America’s Most Exclusive Club
February 19th, 2007 | by Ken Grandlund |There have only been 43 people admitted into this club since the United States became a nation. So far, every member of the club has been male. This most exclusive club is, of course, the American Presidency.
As today is President’s Day (an American holiday that morphed from separate celebrations for the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and is now just another paid holiday for government employees and some of us in the private sector and another excuse for retailers to have a “really big sale”) I have decided to forego deriding the latest governmental idiocy or capitalist excess in favor of something more congenial, perhaps even ‘uniting’ in a small way.
To honor this most illustrious holiday, I thought we could each share our thoughts on this topic:
Which president do you have the most respect for and why?
There is only one rule to remember: this is a sharing thread, not a debate thread. It will be considered poor form to attack another’s choice of president or their reasons for choosing that person, and violaters will be required to sing the praises of their least favorite president while dressing like J. Edgar Hoover during ‘down time.’
And so with that, I will begin.
I have lived (so far) through the administrations of seven members of the club: Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush II. The first president I can really remember from my own experience would have been Carter, and I was in the third grade. But the first president I really studied was JFK. In the late 70’s, the Kennedy era still had a powerful mystique, and I had inherited a grand collection of original newspapers and clippings from the day of his assassination. I read everything I could get my hands on about his life and presidency and was really quite taken in. If I had been asked this question a decade ago, I may well have answered, “Kennedy.” But I know more today than I knew then, and although I still think of JFK as one of the finer presidents America has had, his time in office was too short and his legacy has been built too much on emotions and not enough on his achievements for me to keep him in the top slot.
So today my answer is George Washington, the first president of the United States of America.
Much has been said of Washington- he led an ambitious if somewhat privileged life in Virginia. Before he became embroiled in politics, he was a soldier, a surveyor, a farmer, and a slave owner among other things. As a soldier, he was said to be brave and keen. As a surveyor he was known to be true and fair. As a farmer he was learned and industrious. And as a slave owner, he was both wrong and morally bereft, but by all accounts was among the most humane of the kind. All these skills and experiences helped mold the man who was to one day become our first president, but they do not in themselves earn Washington my adoration.
I honor George Washington today as the president I most respect primarily because of the example he tried to set for those who would follow in his stead.
Ignoring the fact of the system they had fought to rid themselves of, or maybe in spite of it, there were some among those at the time who had wanted to grant Washington the presidency for life. As a hero of the Revolutionary War, Washington had both won their gratitude and earned their respect, and they felt comfortable turning the country over to him, in essence creating a constitutional monarchy of sorts. But Washington refused to accept the job (which initially was not decided by popular vote) under those conditions. He felt that no man was more important than the concept of democracy and stepped down after two terms, starting a tradition that lasted for over 150 years (and continues to this day, albeit now by COnstitutional Amendment). A man of lesser character or greater ego would not have been able to release the mantle of power once bestowed. Washington provided the example that others would follow. Democracy would not be a one man show until his death, thanks to our first president.
I also honor Washington for being the only president to not have been a member of a political party. Washington warned against the partisanship of party politics, and by administering ‘from the outside’ he could better serve the nation as an executive. By being bound to no one party, he could take advice from all sides objectively. He could arbitrate between factions without favoritism. And he could truly act as a decider and a uniter, having the freedom to use common sense instead of having to follow party positions. As a true independent, Washington had one constant goal: to do what was best to advance the American experiment and improve the lives of the American people.
Okay, now it’s your turn. Don’t be shy.
Oh, and I’ll be honoring Washington and all our other great presidents today doing something very presidential indeed-playing 18 holes of golf. I won’t be around all day to police this thread for poor form, so please be nice and follow the rules.
[tag]President’s+Day, George+Washington, Washington[/tag]
28 Responses to “America’s Most Exclusive Club”
By Lazy Iguana on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
I remember when I was in grade school. We would get Lincoln’s birthday AND Washington’s birthday off. These two holidays were close together.
