Poll 4 of 5: Greatest U. S. President (1909-1961)?

[elperromagico]

Poll question: Poll 4 of 5: Greatest U. S. President (1909-1961)?

This is one of a series of polls designed to determine which President of the United States was the greatest of all time in the opinion of DUers. The Presidents are placed chronologically in groups of eight or nine.

Here are the links to each poll:
Poll 1 of 5: Greatest U. S. President (1789-1841)?
Poll 2 of 5: Greatest U. S. President (1841-1869)?
Poll 3 of 5: Greatest U. S. President (1869-1909)?
Poll 4 of 5: Greatest U. S. President (1909-1961)?
Poll 5 of 5: Greatest U. S. President (1961-Present)?

Tomorrow, I will post a "runoff" poll listing the winners from each of these five polls. Any President who receives over 50% in his poll will be included. In instances where no President receives over 50%, the top two votegetters will advance to the runoff. This runoff poll will be used to determine which President was the greatest of all time.

As always, Happy Voting! :hi:

[playahata1]

1. Quite a few goodies in this bunch,

BUT.... FDR tops them all, for two reasons, which I don't need to remind anyone of.

[LTR]

2. No contest

FDR

Follwed by Truman and Ike.

[WI_DEM]

3. Lot of good ones here

but how can we top FDR? Truman gets honorable mention.

[elperromagico]

4. Kick.

[TheFarseer]

5. Not much debate in most of these

The only ones where you might have some debate is Washington v Jefferson; FDR v Truman v Ike; and Reagan v Clinton. The rest of those are really clear cut. I wonder if RW people think the same about old presidents. Maybe, they're like, "hell yeah McKinley was the man!" Just curious.

[leyton]

6. This era proves why the Democratic party is better.

The three Democrats are clearly the best three from this era - Wilson, FDR, and Truman. All of them had excellent domestic policies and strong foreign policies. Fourth place in my book goes to Ike - a moderate Republican, just as easily a moderate Democrat.

[Yupster]

7. FDR of course, but

this is a pretty strong group.

I think Hoover is very underrated, and Truman is strong too. A good group overall.

[TheFarseer]

8. Hoover is underrated?

Hard to find many people to say that. Unless you consider that he is sometimes regarded as the worst and I don't think that's fair. Truman and Ike get gypped a bit because of the strong competition, but seriously, who thinks they're the best of all time? I'm glad no one is stumping for Wilson. He's over-ratted if anything.

[LTR]

9. Hoover did his best work outside of the presidency.

Very knowledgeable in foreign affairs and social programs. Truman went out of his way to offer Hoover a job overseeing relief in post-war Europe.

As president, he was in way over his head. But he was set up as the fall guy when Coolidge deserted a soon-to-sink ship. He didn't know how to react, while FDR did.

Terrible president, fairly decent guy.

[Yupster]

16. In defense of Hoover

His RFC (Reconstruction Finance Corp) went further in the government involving itself in business than any president before him would have dreamed of.

It provided emergency government financing to businesses which were in danger of going under and throwing more people out of work.

It pumped money into failing banks.

It used government money to support banks in rural communities especially.

It bought preferred stock and bonds from companies to try to prop them up.

Hoover also started many large capital building plans like Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) to put federal money into jobs.

Hoover has this reputation as a do-nothing Nero who dithered while Rome burned. This is easy to see when compared to FDR who did so much more, but

compare Hoover to all the presidents who came before him, and he went way further than any of them would have dreamed to have gone.

As far as Hoover the man and Hoover the humanitarian, there was no other president in his league. Think Jimmy Carter times four. Jimmy Carter may be arguably the most admired American since he's left office? Hoover was the most admired American before he took office. He was truly known by his works.

I defend him because I think he is our most underrated president, and he is maligned by people who are not near the man he was. When there was a problem in the world, he didn't send a check, or write a poem, he got on a boat and went there himself, and brought his business knowledge and connections with him.

[libhill]

10. Truman -

I couldn't vote for F.D.R. in good conscience, because there`s just too much evidence pointing to the probability that he allowed Pearl Harbor to happen.

[RummyTheDummy]

14. Yes

I can't imagine a better way to start a war than to have half your Navy wiped out. That makes for a huge tactical advantage.

[libhill]

15. actually

F.D.R. felt like America needed to lend its weight to the war, to pull England's chestnuts out of the fire. The American people were adamantly against going to war. The Navy was already doing anti-submarine patrols and escort duty in the North Atlantic as early as 1940. But Hitler wouldn`t take the bait. And Roosevelt always had a Germany first attitude. The Japanese were provoked into an attack, to make it appear that the U.S. had been weakened. The vessels that were hit at Pearl were World War 1 era relics, and those that couldn`t be salvaged, were quickly replaced. The Axis was basically doomed from the moment the U.S. entered the war. Example: between the Battle of Midway in 1942, until the end of the war, the U.S. produced 16 aircraft carriers, Japan could only field six. They couldn`t compete with American industrial might. The P.N.A.C. didn`t use the phrase, "what we need is another Pearl Harbor", rhetorically.

[elperromagico]

11. Kick.

[Piperay]

12. FDR...

no doubt in my mind. :thumbsup:

[Darranar]

13. Roosevelt. n/t

[JohnLocke]

17. FDR (nt).