Who is the most "over-rated" Democratic President (20th Century)

[WI_DEM]

[Jack_Dawson]

1. Dumbya

[WI_DEM]

5. democratic?

[Jack_Dawson]

9. Sorry - saw "overrated" and jumped the gun

In that case...I'm not sure.

[Sandpiper]

2. Harry S. Truman without a doubt

How many millions died because of the poisonous Truman Doctrine of anti communism?

[Bush was AWOL]

8. Most historians have regarded Truman as being underated over the years

he had very low approval rating and was thought of as a horrible president by many until they had time to reflect on his presidency. Now, he is considered among the best ever.

[Radical Activist]

3. JFK

Yes, Kennedy was a very good President and inspiring speaker. But, his most important accomplishments were passed after he died by LBJ. I liked Robert Kennedy better anyway.

[InvisibleBallots]

4. JFK, no doubt

If he wasn't good looking, rich, and been assassinated, he would have been considered a second rate Democrat at best. Both Truman before him and LBJ afterwards were about 100 times better than JFK.

[Lone Pawn]

7. LBJ...100 times better?

You may have missed something called the Vietnam war and the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. You also may recall the massive social swing to the right that followed Great Society.

[WI_DEM]

11. JFK also began the escalation in Vietnam

he was a very hard cold warrior. Even his famous inaugural speech indicates this.

[Lone Pawn]

12. He began it, and would have continued it, but

it was LBJ that actually went ahead with it, and it was LBJ who decided to manufacture the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

[InvisibleBallots]

15. you mean the Vietnam war that JFK started?

Basically? JFK also committed terrorism against Cuba on numerous occasions. As for the massive social swing to the right, I don't think that had as much to do with the Great Society as it had to do with pot smoking hippies.

[baba]

6. Are you kidding? Reagan, no contest! Oops-edit.

On edit: nevermind, I didn't see the "democratic." I don't think any of the Demos were overrated!

[Zynx]

10. JFK was an average president at best.

[Mist]

13. We'll never know how Kennedy would have worked out

I think Kennedy was part of a new feeling in the country at the time, and is remembered fondly for that.

[demwing]

14. JFK, but not because he was a bad President. He was not.

He has become over rated because he died young, and in doing so he attained the status of Democratic Demigod. He was a good Pres.-- certainly not a BAD Pres.--but he just does not deserve the pedestal on which we place him.

[LSdemocrat]

16. Both JFK and LBJ, but for different reasons

JFK is highly overrated because he didn't make any significant progress in his domestic legislative agenda, and unfortunately, did not serve long enough to warrant a ranking as a great or near-great president.

LBJ, on the other hand, proved that a legislator-in-chief does not necessarily a good President make. He was a terrible administrator as was evidenced all too tragically by his handling of Vietnam. Much of his Great Society legislation, while containing good ideas, was poorly implemented, helping to destroy Americans' faith in government and eventually resulting in the largely conservative era we have been living in since 1980's.