Patch's Poll: Which President Do You Most Admire?

dave February 18, 2013 at 09:31 pm

thomas jefferson who said, "when the goverment fears the people you have liberty, when the people fear the goverment you have tyrany." sadly we live in the second part of the quote.

SandiJ February 18, 2013 at 10:02 pm

That's a tough choice - I guess maybe Jefferson as well. I know who I don't like - any of the last four. Bush and Cheney team was the worst administration of my time - the most corrupt and should be held personally responsible for the deaths of all the soldiers they sent to Iraq and Afghanistan/ They probably had something to do with 9/11 as well.

Daria Novak February 18, 2013 at 10:15 pm

President Reagan, the Great Communicator, is my choice for a modern President. He was able to end the Cold War without a bloody battle, epitomized by a few simple words, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall." ( Or something very similar to it.) He taught us about patriotism and took us out of a recession with double digit interest rates. He put us on the correct path toward freedom and prosperity, too. I wish were here now! We need a leader of his quality to get us out of the mess we are in today.

dave February 18, 2013 at 10:20 pm

he would be a refreshing change from what we have now, thats for sure. he took a failing economy and started an unprecedented 25 year economic expansion. middle incomes grew by 57% in his 8 years as president.

craig February 18, 2013 at 10:24 pm

i agree with Dave.. Thomas Jefferson gets my vote

Charles February 18, 2013 at 10:49 pm

President Reagan ushered in the misguided era of massive deficits, bloated military spending and tax cuts for the very rich that America still struggles to this day to put to an end. Yet Reagan wrongly receives credit for the economic boom that began a few years into his presidency due to events entirely outside of his control. Reagan ignored the AIDS crisis for years and he gave us Justice Antonin Scalia.

Charles February 18, 2013 at 10:51 pm

Jefferson also wrote that “all men are created equal,” his actions did not match his words. He owned hundreds of slaves over the course of his lifetime, freed only a handful upon his death, and often engaged in the unspeakably cruel practice of punishing slaves by selling them away from their families and friends. he also seemed to sleep with some of them as well.

Charles February 18, 2013 at 10:54 pm

Also love how the far right seems to alway forget Iran/contra or that he funded terrorism. He spent billions of dollars funding the Islamist mujahidin Freedom Fighters in Afghanistan. With billions of American dollars, weapons and training coming their way, the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden took everything they were given and gave it back to the United States over a decade later. But the tea party loves him. Maybe the worst president ever?

Leesan Villa February 18, 2013 at 11:15 pm

George Washington

Bob Fawkes February 18, 2013 at 11:32 pm

Eugene V. Debs

Daria Novak February 18, 2013 at 11:41 pm

Charles, you are only telling half the story about Jefferson. Perhaps you do not know this but Jefferson inherited his slaves. Under the law of the land at the time it was illegal for Jefferson to make the inherited slaves freemen unless he was able to give each slave a certain amount of money/land. He tried to release them but it was refused. Jefferson was not rich enough to comply with the requirements of the law. What he was able to do was to make the children of his slaves free, which he did. For an early President, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant man, great inventor, agriculturalist, and inspired leader, gets my vote.

Daria Novak February 18, 2013 at 11:51 pm

Dave, I agree with you. Reagan inherited a disaster from President Carter. Carter did idiotic (yes, I deliberately am choosing that word) things in DC. For example. he ordered that all the hot water at the State Department be turned off to save money. We froze that winter, had a lot of employees on sick leave and eventually were threatened by the DC Dept of Health to turn on the hot or htey would shut down the building. It costs taxpayers a fortune. Carter also ordered that every 4th ceiling flouescent light in the interior halls and offices be taken out and a yellow "peace flower" sticker be put in its place. His idea was to save on the electic bill. Well, we all had headaches, couldn't see, and a large number of employees brought in incandescent desk lamps which used even more electricity. It costs a fortune in maintenance to remove every 4th bulb and just as many taxpayer dollars to re-install them. We didn't have any of this nonsense from President Reagan. He was a world leader with vision. He made me proud to be American. Pres. Carter even had the Marine Guard remove their uniforms when working at the White House. It demeaned the Corps and its mission. The Clintons and the Carters treated the Secret Service and the Marines with distain. The Reagans treated them with respect and they were liked. The Reagans may have been from Hollywood, but they still were a class act. Obama has put us in historic debt, reduced our freedom and threatened our futures.

Charles February 19, 2013 at 12:22 am

Daria we all know how the tea party just hearts Reagan, He was loved by big business throughout his presidency and there's a reason for it. When Reagan came into office in January of 1981, the top tax rate was 70%, but when he left office in 1989 the top tax rate was down to only 28%. As Reagan gave the breaks to all his rich friends, there was a lack of revenue coming into the federal government. In order to bring money back into the government, Reagan was forced to raise taxes eleven times throughout his time in office. One example was when he signed into law the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982. Reagan raised taxes seven of the eight years he was in office and the tax increases were felt hardest by the lower and middle class. All the while he was cutting taxes for the wealthy, the government was left with less money to spend. When Reagan came into office the national debt was $900 billion, by the time he left the national debt had tripled to $2.8 trillion! So very typical for the tea party to rewrite history. (i.e. Iraq?)

