The presidents GC deems worthy of celebrating today and why
By gamecock Comments (17) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
First of all, this is not a list of who I deem the best Presidents per se, in terms of accomplishments in office.
Secondly, I deem only George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as worthy of having national holidays celebrated in their honor.
Thirdly, I have always allowed my office employees to be off on all days banks are closed, except for this day after it was changed from Washington's Birthday to Presidents Day.
Those I deem worthy of celebrating today and why:
1 - Washington for his military leadership, character, conduct in office and his voluntary relinquishment of power which sealed the greatest political revolution in Earth's history.
2 - Adams for his religious faith, steadfast loyalty to the Revolution, and his sacrifices for the revolution.
3 - Jefferson for his Declaration of Independence, unilateral defeat of the radical Muslim Barbary Pirates (without congressional approval) that sought to control access to sea trade lanes, and Louisiana Purchase.
4 - Jackson for his military leadership including his actions that saved New Orleans and put an exclamation point of defeat on the British in the War of 1812, his removal actions that prevented the Cherokee Nation for being eliminated by angry Georgians due to the Indian's violation of private property rights, his defiance of an unconstitutional Supreme Court ruling that sought to prevent him from said action, his expansion of democratic rights and participation beyond the aristocratic class, being born in South Carolina and for not invading his home state over disputes with John C. Calhoun over nullification.
5 - Polk for Texas, 54.40 or fight and the Gadsden Purchase
6- Lincoln for saving what Washington made possible.
7 - FDR for leading us through the Great Depression and WWII, and for bringing the South back into the United States.
8 - JFK for his "this issue is as old as the Bible" Oval Office speech on race that framed the issue in moral terms that Southerners understood.
9 - Reagan for standing up to communists that tried to take over his union in Hollywood and until his death, supply side tax cuts, Strategic Defense, i.e. Star Wars, rebuilding the US military, lifting the American spirit, calling Evil by its name, defeating the evil USSR and liberating nearly half the world, aiding the Contras, his Christian faith, walking out on Gorby in Iceland, making the moral case against abortion and for Knute Rockne, All American and Heaven's Gate.
10 - George W. Bush for his strong leadership after 9/11 thru today, for never showing weakness to the enemy, for liberating two countries, for making the case for freedom and self government for all, tax cuts, great judges, refusing to cave on opposing carving up new fetuses for science, for running a color blind administration, and for his living witness of the power of faith in Christ.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
The HinzSight Report
Race 4 2008
The Minority Report
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
make some seldom made points about certain presidents.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Washington created single-handedly the Presidency as it existed for 160 years (FDR started the modern radical expansion of executive power). He refused the idea of many to make him an elected monarch, he refused the idea that the President be called "His Excellency," he refused the idea that the office should be of infinite term (by voluntarily limiting himself to two terms - a precedent that stood until, you guessed it, FDR) when many would have elected him for life.
If Washington had given in to the "exalted" status that many wanted to give him there may never have been a Lincoln as the Presidency, and indeed the country, may have been vastly different.
http://www.psupress.psu.edu/books/titles/0-271-01316-8.html
This is worth buying and reading.
As the webpage states:
The idea that a radical transformation of the Presidency took place during the FDR administration has become one of the most widely accepted tenets of contemporary scholarship. According to this view, the Constitutional Presidency was a product of the Founders' fear of arbitrary power. Only with the development of a popular extra-Constitutional Presidency did the powerful "modern Presidency" emerge.
David K. Nichols argues to the contrary that the "modern Presidency" was not created by FDR. What happened during FDR's administration was a transformation in the size and scope of the national government, rather than a transformation of the Presidency in its relations to the Constitution or the other branches of government. Nichols demonstrates that the essential elements of the modern Presidency have been found throughout our history, although often less obvious in an era where the functions of the national government as a whole were restricted.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
Re: 5 - Polk for Texas, 54.40 or fight and the Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden purchase was in 1853, during Pierce's presidency.
Polk of course was President during the Mexican War. On 5.40, he actually settled for 48.0.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
What a dishonor to Lincoln and Washington.
"During my lifetime, all our problems have come from mainland Europe, and all the solutions from the English-speaking nations across the world." - Thatcher
at the change in President's day. It's simply for the convenience of others and has nothing to do with honoring our presidents. I was and remains to be a bad move.
Why don't we just lump them all together, Memorial Day, Indepenendece Day, Labor Day and the rest and take a couple of weeks off in the middle of summer.
You hit one of my hot buttons GC, I thought I was alone on this...good work.
Managing Editor
My opinion is that FDR was the worst President, at least on domestic issues, since he started the trend to our unconstitutional government.
rebounded and for soc sec to be only a supplement to prevent old age destitution. It was those that were in power after wwii that are responsible for the trend.
Something had to be done to lift spirits and the economy in 1932.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
>>Something had to be done to lift spirits and the economy in 1932.
And this wasn't it. Ending the massive deflation was the answer - though granted that is said with hindsight.
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
that we really understood the major impact of monetary policy. I do think that much of what FDR did and things the courts did should have been done via const amendment given the differences between an agrarian and industrial society.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Washington is widely considered to be a pretty terrible military leader, and worked very hard to keep the country in a one-party system. Generally though, definitely a good guy to start with.
John Adams is personally responsible for the Alien and Sedition Acts, probably one of the most tyrannical anti-free speech laws to ever come in the country, basically attempting to crush all opposition to him personally. Oh, not to mention he ran the Federalists into the ground.
Thomas Jefferson passed the 1807 Embargo Act, which completely devastated the country's economy around that area. He also was a huge "flip-flopper" with regards to strict vs. loose construction. (As much as we like the Louisiana Purchase, you wouldn't like the undemocratic "Guardian" language he used to justify it.)
Oh well, I've been doing a lot of reading on the founders. Other people here will savage FDR for me. I'll attack JFK if no one else will.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Since you're willing to ignore economic and social plicy with FDR. You have to give Harry credit for decisevely ending WWII, confronting the Soviet Union and liberating South Korea.
the 10 best in terms of what they accomplished in office.
Unemployment was reduced from 25% to 10 % from 1933-1941.
I agree with you on HST.
Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson
Just to add under Adams - for relinquishing office when defeated in an election. I believe he was the first leader of any country anywhere to do this.
If you are including (as you are) achievements of presidents other than while they were president, I would add Madison (for the Constitution), Grant & Eisenhower (for their military leadership) and Taft for his leadership of the Supreme Court. Though I would add that, as presidents, Taft and Eisenhower were mediocre and Grant was abysmal, which rather undermines the list.
If you limit the list to the achievements of presidents while serving in the office of president, I would agree that only Lincoln and Washington deserve national holidays (though in passing, Lincoln's standing relative to Washington must improve, since virtually all of Lincoln's achievements were as president, and Washington would be remembered as a significant and world-changing figure if he had died before the Constitution was adopted).
Quentin Langley
Editor of http://www.quentinlangley.net
International Editor of
