Board 8 > Best president never to serve a full term?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm pretty sure I know who wins this poll...

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Chester Arthur is the ultimate bro. History buffs know.

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For a while the correct person was winning...

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Wow what an all-star list.

Kennedy >>>>>>>> Ford > Arthur > Garfield >>>>>>>> WHH > Taylor >>>>>>>> Tyler > Fillmore > Harding > Johnson

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"all star list"
>less than half the people are above somebody who served for a month

and why the hell is Ford second

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I don't get all why Kennedy is getting so much love. Most of the other options are pretty bad, but Kennedy's main accomplishments are being really good-looking for a president and his death leading to a much better president in office. He shouldn't be crushing the poll like this.
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He did avert WWIII. He didn't handle the Cuban Missile Crisis perfectly but it was a sensitive situation that a lot of presidents would have screwed up.

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Big Bob posted...

He did avert WWIII. He didn't handle the Cuban Missile Crisis perfectly but it was a sensitive situation that a lot of presidents would have screwed up.

He also CAUSED the Cuban Missile Crisis so its hard to give him too much credit.

Anyway the objectively correct list is

Arthur>>Garfield>Kennedy>>Ford>Taylor>>Harrison>>>>>>>>> >>>Filmore>Harding>>>Tyler>Johnson

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Pendleton Act or Civil Rights Act of 1964 really (I know it was after JFK but his proposals led to it)

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Civil Rights Act of 64 was DoA without Johnson.

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Eddv posted...

Civil Rights Act of 64 was DoA without Johnson.

Youre saying Kennedy couldnt have pushed it through?

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Eddv posted...

Arthur>>Garfield>Kennedy>>Ford>Taylor>>Harrison>>>>>>>>> >>>Filmore>Harding>>>Tyler>Johnson

I know essentially nothing about Tyler; what makes him <<< Harding?

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All I know about Arthur is that he flexed on the spoils system after his predecessor was shot for trying to do that

Power move if I've ever seen one

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redrocket posted...

Youre saying Kennedy couldnt have pushed it through?

Not likely.

He didnt have the ability to put southern dems in fear for their lives like Johnson did.

LordoftheMorons posted...

I know essentially nothing about Tyler; what makes him <<< Harding?

Harding was at least semi functional in the office. We basically didnt have a president at all for tylers time in office because he so badly alienated both the whigs and democrats and his cabinet.

Plus while the Whigs were voted into office to contain slavery, Tyler was enthusiastically pro slavery.

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Johnson also probably wouldn't have bothered with the civil rights act if not for Kennedy's influence on him and it being Jack's legacy. For most of his political career Johnson was stopping civil rights bills rather than championing them.

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Tyler also made arguably the most dictatorial move in U.S. history by declaring himself president. When WHH died, it was unclear whether the VP would be acting president or actually ascend to the presidency. Tyler, without official approval of congress, basically said, "I'm president whether you like it or not" and pushed congress to make it clear that the VP would actually ascend to the presidency if the president died, resigned, or was removed.

In hindsight I probably should have put him below Harding.

NFUN posted...

"all star list"
>less than half the people are above somebody who served for a month

Your sarcasm detector is off-point.

NFUN posted...

and why the hell is Ford second

He's more or less a net-zero president, which amazingly puts him just slightly below average overall. Maybe I could have had Arthur ahead of him but obviously being around much closer to the Ford administration I guess I kind of had a bit of bias there.

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Underleveled posted...

Tyler also made arguably the most dictatorial move in U.S. history by declaring himself president. When WHH died, it was unclear whether the VP would be acting president or actually ascend to the presidency. Tyler, without official approval of congress, basically said, "I'm president whether you like it or not" and pushed congress to make it clear that the VP would actually ascend to the presidency if the president died, resigned, or was removed.

what a joke. This is such a who gives a damn maneuver. Its almost entirely semantics that makes no practical difference. Not even a top 20 dictatorial move by a President.

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Janus5k posted...

All I know about Arthur is that he flexed on the spoils system after his predecessor was shot for trying to do that

Power move if I've ever seen one

What? Garfield's assassination wasn't political - he was shot by a crazy person. Seriously, the guy was a nutjob who thought he'd use his fame to run for president himself.

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Underleveled posted...

He's more or less a net-zero president, which amazingly puts him just slightly below average overall.

I feel like pardoning Nixon counts as more of a negative personally!

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The nixon pardon was one of the smartest executive decisions in US history. The country pretty much got over it in 5 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcs9sjiJ_tY

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ChainLTTP posted...

The nixon pardon was one of the smartest executive decisions in US history. The country pretty much got over it in 5 years.

Maybe we shouldnt have.

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ChainLTTP posted...

The nixon pardon was one of the smartest executive decisions in US history. The country pretty much got over it in 5 years.

Well you see, the fact that everyone forget about the whole thing so quickly after the pardon is the problem here.
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Xeybozn posted...

Well you see, the fact that everyone forget about the whole thing so quickly after the pardon is the problem here.

Yes because hyperpartisanship is doing wonders for the nation now! Forget about the 30+ years of peace and prosperity after Nixon's pardon.

ChainLTTP posted...

Yes because hyperpartisanship is doing wonders for the nation now! Forget about the 30+ years of peace and prosperity after Nixon's pardon.

peace and prosperity, you mean

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Hbthebattle posted...

peace and prosperity, you mean

Oh I see. You're one of those.

ChainLTTP posted...

Oh I see. You're one of those.

I dont think Trickle-down economics was a giant mistake in retrospect is that controversial of a take.

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ChainLTTP posted...

Yes because hyperpartisanship is doing wonders for the nation now! Forget about the 30+ years of peace and prosperity after Nixon's pardon.

A GOP president allowing prosecution of a GOP criminal would have been hyperpartisanship?
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ChainLTTP posted...

Yes because hyperpartisanship is doing wonders for the nation now! Forget about the 30+ years of peace and prosperity after Nixon's pardon.

The pardon did absolutely nothing to solve or even address hyperpartisanship in this country. it just kicked the can down the road for future generations to deal with, which is why boomers love it so much.

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Before coming into the topic, I was going to vote for Alexander Hamilton...

Now I realize how little I know about U.S. history, lol.

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Advokaiser posted...

Before coming into the topic, I was going to vote for Alexander Hamilton...

Now I realize how little I know about U.S. history, lol.

Hamilton probably would have been president at some point, but when it came out that he had an affair on his wife, Thomas Jefferson said he's never gon' be president now.

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