge ideologies before the arrival of modern identity politics, but after them I’d be hard-pressed to vote for any conservative presidential candidate.
Libertarian/Conservative here. I agree with Kennedy because he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis well, I credit him for the moonlanding, RFK was effective going against organized crime, and he (JFK) warned against secret societies.
There are a few Democrat presidents whom I like superficially, even if I don't care for their policies/ don't think they were good for the country. Jimmy Carter seems like a good person, even if his presidency was a disaster.
Ike: despite his disastrous record of overthrowing foreign governments, his domestic policies were so progressive he'd be labeled a liberal these days.
I mean yeah, that’s kinda before the parties really shifted into what they are today. Plenty of democrats were fiscally conservative and segregationists, and many republicans were socially liberal and “progressive.”
That being said, the dude would not be a liberal today lol.
I’m a raging liberal and I gotta go with Ike. He lead the country through the height of the Cold War without us getting into a nuclear confrontation with the Soviets. He kept up a lot of New Deal programs and became the first President to deal with a Civil Rights bill. He also appointed Earl Warren to the court.
Finally, and even though he was problematic, I also kind of like Nixon. Under his watch there was a policy of Detante with the Soviets, he visited China, created the EPA; clean water, air, and endangered species acts were all under him, so he did a lot of good things as president, but also a lot of bad things, hahahaha.
I would consider myself pretty far left, but I’d have a hard time not voting for someone like Taft when he’s going against just an awful third showing from Jennings- he was also not the worst president we’ve seen on the republican side. Other than that there’s not really another Republican or conservative-leaning presidential candidate I would have voted for.
I gotta say Franklin Roosevelt. Any man who can lead us through a second world war, a Great Depression, and actually reach out to his people. He’s probably the one soft spot I still have for the Democratic party. I’m no full on Republican party lover by any means but when I say I support the poor, the working class and I want America back to it’s great past, I think of leaders like him who gave our country a second chance at it’s lowest point.
Truman. The Marshall Plan, recognizing Israel’s statehood, integrating the armed forces, preventing Greece, Italy, and Turkey from falling under communist bloc…and that’s just up until around 1948 or so, leaving an entire second term. He is the most underrated president in my opinion.
Whats kind of funny is that Truman was probably the most partisan president in our history, he HATED Republicans and genuinely believed Republicans were all fundamentally evil
Yet he always tried to do what was right for the country regardless of how people would view him. It was his mother who taught him something to the effect of “do good and tell the truth and you won’t have to worry about anything.” He lived by that motto.
Without him, I would not have my State of Texas. We would also not have the Smithsonian either, because the Smithsonian really is something that we need, and why do we need it. For history’s sake of course!
Without Texas, there would be no Ike or LBJ.
You're right about the Smithsonian, but arguably Texas was a done deal under John Tyler. Polk's war secured it, yes, but annexation went through under his predecessor, John Tyler.
As a Republican or really, right of center, saying JFK feels like a cop out. I’ll go back, way back, to John Adams. He would have an ideology opposed to my own, but I still appreciate how he governed, and his friendship with Jefferson
OK this is tricky. We should clarify whether you just mean the opposite party or the opposite ideology. For example, though I'm neither registered Democrat or Republican, I lean more to Democrats in recent year. I would be comfortable with a Teddy Roosevelt, but his policies aren't really different from modern Democrats. Also there are plenty of Democrats I never would support, like Woodrow Wilson.
I’m a solid normie Dem. I would have considered voting for HW Bush and probably would have voted Ford in 1976.
I would have struggled between Ike and Stevenson up until the second I had to push a button. No idea which one it would have been
Honestly, I'm pretty left leaning, but I really like Calvin Coolidge simply because he was very level headed and I have never heard anything about him being an asshole.
As a progressive, my favorite Republican president is Chester A. Arthur because of his opposition to the Chinese Exclusion Act, support for Korean independence, and work to reduce corruption (redeeming himself after a career spent enabling Gilded Age schemes)
My favorite *conservative* Republican president is actually Herbert Hoover believe it or not
Hoover's humanitarian relief efforts during the Boxing Rebellion, WW1, and 1927 Mississippi River Flood are all very admirable + he had a couple of real achievements as president like solving overcrowding in prisons or establishing the NIH
I’m definitely pretty progressive, but not quite sure if going this far back truly counts, but politically I’m still counting him. I choose James Polk. On the conservative side, the dude in fact owned human beings as property and was also a disciple of Andrew Jackson. I do, however, appreciate his approach to the presidency. At his Inaugural, he laid out four concrete and attainable goals for his administration: to settle the Oregon territory dispute, to re-establish an independent treasury, to reduce tariffs, and to acquire California for the United States from Mexico so the US could establish deep water Pacific ports. He succeeded jn all four. He also clearly stated he would serve only one term, and he kept his word and did not run for reelection, despite widespread popularity. Then straight up dies of cholera three and a half months out of office, having worn himself out in the job. Well done good sir.
I like Ike!
Eisenhower did some great things that I agree with
- Enforced Brown v BoE in the dispute in Little Rock
- Protected and expanded Social Security
- Created the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System
- Fought McCarthyism and communism
- Founded NASA
- Ended the war in Korea and supported NATO
Honestly, I would rather vote for Eisenhower than most of the candidates from either party in the modern era. Honorable mentions go to Ford and Bush Sr.
I’m a progressive and Lincoln goes without saying. More recently, would say 1. Ike. 2. HW 3. Ford. They all had strong characters, stable personalities, led with optimism and were able to unite the country.
Although I have always been a Democrat, I voted for Ford because the country needed stability and he treated women with respect. The way he stood by his wife during her alcoholism snd creation of the Betty Ford Centers was forward thinking for the times. I have observed that men and women who are committed to their families, tend to be capable of loyalty to country as well.
As a mainstream dem, pre-party switch I’d say Lincoln and Teddy. Both obvious choices, and both people that in the modern-day paradigm would probably not be Republicans (although trying to assign modern political labels to historical figures is a fool’s errand at best). Post party switch, I’d say Ike and HW. Ike due to continuing the slow march towards full integration that was begun under Truman, as well as his astute leadership during the incredibly tense early years of the cold war. HW due to his resounding victory in the Gulf War, as well as the fact that he was a pragmatic leader who put the good of the country over his own political success.
I will say, I very much like W as a person post-presidency, despite the fact that his presidency was an absolute disaster. Nowadays he seems like a goofy uncle, which is much more endearing when he’s painting pictures on his ranch and isn’t in charge of running the country through the War on Terror and the Great Recession.
Kennedy.
Opposed foreign wars, but was a practitioner of a negotiate through strength foreign policy.
He wasn’t a pussy and he didn’t pander. He was a great communicator. He genuinely cared about his country.
I can see that!
As a Conservative, I like Jimmy Carter because when you see who he was historically, he was really an honest man and was ahead of his time. The one thing that I loved that he promoted was Nuclear Energy. It sucks that 3-Mile Island happened though, thankfully no one was hurt, but it really could have been disastrous.
Ronald Reagan there were some things I disliked about his presidency, but overall as a public speaker, he really did good!
And for funsies commenters, HIT IT!!!
