The Greatest President of All Time
Here is a story that I found online. So I want to have our own little poll. Who is the greatest president of all time?
Quote:
Source: Story
Americans place Lincoln at top of greatest presidents' poll, George W. Bush ahead of Reagan
Mon Feb 18, 5:16 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Abraham Lincoln has moved to the top of the list of greatest presidents in an ABC News poll for President's Day that saw George W. Bush ease ahead of Ronald Reagan (news - web sites) in the overall survey and among Republicans.
Lincoln was chosen by 20 percent, while the current president and John F. Kennedy were essentially tied for second — with Kennedy at 14 percent and Bush at 13 percent. Reagan, Bill Clinton and Franklin Roosevelt were tied for third at 8 percent apiece.
In the same ABC poll a year ago, Reagan was at the top with 18 percent, Kennedy 16 percent and Lincoln 14 percent.
Kennedy and Lincoln were tied atop the list among Democrats this year, whereas Lincoln was the easy winner among independents, and Bush and Lincoln led among Republicans, with Reagan slightly behind them.
Lincoln was first among whites, but second among blacks, who overwhelmingly chose Clinton as the greatest president. One of Lincoln's best known achievements was freeing the slaves during the Civil War. Roosevelt was the leader among those 65 and older.
The poll was conducted Feb. 13-17 among a sample of 1,025 adults and had an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Right on the mark, Jason . . .
Quote:
Originally posted by ptbyjason
TNT, care to elaborate? I am guessing this has to do with the age of the population here, right? I am only 25, but I just don't feel that Clinton, or even Reagan should be the top choices. I would love to hear some opinions.
Precisely - our impressions are skewed, in part, by our direct memories. However, another factor that enters the picture is cultural literacy, which is far less today than it was, say, 50 years ago.
Would people choose Lincoln if it weren't for a short speech written on the back of an envelope? Or if he weren't shot while watching a mediocre play? Or if he hadn't appeared in both an original Star Trek episode and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure? Remember, it takes a lot of huzzangas to be the President of the United States. Why, then, do we "remember" Lincoln more than, say, James Polk or Benjamin Harrison? In part, I submit, it's because of popular perception, not to mention the fact that we need our heroes.
Generational factors are relevant here. Those that choose Reagan may remember hos influential he was in their childhood. Those who are baby-boomers often choose JFK for the same reason. Those who have their particular "causes" might choose someone you wouldn't expect. (Someone geared toward civil rights, for example, would know that LBJ was far more effective than JFK in that area.)
But memories are also short. Those who would choose George W. are looking at the here-and-now, especially when there is a significant military conflict or a need for the nation to continue healing. And, strange as it may seem, the World Trade Center destruction will be relegated to the back burner within a few short years, just as the significance of the Oklahoma City bombing and the explosion of the Challenger were eventually overshadowed and, by some, forgotten.
Anyway, "greatest" President? That's always going to be subjective, but my vote would have to go for FDR. I wasn't around whem he was, but of all the crises the entire world has had to deal with, WWII is probably the most significant. The man would never have been elected today, in our age of instant media hoopla - after all, he was in a wheelchair most of the time. But in terms of the particular period in which he led the country, no one had a better sense of crisis management and wisdom than he did.
My runner-up: Eisenhower. Not only did he lead us through our most productive period, where would be be without the Interstate system? :D