For Presidents' Day: Most Overrated/Underrated Presidents?

[pulledpork]

This doesn't necessarily mean best or worst, just who you think gets too much credit versus one who doesn't seem to be recognized enough.

Overrated: Perhaps due to the recent media-induced orgy of bogus idol worship, I nominate Ronald Reagan. But he has been overrated for 30 years now, so why stop? No need to elaborate, as his crimes and misdemeanors are well-known in the progressive community.

Underrated: Chester A. Arthur. In the same vein of "Only Nixon could go to China", then only a product of the spoils system could reform that same system. Taking advantage of the climate following his predecessor's assassination, which was a result of a disgruntled office seeker, Arthur alienated old allies and turned the old patronage system upside down when he pressed Congress to pass the Pendleton Act. Even while Arthur had owed his rise to the spoils system, his public service career was notably free of corruption itself, and he administered a remarkably scandal-free term of office - a rarity during the Gilded Age. Since Arthur presided over a peacetime pre-empire America, and only for 3.5 years, he will always be categorized in the middle tiers of presidents. Still, for what little time he conducted his duties as president, he demonstrated independence, resolve, honesty, and dignity. Regarded with suspicion in the wake of the much-revered Garfield's death, he earned nearly universal enormous respect by the time he left office, and restored people's confidence in an able, fair government.

[flakey_foont]

1. overrated

definitely Reagan

[OHdem10]

3. Absolutely, Reagan has been overrated.

[Hippo_Tron]

2. Jimmy Carter was certainly underrated

The country would look a lot different if we had started listening to him in the 1970's when he told us that our dependence on foreign oil was a serious problem.

[MasonJar]

4. Without a doubt Reagan is overrated by many. His true colors need to be

stated loudly and clearly as often as possible by as many as possible. I agree that Jimmy Carter is underrated. It favored Reagan and his Iran atrocities to diminish Carter. Certainly if we were to categorize a president's greatness by his contributions following his term in office then the greatest two presidents who would clearly be Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. It is naturally easier to be a world citizen today than in colonial times of course. So who knows what great men like Washington and Jefferson might have done if they had today's communication and transportation systems. George Washington could have become king easily. He should be congratulated for eschewing that honor. That places him in the highest echelons. Yet even though many presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Adams among them, knew the dangers of corporate interests, they failed to address these dangers in the Constitution. A shame. That may have been the founding fathers greatest neglect. They elected to leave the monitoring of the corporations to the states.

[dsc]

5. Here's mine

Overrated Reagan, Kennedy, Wilson

Underrated Grant, Harding, Carter

I think Kennedy was a good President but not the great one that he is often said to be. Wilson's stubborn refusal to deal with Congress over the League of Nations was a total disaster.

Grant tried to set this nation right on its dealings with native Americans and was ill served by his advisors. Harding tried to address racial injustice during his Presidency even giving an amazingly forward looking speech in Alabama.

[pulledpork]

6. An interesting fact about Harding

He started the presidential practice of sending a complete federal budget to the House of Representatives, to be hashed out in compromise with the House version. It wasn't unusual for presidents to send specific budget requests, maybe for a department or agency, but never a comprehensive federal budget. It's completely Constitutional, as the president can wear the hat of Chief Legislator.

I understand that Grant also put forth some civil rights measures. His Civil War memoirs are one of the very best of their kind as well.

[dsc]

7. grant was a great man

who was very ill served by his trusted aides. He and the country deserved better.

[PurityOfEssence]

19. And a truly brilliant General, lest we forget...

He's maligned by Lee-worshipers as an attrition-minded butcher, but his full command of all aspects of military leadership is stunning: his logistics, movement, tactics, morale, communications are all superb. The Vicksburg Campaign is a tour-de-force.

He was also moral with his allegiances and stood for what he believed in; even though Lincoln was royally pissed-off at George Meade for not pursuing the Confederates after Gettysburg (and his unfortunate statement about them being off our soil) Grant made a very obvious effort to right this wrong by making his regards for Meade's talents well-known by pointedly assigning him command of the 1st Corps of the Army of the Potomac upon taking command of the war effort.

Truly an American original...

[BlueIris]

8. Most underrated: Carter, Polk and Arthur.

That last one gets my vote for saving the U.S. Navy. I also think Kennedy is underrated for some things (like shrewd negotiating skills.)

Most overrated: Reagan, Johnson, and, um...(don't be hatin'...) FDR.

[pulledpork]

9. If not for Vietnam

I would consider LBJ the best of the 20th century, ranking him even above FDR (I generally like him, but the internment policy and his idiotic attempt to pack the Supreme Court undermine a lot of his positive legacy (TVA, REA, WPA, SocSec, WW2). I won't rank him as either over or under, however. I place both Roosevelts in the Top 5.

