Which President had the most successful 2nd term?

[yvr girl]

[HereSince1628]

1. Jimmy Carter, losing the 2nd election was a gift to the world

The second term of Carter's life has been a model of presidential behavior.

[Hippo_Tron]

14. Losing the second election gave us Ronald Raygun

I hardly consider that a gift to the world.

[Pacifist Patriot]

17. I would much prefer he delayed his post-presidential behavior another

4 years. The Reagan Era wasn't my idea of a decent present.

[wakeme2008]

2. Clinton

The surplus did not show up until then. The military was strong and less enlisted personel were on Food Stamps. Jobs were still being created in great numbers.

[Greeby]

3. Whos knows how Clinton's might have gone

Had the Republicans actually worked to do the People's Business instead of conducting a multi-million dollar witchhunt

[Caution]

4. FDR

Can there be any debate at all about this?

[PowerToThePeople]

5. President Chavez? n/t

[nashbridges]

6. uh, FDR

period. The freeps can bitch about his policies all they want, but his second term:

1) began to really get our country out of the depression, and;
2) began to make him a war president at the same time.

He succeeded on both counts.

[Ignacio Upton]

9. Actually Roosevelt's second terms was probably his least accomplished

His court-packing scheme was to his political capital what Bush's loss of Miers is to his. Most of the New Deal reforms were from 1933-1935. Also, World War II was during his third and fourth terms. He's the only President ever to win four terms.

[Kurt Remarque]

7. fdr, if that counts

[Zen Democrat]

8. Washington and Jefferson.

42 Bill Clinton 1993 - 2001
40 Ronald Reagan 1981 - 1989
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 - 1961
33 Harry Truman 1945 - 1953
32 Franklin D. Roosevelt 1933 - 1945
28 Woodrow Wilson 1913 - 1921
26 Theodore Roosevelt 1901 - 1909
22/24 Grover Cleveland 1885 - 1889, 1893 - 1897
18 Ulysses S. Grant 1869 - 1877
7 Andrew Jackson 1829 - 1837
5 James Monroe 1817 - 1825
4 James Madison 1809 - 1817
3 Thomas Jefferson 1801 - 1809
1 George Washington

I think Washington probably gets the honors.

[the_spectator]

10. I say none.

For example, take our two greatest presidents second terms:
Lincoln: Got Shot at the Theater. I mean, it's always cringe-making when the actors come out into the audience, or otherwise violate the fourth wall, especially when they pick out particular people. Imagine how he felt! A lot worse than being singled out by Dame Edna, I'm sure!

Washington's second administration: Jefferson vs Hamilton, Adams vs. Jefferson, Federalists vs. Jefferson - it was Flame War Central! Before the internet! Before PETA! Plus, Washington had a real gentleman farmer's love for Mount Vernon. Once he finally got out of DC, he pretty much keeled over right then. He would have been happier at home, keeping a good eye on the hemp crop in his golden years.

[Hippo_Tron]

15. Teddy Roosevelt

In his first term he partly was reserved to continuing McKinley's agenda. Once the voters had elected him to the office he started to make real reforms.

[MadisonProgressive]

11. I don't think you'll find any * votes here

[we can do it]

12. Clinton

Imagine if they had just let him do his job...

[Drewskie]

13. dah, FDR (nt)

[Zynx]

16. That's a tough one. I would go with Washington.

Nothing particularly great happened, but most second terms have been spectacular failures. I also might put Monroe in there as well.

[Zynx]

18. 1937-38 were terrible years for FDR.

A second dip in the Great Depression, court packing, and a stalled agenda thanks to a Republican-Conservative Democrat coalition in the House. 1939 and 1940 were good as FDR laid the foundations and planning that allowed us to go on the offensive as quickly as we did in WWII.

[Journeyman]

19. Mr Lincoln gave one of the world's great speeches. . .

saw the 13th Amendment presented to the several States, and finished the Civil War in his second term.

Imagine what he might have accomplished had he had more than six weeks for that term.

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. If you mean the Gettysburg Address...

that was in 1863; Lincoln's second term didn't start until 4 March 1865 (by which time Amendment XIII to the Constitution had already been passed to the states for ratification). The Confederacy surrendered on 9 April--and their defeat was inevitable, at that point, and owed more to the strategic genius of Winfield Scott and to the generalship of Grant and Sherman than to Lincoln.

[Journeyman]

22. I meant his Second Inaugural. . .

the 13th was in process of ratification by the States when Mr Lincoln died, and Gen. Scott -- who died in 1866 -- had been retired for over 4 years and, in any comprehensive analysis, played but a minor role in the War. Of course, any consideration of which general and what tactics succeeded in the Civil War ultimately returns to Mr Lincoln's decisions of support and encouragement -- he was, after all, President of the Nation and, in the war, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy.

[B Calm]

20. Reagan.. my god man.. he convinced millions that he tore down that

wall.. of course we know the truth who won the cold war. NO ONE, it's still going on.

[Roxy66]

23. Clinton...ignore the 24 hr media trashing...the country was doing great