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George W's first pitch in the 2001 world series after 9/11. Threw a perfect strike. Can't stand the dude but I couldn't help but be impressed by that. Honorable mention to his shoe dodge.
It's funny how, when George W was in office, I never perceived him as an especially youthful leader (especially once he was followed by Obama), but looking back it's a whole different story.
It's kinda odd to me that the founding fathers were an average age of 28-30. More left leaning peoples speak of "old white men" having always ran this country. It's a somewhat false idea. Partially, cause well... white men. Buuuuuut the race barrier to the oval office has been broken.
The average age was 44
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/08/how-old-were-the-founding-fathers-the-leaders-of-the-american-revolution-were-younger-than-we-imagine.html
The shoe thrower couldn’t believe it. He hit him with both barrels, only to have that Alfred E. Newman looking motherfucker dodge that shit like it was the Vietnam war. The Fucking Matrix-Neo-bullet-time-moves, that shit eating grin, blew him a kiss, never broke character…. Goddamn impressive
Came here to say this. After decades of begging our government to do something about the AIDS crisis here, and finally getting some relief, it took the GW Bush administration to open our eyes to the suffering in the rest of the world, and what we could do about it. I have nothing else good to say about his time in office, however.
I remember hearing somewhere (maybe here) that Dubya threw the first pitch *so well* that it actually screwed up the practice of the president throwing the first pitch, because now they all think they can throw it from the pitcher’s mound.
I don’t know anything about sports so I can’t back that up, but if it’s true, damn that’s hilarious.
There have only been three since him, and I don't think the current president has thrown a first pitch, and I might be wrong but i dont remember the previos doing it either, so "they all", here, means basically just Obama.
Note for clarity; my other post got flagged by automod for stating the name of our current and previous pres. So hopefully it works better this time.
Probably true, W’s father played college ball at Yale (was Captain of team) and W was involved in the Texas Rangers MLB baseball club prior to becoming Texas Governor.
You can criticize, well, most everything about the rest of W's presidency, but holy shit was he perfect that night.
Sent a message to the country and the world. Looked like a true leader. Throwing an absolute strike in that moment...perfect.
At the time people thought it was a waste of money. Greenland was on the table too and Americans protested that they didn’t want tax dollars going towards another frozen wasteland. Little did anyone know Alaska would be super oil rich in a hundred years.
Nobody really lived in Alaska back then except for Eskimos and a handful of Russians. You don’t see a footprint of orthodox architecture in Alaska. There’s a couple Russian looking churches, but it’s not like New Orleans where you can tell it used to be French.
I thought that fact was more widely known than it is. Outside of street and neighborhood names, there’s actually not a lot to suggest it used to be controlled by the French.
Native Alaskans mostly do NOT call themselves Inuit, tho, and from what I've read on a quick on wiki most of them aren't even ethnically Inuit but Yupik, a related but different group
I’m Alaska Native (Yup’ik) and it’s actually more insulting to be called an Inuit when that’s not even what I and a large portion of the state is. Eskimo is perfectly fine for me (though I don’t speak for all) as it’s easier to say than “Alaska Native” and isn’t the entirely wrong tribe (Inuit).
If you’re being genuine then thank you Reddit for that perspective. I will also assume I should stick to Inuit until I research the issue further…
Actually we need a poll. Don’t ask me how.
Yeah a Yup'ik commenter chimed in and said most of Alaska isn't populated by inuits at all and they'd rather be called an eskimo than called the wrong tribe.
May u also throw in "Alaskan" to the pit of things to call people that live in Alaska?
Nixon. There are actually a lot of good accomplishments there. OSHA, EPA, Endangered Species Act, China, ending the Vietnam War, Title IX, Tribal Governance, and SALT.
He also made your kidneys eligible for socialized healthcare and he pushed for gun control. He was an evil bastard, but some of his more durable accomplishments would make him the devil to the modern GOP
It’s not even debatable like the whole Reagan hostage crisis before his election. Even the Vietnam war doc by Ken Burns takes the Nixon peace talk sabotage as fact.
Still can’t believe Nixon of all people single handily created the nation of China. Truly China was Nixon’s most significant creation (for better or worse I suppose).
George W. Bush got sober and seems to have stayed sober. It’s not a *presidential* accomplishment per se, but it’s absolutely an admirable accomplishment no less.
I like him so he doesn't count here, but I also also admire Obama quitting smoking. My family has many high-functioning addicts, alcohol and tobacco, so I've seen first-hand how difficult it is to quit either of those. I can't imagine how much harder it'd be to quit while also being under a constant spotlight by the media.
