Who are your 3 least-favorite Presidents of the U.S. and why?

[Hissyspit]

[Skittles]

1. both Bushes and Reagan

lying, evil bastards

[cincinnati_liberal]

11. I concur

You stole my answer. The guy who traded with the terrorists illegally, then illegally laundered the money to his contra armies in C America, then the guy underneath him who orchestrated it, ordered the assassination of multiple C America leaders, not all successful, and his fucking retard of a son who will drag us all to hell with him. They named a god damn highway after Reagan in Cincinnati. Ack! It goes right by my house, too.

[liberal N proud]

12. That is where my vote goes

All three have lied and decived the American people and done nothing good for the country.

[iconoclastic cat]

13. Yep.

[wug37]

23. That's my choice too

Worst presidents ever!

[Guns Aximbo]

29. u huh. Ditto

[klyon]

31. I agree

the worst

KL

[in_cog_ni_to]

34. Ditto. I have to add Nixon to that list. n/t

[despairing optimist]

46. Yeah, they make Nixon look good

Imagine, actually *longing* for the Nixon years. I may be ready for the funny farm.

[barb162]

50. and big spendthrifts on absurd wars (Grenada, Iraq) and missile

defense plans (Starwars)

[lapfog_1]

2. This one is easy

Nixon, Reagan and George W. Bush.

All three damaged the country in ways that may take generations
to repair...

[Piperay]

3. Bush, Bush & Reagan

they are all disgusting and evil.

[bullimiami]

4. ditto. bush bush and reagan

these bushes are some heartless monarchal bastards. even ronnie had some redeeming qualities, (some, not many).

[eauclaireliberal]

5. RE: "ditto. bush bush and reagan"

even ronnie had some redeeming qualities, (some, not many).

Well, for one thing, Raygun would have gone after bin Laden, not planted the seeds for international jihad. According to Ron Jr., his dad is a saint compared to the BFEE. I tend to agree.

[Art_from_Ark]

17. Actually, Ronnie was the one who started bankrolling bin Laden,

comparing the Mujahedeen to our Founding Fathers.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,177810,00.html

[gottaB]

6. Jackson, Nixon, Bush

1. Andrew Jackson. Indian Removal Act.

2. Richard Nixon. Obstruction of Justice, Abuse of Power, Contempt of Congress.

3. George W. Bush. The torture memos. According to the testimony of Ameed Sa'eed Al Sheikh:

Someone else asked me, "Do you believe in anything?"

I said, "I believe in Allah."

So he said, "But I believe in torture and I will torture you. When I go home to my country, I will ask whoever comes after me to torture you."

Then they handcuffed me and hung me to the bed. They ordered me to curse Islam and because they started to hit my broken leg, I cursed my religion. They ordered me to thank Jesus that I'm alive. And I did what they ordered me <to do>. This is against my belief.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/iraq/abughraib/151362.pdf

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. This is sick

I'm talking about your quote from the tortured person. That he be forced to denounce his religion (which acknowledges Jesus to be a prophet)and to 'thank Jesus' is, imho, against the teachings of Christ AND a wonderful way to make sure the entire Islamic world decides to fight against us-for in the Qur'an it says the ONLY justification for the lesser jihad is that an oppressive force try and make you denounce the faith.

[gottaB]

10. yes, it's a perversion and betrayal of everything I like about our country

And it's a foreseeable outcome of the policy outlined in the torture memos by Gonzales and Bybee. In my mind this will be Bush's legacy.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. Bush, definately

because he is destroying the constitution and is bent on destroying the world via his environmental policies and his foreign policy follies, which, if allowed to go unchecked, will likely lead to nuclear war.

Reagan because he got into office by dubious means (Iran-Contra), started 'privatization', destroyed a union (air traffic controllers), and helped to get the Fairness Doctrine scrapped so the right wingers would have their chance to take over the airwaves.

Nixon because he broke the law by approving the Watergate break-in, creating 'enemies lists' and trying to become the dictator that Bush wishes to be. Remember Rove got his start under Tricky Dick, and learned that the reason Nixon fell was a free press. Rove and those like him started right then to find a way to take over the press so it would become what it is today.

[AnnitaR]

9. Reagan, Bush, and W!

Reagan = ignored the AIDS epidemic!

Bush = among other things he fathered W.!

W = needs no explanation!

[livvy]

14. I need 4 choices, unless I can just group the *'s together...

*'s
Nixon
Reagon

[SharonRB]

49. Now there's a thought

If I can lump the *'s together, I'll change mine to the same!

[Walt Starr]

15. Because of their evil natures and in order of their evilness

1) George W. Bush
2) George H. W. Bush
3) Ronald Wilson Reagan

closely followed by...

