Daily Kos references a question posed to Hillary Clinton with respect to which Presidential portraits you’d hang up in your office if you were President. So, basically, which Presidents do you find the most inspiring.
An easy starter – Lincoln. I had a buddy in college who said that, if he was lost in a literature class, his fall back was to say that one of the characters represented the Christ figure. In American politics, Lincoln truly is the Christ figure. There is a real sense that he died for our sins and saved the Union. And, let’s face it, he put the boot to the treasonous Confederates, about whom I obviously still have a bug up my ass.
Also, I’d put Teddy Roosevelt up there. Oh, sure, he was an imperialist and a pretentious moralizer, but his energy was boundless and his love for this country undeniable. And, he did some trust busting and loved the West.
Beyond that, it’s a little up in the air. I’d give serious consideration to James Madison, less for his Presidency and more for his role as the architect of our Constitution. James K. Polk, because, even though he was an imperialist and a slaver, he mostly kept his campaign promises and he acquired some really cool territory for the United States. Perhaps Dwight Eisenhower, because he’s a very distant relative.
Looking back at my list, I guess limited government and respect for civil rights don’t make for very memorable Presidencies. All of the above (except for maybe Madison) tended toward the authoritarian or expansionist. Oh well. They make for good reading.
Washington and Jefferson are good picks.
Aye. I’d have Jefferson, Madison, Washington, and Lincoln.
In my opinion, none from the 20th century merits even a wallet-sized portrait.
Hey, this is about the most fun thing I have had to think of all day. My picks: Jackson (onry cuss and probably nutty as any President except Lincoln), Lincoln, FDR (because he did have a sense of humor), and Nixon (as a reminder of what not to do). Sorry, not much of a Jefferson fan nowadays. I would give honorable mention to Madison and TR. Madison because he is the only president not to succumb to war hysteria and TR just because he was so unabashedly TR.
My list: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, TR, FDR, and Eisenhower.
I rank Lincoln towards the bottom. He is one of the most overrated president’s in U.S. history. He violated the constitution on a semi-regular basis, supported the forced recolonization of blacks, and used military force to “preserve freedom” by forcing the south o stay in our beloved union that for some reason is supposed to last forever no matter what it becomes.
By your definition, the 13 colonies were traitors for illegally seceding from England and starting the Revolutionary War.
History is written by the victors……….
Well, of course they were. The primary difference being that I generally approve of the colonists reasons for dissolving their bonds with Great Britain. And Great Britain isn’t my country. The United States is. So, my love and affection is for the U.S.
Pretextual rationales to the contrary, however, the Southerners attempted to secede from the Union because they were afraid laws would get passed that would interfere with their ability to own other people. They get no love from me for that.