Then one year - a holiday was STOLEN from me. They merged the two birthdays into a “President’s Day”.
Life has sucked every since.
By the way, civil service rules! At my last civil service job I got the following days off.
New Years Day, MLK Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Day, The day after Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day - and in addition to all of these I also got a birthday AND “floating” holiday I could use as wild cards. But I had to use my birthday holiday no later than 6 months after my actual birthday or it went away.
If I worked on any of the holidays, I could either take holiday pay that day or bank the holiday for a paid day off later.
In one year I had three weeks of paid vacation in the bank.
By Lazy Iguana on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Oh as for my favorite President, I can only remember a few of them. It is hard to say who was “the best” really. All I can go by is living memory. I suppose that would be Bubba, because during the 90s life was OK. I was in college, having a good time, the economy was good, the outlook for the future was great - and so on. So yea, I pick Clinton.
By SteveIL on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
For me, there is a tie: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.
Lincoln may have been a pure politician, but his actions during his Presidency went far beyond politics. And yet, he knew how to play politics with the best of them and win. The Emancipation Proclamation was brilliant in that it changed the aims of what America was fighting for during the U.S. Civil War. And it was brilliant politically since it was rightly considered very constitutional, and it forced foreign powers (Britain and France) to acknowledge that any potential support for the Confederacy was support for a country that allowed slavery, something both had done away with decades earlier. He was also very stubborn and tenacious, and didn’t always listen to the “experts” of his day since he had his own big-picture view of America and how it should look.
I believe Washington is tied with Lincoln in that, as Ken Grandlund pointed out, he defined what it is to be the President of the United States. A lesser man may have made the office more or less powerful, rather than being a proper co-equal part of the federal government with the Legislative and Judicial branches. And that is due to the character of George Washington. And, as addition, this character should not be overlooked in how he is viewed as a revolutionary leader, in fact, the greatest of all revolutionary leaders. After the Revolution was officially over, he still commanded the army in the field, and could have used it to form a government he may have wanted. Instead, he went home, and the Revolutionary army was disbanded. And this allowed the new government to form and develop in a way that didn’t need violence to change to what we have now. Sometimes the violence was needed, but not at the most formative time, right after the Revolution. Again, this is attributable to the character of George Washington.
By steve on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Correction Ken, 42 men not 43. Grover Cleveland is counted twice.
By Jersey McJones on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Penn of Penn and Teller was on with Wolf Blitzer the other day and he pointed out that as the Founding Fathers were composed heavily of Deists and Universalists, they wouldn’t even be considered for the presidency today!
JMJ
By Craig R. Harmon on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
For the following reasons, I nominate John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Democrat, b. May 29, 1917/d. November 22, 1963), our 35th President, as our greatest President.
His leadership as Lieutenant Junior Grade in preserving the lives of the survivors of the sinking of PT-109 in the Pacific during WWII made him a hero, celebrated in book, movies, television series, song and a plastic model I once constructed as a child.
After the boat was cut in two by a Japanese Destroyer, killing two crew members, the only hope of survival was to swim to an Island, preferably one not overrun with Japanese soldiers:
John was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal with the following citation:
Kennedy questioned whether he deserved this medal:
Americans love heroes who don’t personally think of themselves as heroes. Americans justly love Jack Kennedy.
Kennedy served in both the United States House of Representatives and Senate before his 1960 victory over Richard Milhouse Nixon. As a Representative, he warmed the cockles of this Republican’s heart by “often diverging from President Harry S. Truman and the rest of the Democratic Party” in his votes.
As President, he okayed an Eisenhower plan to overthrow Fidel Castro. For those who consider having had a Communist satelite of the U. S. S. R. so close to the Southeastern shore of the United States in a nuclear world, this may be considered to have been a legitimate idea that, nevertheless, had a very bad result. The invasion was very poorly executed and was almost immediately an utter failure. The President had to negotiate the release of more than 1,100 captives and paid $53 million in food and medicine.
