If you had your choice of any previous President which would you want to lead the Covid 19 effort

[Sherman A1]

This was a question that came up as I listened to a podcast of the Thomas Jefferson Hour yesterday and thought it was an interesting one to pose.

My choice would be Harry Truman, but I can certainly think others would do a good job as well.

[redstatebluegirl]

1. Obama.

[tinrobot]

5. The guy who created the pandemic task force?

I agree. Obama.

[redstatebluegirl]

13. Yea that guy. Plus anyone as hated by 45 as Obama must have done a lot of good.

[Jane Austin]

2. Me, too.

Last edited Mon Jun 22, 2020, 11:27 AM - Edit history (1)

Obama!

Always competent.

[hlthe2b]

3. FDR

[Chainfire]

4. Eisenhower

[Poiuyt]

16. Eisenhower or FDR

Both knew how to handle catastrophes.

[SheltieLover]

6. 😍bama or FDR

[dsc]

7. LBJ

He was a master of running the government in his prime. Yes, Vietnam was awful but in terms of running a competent government the period from 63 to 66 stands out.

[redstatebluegirl]

14. I read a book called "The Master of the Senate" about LBJ.

He was a master at getting what he wanted through Congress. Of course Congress was very different then than it is now.

[HelpImSurrounded]

8. Obama

One of Obama's great strengths was the humility to listen to his experts.

Obama would have come out in January with a message of unity and a warning to take this seriously. Then he would have stepped out of the spotlight and let the CDC lead.

[LizBeth]

9. 45 Presidents, I have no idea. But I did see how Obama handled H1N1 and Ebola so I will be with

others and say Obama.

[raging moderate]

21. Yes, you are right. Obama.

Obama.

[Akacia]

10. Obama!

[onecaliberal]

11. Obama

[judeling]

12. Hoover

For just the Covid-19 part. He did a very good job with the Marshal Plan.

But for President in charge over all LBJ or Ike.

[malchickiwick]

19. I think you mean Truman?

Hoover wasn't much of a "doer," and the Marshall Plan occurred on Harry's watch, not Herbie's.

[judeling]

31. Hoover

With his letters was he one of the main reasons that the entire occupation was restructured.

Hoover is a fascinating figure in a different time he may have well been one of the best Presidents we had. It is actually not understood hao much of the New Deal built on things he had underway during the War and postwar are really not discussed enough.

[lapucelle]

33. During which war did "Hoover have things underway"?

He was a Republican president from 1929-1933.

Hoover won the Republican nomination in the 1928 presidential election, and decisively defeated the Democratic candidate, Al Smith. The stock market crashed shortly after Hoover took office, and the Great Depression became the central issue of his presidency. Hoover pursued a variety of policies in an attempt to lift the economy, but opposed directly involving the federal government in relief efforts.

In the midst of the economic crisis, Hoover was decisively defeated by Democratic nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 presidential election. After leaving office, Hoover enjoyed one of the longest retirements of any former president, and he authored numerous works in subsequent decades. Hoover became increasingly conservative in this time, and he strongly criticized Roosevelt's foreign policy and New Deal domestic agenda.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Hoover's public reputation was slightly rehabilitated after serving in various assignments for Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower, including as chairman of the Hoover Commission. Though he managed somewhat to rehabilitate his legacy, Hoover is still widely regarded as an inadequate U.S. president, and most polls of historians and political scientists rank him in the bottom third overall.

[judeling]

35. I didn't vet that enough

A lot of he early moves FDR made in the first 100 days were built on things Hoover had in place.

During he FDR and Truman used him, but more in the background. Hoover actually never really tried to rehabilitate his reputation until the Marshal Plan was in place.

[edhopper]

43. You will have to cite a reliable source

for this folderol.

[lapucelle]

36. You're giving failed Republican president Herbert Hoover credit for FDR's New Deal

and First 100 Days AND for Democratic President Truman and Democratic-appointed SOS Marshall's post-WWII European economic recovery plan?

[ananda]

15. Obama, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton ...

Any of those would be excellent.

[3Hotdogs]

17. I've always been partial to Garfield.

‘specially on Sunday mornings.

[malchickiwick]

18. FDR. To me, it's not even close.

And hopefully, SCOTUS wouldn't be there blocking progress at every turn.

[SoonerPride]

20. Obama. He was the smartest president we have had.

[Boomerproud]

22. FDR or Bill Clinton with their spectacular FLOTUS

right along beside them.

[Greybnk48]

23. For health care, Bill Clinton (and Hillary)

hands down! I'd definitely want President Kennedy or FDR to handle the financial end of it.

[JT45242]

24. Carter

He was a nuclear engineer who understood how to make plans with other really smart people. He also deeply cares about the plight of people of color (A True Christian who has lived the Matthew 25 code of taking care of the homeless, hungry, etc.) for years.

Given the expanse of executive orders since he left office, his inability to play ball with Republicans in Congress would be less of an issue.

He gets a bad rap because the Republicans blocked everything he tried to do. Reagan and his crones committed treason by paying the Iranians to hold onto the hostages. He inherited an economic mess because of OPEC manipulation of oil prices.

Smart, willing to listen to other smart people, and compassionate. I'll take the scientist politician over the lawyer politicians for a pandemic.

Having been to the Hoover museum in Iowa, although a failed President, he would have made a great task force leader as he did with rebuilding Europe and helping those struggling with starvation. Some are better doing work than being a mouthpiece and he was one of them.

[Rhiannon12866]

29. +100!

And one of the primary initiatives of the Carter Center has been to eradicate disease.

[zipplewrath]

32. This was my first thought

A president who could probably understand the data himself, instead of having his experts explain it to him.

[aidbo]

42. Definitely Carter

[ooky]

25. Obama

[Sunsky]

26. Obama

The man is a genius and an excellent leader.

[lark]

27. Any president in history would have done better, even Coolidge.

I'd choose any Democrat, but in order

Obama
FDR
Johnson
Carter
Clinton

[Sherman A1]

40. To be honest

A cardboard box would have done better.

[hamsterjill]

28. Obama

He is a great leader who is humble enough to learn from those smarter than he is in specific fields. He cares when people are hurting.

God knows we need a miracle. I hope Joe will make use of Obama’s strengths in his campaign and in counsel to his administration.

[democrank]

30. Carter

[JI7]

34. Just about any of the Democrats in modern times.

[Marrah_Goodman]

37. Obama

[SidDithers]

38. Obama or Carter...

FDR might have rounded up Chinese-Americans and put them into isolation camps.

Sid

[Buckeyeblue]

39. Any of the last three Democrats would have done fine

I think Clinton would have done the best at explaining to people why they needed to stay home, wear a mask, etc.

[Raine]

41. FDR nt