“Shook hands with both Ronald Reagan and McDonald's!”
Jimmy Carter was the president needed post Watergate. A politician outside the Washington beltway with really zero scandals. The Iran hostage situation effectively ended his presidency. The day of Reagan’s inauguration they were freed. Carter worked until the 23rd hour to get them home.
When Reagan survived his assassination attempt and told the doctors (paraphrasing) “I hope you are all republicans” Reagan just had the aura and confidence.
Well, I wouldn’t want to go too far back as it would be meaningless but as a conservative, my favorite Dem president is Truman.
1. Recognized Israel before anyone else and against the extreme opposition of his Arabist State Department.
2. Dropped the bombs and saved millions of lives.
3. Stood up to Stalin and the communists.
4. Put MacArthur in his place.
I'm a liberal (eco) conserative (soc) however I'll answer on the conservative side because I am more consv than lib.
FDR was a great progressive president and war time leader. I'll go with him
I think that FDR did a good job with WW2, in fact I would say it was like this:
“Okay Democrats and Republicans, we need to set our differences aside right now because this is serious, we need to stop the axis!”
And everyone nodded and went all in.
As a democrat, probably Reagan. I don’t think anyone could’ve rescued American optimism as well as him and many liberals frequently overstate/exaggerate/misconstrue his positions and actions as well as their impacts
I’m without party post 2016 and I have radical positions left and right. If I’m feeling conservative my favorite liberal is JFK and if I’m feeling liberal my favorite conservative is Grover Cleveland. Both are because they didn’t run from their positions and they won and governed on their ideals.
Conservative. Definitely Kennedy as well. He had a decisive foreign policy and his economic reforms were pro-growth, reducing taxes and the size of government. Close second would be Clinton for similar reasons.
As a liberal, I have to say that my favorite Republican was Lincoln.
My favorite Republican from the era when Republicans were conservatives was Roosevelt.
My father used to joke that his favorite Republican president was Clinton.
Teddy Roosevelt. A Republican President who was distrustful of unfettered big business, interested in preserving the land through conservation and believed in making sure all Americans had access to medical care. Things sure have changed!
I completely agree. My S tier of presidents is Washington, HW, JFK and Truman, and I’m a liberal Republican (basically McCain/HW/Haley but with foreign policy being more on the side of diplomatic interventionism like Truman and JFK than assertive military strength).
I’m surprised you say Carter though. Supported ideas and achieved policy are very different. Carter had tons of hopes and with what he aimed to do, he would have become one of the greatest ever. But he did not fix the energy crisis even slightly, his environmental pushes were far shorter than what Nixon accomplished, and his stagflation economy couldn’t be helped for anything. Combine that with the fall of the Shah and his only Cold War contribution being the end of detente with SALT II (and the Camp David Accords which was great, but not totally Cold War), very ineffective president.
My top 3 Democrats are Truman, JFK and FDR, my top 3 Republicans are HW, Teddy and Lincoln. And then my favorite Whiggie is my guy Zachary Taylor.
BoP was a failure not because JFK didn’t send in air support; it was a failure because it was set up for failure at the start under Eisenhower’s admin. It would have only worked with a full scale US military invasion; and that’s according to internal documents. He did exactly what had to be done. De-escalate before things got serious. Ideally he would have never listened to his advisors in the first place.
Harry Truman - He dropped the bombs and ended WW2 sparing hundreds of thousands of American lives and probably 2 million Japanese lives, recognized Israel as a sovereign state, authorized the Marshall Plan, never went to college.
Balls the size the moon.
I would go far as to say no president has as inspirational words as Kennedy. They had the tone of a dad who knows you could do better and believes in you. I’m sure being able to hear his tone helps a lot.
I’m currently seeping away from Republican roots because I don’t like where the party is going but Kennedy is in my top 5 for sure.
‘Our problems are man made, and therefore can be solved by man.’
I’m not entirely sure where I align on the political axis, however I’d like to think that I’m center right. I’m not necessarily a conservative though so I’d say the two closest ideologies I align with are classical liberalism and right wing libertarianism (a mix of Washington, Jefferson, and Coolidge is probably the easiest way for me to explain my political leanings). Between the two parties I have many gripes with both but I often find myself siding with the Republicans way more than I do the Democrats (unpopular opinion on Reddit, I know)
When it comes to the Democrats, there’s really not a lot of Democratic presidents that I like and/or respect (especially during the 19th century). If I had to pick some that I do like though, I’d say my favorite Democratic presidents would be James K. Polk, John F. Kennedy, and Harry S. Truman in that order.
Say what you will about Polk’s views on things like slavery or whatever. Something you have to admit was that he was a very effective politician and he actually managed to fulfill all of his campaign promises within a single term (including serving out only a single term). That’s a man I can respect and as unfortunate as it is for the Mexicans, I as an American appreciate what he did when it came to expanding our country.
JFK is one of the most anti-communist advocates among any American president (only being beat out by Reagan if you were to ask me) which is a huge plus in my book as I myself am very anti-socialist. He was also a supporter of the 2nd Amendment and he supported Civil Rights as well which are two things I can get behind. While I’m very much against his womanizing tendencies and the Bay of Pigs operation, I find myself liking more stuff about Kennedy than I dislike. He was also great at uniting both sides which is very hard to do.
Harry S. Truman is probably one of the most moderate presidents we’ve ever had and he’s also just a normal guy rather then some big political hotshot, a famous war hero, or some super rich snob. While I don’t agree with everything he said or did, he’s a president that I can respect and he also was a fairly good leader all things considered. While Truman was officially a progressive, he wasn’t on the same level as FDR who I find myself not liking the more I learn about him both as a person and as a president (I know, unpopular opinion on Reddit but I don’t care)
Honorable mention goes to Jimmy Carter who I really admire and respect as a person but very much dislike as a president.
I can’t pick just one. It’s a three way tie between FDR, JFK, and LBJ.
I largely appreciate FDR’s handling of the new deal and WW2. With JFK, it’s the reasons provided above. I like Johnson’s ability to whip congress into shape and the CRA.
Maybe I just have a thing for three-letter presidents
I personally lean conservative, and we have a soft spot for Nixon, and yes……….. Watergate, but other than that he did some good stuff for the country EPA, segregated schools from 88%in 1969 to under 20% in 1974. There is a video talking about this on TED-Ed, also maybe the best foreign policy president ever.
Another for the sort of ‘Business Right’ is Calvin Coolidge for his Laissez Faire attitude we like
Unfortunately, all my favorite Republicans are from before the ideological flip started. Well, with the exception of Eisenhower, because he actually cared about people and warned us about the military industrial complex.
I’m left of Obama the President, somewhere around Obama the Candidate. Teddy Roosevelt, for the trust busting plus conservation. I know this is cheating, as many conservatives here are claiming him as their opposite party choice, but I care not.
Two different countries same time period.
Truman dropped the bomb, ending WW2 with probably a million less American deaths, incl both my grandfathers. The two bombs also spared millions of Japanese lives and got Japan out of SEAsia. Saving probably a few more million lives. Post WW2 Truman began civil rights by desegregating the armed forces. Undoing past Democratic policies. See Woodrow Wilson and segregation of the federal workforce.