If Americans love heroes who are depreciative of their own role in heroics, they also love men who take responsibilities for acts that are largely the failures of others. The Bay of Pigs was a plan of the previous administration and it is hard to fault the President personally for the execution failures, but President Kennedy took full responsibility for the dabacle, justly earning the respect of this Republican, even for his role in what is fairly universally viewed as an epic mistake and failure of US foreign policy.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was, perhaps, the incident of gravest peril to our country in its history, overshaddowing even the Civil War for that dubious honor. On October 16, 1962, the President was shown photographs of “a Soviet intermediate-range ballistic missile site under construction in Cuba” that had been taken by a spy-plane two days earlier. Fear of a Russian satellite so near to the US mainland possessing nuclear bombs capable of reaching Washington, D. C. Kennedy rejected an aerial bombing of the sight, and it is well that he did since Cuba actually had other sites already active at the time. Such an assault would very likely have resulted in a nuclear strike against the United States.
Instead, he instituted a blockade of Russian ships. For about two weeks, this country was under the gravest threat that it has ever faced from nuclear attack. Ultimately, a resolution was negotiated with Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev. Whether, as some felt at the time, Kennedy was rash in his actions or, as is generally thought today, he acted with flawless precision in steering between extreme alternatives that would have increased the threat to the nation, in the end, Kennedy averted doom, earning him admiration and love from a grateful nation.
Domestically, Kennedy is admired for his inspiration of the nation. His “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” set a tone for volunteerism in America which he further encouraged by creating The Peace Corps. “Through this program, Americans volunteered to help underdeveloped nations in areas such as education, farming, health care and construction.”
Kennedy is loved by Americans for setting before it the goal of reaching the Moon before the end of the decade. Although some question this, that goal was achieved and the journey between goal-setting and achievement, as well as the achievements since then have given the nation and the world many great things beyond being the first to step on the Moon.
Kennedy is recognized as great for many other things, too numerous to mention here.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Bring it On! community, for these reasons and many others, I move acceptance of the resolution.
By Jersey McJones on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
The Cuban missile crisis was resolved with a secret agreement from Kennedy to remove nuclear missiles from Turkey. The blockade was just a part of the story.
Kenneddy’s presidency, unfortunately, was too brief for him to be placed with Washington, Lincoln, FDR, and the like. Also, aspects of his legacy, from the Bay of Pigs to Vietnam and not commendable at all. And his rather patrician epistomology and well as his risky affairs with women and the mob somewhat diminish his posterity.
JMJ
By SteveIL on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Jersey,
Ken Grandlund laid out the “ground rules”:
While I don’t believe you are “attacking” anyone, I don’t see you “sharing” your opinion of who you think is the President you most respect as others are doing, and are adding comments unnecessarily on the opinions of others. I’m sure you don’t want to suffer the punishment as stated by Mr. Grandlund, as the 8th Amendment defining certain punishments as “cruel and unusual” would be justifiably set aside. (It would also be “cruel and unusual” for the rest of us, especially me, since I don’t want to visualize you dressing like J. Edgar Hoover during his “special moments”.)
By Craig R. Harmon on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
“J. Edgar Hoover during his “special moments”.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that. — Jerry Seinfeld.
By Steve O on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Every time I have picked a “favorite” President I get disappointed when I start to dig into their careers and find out their true motives behind some of their decisions.
The President I’m the least disappointed with would be FDR. He is the main reason this country even has an infrastructure today. He is the main reason that the stock markets are policed and regulated. He created things that helped this country grow and implemented things that protected us from big corporations and government.
You have to admit that any man with the insight to take the biggest crook alive at the time, Joe Kennedy, and utilize his crooked ways to regulate the markets has a sense of brilliance about him. It takes a crook to know a crook.
