If you could re-elect any Democratic presidents from the past, which ones would you choose?

[LoZoccolo]

You may pick more than one.

Let's say this is for 2016 so the thread does not become a thread about challenging President Obama.

You may disregard term limits.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Truman, LBJ, Kennedy...not necessarily in that order...nt

[inademv]

12. Why Truman?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. Why? Because he was good.

[inademv]

14. Good at what?

His handling of WWII in the pacific front was practically a war crime.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. I don't agree.

[inademv]

16. Even in the midst of

Japanese leaders trying to negotiate a surrender, he drops not one but TWO atomic bombs on their cities. So much of what he did following the end of the war directly undermined what FDR had accomplished throughout.

[Sherman A1]

21. Truman

He was never afraid to speak his mind, speak the truth and to stand up to the GOP.

Give'em Hell Harry....


As to his decision to drop the bomb on Japan. It was a war, we were attacked and given the information available at the time (not the revisionist histories or the "what ifs") I believe he made the right decision.


There are those who will disagree and that is their choice, but I agree with Harry Truman's choice to do so. In either case, history cannot be changed.

[leftstreet]

2. Nixon

:popcorn:

[haele]

3. Zombie FDR -

What he could have accomplished if he did not die in the beginning of his fourth term.

Haele

[inademv]

11. Seconded

Some of his social side decisions were not very agreeable but I like to think that given the current climate of knowledge and intellectual discourse that he would be on the right side of things if he could be in charge today.

[mrmpa]

4. Truman, Carter, Kennedy and Wilson eom

[bluestateguy]

5. Every Democrat you have to take the good with the bad

so if I say Andrew Jackson because he stood up to the big banks, somebody will surely remind us about his Native American policy.

If I say FDR because of the New Deal (which BTW was very haphazard and incomplete), somebody will remind us that he was a do nothing on black civil rights and interned the Japanese American citizens.

If I say Bill Clinton because of the peace and prosperity, well then there is DOMA, DADT, telecom deregulation and Glass Steagall repeal.

People love revisionist history to suit their wants and needs here and now.

[Mybrokenchains]

6. Jimmy effin Carter

didn't do so good in the first run, but he need a few years to simmer and contemplate it all.......and not to mention he looks like he's a thousand years old and i wanna see them carve that into Mt. Rushmore

[Old and In the Way]

9. A shame we didn't follow his energy policy vision.

Alas, there was just too much money to be made by Republican Big Oil politicians. We could have been energy efficient today, a few trillion dollars wealthier, and 100's of thousand of people would still be living.

[the other one]

7. Adlai Stevenson. RFK.

Sorry. I was dreaming of what might have been.

[Old and In the Way]

8. Bill Clinton

If for no other reason than to watch and enjoy the exploding heads in Greater Wingnuttier.

[David__77]

10. Only FDR.

He could continue his war for this country that was sadly cut short.

[upi402]

17. FDR seconded! n/t

[Kablooie]

18. If you really want to do this I've got a monkey's paw that's reputed to work.

Ah to have James k Polk back in the saddle again.

[FLAprogressive]

19. FDR and JFK

[Raine]

20. FDR ... ABSOLUTELY

the best president ever!

[sinkingfeeling]

22. FDR

[jtown1123]

23. FDR! He is the only one with the balls to get us out of this mess.

[Rockholm]

24. Bill Clinton

[AndrewP]

25. Bill Clinton

[Donald Ian Rankin]

26. All the ones before Carter would be unlikely to hold liberal views on gay rights, abortion etc.

Yes, FDR moved the country a long way to the left. But on social issues it's moved a lot further left since.

[TheKentuckian]

27. Right now we need economics dealt with

If we don't plug these leaks there won't be any justice socially either save for equal opportunity serfdom.