I agree about Polk, although how he got us into Mexico was the Bush II/Iraq Big Lie of its day. It divided the country in a way not seen again until Vietnam (which was admittedly more severe in its depth). Still, no other president did as much with one term: California, Texas, and the entire southwest annexed, the Oregon Territory border dispute with Britain resolved peacefully, and the Russian border for Alaska resolved peacefully. He also promised to serve only one term, and worked so hard that he died just weeks after leaving office.

[BlueIris]

10. To me, it's kind of ironic that Polk's presidency was so efficient.

Considering that by all reports, James K. Polk hated being president.

[pulledpork]

11. Here is a supposedly true story

When FDR was 6 years old, he met President Cleveland. Being from a prominent family with political patronage, the Roosevelts were able to meet with the president. President Cleveland shook young Franklin's hand, and said, "I have a very strange wish for you, young man: That you may never become president of the United States."

Not very many presidents loved the job, or at least when leaving, were relieved to be free of the burdens. Buchanan was said to have remarked to Lincoln, "I hope you are as happy coming into your new job as I am leaving it!" Truman remarked that the White House was a splendid prison. Taft may have hated it more than anyone. His wife and Teddy Roosevelt pushed him into the job. He always wanted to be Chief Justice on the Supreme Court, and eventually, he got his wish, being the only president to serve on the bench.

Coolidge's decision not to run in 1928 was always interesting. Did he see the writing on the wall?

[backscatter712]

12. Most overrated: Woodrow Wilson

Yes, I know, he was a Democrat. Bear with me.

First, this was back in the era when Republicans were more progressive (though even then they were turning to the Dark Side.) The Democrats were eager oligarchs at the time.

Wilson was responsible for getting the US in lots of little brushfire wars in the Carribean, Central and South America, and propped up a lot of dictators, in a situation that would later breed thugs like Batista. His monstrous foreign policy is still biting us in the ass today.

He was a racist bastard, that was partially responsible for reviving the Ku Klux Klan, and set back civil rights for decades.

During and after WWI, he used authoritarian brutality against anti-war activists and socialists, imprisoned people like Eugene Debs, pushed through the Espionage Act, and brought the US the closest it's ever been to being a police state.

Most underrated, Jimmy Carter.

[pulledpork]

13. No argument here

FDR birthed the modern Democratic Party, and that led to its 3-way split in the post-WW2 era, where Henry Wallace came from the left, Truman the middle, and Strom Thurmond the right (later becoming a Republican, as they started towards conservatism with Taft and took a hard right with Coolidge and Taft's son the senator).

[Kucinich Feingold]

14. Underrated: James Earl Carter and Lyndon BainesJohnson

Overrated: Reagan Reagan, Reagan, Wilson, Reagan, Reagan, Reagan, Clinton, and Reagan, and Reagan,

[center rising]

15. Overrated is Reagan, underrated is Truman

Or Eisenhower

[golfguru]

16. Most underrated=Clinton

During Clinton Jobs were going begging for people.
Now people are begging for jobs.

[GSLevel9]

18. +1000

[GSLevel9]

17. overrated - Lincoln. Sue me.

Guy is directly responsible for 600,000 dead Americans in 4 years. Experts argue slavery was already a dying institution.

[craigmatic]

20. I think LBJ is severely underrated. He was the last one to really try to do anything big in helping

poor people. Carter was the last president to ask for sacrifice and he had an energy policy.

In terms of overrated presidents you have to put reagan at the top spot for trickle-down economics and deficits. I'd also add JFK to the list because his myth/image out-weighs his actual accomplishments.

[Vattel]

21. overrated: Truman, Reagan; underrated: Carter

Truman is one of the all-time mass murderers in American history, screwed up royally in Korea by not ending the war earlier, started the tradition of President's pretending that the Constitution gives them the power to make war.

Carter gave us four years of no war, some interest in human rights, reasonable economic and energy policies

[Unvanguard]

22. Over: Reagan; under: probably Carter. n/t

[aaaaaa5a]

23. Overrated-Reagan/Underrated Obama NT

[Tim4319]

24. Hands down, the most overrated is Reagan.

Jimmy Carter most underrated.

Barack Obama the most disrespected!

[Avant Guardian]

25. Reagan overrated, Carter underrated

[CTyankee]

26. I'm no presidential historian but I do know that Carter put solar panels on the White House

and Ronald Reagan took them down.

That had and has to this day enormous consequences for the country...