this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2024
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Depending on how the next four years go I'm on the fence between Bush Jr. and Trump but I'd like to hear from you

Edit:

Top 10 suggestions so far (unordered):

  • Andrew Jackson
  • Andrew Johnson
  • George W. Bush Jr
  • Ronald Reagan
  • Richard Nixon
  • James K. Polk
  • Woodrow Wilson
  • James Buchanan
  • Franklin Pierce
  • Donald J. Trump
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[–] saigot@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Does worst mean:

  • least able to achieve their stated agenda, ie worst at their job. (Trump)
  • worst vision for America, ie most evil (Reagan)
  • worst overall impact to America, ie one you'd kill with a time machine (Bush Jr, but Trump might catch up in term 2)
  • Worst for the world, ie the one I'd kill with a time machine (Washington)

Although I'm not American and don't know your history that well.

[–] dessalines@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Agree with most of the comments about jackson being the worst, but I'm surprised no one's mentioned Eisenhower and Hoover, who would easily go in the top ten.

[–] NeoToasty@kbin.melroy.org 23 points 1 day ago (2 children)

George W Bush Jr.

Yes I am handing him the worst president title, even over Trump.

Because, it was his mishandled War on Terror, that plunged the country into massive national debt. He crashed the housing market. He literally had waged a war on obese people, minorities and other things as distractions from his failure to capture Osama. He allowed American Surveillance with Patriot Act I and II. His cabinet were all crooks and he was just a dumb puppet.

He is essentially the ripple effect of everything we're dealing with today and Trump is merely the symptom of that.

[–] CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

I agree. Bush Jr. was the one who broke the window, Trump is just the inevitable crackhead who climbed in and started living on the couch.

[–] HelixDab2@lemm.ee 7 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

He allowed American Surveillance with Patriot Act I and II.

People at the time were begging for that. There were a very, very few civil libertarians that realized just how dangerous those acts would be, but the people, as a whole, were really behind them. Just like the people went in gung-ho for the start of GWoT.

He is essentially the ripple effect of everything we’re dealing with today and Trump is merely the symptom of that.

I'd put that at the feet of Reagan first. Reagan was the one that cozied up to the 'moral majority', which was based in racism and misogyny, what with Bob Jones University being forced to desegregate. That's where the birth of the alt-right (which I guess is now just mainstream Republicans) happened.

People at the time were begging for that. There were a very, very few civil libertarians that realized just how dangerous those acts would be, but the people, as a whole, were really behind them. Just like the people went in gung-ho for the start of GWoT.

"Do you want the terrorists to win?!?" was hurled at me a bunch back then.

[–] Castor_Troy@hexbear.net 2 points 18 hours ago

No one said Buchanan.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Trump is definitely in the bottom quintile, but also anyone putting him in the bottom 5 is just recency bias.

[–] zyratoxx@lemm.ee 11 points 1 day ago

Most people who argued for Trump said it's because of Jan 6th and his other felonies and that he was allowed to run again and became reelected (even tho a partition of the us citizens are to blame for the latter). I also think people already value him lower because of Project 2025 and out of fear what will happen during his 2nd term.

[–] watson387@sopuli.xyz 98 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Ronald Reagan did more damage to this country than any president before or after him.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 points 10 hours ago

Just wait until the turd tanks the economy 1920s style.

[–] AndrasKrigare@beehaw.org 26 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'm continually shocked by how often I learn of some structural systemic issue, pull the thread to see where it started and- oh, surprise, it was once again Reagan.

[–] Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Most of Reagan's agenda came from the heritage foundation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eeCPRD0Hgg&t=0

The capital class controls the heritage foundation and through their countless think tanks, lobbyist, donations, SuperPACs, etc they control the Republican party and even a large part of the Democratic party.

Marx was correct when he argued that economic democracy was necessary for political democracy. When the wealthy get to own the economy they have the entire country by the balls.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 5 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Marx was correct when he argued that economic democracy was necessary for political democracy. When the wealthy get to own the economy they have the entire country by the balls.

Funnily enough even Adam Smith warned about that even before capitalism went in full swing.

[–] Cube6392@beehaw.org 3 points 9 hours ago

Adam Smith: you gotta bust up monopolies because competition drive's innovation

the rich: you heard the man! all the wealth has to be consolidated with us! greed is good!

[–] digdilem@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It's no coincidence that Reagan and Margaret Thatcher had such a close relationship - they thought alike.

In Britain, Thatcher is still reviled by many for sweeping changes. Killed the coal industry without giving support to the many thousands employed there and put the North into recession, took milk away from children, depowered the unions (which were too powerful at the time, tbf) and generally put the Tory Party on the London & Banks first mantra that they've been on ever since.

[–] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 51 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Before or after him so far

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[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Wasn't it Nixon who sold the americans out? Or Truman?

[–] SoyViking@hexbear.net 23 points 1 day ago (1 children)

George Washington. This thing should have been nipped in the bud.

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[–] kersploosh@sh.itjust.works 54 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (17 children)

While W. sucked in many ways, there is no way he is the worst. Off the top of my head I can easily think of four better contenders: Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan (both guilty of pro-slavery fuckery before the Civil War), Andrew Johnson (fought to let the Confederates off the hook after the war and opposed the 14th amendment), and Donald Trump (first president to be impeached twice, first to be convicted of a felony, and may be remembered by future historians as the spark that ignites the next Civil War).

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