Steohen Haddon February 19, 2013 at 01:24 am

Washington .....hands down......No less than Napolean laughed at him. He made possible what others wrote on paper. An idea is only an idea until somebody actually makes it reality, nothing else happens without him. I know its sacrilegeous to some, but i think there really is a gap from there to #2, Lincoln.
We can only debate about jefferson, adams, hamilton etc because of him. Always had a soft spot for Hoover though, since i was a little kid. Everybody made a big deal about Kennedy getting shot, but i remember when Herbert Hoover died nobody had a decent thing to say and just shrugged their shoulders in contempt. It didn't seem right. I get that he failed as president to understand what was going on in the electorate, but he started many things FDR took credit for, and the man fed untold millions. He deserves a second look today. oh, and a tip of the cap to Ike...... for ridding central america of commie bastards like Arbenz..........too bad there isn't an internet version of the Monroe Doctrine

Daria Novak February 19, 2013 at 01:43 am

Charles, you stereotype and labels people such as "far right," "TEA Party" in an attempt to demean and be derogatory. Why are you so afraid of citizens who believe in the Constitution and fight for our right of free speech?
Conservatives believe firmly in the right to hold differing opinions. In fact, we fight hard to retain that right for all, including those with whom we disagree. We need EVERYONE involved in the public discourse. That is what will strengthen and save America! I don't expect you to agree with my positions, and that's ok, but I do expect you to respect might right to voice my opinion. Instead of being divisive under cover, I challenge you to write openly in Patch using your whole name so readers know who you are from this date on. Can you do that Charles? I will keep asking you. Reagan is loved by patriots and the vast majority of Americans. Look at how well he fares against other Presidents, including the current occupant of the White House in popularity polls. Here is the link to the polls: http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html If you are not simply rabble-rousing and you believe in what you write, then I am confident you won't want to hide behind your "nom de guerre." It might even give you a little credibility as Madison's Democrat voice in the Patch. Finally, Patch asked simply who we admired. I responded. It didn't ask you to write a negative attack on my opinion.

Steohen Haddon February 19, 2013 at 02:11 am

Ayn Rand

Peter T. Cianelli February 19, 2013 at 02:22 am

"Firearms stand next in importance to the constitution itself. They are the American people's liberty teeth and keystone under independence … from the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurences and tendencies prove that to ensure peace security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable … the very atmosphere of firearms anywhere restrains evil interference — they deserve a place of honor with all that's good."
George Washington First President of the United States

Nicole Clarkson February 19, 2013 at 05:23 am

Bill Clinton.

Bob Fawkes February 19, 2013 at 02:41 pm

Susan B. Anthony.

bibledoctor02 February 19, 2013 at 03:11 pm

FDR he put people to work.

Doan Steel February 19, 2013 at 03:30 pm

Do the "times" make the president or does the president make the "times?"
The presidents so far mentioned had major issues to react to during their administration. Jefferson holding the union together during its birth. Roosevelt dealing with a worldwide depression the the war of wars. Obama dealing with the biggest economic ressesion since Roosevelt. How did they (will they) deal with these issues. The first two did the job they were hired to do. Obama is working through the problem and the next 3 years will determine his legacy for the better or worse. To prove the point, Nixon will not go down in history as a great president, but he opened China because he was in charge when the opportunity arose. He did the right thing, he engaged China instead of rejecting their overtures thus dictating the fate of the world for the next 100 years. Conversely, no president before or since Lincoln spent so many American lives partly do to the incompetence of the generals he appointed prior to Grant. Was Lincoln a bad president? Most people would say no. There are few presidents that did a poor job (Bush and Carter come to mind) so America is blessed to have so many presidents that made a difference.

melinda tillie February 19, 2013 at 04:39 pm

I most admire President Barack Obama.

Alan Anderson February 19, 2013 at 09:57 pm

Calvin Coolidge...in the top 5 among scholars. Read about him here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge My second choice would have to be Theodore Roosevelt on character alone.

Alan Anderson February 19, 2013 at 10:08 pm

Of course, like Reagan, he would never be nominated by the wackos steering the Republican Party these days....sad....the party is doomed.

dave February 20, 2013 at 12:45 am

charles did you know that revenues under reagan almost tripled from 400 plus billion to 1.1 trillion, again, the problem with that was to much spending. reagan had to deal with tip oneal to get his agenda through, oneal wanted the social spending in return for reagans defense spending. its what we call now compromise and since congress holds the purse strings you can blame oneal just as much as reagan. just to be fair, mr reagans defecits dont even come close to obamas almost 6 trillion but yet we dont mention that.