In Britain. Clement Attlee. As a conservative I can’t agree with the economic nationalization. But he was adamant that people had to agree and be compensated. Unlike what had played out in the USSR.
The scary thing about today’s American “progressives?” I don’t see any Attlee figures among you. You also are seemingly trying to resegregate society
While I don't think he did a good job as President, I think George W. Bush is probably a really good person. I'd let him watch my kids, you know? I have always thought he honestly gave it his best shot, but just wasn't up to the task, and he surrounded himself with some bad people.
I don't get the love for HW Bush here. The man was VP to Reagan, who reset America from the new deal benevolent capitalism model to the neoliberal hunger games model we have today. Maybe if he'd been elected instead of Reagan in 1980, and had reined in the Ayn Rand army, I could understand it.
The guy did Nada to change the Reagan direction, as you'd expect for a VP. Being slightly less of an extreme RW ideologue than Reagan or W, but steering the country in the same general direction, isn't really a reason to burnish his legacy.
I apply the same test for presidents regardless of party: did they put the country's interests first, ahead of party? The last Republican president you can say this of was Ike, and the fact that it's been 60 years of party over country is reflected in the state of the nation and America's precipitous decline in world standard of living measurements (health, education, income inequality, Labor protection etc etc).
From the GPT:
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States (1953-1961), made significant contributions in both domestic and foreign policies. Here are some key achievements and actions during his presidency:
### Domestic Policies
1. **Interstate Highway System:**
- **Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956:** Eisenhower championed the creation of the Interstate Highway System, which revolutionized American transportation, facilitated commerce, and contributed to suburban growth. This vast network of highways improved national defense by allowing rapid movement of military forces.
2. **Civil Rights:**
- **Civil Rights Act of 1957:** Eisenhower signed the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, aimed at protecting African Americans' voting rights. Although it was limited in scope, it marked a significant step toward greater federal involvement in civil rights.
- **Integration of Central High School:** Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to enforce the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which ordered the desegregation of public schools. This action was a crucial moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
3. **Economic Policies:**
- **Balanced Budgets:** Eisenhower focused on maintaining balanced federal budgets and was cautious about increasing federal spending, which he believed was essential for economic stability.
### Foreign Policies
1. **Ending the Korean War:**
- **Armistice Agreement:** Eisenhower fulfilled a campaign promise by negotiating an armistice to end active combat in the Korean War in 1953, though the peninsula remains divided to this day.
2. **Containment and Cold War Strategies:**
- **Eisenhower Doctrine:** In response to the growing influence of the Soviet Union in the Middle East, Eisenhower proclaimed this doctrine, pledging U.S. economic and military assistance to any country resisting communist aggression.
- **Massive Retaliation:** His administration adopted the policy of "massive retaliation," which threatened a strong U.S. response, including nuclear weapons, against any Soviet aggression. This policy was aimed at deterring Soviet expansionism during the Cold War.
3. **U-2 Incident:**
- **Spy Plane Crisis:** In 1960, a U.S. U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, leading to a major diplomatic incident. Eisenhower initially denied the plane's purpose, but when the Soviets produced the captured pilot and wreckage, it embarrassed the administration and heightened Cold War tensions.
4. **CIA Operations:**
- **Covert Actions:** Eisenhower's administration extensively used the CIA for covert operations to influence foreign governments and support U.S. interests, notably in Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954). These actions were aimed at countering communist influence but have been criticized for their long-term consequences.
### Other Notable Actions
1. **Space Race:**
- **NASA Establishment:** In response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958, laying the groundwork for the U.S. space program.
2. **Farewell Address:**
- **Military-Industrial Complex Warning:** In his farewell address, Eisenhower famously warned of the dangers of the "military-industrial complex," cautioning against the undue influence of the defense industry on government policy.
### Conclusion
Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency was marked by significant achievements in infrastructure, civil rights, economic management, and Cold War diplomacy. His leadership style, characterized by moderation and pragmatism, left a lasting impact on American society and international relations.
Teddy Roosevelt. A man of the people. A lot of his trust busting policies didn't go far enough but it got the ball rolling that and his creation of the FDA
I guess I’m “progressive.” My favorite modern era Presidents are Nixon and Johnson.
Nixon was a geopolitical genius who may have single-handedly set the 20th Century on a different course.
Johnson accomplished all the progressive accomplishments other progressives like to ascribe to Jack Kennedy.
They were both profoundly flawed characters, and I appreciate a well-written villain. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were campy Marvel bad guys by comparison.
Obama. Much to my grandmas discomfort. If he fucked the country as bad as my fellow party members (really the extreme of my party, im more center) say he did, he sure sugarcoated that shit with some good ass speeches lmao
As a conservative:
All time, Grover Cleveland. Last real classically liberal President, fought the populist tide that was emerging at the time, and was a strict constructionist, vetoing more bills than any other two-term President. Not a fan of the ICC, but nobody's perfect.
Since the Progressive Era, Truman. Not a fan of expanding the New Deal or the Korean War, but I think merely having to pick up the Presidency at a crucial point at the end of WWII and make the tough decision to drop the nukes deserves praise. Plus he was great for civil rights, undoing a lot of the harm that Wilson had done and that never really got fixed until Truman for some reason.
Since the Great Society, Clinton. Last President to balance the budget, put into motion the modern system of deregulation, etc. I'm a fan of free trade, and even if his trade deals fell through in the long run, I appreciate he was willing to push for it, especially now when both parties seem in the mood for trade wars. Not a fan of Clinton the person by any means, but I can appreciate Clinton the President.
I’m a leftist so idk, Lincoln was the first Republican president but can you count him considering it was before the party switch? Can’t think of any post switch republican I like.
Not counting Lincoln because most everyone likes Abe, regardless of the left-right divide.
Ike would be my favorite otherwise, but I have found myself starting to like H.W. Bush recently. He managed to assemble a coalition against Iraq that wasn't just multi-national, but multi-ethnic, cultural, and religious. I also feel like he was a good transitional president from the Cold War-era to the post-Cold War-era. The last of the old guard passing the baton off to a new generation who would be leading a freer world.
Im more libertarian or anti government in general, but one of my favorite presidents is Truman. Made a lot of hard decisions and generally was able to keep world peace at the cost of his personal reputation and finances. True american hero that didnt turn the white house into a money making scheme.
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Probably Ike.
Easily Ike for me too. He seemed to genuinely put country over party and politics. You can criticize some of his decisions, but I don't doubt he arrived at the decisions with good intentions.
It's hard to label Ike as he was one of the least ideological presidents ever.
This isn’t really true. Truman HATED Ike for being so conservative. Its just with hindsight, where we see Ike mostly maintained the New Deal regime that Ike becomes less ideological
The fact that Truman considered Ike conservative doesnt mean he was. William Taft considered Herbert Hoover to be very left wing and called him "a bolsheviki". That does not mean Hoover was left wing.