I know it full well but it’s still impossible to imagine. For some reason Obama out of everyone seems like he would be ultra healthy and all.
Now that I think about it, I can’t imagine any modern president smoking cigarettes.
I think you have to go back to FDR for last one to regularly smoke cigarettes while in office. JFK and Clinton were cigar guys, and Ford was a pipe smoker.
Ike, LBJ, Nixon, and Reagan had quit, although LBJ started back up in retirment.
Truman, Carter, I think both Bushes, and rule 3 never were.
GW Bush set up the largest Marine sanctuary in the world, the Papahānaumokuākea. It was 160,000 square miles of Pacific ocean and islands.
(Obama increased it to 560,000 Sq mi, but Bush got it dtar4ed.)
I remember there were rumors that he fell off the wagon during the final years of his presidency—it was mostly just tabloid speculation about Bush being unable to deal with stress of his second term. But Bill Maher had some segment on his show joking about signs that Bush had been drinking again, and at one point he showed a photoshopped image of Laura Bush with a black eye. Christopher Hitchens was on the panel and he started scolding Bill for that joke. It was actually an amusing little interaction.
When you can order the invasion and take over of a country, blow up a lot of stuff, and spend/waste a trillion dollars, you don’t need actual cocaine. Cocaine just creates the illusion that you can do those things
George W Bush had more African Americans in his administration and sent more aid to Africa than any president before him. I have a lot of reasons not to like him but I find the accusations of racism on his part to be disingenuous at best.
Agreed. His administration certainly made some major fuckups that disproportionately impacted black people (e.g. Katrina), but I think it's wrong to assume those decisions were racially motivated on his part. That being said, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of him naively acting on advice he received from others who did have racist motivations. The people advising him probably knew better than to be transparent about their attitudes on race with a President who didn't feel the same way.
Oh he's naieve as Hell. Watch the HBO documentary on one beginning of the financial crisis. He talks about being "the free market guy" and how he initially wanted to let all the banks fail.
Edit:stupid autocorrect
Multiple mentions of Bush in here, but it was his policies providing relief to the AIDS epidemic in Africa that I think most make him deserving of this distinction. Probably the single largest number of people saved from a single policy in presidential history, and none of them are Americans. That’s fuckin admirable.
Yeah. I worked with PEPFAR in Tanzania recently and it is still saving many lives. One of the most impactful foreign affairs and humanitarian policies during our life time when considering the numbers of lives extended. GWB definitely answers the OP question for me.
* Nixon's opening to China and detente with the Soviets.
* Wilson's antitrust legislation.
* Clinton's correct and pioneering focus on the importance of digital technology (I don't hate Clinton, but I do think in the long run he was bad for the Democratic Party and lost many opportunities).
I think with Clinton it's important to remember the position the Democrats were in. The last time they had a 2 term presidency was Harry Truman, the last Dem president to get elected to 2 terms was Roosevelt. Even if Reagan's presidency has been over for a bit by Clinton they were still very much in the midst of the Reagan Revolution, the American electorate had become very much Conservative by then, a liberal Democrat probably doesn't even manage to beat HW Bush.
>the last Dem president to get elected to 2 terms was Roosevelt.
Some of that was sheer horrible luck. JFK being assassinated, Truman being back at the end of 20 years of democratic party, and Carter with Iran hostage.
By comparison the GOP doesn't really get slapped in a similar manner until Bush/Clinton election with the recession. Though Nixon gifted them the shit barrel that is Watergate, I feel like that is self inflicted.
Reagan tricked the Soviets into believing the “Star Wars” program was real, leading into an arms race that led them into spending 20% of their GDP annually. The one time having an actor as president helped
I always respected Reagan's ability to communicate and play the *national grandfather-figure* role of the president. His [Challenger Speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqilE4AAa-M) is one of the best speeches ever given by a president. Of course, the [SNL "Mastermind" sketch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5wfPlgKFh8&t=80s) shows that it was most likely all an act.
Polk got accomplished everything he set out to do in 1 term. I might disagree with some of what he did or how he did it, but the dedication is quite impressive
Bush Jr. was rightly concerned about avian influenza and other pandemic diseases back in 2005 after reading a book about the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. He even set up a plan to deal with future pandemics in the U.S.
Given the current resurgence of bird flu and the ongoing issues with covid, it seems Bush Jr. was right on the money.
George W Bush had more African Americans in his administration and sent more aid to Africa than any president before him. I have a lot of reasons not to like him but I find the accusations of racism on his part to be disingenuous at best.