Any way, I think we look too much into the greatness of the person in office, we all know that a President is only as great as the men he surrounds himself with and if you include that factor into choosing who was our best President I would have to say that all greatness ended after our last founding father held office.
But I would have to agree with LG, I have a place in my heart for Bubba. I admire his use of the Oval office and I do mean the “office.”
By steve on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Hands down…best President, Ronald Reagan. Prove me wrong!
Without him, there is no Rush Limbaugh.
Without him, there is still Communism and the Soviet Union (We haven’t irradicated Communism yet)
Without him, the economy would not be as good as it is today. (Do you really think Carter and Mondale could have done a better job? C’mon!!!)
Without him, Liberalism would be mediocre at best with no backbone. (You hippies would have had an easy time passing all progressive thoughts).
He was voted the Greatest American on NBC. That is saying a lot even if it was some stupid TV show. Remember he went up against Abe Lincoln and Mohammed Ali. (Personally Bob Dylan should have won).
Think about it.
By windspike on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
This is a tough one Ken. Thanks for the challenge. I, too, like Washington and Lincoln and Kennedy, for many of the same resons mentioned by the prior commentators. But I like a number of other Presidents for a variety of different reasons - Jefferson, mainly becuase he had an integral hand in writing the founding documents of our nation as well as designing a wonderful college campus, among other things.
I like Adams, becuase of his curmudgeonly way and stubboness, and his commitment to Abigail.
But the person I will celebrate most today is FDR. He was the only four term president in our history and a disable American too boot. He formulated the New Deal and helped defeat Hitler. He showed us what it ment ot work through difficult times in a constructive way that involved everyone instead of the privilided few at the top in hopes the the economies would trickle down. Much of what he has created has been on the chopping block for near six years with the W, Rove and Co in charge. Thankfully, the dems are back in charge of the Congress, so they won’t be able to dismantle the whole of the New Deal without a fight.
On another note, I think his spouse and children did more for America than most presidential family members do - present parties included. FDRs sons all went to war. What have Jena and Barbara done for this most important Iraq conflagration?
Lastly, FDR’s wife Eleanor kicked ass!
So, all around, FDR get my vote for greatest American President.
Blog on friends, blog on all.
By Jersey McJones on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
I think this is too broad a way of looking at the presidents.
The most effectively and singularly powerful president was probably TR.
The most beneificient president would have to be FDR.
The bravest would surely be Lincoln.
The president we were probably the most lucky to have had was Washington.
The best human being, in personal character, was probably Carter (which is why his administration was such a failure).
The most affable president was probably either Reagan or Taft (though Reagan wasn’t a man of much substance, and both Reagan and Taft were lousy, useless, laizzez-faire presidents, but at least Taft made a pretty good SCOTUS justice later).
The smartest president is an impossibly tough call. We had a few geniuses in the White House (who, by the way, must be rolling their graves today).
Oh, and by the way, SteveIL, what part of “I move acceptance of the resolution” do you not understand?
JMJ
By Lazy Iguana on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
TR was one of a kind. We should dig him up and clone him. Think there is any viable DNA in the bone marrow?
If not for TR, nobody could call Miami a “Banana Republic” because HE invented that term to describe Colombia. I think it was Colombia anyway.
By steve on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Excuse me Jersey, Reagan had the balls to nominate a woman to the SCOTUS.
Sometimes I wonder if you give republicans shit to give republicans shit.
I doubt you are this serious of a liberal. I see through your smoke screen. How much is Steve O paying to lie?
Answer me, God Dammit!!!
By SteveIL on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
People, the ground rules as laid out by Mr. Grandlund are not being followed. Tell us what you like about your choice (or choices) and move on. There will be enough posts to debate on; Ken wanted this one to be a sharing and not a debating thread. I think that should be followed.
By Jersey McJones on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Steve, I am older than SteveO, and yes, I know him. He may not get his politics from me, but I certainly didn’t get mine from him.