4) Richard Milhous Nixon

[jmowreader]

16. Nixon no longer belongs on a list of this kind

If you can ignore the fact that Nixon was one of the worst felons this country has ever produced, he actually did some good for this country. We've discussed Dick before; he created the EPA and signed the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. IIRC he was responsible for some fairly progressive trade and labor law, and he opened the conduit to China. In hindsight that last one didn't turn out so well, but at the time it was Good. Very good, in fact, and it's sad we can't fix it. He also ended the Vietnam War, which as we all remember was started by a Democrat.

Besides, after the last four years I look back with wistful nostalgia at a president whose major atrocities were all domestic.

My three least-favorite presidents are pretty much the majority opinion:

Shrub Bush
Saint Ronnie
Poppy Bush

[eg101]

20. except for Watergate& Vietnam, Nixon was far to the left of Clinton

eom

[EST]

41. May I beg to differ?

I must take exception to this commonly held notion that Tricky Dick ended the V.N. war! He rode to victory twice on the promise that he would bring to a speedy "peace with honor" end that horrid conflict, but with the aid of his pet slime hound, Kissinger, he extended and extended that war until people like John Kerry (and me) actually forced it to stop. The real story is, of course, much more complicated than those two sentences would indicate, but Nixon, like LBJ before him, was busily laying the groundwork that has produced what is now euphemistically known as our beloved F.R.A. (Fascist Republik of Amerika)

[Hippo_Tron]

47. LBJ was SUCH a good president otherwise

Why the hell did he have to enter Vietnam?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

18. Teddy Rosevelt, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge & Hoover, & this bush *

for their roles in the anti-civil rights acts for african americans


Roosevelt heralded one of the first Presidential administrations openly opposed to civil rights and suffrage for blacks. Roosevelt is remembered for inviting the black leader and entrepreneur, Booker T. Washington, to the White House for dinner, the first instance of such an invitation for a black person. Southern Democrats were offended, and were vocal in their disapproval. Though Washington's visit was distinctive in its novelty, Roosevelt invited Washington not to improve the situation of blacks, but because they agreed that blacks should not strive for political and social equality. Washington privately used his wealth and influence to challenge Jim Crow, despite his public declarations of the opposite, while Roosevelt's administration was not supportive of civil rights for blacks. The popularity of eugenics and the philosophy of social Darwinism reached a zenith during the early part of century, and racism was integrated into presidential party platforms. Roosevelt believed blacks were intellectually inferior, and began to decrease the number of federal appointments to blacks and promised Southerners that he would appoint local federal officials that would not disrupt the accord between north and south. Taft publicly endorsed the idea that blacks should not participate in politics, and perpetuated the racist party line of his predecessor.

Wilson, encouraged the introduction and passage of discriminatory legislation, such as a bill passed by the House that made interracial marriage in the District of Columbia a felony. Wilson made it a requirement to include a photograph with any application for a federal position, to facilitate the exclusion of blacks from government jobs. Wilson pushed for segregation of federal workers, systematically demoted black civil servants, and claimed nothing could be done to improve the situation of blacks in the country. He refused to meet with black leaders, to appear at black conferences on race issues, or to publicly denounce lynching. Wilson's wartime administration relegated black Army soldiers to non-combat labor billets, claiming that blacks were unable to fight courageously. Under Wilson, the Navy only allowed blacks to serve as messboys, and the Marines did not accept blacks at all.

The Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover further alienated blacks from American politics, refusing to endorse anything related to civil rights. Harding continued Wilson's policies of federal segregation, and his Justice department did nothing to investigate lynchings or the activities of the Ku Klux Klan. Coolidge condoned the Republican ideal of a "lily white" party, further alienating black Americans, and declared that the federal government should not interfere with local race issues. The complicity of Republicans and Democrats on race was complete. Hoover excluded blacks from federal offices and executive departments, and his administration would not allow blacks to work on federal construction jobs.

[eg101]

19. reagan, bush2, and clinton n/t

[ComerPerro]

21. Reagan, Bush I, Bush II

First off, because I was born in 81, so I will keep it to my lifetime.

Second, because Reagan and Bush II are both overrated assholes who are terribly unfit and unqualified to be president.

Third, Bush I because he is a war profiteering asshole, and for his comments that atheists cannot be considered true Americans.

[newportdadde]

22. *, Reagan and Bush I

I dislike * for so many reasons. Of the three I chose he is the most ignorant and the least curious.

I dislike Reagan for primarily busting unions and making them and 'welfare queens' a symbol of what is wrong in America. Reagan has in my opinion led to the destruction of unions.

[noonwitch]

24. W, Reagan and Hoover

Hoover gave us the great depression.