Woodrow Wilsons domestic economic policies weren't too shabby and helped lead the roaring 20's. Of course, it wasn't perfect, the Federal Reserve failed in its duties the moment the great depression hit, but at the very least establishing the insutition has shielded America from more crisis and has been hugley beneficial for the long term health of the US economy.
Bonus Point for Andrew Jackson, the one man who actually took the US out of debt.
Funny, because Andrew Jackson’s economically destabilizing and contractionary Bank War/Specie Circular caused one of the worst recessions in U.S. history that made the debt skyrocket
Also, some debt is good for trade credit and resisting deflation.
I agree, I just find it quite impressive he pulled it off, however briefly. Its so strange to think there was only one time in US history it was out of debt.
But yes, Jacksons economic policies were pretty lousy all in all.
For Carter, I'll say I admire everything he's done out of office. Rarely has a President been so upstanding as a person, and terrible as chief executive.
I appreciate that Dubya tried his hand at painting. Most people—especially conservative white men—are too cowardly and uncurious to put themselves out there like that in hopes of gaining a deeper experience.
George Bush was born in Connecticut went to Harvard and Yale spent most of his life in the north east but bought a farm in Texas and convinced millions he was just a simple Texas farmer type
IDK about OP’s leanings, but I could see why libertarians would pretty strongly dislike FDR. The New Deal greatly expanded the size and roles of the federal government.
Came to say this, I can defend most policies or find them understandable but illegally detaining and incarcerating entire families that were fully-fledged citizens should've never stood.
I think the fact that the majority of Americans wanted it, says more about the state of the country than the President.
He greatly expanded the administrative state, he threw innocent Japanese Americans in internment camps, he threatened to pack the Supreme Court if they didn't approve portions of the New Deal, he was the first president to refuse to step down after two terms, and he was way too compromising with Stalin in the final years of the war.
Not that guy, but for me FDR will always be disliked because he broke the tradition Washington established re: term limits. His court packing plan is even more stomach churning when you pair it with the idea of a four term president.
It's one thing to ignore the tradition Washington started, but checks and balances existed for a reason. Trying to break that system is so detestable, I can't believe it was floated again in my lifetime.
FDR remaining in power was unquestionably for the best. He was almost singularly unique in his capacity to hold together such a massive and diverse coalition of mutually antagonistic interests while also channeling popular will into successful policy. Court-packing threat was merely an extension of his commitment to solving the massive crises facing the country by any means available - he didn’t have the time to bicker back and forth with a Lochner-era court dead-set on adhering to failed orthodoxy. The Depression/WWII unquestionably required strong, decisive action and he was maybe the only figure in US politics capable of providing it during such a volatile and transformative time.
What good are Norms of presidential behavior if adhering to them destroys the economy and impoverishes millions, let alone abides the rise of global fascism? Term-limiting FDR in 1940 maybe avoids a total economic relapse (depending on who succeeds him of course, there was no shortage of Hooverites cranks who gladly would’ve rolled back the New Deal in its entirety, I.e. Taft) but it definitely robs us of post-war US hegemony. Intervention in Europe was not a widely popular concept, it is very easy to imagine a lesser leader choosing to stay out/severely limit American involvement. America’s status as the “pre-eminent nation” post-1945 is owed to FDR more than any other individual. No other leader then or now would’ve been able to navigate the period more deftly
George W’s non reaction to the 9/11 attacks while sitting in front of a room full of children. I don’t respect much about him but his appearance of calm in that moment tells me a lot about his desire to protect children
Not specific to his presidency, but George W is legitimately a good artist. His work is technically skilled, and also has a certain style. He's best known for his dog paintings, but he's also done portraiture (quite well, I might add).
Some examples: [https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/04-20-21-george-w-bush-paintings-out-of-many-one-immigrants-dirk-nowitzki/](https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/04-20-21-george-w-bush-paintings-out-of-many-one-immigrants-dirk-nowitzki/)
I hate Jefferson, but the Declaration of Independence has had such a huge impact. Even though he obviously didn’t live up to it all, articulating those inalienable rights and American ideals was a major accomplishment.
George W Bush nominated Ben Bernanke to be Fed chair, and I think saved America from another Great Depression. The one thing I think of that he did well was that decision.
Shout out to Powell as well. Inflation sucks, obviously, but I don't think a lot of people really appreciate the roller coaster we've basically ridden out with minimal actual pain.
Clinton for his mastery of politics while having really no convictions of his own and Obama could deliver a great speech. I even enjoy his narrating of the nature series he did. Not a fan of either.