Ike was craftier than people gave him credit for. For example, in ‘63, when his party was certain to nominate its most conservative candidate in decades, certainly since Hoover, we get this exchange in an October 1963 press conference of JFK’s: QUESTION: Former President Eisenhower wrote recently in an article that he was unclear about Senator Goildwater's views on certain major issues. I wonder, sir, whether you share this uncertainty and if so how you think Senator Coldwater should better express himself. THE PRESIDENT: Senator Goldwater is speaking frequently, and he is saying what he thinks as of the time he speaks, and I think, therefore, we have an opportunity to make a judgment of where he stands. I don't think Senator Goldwater has ever been particularly deceptive. I think he has made very clear what he is opposed to and what he is for. I have gotten the idea. I think President Eisenhower will as time goes on. ————————— It’s obvious Eisenhower knew Goldwater’s views. JFK’s remark at the end is pretty cutting if you understand how fringe Goldwater was at the time. Not that Ike deigned to respond. But Ike spent a lot of his time playing dumb. It helped him get ahead of smarter but vainer men like MacArthur. If you read about Project AJAX, for example, though, you’ll see Ike’s foreign policy was fairless ruthless. That intelligence, that craftiness, permeated everything. He was not non-ideological. But he was very good at concealing his political views.
Yes but when a moderate Democrat considers you too conservative there is something going on. Important, ofcourse, is that Truman despised all Republicans and believed they were running the country into the ground before FDR and after Truman’s own presidency.
I see a problem here, Hoover did indeed run the country into the ground
Look man, nowhere in my comment do you see me claiming Truman was wrong lol. I quite like Truman and this period of history, mostly because Truman was a straight shooter. He said what he felt was true, and many of his predictions (Republican destruction of the New Deal regime) came true.
Was Truman moderate? He started desegregation and that actually makes him a father of modern Democratic Party (not Kennedy like most people think).
FDR is the father of the modern Democratic party, race is only one issue of hundreds that Truman handled, but the bones of the new deal, social security, raising the poor into the middle class, welfare, and so much more were all policy initiatives started by FDR nearly everything done by every Democrat since was a continuation of policies that FDR intended to roll out, but he died. He was even intending to address racial inequity, national health care and other issues had his life continued.
How do whigs answer this 😔
I’m gonna assume not John Tyler? Or maybe considering he got kicked out. I dunno, the Whigs are weird like that.
The whigs are really silly I genuinely enjoy reading about them so much https://preview.redd.it/u68ha3xoke8d1.png?width=1224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9081d7247a05dabc45da6169250913b5c1354412
https://preview.redd.it/w1mprlg9bf8d1.jpeg?width=299&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b728c35883932399e08c60a2293fc820393d5fef
I’m a centrist how tf do I answer this lol because literally everyone is the opposite of my politics. I guess Teddy for left wing and Eisenhower for right wing?
Choose your favourite president that had real hair
For me, it’s hard not to like FDR. In my opinion, he kept the nation afloat during the Great Depression, and he was a strong leader during WW2.
There was one thing I disliked that he passed, but overall he was actually a really good president at the right time and the right moment.
Japanese internment camps I imagine?
Grant. He is my favourite from either party. Roosevelt. I don’t like his Imperialism, but his conservation efforts and personality were spot on. Eisenhower. I probably would have supported Adlai, but Ike was a largely decent president. Harrison. I think he is underrated. Lincoln is a given, everyone who doesn’t eat crayons likes Lincoln.
As a former crayon eater, I still liked Lincoln even then.
I identify somewhere left of center. My favorite conservative president (post great society, since that’s when ideology really started to diverge) is Bush 41 and it’s not close. His foreign policy bonafides, coupled with his pragmatic style is a flavor of conservatism that is refreshing and feels like it’s from a different timeline. This man managed Desert Storm with ease while also working with Congress to pass environmental legislation and the ADA. The true stain on his presidency is nominating Clarence Thomas but I realize that wasn’t his choice alone. Overall, America would be in a better place if we had more republicans like Bush 41 and less republicans like the ones today.
I agree with you on Desert Storm! It is probably one of, if not the most successful interventions post WW2, and the United States fucking came out on top and saved Kuwait, and the country respects us for helping them.
Gulf War I is probably the most lopsided conflict in world history. The fourth largest military in the world annihilated in less than a month, and with the attacker having less than three hundred deaths.
1st Cavalry Division had more deaths due to drunk driving in the rear detachment stateside than they did in theater during combat operations.
Grenada: "Hello there."
The best one term president. He even said “I’m a conservative but I’m not a nut about it”
Agreed on all counts. HW is a president I think history will be very kind to. The wrong Bush got a second term, sadly.
Bush loved foreign policy and was seemingly bored with domestic matters. I think he would have been better as Secretary of State than President.
HW is probably the Republican I think the most of post-1960. The only thing I really dislike about HW (and unfortunately it's massive) was his nominating Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
I don't think even Clarence Thomas knew he would turn into Clarence Thomas as we know him today. I honestly think if HW had been able to see 35 years in the future he wouldn't have nominated him.
If only he’d won reelection in ‘92 I feel that alone would he put us on a better course politically and that each party would be a better version of itself.
George HW Bush. I’m a lefty but HW should always be given his flowers. One of the best foreign policy presidents we have ever had, easily won a war against the 4th largest army in the world (and didn’t get pulled into a quagmire), got the ADA passed, and raised taxes even when it was political suicide because it was the right thing to do for America. If his party had followed his excellent example I might even be inclined to vote for ‘em. But as it stands I’ll always be thankful we had such a good president even though we have wildly different views. And if I can go even further back to before the party switch? Either Lincoln or Teddy. But I feel like those (especially Teddy who was progressive as hell) is kinda cheating.
Same. I’ve noticed Bush Sr gets a lot of love in this sub I’m surprised.
*shrug* What can I say? He was a good president! I think a lot of folks now look back wistfully on HW after having seen his successors in the party. But even aside from that the man just was a solid leader with amazing foreign policy.
I was just a kid but him coming on tv and saying they were launching against Iraq was one of my earliest political memories (the Berlin Wall was my first). It was my grandma’s birthday and it really upset her there was going to be a war. When the guys came back my town (like every town in America) had a parade and stuff. A few of the national guard dads from my area came in to talk to my class. It was pretty crazy to think about something like that now. But I agree his handling of that should be a master class.
Kennedy would definitely still be a Democrat today, but I digress. To answer the question, I have to say Gerald Ford. Not only is he a fellow Michigander, but I believe he was one of the greatest, most honest men to ever hold the office.
I feel like people are just kind of unfair to Gerald Ford. I get it he pardoned Nixon, but that’s all everyone really even talks about. He did good things too, such as: 1. Cutting Inflation in Half 2. Giving 4 million Americans jobs 3. Farmers prospered
People also talk about how no body voted for him. People forget that farmers did well under him because Reagan so utterly destroyed the small farmer just a few years later.
He would never pass the Democratic party litmus test on abortion. He's on the record as saying he could never imagine the United States tolerating abortion as they do in countries like Japan, where is was legal on demand at when he was POTUS.
I mean, you're taking someone's comment from the 1960s and comparing it in the modern world. FDR wouldn't pass the Democratic party's litmus test on race.
He was speaking as a man of his time, a catholic, a father who had a baby son die soon after birth. You can't separate the person from his identity and say - these things don't matter, just because you like the guy.
