The All-Purpose Political Thread

[indianasmith]

The most recent Presidential historian's poll put Reagan in the top ten, Sven, so I would say that your personal animus simply doesn't match the verdict of history thus far.   

As for the most bada$$ President, TR, hands down, with Andrew Jackson a close second.

Cracked.com has a great article from a few years back called "The Five Most Bada$$ Presidents of All Time."

[lester1/2jr]

the presidential polls are bulls**t. if you started war that killed a billion people you are automatically in the top 5 because the pollster are academics and media people who get paid to write about such things.

https://www.amazon.com/Recarving-Rushmore-Ranking-Presidents-Prosperity/dp/1598130226

In his book Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty, Ivan Eland gives high grades to presidents who left the American people alone to enjoy peace and prosperity, such as Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, and Rutherford B. Hayes. The fact that you can't remember what any of those presidents did is a plus. At the bottom he places Wilson, Truman, McKinley, Polk, and George W. Bush.

The best president according to Eland was John Tyler (1), who defied his party in order to veto tariff hikes, a new national bank, and infrastructure projects, in addition to which he ended the longest and bloodiest Indian war in US history.

http://www.quebecoislibre.org/12/121015-9.html

[Svengoolie 3]

Jesus never ran for office or sought political power, so why do so many people claiming to follow his ways do it? 

[ER]

Jesus never ran for office or sought political power, so why do so many people claiming to follow his ways do it? 

Because most people in democracies are Christians.

[LilCerberus]

Read it in the funny papers today....
Two kinds of people you should never trust:
Religious leaders who tell you how to vote
and Political leaders who tell you how to pray.

[indianasmith]

the presidential polls are bulls**t. if you started war that killed a billion people you are automatically in the top 5 because the pollster are academics and media people who get paid to write about such things.

https://www.amazon.com/Recarving-Rushmore-Ranking-Presidents-Prosperity/dp/1598130226

In his book Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty, Ivan Eland gives high grades to presidents who left the American people alone to enjoy peace and prosperity, such as Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, and Rutherford B. Hayes. The fact that you can't remember what any of those presidents did is a plus. At the bottom he places Wilson, Truman, McKinley, Polk, and George W. Bush.

The best president according to Eland was John Tyler (1), who defied his party in order to veto tariff hikes, a new national bank, and infrastructure projects, in addition to which he ended the longest and bloodiest Indian war in US history.

http://www.quebecoislibre.org/12/121015-9.html

Tyler was the ONLY former President who sided with the Confederacy when the Civil War broke out.  He died in 1862, a traitor to the country that had entrusted him with its highest office.  He was also the first President to be expelled from the party which elected him.
Frankly, I don't agree with Libertarians on much, so this author doesn't impress me.

[lester1/2jr]

Tyler was the ONLY former President who sided with the Confederacy when the Civil War broke out.

whose point are you trying to make 

[ER]

Reagan couldn't fund aids at all. Congress allocates funds,  congress sets the budget.  Aids research was funded by congress.  Ronnie ignored aids until president Nancy told him to talk about it.  People don't get that the president doesn't fund things,  congress does. The president can ask for funding but congress gives it.

As to funding aids more than cancer,  2 things.  1 cancer had been studied heavily for a long time,  aids was new.  Also the extent of how contagious aids might be was uncertain at the time,  studying it's transmission levels was a damn good idea.

The executive branch creates and submits budgets, Sven.

Honestly I think so many of your prejudices are just that, prejudices, unbased on fact and reality.

You Gave Reagan an A and Obama an F-.  That alone shapes my opinion of your political views.

Noooo, by prejudices I meant things like you calling everyone from Alabama "inbred" and you stereotyping all billion and a half Chinese in ways that sound like the return of the Yellow Menace, or calling Walmart workers "bots" and other sweeping, unkind generalizations about conservatives, Christians, Trump voters, women, babies, past Presidents, the rich, the poor, the police, the military, doctors, priests, etc. etc. etc. You know, the attitude you have that makes you wish large groups of people, including my children, would "die"?

No, you mostly have a handle on my outlook, though you miss the fact I find danger in the extremes of both directions of the political spectrum, and also that I stand for free expression above nearly all else. Metaphorically speaking, these days the left seems to be burning more books than the right, so I am more leery of it.

Truth is when you're not spewing misinformation and hate you come up with many good topics here, from A or B to quite a few more. I just figure you're lonely, sad, misinformed, bigoted, confused, angry, and eat too much sugar, all of which are correctable. 

[Rev. Powell]

Reagan couldn't fund aids at all. Congress allocates funds,  congress sets the budget.  Aids research was funded by congress.  Ronnie ignored aids until president Nancy told him to talk about it.  People don't get that the president doesn't fund things,  congress does. The president can ask for funding but congress gives it.

As to funding aids more than cancer,  2 things.  1 cancer had been studied heavily for a long time,  aids was new.  Also the extent of how contagious aids might be was uncertain at the time,  studying it's transmission levels was a damn good idea.

The executive branch creates and submits budgets, Sven.

Honestly I think so many of your prejudices are just that, prejudices, unbased on fact and reality.

You Gave Reagan an A and Obama an F-.  That alone shapes my opinion of your political views.

Noooo, by prejudices I meant things like you calling everyone from Alabama "inbred" and you stereotyping all billion and a half Chinese in ways that sound like the return of the Yellow Menace, or calling Walmart workers "bots" and other sweeping, unkind generalizations about conservatives, Christians, Trump voters, women, babies, past Presidents, the rich, the poor, the police, the military, doctors, priests, etc. etc. etc. You know, the attitude you have that makes you wish large groups of people, including my children, would "die"?

No, you mostly have a handle on my outlook, though you miss the fact I find danger in the extremes of both directions of the political spectrum, and also that I stand for free expression above nearly all else. Metaphorically speaking, these days the left seems to be burning more books than the right, so I am more leery of it.

Truth is when you're not spewing misinformation and hate you come up with many good topics here, from A or B to quite a few more. I just figure you're lonely, sad, misinformed, bigoted, confused, angry, and eat too much sugar, all of which are correctable. 

Why can't you two just admit that you're in love with each other?

[Allhallowsday]

...I just figure you're lonely, sad, misinformed, bigoted, confused, angry, and eat too much sugar, all of which are correctable. 

Gee, I thought I was the "lonely, sad" one...   

[ER]

...I just figure you're lonely, sad, misinformed, bigoted, confused, angry, and eat too much sugar, all of which are correctable.  

Gee, I thought I was the "lonely, sad" one...  

Nah, you were lonely "and bitter."  

[Allhallowsday]

...I just figure you're lonely, sad, misinformed, bigoted, confused, angry, and eat too much sugar, all of which are correctable.  

Gee, I thought I was the "lonely, sad" one...  

Nah, you were lonely "and bitter."  

No, no.  No.  It was "lonely and sad:.   

[ER]

Hmmm, have you ever thought of moving in with Sven and mutually curing that condition then? I smell great sitcim potential. Or maybe Court TV movie of the week... Just sayin'.   

[Leah]

Did you all go out and vote today in the US? Remember, vote early and often.

[Alex]

Did you all go out and vote today in the US? Remember, vote early and often.

Agreed. Make your voice heard, or be ignored.