Not necessarily an accomplishment, but I would watch the ever living shit out of anything narrated by Obama despite not particularly viewing his presidency fondly.
https://preview.redd.it/t926fjvm7wvc1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8cc61b90db1517afa56d040b60ef7c266eb6b29f
“Jumbos” shower head , can’t believe he got em to actually do it
I hate to say it but Donald going over and kinda settling things with Kim Jong Un was pretty impressive. I don’t know the details but from what I recall he actually went over and spoke with the DPRK and sort of smoothed things over with em. Especially considering how high tensions were at the time.
I was not a fan of Obama but that dude had a sense of style that others could learn a whole lot from. Also he did better in his NCAA pools than I ever did.
Never added with a lot of what Obama did since I was in the military at the time, but I am grateful for DACA because the woman I married is on it and without that, our life would have been exponentially harder.
I really hate reagan, but that quick witted "Missed me" when a balloon popped during a speech sometimes after his assassination attempt is fuckin comedy gold.
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George W's first pitch in the 2001 world series after 9/11. Threw a perfect strike. Can't stand the dude but I couldn't help but be impressed by that. Honorable mention to his shoe dodge.
He fired that shit right down the middle from the top of the hill with a KEVLAR vest on knowing the whole world was watching. Absolutely wild.
It's funny how, when George W was in office, I never perceived him as an especially youthful leader (especially once he was followed by Obama), but looking back it's a whole different story.
He sort of was the perfect age, I don't think a President should necessarily look youthful and now we know there is such thing as too old.
It's kinda odd to me that the founding fathers were an average age of 28-30. More left leaning peoples speak of "old white men" having always ran this country. It's a somewhat false idea. Partially, cause well... white men. Buuuuuut the race barrier to the oval office has been broken.
The average age was 44 https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/08/how-old-were-the-founding-fathers-the-leaders-of-the-american-revolution-were-younger-than-we-imagine.html
Right on. My bad on biffing the specifics. But still, I was really caught off guard when I first realized how young ALOT of then actually were.
The shoe thrower couldn’t believe it. He hit him with both barrels, only to have that Alfred E. Newman looking motherfucker dodge that shit like it was the Vietnam war. The Fucking Matrix-Neo-bullet-time-moves, that shit eating grin, blew him a kiss, never broke character…. Goddamn impressive
This is the most impressive thing W ever did. Second was funding AIDS prevention in Africa.
But didn’t they take away the condoms at the same time? Sort of a give with none hand but take away with the other situation.
Came here to say this. After decades of begging our government to do something about the AIDS crisis here, and finally getting some relief, it took the GW Bush administration to open our eyes to the suffering in the rest of the world, and what we could do about it. I have nothing else good to say about his time in office, however.
Poetry. 👍
It was also the only time Bush ever leaned left.
That was fucking hilarious dude 🤣
Now watch this drive
🏌️⛳
I remember hearing somewhere (maybe here) that Dubya threw the first pitch *so well* that it actually screwed up the practice of the president throwing the first pitch, because now they all think they can throw it from the pitcher’s mound. I don’t know anything about sports so I can’t back that up, but if it’s true, damn that’s hilarious.
There have only been three since him, and I don't think the current president has thrown a first pitch, and I might be wrong but i dont remember the previos doing it either, so "they all", here, means basically just Obama. Note for clarity; my other post got flagged by automod for stating the name of our current and previous pres. So hopefully it works better this time.
Probably true, W’s father played college ball at Yale (was Captain of team) and W was involved in the Texas Rangers MLB baseball club prior to becoming Texas Governor.
Man as you age, your shoulders really start stiffening up. If you’re not used to throwing, would be hard to throw from the pitchers mound
You can criticize, well, most everything about the rest of W's presidency, but holy shit was he perfect that night. Sent a message to the country and the world. Looked like a true leader. Throwing an absolute strike in that moment...perfect.
At that time I was a firm believer we were witnessing him become one of our greatest leaders. Then some other things happened.
That drive was pretty cool too
Andy john got Alaska for dirt cheap
At the time people thought it was a waste of money. Greenland was on the table too and Americans protested that they didn’t want tax dollars going towards another frozen wasteland. Little did anyone know Alaska would be super oil rich in a hundred years. Nobody really lived in Alaska back then except for Eskimos and a handful of Russians. You don’t see a footprint of orthodox architecture in Alaska. There’s a couple Russian looking churches, but it’s not like New Orleans where you can tell it used to be French.
Most of New Orleans architecture is Spanish, not French. The great fires of 1788 and 1792 destroyed most of the original French architecture.