Now…
Ask the JetBlue customers who got stuck on tarmacs all over the east what they think of Reagan these days.
Ask Henry Kissinger who he thinks was the president most responsible (of US presidents, anyway) for the fall of the USSR.
Ask Fed Chair Bernanke what he thinks of the Laffer curve.
Ask most Reagan supporters what they think of the O’Connor appointment.
Ask the new American class known as the “Working Poor” created by “Free Trade” and social stratification what they think of Reaganism.
Ask two of Reagan’s kids what they think of his politics.
Ask the blacklisted writers, actors, and filmakers of the McCarthy era what they think of Reagan.
Ask the 1967 students at UC Berkeley what they think of the man who sent the national guard to “let there be a bloodbath” at their anti-war protests.
(Hints - Thanks for the airline deregs, asshole; Jimmy Carter; It’s bullshit; They hated her; He’s an asshole; It sucks; He’s a dirty rat; He’s a murderous scumbag.)
JMJ
By Jersey McJones on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
SteveIL,
Okay, mommy, I’ll stop it now.
JMJ
By 4Truth on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
4Truth nominates JFK. JFK legacy continues and lives on in his family. Joe - died in WW2 plane bomb, Bobby - AG, Ted - Sen, Joe - supplying heating oil to poor. Kennedy - War hero and Visionary. It would of been a different USA if he lived.
Ken G. - although I still think of JFK as one of the finer presidents America has had, his time in office was too short and his legacy has been built too much on emotions and not enough on his achievements for me to keep him in the top slot.
Craig H. - he acted with flawless precision in steering between extreme alternatives that would have increased the threat to the nation, in the end, Kennedy averted doom, earning him admiration and love from a grateful nation.
I agree with the other JFK comments.
By Jimmy on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
Martin Van Buren gets my vote for “Best Mutton Chops on a President”.
In all seriousness though I’d have to say my favorites are both Roosevelts (especially TR), Washington and Truman.
By Jersey McJones on Feb 19, 2007 | Reply
I have to go with Jimmy a bit too - as Voltaire said, ” The best one could hope for in the way of good government is a good king,” (sp?) and so TR was the best president, in that sense.
JMJ
By ken grandlund on Feb 20, 2007 | Reply
Thanks to everyone who took time to contribute to this thread. And a special thanks to SteveIL, our friend from the ‘other side of the aisle’ for trying to keep this a sharing thread and not a debate thread in my day long absence from the board. We may rarely see eye to eye, but I appreciate your assistance on this one.
JMJ and Steve- you guys came pretty close to having me photoshop your faces onto J Hoover in Drag…not everything has to be a debate…sometimes just conversing together should be enough.
The only other observation I note is that this post had no right or wrong answer. I asked who you most respected- to which there can be as many as 42 different answers (thanks for the correction Steve)- not who was most revered by historians or who had failed most miserably. Just a simple who do you respect most.
By steve on Feb 20, 2007 | Reply
Yeah well, he started it…
By GTL on Feb 20, 2007 | Reply
Call me crazy, bro… but Presidents Clinton and Reagan were my faves, in that order. Sadly, President Ross Perot never materialized, or he’d have been in there somewhere. Hope you had a great day at golf, btw
Blog ON…
By sumo on Feb 20, 2007 | Reply
Mr. Jimmy for a variety of reasons…but mostly I think he wasn’t in anyone’s pocket. And he did a good job getting the peace accord going with Arafat. He puts his money where his mouth is…his Habitat for Humanity is a worthy thing…although done after Presidency was over. He came off a man with principal to me…which is sadly lacking these days.
By Jersey McJones on Feb 20, 2007 | Reply
“JMJ and Steve- you guys came pretty close to having me photoshop your faces onto J Hoover in Drag”
Oh man! I want to see that!!!
JMJ
By tammara on Feb 20, 2007 | Reply
elliott adams is my president- new president of veterans for peace
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