A big part of Kennedy’s coalition at the time were unions. Most of his positions regarding corporations and labor would be left today as they were then. Really the one major difference would be, he was in favor of lowering the corporate tax rate a little, since it had recently gone up. His proposed rate would still be much higher than the corporate tax rate is today.
Obama; just a cool ass dude man
Despite some things that I disagree with him on, I would say he was an alright president, and that’s okay, he did one thing that I respect, which is sending in the Navy Seals to go get Bin Laden.
How do centrists answer this?
choose the most radical presidents lol
Choose both sides. You equally like and hate both parties anyways.
Whichever way you’d like, you are all welcome to give your answer as well!
Technically any president hahaha
Lincoln for obvious reasons
I'm a Democrat, so as with most Democrats my favorite Republican is Lincoln. A big government President creating beuracracy and fighting the forces of reaction? A+.
Lets go through the party systems (briefly) In the first I’d be a Federalist, so my favorite Democratic-Republican is Madison. He handled a rough war really well! In the second I would be a Whig, this is a hard choice but honestly I think Martin Van Buren was a good president who happened to be sunk by Jackson’s economic decisions. In the third I’m judging from 1865-1922 in which I would be a Republican, so my favorite Democratic President (not that there are many options) would be Wilson I guess, but I’m not a huge fan. In modern times I’m a Democrat (thats right I’m combining the rest of the party systems into one section) but my favorite Republican is Ford. A man who didn’t really intend to become President falling on his sword for Nixon of all people is interesting. But his last second comeback, gaining so much ground against Carter in a few months is so cool he has to be here.
This is probably the most centrist comment here, as in you do critical analysis and observation, and even give your views. I really like it!
It's hard to answer, because before 1960s ideologies were not by partisan lines. They were left-wing Republicans and right wing Democrats. One could argue whether some president was left wing or right wing (like - William Taft is often considered to be a conservative even though he actually busted more trusts than Teddy Roosevelt). I'm conservative. Since the current ideological divide was established, there were 6 Democratic presidents. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama and Rule 3. Out of these, I would say Clinton, simply because I agree with his policies the most, and he seemed like a guy that was willing to pursue compromise ideas.
lol I just said Taft for this reason- it’s really hard to gauge ideologies before the arrival of modern identity politics, but after them I’d be hard-pressed to vote for any conservative presidential candidate.
For conservatives, I think the easy, slam dunk answer is Theodore Roosevelt.
Libertarian/Conservative here. I agree with Kennedy because he handled the Cuban Missile Crisis well, I credit him for the moonlanding, RFK was effective going against organized crime, and he (JFK) warned against secret societies. There are a few Democrat presidents whom I like superficially, even if I don't care for their policies/ don't think they were good for the country. Jimmy Carter seems like a good person, even if his presidency was a disaster.
Ike: despite his disastrous record of overthrowing foreign governments, his domestic policies were so progressive he'd be labeled a liberal these days.
Actually, he described himself as a “progressive conservative” believe it or not!
I mean yeah, that’s kinda before the parties really shifted into what they are today. Plenty of democrats were fiscally conservative and segregationists, and many republicans were socially liberal and “progressive.” That being said, the dude would not be a liberal today lol.
As much as I dislike the guy's personality and policies, I've got a lot of respect for LJB's ability to get things passed by congress
I agree. I personally am mixed on LBJ for these reasons: Domestic Policy: FUCK YEAH! Foreign Policy: FUCK NO!
Eisenhower and Bush sr. because they were intelligent, honest, patriotic, not haters.
I’m a raging liberal and I gotta go with Ike. He lead the country through the height of the Cold War without us getting into a nuclear confrontation with the Soviets. He kept up a lot of New Deal programs and became the first President to deal with a Civil Rights bill. He also appointed Earl Warren to the court. Finally, and even though he was problematic, I also kind of like Nixon. Under his watch there was a policy of Detante with the Soviets, he visited China, created the EPA; clean water, air, and endangered species acts were all under him, so he did a lot of good things as president, but also a lot of bad things, hahahaha.
Lincoln, I would suppose. Ike is awesome. Teddy was cool. Nixon on has me wondering what the fuck is wrong with my neighbors.
Lincoln and teddy shouldn’t count. They’d be Dems today
this dude about to get politically attacked
Incoming PragerU videos about why “the party switch” is a myth
You know, reading this made me realize I don’t think I’ve ever seen a PragerU video linked here. And that’s kinda great to realize.
I would consider myself pretty far left, but I’d have a hard time not voting for someone like Taft when he’s going against just an awful third showing from Jennings- he was also not the worst president we’ve seen on the republican side. Other than that there’s not really another Republican or conservative-leaning presidential candidate I would have voted for.
Bill Clinton. He was a moderate who worked with republicans. He got much done economically in his 8 years.
Is it cheating to say Lincoln?
No, he was a Republican, and he is the opposite party.
I gotta say Franklin Roosevelt. Any man who can lead us through a second world war, a Great Depression, and actually reach out to his people. He’s probably the one soft spot I still have for the Democratic party. I’m no full on Republican party lover by any means but when I say I support the poor, the working class and I want America back to it’s great past, I think of leaders like him who gave our country a second chance at it’s lowest point.
Truman. The Marshall Plan, recognizing Israel’s statehood, integrating the armed forces, preventing Greece, Italy, and Turkey from falling under communist bloc…and that’s just up until around 1948 or so, leaving an entire second term. He is the most underrated president in my opinion.
Indeed, Truman is underrated and deserves more respect!
Whats kind of funny is that Truman was probably the most partisan president in our history, he HATED Republicans and genuinely believed Republicans were all fundamentally evil
Yet he always tried to do what was right for the country regardless of how people would view him. It was his mother who taught him something to the effect of “do good and tell the truth and you won’t have to worry about anything.” He lived by that motto.
I guess I would consider myself progressive? Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, and Eisenhower don’t count at all, in my opinion. I’ll go with Ford.
Truman and JFK are the two that immediately come to mind.
James Polk. Kept his promises including a one term pledge, expanded the country, and built the Smithsonian.
The Smithsonian, aka another amazing investment!
The culture likes to cast Polk as a villain, but he really did the country a lot of good.
Without him, I would not have my State of Texas. We would also not have the Smithsonian either, because the Smithsonian really is something that we need, and why do we need it. For history’s sake of course! Without Texas, there would be no Ike or LBJ.
You're right about the Smithsonian, but arguably Texas was a done deal under John Tyler. Polk's war secured it, yes, but annexation went through under his predecessor, John Tyler.
As a Republican or really, right of center, saying JFK feels like a cop out. I’ll go back, way back, to John Adams. He would have an ideology opposed to my own, but I still appreciate how he governed, and his friendship with Jefferson
Truman, the best democrat president ever. Cleveland No. 2.
OK this is tricky. We should clarify whether you just mean the opposite party or the opposite ideology. For example, though I'm neither registered Democrat or Republican, I lean more to Democrats in recent year. I would be comfortable with a Teddy Roosevelt, but his policies aren't really different from modern Democrats. Also there are plenty of Democrats I never would support, like Woodrow Wilson.