Reagan's method of "ending the cold war" or "speeding up the already imminent collapse of the soviet union" funded the very terrorists that we are fighting today, because conservatives in the 80s thought that they could keep religious fanatics in line after they were done using them to fight the commies. On top of that, the build-up of our nuclear arsenal cost our social safety network dearly, and produced record numbers of homeless people for the first time since Hoover's depression.

W-I don't think there's room to list all the reasons why he has been such a bad president. I guess the fact that the World Trade Center no longer exists speaks for itself.

[Hippo_Tron]

36. Coolidge gave us the depression, Hoover had been in for a few months

Granted Hoover didn't do anything to solve it, but you know.

[ilibs]

25. This is very slanted.

I think the lack of 19th century presidents who were crappy(I cant name any either) indicate why we should not be answering this question. Clearly, we are not qualified.

Its OK though. "The Sky is Falling" attitude is perfectly natural. Everyone thinks their generation is actually significant. Sure, the last 3 republican presidents could be the worst are nation has had, though it is unlikely.

[newyawker99]

28. Hi ilibs!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Hippo_Tron]

40. I was about to post some 19th century presidents

For example...

John Adams - Alien and Sedition Acts

Jackson - Indian murderer

Van Buren - Won elections by forcing immigrants to vote for his party.

Lincoln - Suspended Habeas Corpus illegally, not too great on civil rights either.

Grover Clevland - Used the US army to bust up strikes.

William McKinley - Spanish American War

NOTHING that Carter or Clinton did during their terms even comes close to some of the things that these guys did.

[Hissyspit]

26. O.K. So 4 Least-Favorite (and one has to be from the 19th century)

This was actually a continuation from the All-Time Favorite President posting. Some people were listing their least-favorites...

[ProfessorGAC]

27. 43, Reagan, Nixon

In that order, meaning i've reserved my greatest loathing for Li'l Georgie.
The Professor

[Rapcw]

30. Bush x2 and reagan

[txaslftist]

32. Shrub 1 & 2; Jimmy Carter.

What?!?! Jimmy Carter?

Yeah... Sorry to say it because I think he's really a great person, but he damaged the democratic party by making it appear vacillating, impotent and "malaised" at a time when it could have nipped this rising neocon fascism in the bud. If he'd been more charismatic he could have exposed Reagan for the faux cheerleader he was, won re-election and kept the country in the center, instead of letting things spin so disastrously rightward.

My opinion, flame away.

[Hippo_Tron]

38. Andrew Jackson murdered thousands of Native Americans

I don't think that anything Jimmy Carter did is nearly that bad.

[mcscajun]

33. Easy choice: Fillmore, Harding, GWB

Fillmore: not much of a president, his big acts were the "Opening" of Japan, and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Law in the free North.

Harding: Pro-business, friend of big oil, anti-labor, stopped anti-trust actions; he once gambled away the White House in a card game. Lucky for us he didn't actually Own the place. Ignorant of the world, he left his foreign policy to his Secretary of State. (Many parallels to *, if you look even a little.) Currently regarded by historians as the worst president in US history. But we all know a challenger is moving up fast…

G.W. Bush: Need I say any more?

[Art_from_Ark]

35. You give Fillmore a little too much credit

Japan was "opened" by the Treaty of Kanagawa, which was signed in 1854, the second year of Franklin Pierce's presidency.

http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=a2023180-h&templatename=/article/article.html

[ZombieNixon]

39. ...and Franklin Pierce, a confederate sympathizer, though from NH,

was an ancestor of Babs Bush, and we all know what came next...

[mcscajun]

42. But it was Fillmore who sent Commodore Perry in to finish the job.

.

[Art_from_Ark]

55. Looks like I was giving Pierce too much credit

Perry was sent to Japan in 1853, which I had assumed was after March 4 when Pierce was President, but it appears that Fillmore actually commissioned the mission in the waning days of his administration.

[Hippo_Tron]

37. Harding died less than a year in office didn't he?

Coolidge was the one who had two terms during the 1920's.

[mcscajun]

43. Harding had only a year and a half in office.

The one good thing he's got on *.

[Patchuli]

44. Nixon, Reagan, W!!!

blaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrphhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! :puke:

[oasis]

45. Bush 43 gets the two top spots for me. Then Reagan.

[SharonRB]

48. blivet**, Reagan and Nixon

I think the why should be pretty obvious, especially on Shrub.

[chrisbur]

51. Mckinley...

Isn't he Rove's model for Bush?

[Hippo_Tron]

54. McKinley's policies, Bryan's appeal

That's Rove's model for Bush.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

52. nixon, reagan, w. bush

[RUDUing2]

53. Harding, Grant and Bush...all totally corrupt, both on a personal

basis and when looking at their administration as a whole.