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Originally Posted by Corkscrewed
Actually, from what I've learnt and discussed, Reagan ranks as one of the great presidents of the 20th century, up there (tho prolly a bit behind) FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Truman. I wouldn't say he was just there when the Cold War ended... he used a risky but successful gamble, building up arms, banking on the fact that the Soviet Union wouldn't be able to keep up. His Reaganomics, though partly responsible for a lot of the country's debt today, helped lift the nation out of a huge recession during the period. Morally, he was one of our less scrupulous leaders, and if you compare him to a lot of our other presidents this century, he actually ranks pretty favorably.
Reagan wasn't perfect, but I'd rank him as one of this century's great Americans. Greatest? Nah... prolly not.
But don't forget that FDR actually failed to bring the country out of the Depression for 12 years. It was more of the war that brought us out rather than the New Deal. And a lot of FDR's programs were extremely questionable in terms of Constitutionality and stuff. I'm not saying he was bad... but he was far from perfect as well. Heck, pretty much every president had his faults.
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Ronald Regan is actually one of the worst presidents of all time. The guy racked up more debt in his year in office then all the presidents before him COMBINED. Now that is a shitty ass president. He is also the genius that came up with trickle down economics, where he gives rich people MORE MONEY hoping they accidently drop a few bucks down to the pesents below them. Regan was a complete douche bag that knew nothing about politics, but was charismatic enough to fool everyone in the United States. No fucking way is he in the same league as even LBJ and LBJ was a terrible president.
As for FDR, there was a very good reason he was elected 4 times. It was because his New Deal was working, and he was getting jobs back. The war just happened to help that even more. He also started the greatest govenment policy througout mankind when he created Social Security. If it weren't for FDR's innovation my grandfather wouldn't be alive right now at the age of 94 because he would have had to work until he died, because he'd have to rely on a shitty pension.
The greatest americans of the 20th Century are Martin Luther King Jr., FDR, and Bob Dylan.