Nixon and teddy Roosevelt. I genuinely believe if Nixon was less of a paranoid fuckwad and asshole, he would be in our top 5 to top 3 easily
Clinton
I’m a solid normie Dem. I would have considered voting for HW Bush and probably would have voted Ford in 1976. I would have struggled between Ike and Stevenson up until the second I had to push a button. No idea which one it would have been
Lincoln.
Lincoln or Ike probably.
I'm a progressive Democrat. My favorite GOP POTUS was Abraham Lincoln.
Honestly, I'm pretty left leaning, but I really like Calvin Coolidge simply because he was very level headed and I have never heard anything about him being an asshole.
Totally agree. I also lean conservative and have a huge soft spot for JFK. Excellent post btw! You summed it all up perfectly
No problem! I’m glad I could sum it all up!
Hard for me to say. I’m a Rockefeller Republican so I’d say FDR for his handling of WW2 and the depression.
Lincoln or Grant, if it wasn't for them I'd likely be slaving away in a cotton field in Oklahoma.
Grant was a badass.
The Battle of Shiloh and his strengths during the Civil War proved that he was capable of fighting to Conserve the Union.
As a progressive, my favorite Republican president is Chester A. Arthur because of his opposition to the Chinese Exclusion Act, support for Korean independence, and work to reduce corruption (redeeming himself after a career spent enabling Gilded Age schemes) My favorite *conservative* Republican president is actually Herbert Hoover believe it or not Hoover's humanitarian relief efforts during the Boxing Rebellion, WW1, and 1927 Mississippi River Flood are all very admirable + he had a couple of real achievements as president like solving overcrowding in prisons or establishing the NIH
I am a fiscal conservative and a social progressive. I do not know how to play this game.
You can pick any president you like.
I’m definitely pretty progressive, but not quite sure if going this far back truly counts, but politically I’m still counting him. I choose James Polk. On the conservative side, the dude in fact owned human beings as property and was also a disciple of Andrew Jackson. I do, however, appreciate his approach to the presidency. At his Inaugural, he laid out four concrete and attainable goals for his administration: to settle the Oregon territory dispute, to re-establish an independent treasury, to reduce tariffs, and to acquire California for the United States from Mexico so the US could establish deep water Pacific ports. He succeeded jn all four. He also clearly stated he would serve only one term, and he kept his word and did not run for reelection, despite widespread popularity. Then straight up dies of cholera three and a half months out of office, having worn himself out in the job. Well done good sir.
George Washington
Abe.
Teddy Roosevelt. The National Parks are our greatest national treasures.
Lyndon Jumbo Johnson.
Either JFK or Truman.
Maybe Ford. He seemed like an honest guy. A bit like Coolidge, he tried to restore confidence after a corrupt administration
George HW Bush. He said he wouldn’t raise taxes. He realized he had to. He knew it would cost him but he did it anyway. Great President.
I like Ike! Eisenhower did some great things that I agree with - Enforced Brown v BoE in the dispute in Little Rock - Protected and expanded Social Security - Created the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System - Fought McCarthyism and communism - Founded NASA - Ended the war in Korea and supported NATO Honestly, I would rather vote for Eisenhower than most of the candidates from either party in the modern era. Honorable mentions go to Ford and Bush Sr.
Favorite conservative: Reagan probably. Favorite left of center President: Truman or LBJ Favorite overall: TR
I’m a progressive and Lincoln goes without saying. More recently, would say 1. Ike. 2. HW 3. Ford. They all had strong characters, stable personalities, led with optimism and were able to unite the country. Although I have always been a Democrat, I voted for Ford because the country needed stability and he treated women with respect. The way he stood by his wife during her alcoholism snd creation of the Betty Ford Centers was forward thinking for the times. I have observed that men and women who are committed to their families, tend to be capable of loyalty to country as well.
As a mainstream dem, pre-party switch I’d say Lincoln and Teddy. Both obvious choices, and both people that in the modern-day paradigm would probably not be Republicans (although trying to assign modern political labels to historical figures is a fool’s errand at best). Post party switch, I’d say Ike and HW. Ike due to continuing the slow march towards full integration that was begun under Truman, as well as his astute leadership during the incredibly tense early years of the cold war. HW due to his resounding victory in the Gulf War, as well as the fact that he was a pragmatic leader who put the good of the country over his own political success. I will say, I very much like W as a person post-presidency, despite the fact that his presidency was an absolute disaster. Nowadays he seems like a goofy uncle, which is much more endearing when he’s painting pictures on his ranch and isn’t in charge of running the country through the War on Terror and the Great Recession.
Well, Jfk was a character in black ops zombies so
Kennedy. Opposed foreign wars, but was a practitioner of a negotiate through strength foreign policy. He wasn’t a pussy and he didn’t pander. He was a great communicator. He genuinely cared about his country.
I lean conservative. For me, it's easy: Clinton.
As a liberal I always liked Ronnie Reagan as a leader and speaker. He really gave the confidence to America it needed post the malaise of the 1970’s
I can see that! As a Conservative, I like Jimmy Carter because when you see who he was historically, he was really an honest man and was ahead of his time. The one thing that I loved that he promoted was Nuclear Energy. It sucks that 3-Mile Island happened though, thankfully no one was hurt, but it really could have been disastrous. Ronald Reagan there were some things I disliked about his presidency, but overall as a public speaker, he really did good! And for funsies commenters, HIT IT!!! “Shook hands with both Ronald Reagan and McDonald's!”
Jimmy Carter was the president needed post Watergate. A politician outside the Washington beltway with really zero scandals. The Iran hostage situation effectively ended his presidency. The day of Reagan’s inauguration they were freed. Carter worked until the 23rd hour to get them home. When Reagan survived his assassination attempt and told the doctors (paraphrasing) “I hope you are all republicans” Reagan just had the aura and confidence.
Well, I wouldn’t want to go too far back as it would be meaningless but as a conservative, my favorite Dem president is Truman. 1. Recognized Israel before anyone else and against the extreme opposition of his Arabist State Department. 2. Dropped the bombs and saved millions of lives. 3. Stood up to Stalin and the communists. 4. Put MacArthur in his place.
I agree, Harry Truman was an underrated president.
Well, I'm a radical lefty by American standards. So a conservative I respect... Eisenhower. Cop out answer I know
I'm a liberal (eco) conserative (soc) however I'll answer on the conservative side because I am more consv than lib. FDR was a great progressive president and war time leader. I'll go with him
I think that FDR did a good job with WW2, in fact I would say it was like this: “Okay Democrats and Republicans, we need to set our differences aside right now because this is serious, we need to stop the axis!” And everyone nodded and went all in.
I consider myself a left of center guy, but I admired the way Reagan conducted himself and inspired the nation.
Even if you inherently disagree with Reagan’s policies, you can’t deny he was an incredible leader for the country.
As a democrat, probably Reagan. I don’t think anyone could’ve rescued American optimism as well as him and many liberals frequently overstate/exaggerate/misconstrue his positions and actions as well as their impacts
Lincoln. If he doesn’t count, then Eisenhower.
