FDR was our greatest president, clearly. He took us out from the Great DEpression (caused by rich Republicans I might add) through the terrible World War, galvanized the nation, brought out our best, won two wars, won the peace, despite having polio, created the American middleclass (who today's rightwing are busy trying to knock back down) and helped the lowerclass working people survive. See the Johnny Cash story, growing up on a "communistic" New Deal farm in Arknasas, saving his family's life.
JFK was our second greatest president, really changing the country and world in a positive way, give the world great hope, standing up to the Soviets but also starting to thaw out the Cold War before the rightwing murdered him. If JFK had survived, the Cold War would have been over 10 years earlier at least and Vietnam never would have been escalated.
Clinton and Reagan were next, one if you're a Dem, the other if you're GOP. Both very charismatic and dynamic. But Reagan left us a huge deficit, Clinton a huge surplus, and Reagan had more scandals so the edge to Clinton.
And no, Reagan did not end the Cold War. In fact he did his best to extend it, if the Soviets hadn't been embracing glasnost and detente on their own. for instance when Reagan gave the "tear down this wall" speak the Cold War was already over. Great stagecraft though. |
