Best/Worst Presidents for Leadership

[vcczar]

From Siena 2022 poll

[vcczar]

The term "leadership" is kind of vague to me. I can't call anyone a strong leader who is leading a nation on a terrible path. For instance, I think Reagan was CLEARLY a leader. He had charisma, a strong following, and his leadership prevailed even after death. But I think a great leader makes the right decisions and doesn't encourage people to adopt their own flawed, and sometimes inhumane positions. 

I do have an outlier I checked. That's LBJ. I am overlooking Vietnam, and perhaps I'll regret that, but domestically, he's a top 5 leaders. I'm putting more weight on LBJ the domestic president than the foreign affairs president because I think the former influence will persist longer than the latter. 

[Pringles]

I'm honestly really surprised George W Bush would even make it to the bottom tier. I would argue the last time this country even saw "true leadership" as I see it was the moments following 9/11. 

 

[vcczar]

6 minutes ago, Pringles said:

I'm honestly really surprised George W Bush would even make it to the bottom tier. I would argue the last time this country even saw "true leadership" as I see it was the moments following 9/11. 

 

But that's one moment. He also had Katrina, "Mission Accomplished," etc.

[Pringles]

3 minutes ago, vcczar said:

But that's one moment. He also had Katrina, "Mission Accomplished," etc.

Yeah what I’m trying to say though is that I don’t think it warrants him to be considered for the bottom tier. I don’t think he should be in either tier. It’s Siena though so… lol. 

Edited February 18, 2023 by Pringles

[Euri]

I think I’ll leave “leading the country on a good path” out of this one

[Edouard]

The list of greatest leadership is extremely complicated

On War clearly Washington Lincoln and Kennedy 

On Domestic issues clearly LBJ Lincoln and Eisenhower

On difficult decisions FDR Truman and Kennedy

National expansion Jefferson

[ShortKing]

I think it's hard not to call Reagan a great leader since he fundamentally reoriented American politics for a generation or more. His influence obviously reshaped the GOP but his impact on driving the Democratic Party closer to his own ideological predispositions is significant.