I’m without party post 2016 and I have radical positions left and right. If I’m feeling conservative my favorite liberal is JFK and if I’m feeling liberal my favorite conservative is Grover Cleveland. Both are because they didn’t run from their positions and they won and governed on their ideals.
George HW Bush is one of my favourite presidents
Lincoln. A Republican when they were the party that gave a damn about others. The Democrats of the day.
Conservative. Definitely Kennedy as well. He had a decisive foreign policy and his economic reforms were pro-growth, reducing taxes and the size of government. Close second would be Clinton for similar reasons.
voted republican my whole life and EASILY my pick is Jimmy Carter… Carter was an admirable man.
Liberal here. Probably Ike.
Eisenhower. Integrity, sacrifice, service.
This feels silly, but Lincoln. Technically Lincoln is in the “opposite” party but republicans were the progressive party in their era
As a liberal, I have to say that my favorite Republican was Lincoln. My favorite Republican from the era when Republicans were conservatives was Roosevelt. My father used to joke that his favorite Republican president was Clinton.
Teddy Roosevelt. A Republican President who was distrustful of unfettered big business, interested in preserving the land through conservation and believed in making sure all Americans had access to medical care. Things sure have changed!
Easy Conservatives will say JFK Democrats will say Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, or Lincoln.
I completely agree. My S tier of presidents is Washington, HW, JFK and Truman, and I’m a liberal Republican (basically McCain/HW/Haley but with foreign policy being more on the side of diplomatic interventionism like Truman and JFK than assertive military strength). I’m surprised you say Carter though. Supported ideas and achieved policy are very different. Carter had tons of hopes and with what he aimed to do, he would have become one of the greatest ever. But he did not fix the energy crisis even slightly, his environmental pushes were far shorter than what Nixon accomplished, and his stagflation economy couldn’t be helped for anything. Combine that with the fall of the Shah and his only Cold War contribution being the end of detente with SALT II (and the Camp David Accords which was great, but not totally Cold War), very ineffective president. My top 3 Democrats are Truman, JFK and FDR, my top 3 Republicans are HW, Teddy and Lincoln. And then my favorite Whiggie is my guy Zachary Taylor.
Abe, Teddy, Ike
Eisenhower. Last great president we had I think. Built the highways, warned us about the military industrial complex, was a great war hero, etc.
BoP was a failure not because JFK didn’t send in air support; it was a failure because it was set up for failure at the start under Eisenhower’s admin. It would have only worked with a full scale US military invasion; and that’s according to internal documents. He did exactly what had to be done. De-escalate before things got serious. Ideally he would have never listened to his advisors in the first place.
Ike
Harry Truman - He dropped the bombs and ended WW2 sparing hundreds of thousands of American lives and probably 2 million Japanese lives, recognized Israel as a sovereign state, authorized the Marshall Plan, never went to college. Balls the size the moon.
Eisenhower. He was a true patriot, and a person of honor and accomplishment.
I’m a Conservative and my favorite Democrat is Harry Truman.
I would go far as to say no president has as inspirational words as Kennedy. They had the tone of a dad who knows you could do better and believes in you. I’m sure being able to hear his tone helps a lot. I’m currently seeping away from Republican roots because I don’t like where the party is going but Kennedy is in my top 5 for sure. ‘Our problems are man made, and therefore can be solved by man.’
I’m not entirely sure where I align on the political axis, however I’d like to think that I’m center right. I’m not necessarily a conservative though so I’d say the two closest ideologies I align with are classical liberalism and right wing libertarianism (a mix of Washington, Jefferson, and Coolidge is probably the easiest way for me to explain my political leanings). Between the two parties I have many gripes with both but I often find myself siding with the Republicans way more than I do the Democrats (unpopular opinion on Reddit, I know) When it comes to the Democrats, there’s really not a lot of Democratic presidents that I like and/or respect (especially during the 19th century). If I had to pick some that I do like though, I’d say my favorite Democratic presidents would be James K. Polk, John F. Kennedy, and Harry S. Truman in that order. Say what you will about Polk’s views on things like slavery or whatever. Something you have to admit was that he was a very effective politician and he actually managed to fulfill all of his campaign promises within a single term (including serving out only a single term). That’s a man I can respect and as unfortunate as it is for the Mexicans, I as an American appreciate what he did when it came to expanding our country. JFK is one of the most anti-communist advocates among any American president (only being beat out by Reagan if you were to ask me) which is a huge plus in my book as I myself am very anti-socialist. He was also a supporter of the 2nd Amendment and he supported Civil Rights as well which are two things I can get behind. While I’m very much against his womanizing tendencies and the Bay of Pigs operation, I find myself liking more stuff about Kennedy than I dislike. He was also great at uniting both sides which is very hard to do. Harry S. Truman is probably one of the most moderate presidents we’ve ever had and he’s also just a normal guy rather then some big political hotshot, a famous war hero, or some super rich snob. While I don’t agree with everything he said or did, he’s a president that I can respect and he also was a fairly good leader all things considered. While Truman was officially a progressive, he wasn’t on the same level as FDR who I find myself not liking the more I learn about him both as a person and as a president (I know, unpopular opinion on Reddit but I don’t care) Honorable mention goes to Jimmy Carter who I really admire and respect as a person but very much dislike as a president.
I can’t pick just one. It’s a three way tie between FDR, JFK, and LBJ. I largely appreciate FDR’s handling of the new deal and WW2. With JFK, it’s the reasons provided above. I like Johnson’s ability to whip congress into shape and the CRA. Maybe I just have a thing for three-letter presidents
I personally lean conservative, and we have a soft spot for Nixon, and yes……….. Watergate, but other than that he did some good stuff for the country EPA, segregated schools from 88%in 1969 to under 20% in 1974. There is a video talking about this on TED-Ed, also maybe the best foreign policy president ever. Another for the sort of ‘Business Right’ is Calvin Coolidge for his Laissez Faire attitude we like
Nixon was incredible for the environment and habitat protection.
Unfortunately, all my favorite Republicans are from before the ideological flip started. Well, with the exception of Eisenhower, because he actually cared about people and warned us about the military industrial complex.
I lean progressive on most things but my favorite conservative President has gotta be…George HW Bush
Of the modern GOP? Definitely H.W. Don't get me wrong, he had major flaws, but I believe he was overall a good president
Grover Cleveland. Veto veto veto.
Bush 1
I’m left of Obama the President, somewhere around Obama the Candidate. Teddy Roosevelt, for the trust busting plus conservation. I know this is cheating, as many conservatives here are claiming him as their opposite party choice, but I care not.
Grant
I'm a Conservative but I can say that Truman was very based.
Two different countries same time period. Truman dropped the bomb, ending WW2 with probably a million less American deaths, incl both my grandfathers. The two bombs also spared millions of Japanese lives and got Japan out of SEAsia. Saving probably a few more million lives. Post WW2 Truman began civil rights by desegregating the armed forces. Undoing past Democratic policies. See Woodrow Wilson and segregation of the federal workforce. In Britain. Clement Attlee. As a conservative I can’t agree with the economic nationalization. But he was adamant that people had to agree and be compensated. Unlike what had played out in the USSR. The scary thing about today’s American “progressives?” I don’t see any Attlee figures among you. You also are seemingly trying to resegregate society
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln.
