Well we all know popularity is the best sign of objective quality.
That's why Justin Bieber is the best musician in the United States.
I thought Bieber was Canadian.
Well we all know popularity is the best sign of objective quality.
That's why Justin Bieber is the best musician in the United States.
You're kind of proving my point.
Lincoln has been built up as some sort of god -- and admittedly it makes for a nice story/movie -- but spend more than a few minutes in some historical literature and delve into the details of his presidency and his war, and your opinion might be a little less shiny. Not implying that he's evil, just....overrated.
And presidents who have been assassinated always get a historical bump in their perceived ratings.
We can't judge these people based on our current standards of morality and social norms. They didn't live in a world that operated according to that set of standards, so they were by and large a product of their times.
How about the teams are judged on who would win if teamed up in a Hunger Games scenario.
Now which team would you vote for?
Really, Ike over Thomas ****ing Jefferson and Teddy? Reach
I liked heyhey's analysis of best/worst so Imma bite his steez and do the same.
Best:
Team 1: It's FDR. I've got a personal soft spot for Carter (who I think was probably too moral and naive for the gig), but we all know it's FDR. I'm frankly curious if FDR was the first pick.
Team 2: Harry Truman. His accomplishments in office are simply staggering, especially given the shoes he had to fill. I find the use of the atomic bomb defensible.
Team 3: George Washington. It's hard to be the first. It's especially hard to be the first and turn down being a functional king.
Team 4: Abraham Lincoln. Not going to be a contrarian. Degree of difficulty incredible. Wouldn't be having this conversation at all if he hadn't pulled it off.
Team 5: Eisenhower. He was a tremendous believer in state infrastructure (the highway system, and created NASA) was a strong desegregating force and appointed many of the most important Supreme Court justices of the century.
The Worst:
Team 1: I'll surprise some and pick Obama. Part of this is probably present dissatisfaction with his foreign policy and the revelation that he's the biggest spy of all time.
Team 2: Adams. Dude was a paranoid prick.
Team 3: Hoover. We all know why.
Team 4: JFK remains one of the most overrated figures in American history. But at least he was actually elected and has these things I like to refer to as accomplishments. Gerald Ford, on the other hand, is mostly famous for falling down the stairs.
Team 5: Andrew Jackson. Probably should be burned in effigy every year on his birthday.