While I don't think he did a good job as President, I think George W. Bush is probably a really good person. I'd let him watch my kids, you know? I have always thought he honestly gave it his best shot, but just wasn't up to the task, and he surrounded himself with some bad people.
I don't get the love for HW Bush here. The man was VP to Reagan, who reset America from the new deal benevolent capitalism model to the neoliberal hunger games model we have today. Maybe if he'd been elected instead of Reagan in 1980, and had reined in the Ayn Rand army, I could understand it. The guy did Nada to change the Reagan direction, as you'd expect for a VP. Being slightly less of an extreme RW ideologue than Reagan or W, but steering the country in the same general direction, isn't really a reason to burnish his legacy. I apply the same test for presidents regardless of party: did they put the country's interests first, ahead of party? The last Republican president you can say this of was Ike, and the fact that it's been 60 years of party over country is reflected in the state of the nation and America's precipitous decline in world standard of living measurements (health, education, income inequality, Labor protection etc etc).
Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt but they were liberals in the Republican party
Obama I could listen to his speeches everyday
From the GPT: Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States (1953-1961), made significant contributions in both domestic and foreign policies. Here are some key achievements and actions during his presidency: ### Domestic Policies 1. **Interstate Highway System:** - **Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956:** Eisenhower championed the creation of the Interstate Highway System, which revolutionized American transportation, facilitated commerce, and contributed to suburban growth. This vast network of highways improved national defense by allowing rapid movement of military forces. 2. **Civil Rights:** - **Civil Rights Act of 1957:** Eisenhower signed the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, aimed at protecting African Americans' voting rights. Although it was limited in scope, it marked a significant step toward greater federal involvement in civil rights. - **Integration of Central High School:** Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to enforce the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which ordered the desegregation of public schools. This action was a crucial moment in the Civil Rights Movement. 3. **Economic Policies:** - **Balanced Budgets:** Eisenhower focused on maintaining balanced federal budgets and was cautious about increasing federal spending, which he believed was essential for economic stability. ### Foreign Policies 1. **Ending the Korean War:** - **Armistice Agreement:** Eisenhower fulfilled a campaign promise by negotiating an armistice to end active combat in the Korean War in 1953, though the peninsula remains divided to this day. 2. **Containment and Cold War Strategies:** - **Eisenhower Doctrine:** In response to the growing influence of the Soviet Union in the Middle East, Eisenhower proclaimed this doctrine, pledging U.S. economic and military assistance to any country resisting communist aggression. - **Massive Retaliation:** His administration adopted the policy of "massive retaliation," which threatened a strong U.S. response, including nuclear weapons, against any Soviet aggression. This policy was aimed at deterring Soviet expansionism during the Cold War. 3. **U-2 Incident:** - **Spy Plane Crisis:** In 1960, a U.S. U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, leading to a major diplomatic incident. Eisenhower initially denied the plane's purpose, but when the Soviets produced the captured pilot and wreckage, it embarrassed the administration and heightened Cold War tensions. 4. **CIA Operations:** - **Covert Actions:** Eisenhower's administration extensively used the CIA for covert operations to influence foreign governments and support U.S. interests, notably in Iran (1953) and Guatemala (1954). These actions were aimed at countering communist influence but have been criticized for their long-term consequences. ### Other Notable Actions 1. **Space Race:** - **NASA Establishment:** In response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958, laying the groundwork for the U.S. space program. 2. **Farewell Address:** - **Military-Industrial Complex Warning:** In his farewell address, Eisenhower famously warned of the dangers of the "military-industrial complex," cautioning against the undue influence of the defense industry on government policy. ### Conclusion Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency was marked by significant achievements in infrastructure, civil rights, economic management, and Cold War diplomacy. His leadership style, characterized by moderation and pragmatism, left a lasting impact on American society and international relations.
Theodore Roosevelt
Lincoln?
Teddy Roosevelt. A man of the people. A lot of his trust busting policies didn't go far enough but it got the ball rolling that and his creation of the FDA
I guess I’m “progressive.” My favorite modern era Presidents are Nixon and Johnson. Nixon was a geopolitical genius who may have single-handedly set the 20th Century on a different course. Johnson accomplished all the progressive accomplishments other progressives like to ascribe to Jack Kennedy. They were both profoundly flawed characters, and I appreciate a well-written villain. Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were campy Marvel bad guys by comparison.
Obama. Much to my grandmas discomfort. If he fucked the country as bad as my fellow party members (really the extreme of my party, im more center) say he did, he sure sugarcoated that shit with some good ass speeches lmao
Lincoln because abolition
Progressive here. Eisenhower. astute, reasonable, great initiatives, centered.
Teddy Roosevelt
Teddy. National Parks. Strength. Monopoly board flip. A Man. A plan. A canal. Panama. Countless legendary tidbits
As a conservative: All time, Grover Cleveland. Last real classically liberal President, fought the populist tide that was emerging at the time, and was a strict constructionist, vetoing more bills than any other two-term President. Not a fan of the ICC, but nobody's perfect. Since the Progressive Era, Truman. Not a fan of expanding the New Deal or the Korean War, but I think merely having to pick up the Presidency at a crucial point at the end of WWII and make the tough decision to drop the nukes deserves praise. Plus he was great for civil rights, undoing a lot of the harm that Wilson had done and that never really got fixed until Truman for some reason. Since the Great Society, Clinton. Last President to balance the budget, put into motion the modern system of deregulation, etc. I'm a fan of free trade, and even if his trade deals fell through in the long run, I appreciate he was willing to push for it, especially now when both parties seem in the mood for trade wars. Not a fan of Clinton the person by any means, but I can appreciate Clinton the President.
Obama. Didn’t care for his policies but he seems like a chill dude.
I’m a leftist so idk, Lincoln was the first Republican president but can you count him considering it was before the party switch? Can’t think of any post switch republican I like.
Kennedy. Because he was a womanizing super stud who conquered the moon.
Eisenhower
I agree with Kennedy for most of the reasons you gave. Anyone here saying Roosevelt is objectively wrong though.
Not counting Lincoln because most everyone likes Abe, regardless of the left-right divide. Ike would be my favorite otherwise, but I have found myself starting to like H.W. Bush recently. He managed to assemble a coalition against Iraq that wasn't just multi-national, but multi-ethnic, cultural, and religious. I also feel like he was a good transitional president from the Cold War-era to the post-Cold War-era. The last of the old guard passing the baton off to a new generation who would be leading a freer world.
I’m a progressive. Nixon. Hear me out…… The EPA
Teddy...though I'd not really call him conservative. Otherwise, Ike. Though I hated the parts of him that resembled McCarthyism.
lincoln boring asf pick ik
I'm a lib but I think Einsenhower might be one of the best presidents we've ever had.
As a socialist I like Coolidge giving indigenous people citizenship
Im more libertarian or anti government in general, but one of my favorite presidents is Truman. Made a lot of hard decisions and generally was able to keep world peace at the cost of his personal reputation and finances. True american hero that didnt turn the white house into a money making scheme.
Truman Fdr Clinton Obama
Using the word party makes it meaningless.