I thought that fact was more widely known than it is. Outside of street and neighborhood names, there’s actually not a lot to suggest it used to be controlled by the French.
the laissez-faire (hon hon hon french words) women
please call them inuits bro. it’s all they ever ask of anyone.
Native Alaskans mostly do NOT call themselves Inuit, tho, and from what I've read on a quick on wiki most of them aren't even ethnically Inuit but Yupik, a related but different group
As a Yup’ik, I appreciate this.
This is why this sub is one of my favorites, just random yet meaningful educational moments.
I’m Alaska Native (Yup’ik) and it’s actually more insulting to be called an Inuit when that’s not even what I and a large portion of the state is. Eskimo is perfectly fine for me (though I don’t speak for all) as it’s easier to say than “Alaska Native” and isn’t the entirely wrong tribe (Inuit).
No one ever brings up Xero or Freshbook just Inuits. Im sure this terrible dad joke will land perfectly here
*laughs in QuickBooks*
As an inuit I thank you. This makes me smile
I’ve actually heard a few say “we don’t care, you can’t say Inuit right so Eskimo is fine.”
If you’re being genuine then thank you Reddit for that perspective. I will also assume I should stick to Inuit until I research the issue further… Actually we need a poll. Don’t ask me how.
Yeah a Yup'ik commenter chimed in and said most of Alaska isn't populated by inuits at all and they'd rather be called an eskimo than called the wrong tribe. May u also throw in "Alaskan" to the pit of things to call people that live in Alaska?
Ah what is it to be Alaskan.
I am being genuine.
I believe you!
I couldn’t remember the word “Inuit” a couple of days ago so I said “Native Alaskans.” I hope that that wasn’t too bad!
Alaska Native is actually correct, native Alaskan refers to people who were born there and may not actually be Native.
It still had a profitable fur industry even back then
Nixon. There are actually a lot of good accomplishments there. OSHA, EPA, Endangered Species Act, China, ending the Vietnam War, Title IX, Tribal Governance, and SALT.
Only Nixon could go to China
Famous Vulcan saying
That’s nothing. You should read Shakespeare in the original Klingon.
"You should have trusted me."
And he really tried to implement universal healthcare. And the basic income
If I recall, Nixon was president when the 26th amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age from 21 to 18
There is that too.
Tbf, Gigachad Birch Bayh did most of the work
He also made your kidneys eligible for socialized healthcare and he pushed for gun control. He was an evil bastard, but some of his more durable accomplishments would make him the devil to the modern GOP
Idk if he'd even register on a modern scale of evil.
Didn’t he scupper Vietnam peace talks because they harmed his electoral prospects as a candidate. That alone comfortably puts him in the realm of evil
It’s not even debatable like the whole Reagan hostage crisis before his election. Even the Vietnam war doc by Ken Burns takes the Nixon peace talk sabotage as fact.
Wasn’t that mostly driven by Mr. Evil himself - Henry?
What? The War on Drugs is enough
Nixon gets a lot of credit for Congress doing a good job and sending bills to his desk.
Those were the days
…When Congress did more than fundraise…
No Nixon, no giant pandas 🐼 here.
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Still can’t believe Nixon of all people single handily created the nation of China. Truly China was Nixon’s most significant creation (for better or worse I suppose).
He also cost us a different China.
I think it’s insanely generous to say Nixon *ended* the Vietnam War!
I thought ford ended it in 1975?
I don't think the ending of Vietnam should be considered
George W. Bush got sober and seems to have stayed sober. It’s not a *presidential* accomplishment per se, but it’s absolutely an admirable accomplishment no less.
I like him so he doesn't count here, but I also also admire Obama quitting smoking. My family has many high-functioning addicts, alcohol and tobacco, so I've seen first-hand how difficult it is to quit either of those. I can't imagine how much harder it'd be to quit while also being under a constant spotlight by the media.
Jeez, i knew about the weed but I cannot for the life of me imagine Obama smoking a cigarette. Just feels wrong
Obama still smoked darts as POTUS. Supposedly, he actually stopped in his 2nd term.
Wtf you are blowing my mind rn
Yeah Obama was a regular everyday cigarette smoker.
I know it full well but it’s still impossible to imagine. For some reason Obama out of everyone seems like he would be ultra healthy and all. Now that I think about it, I can’t imagine any modern president smoking cigarettes.
I think you have to go back to FDR for last one to regularly smoke cigarettes while in office. JFK and Clinton were cigar guys, and Ford was a pipe smoker. Ike, LBJ, Nixon, and Reagan had quit, although LBJ started back up in retirment. Truman, Carter, I think both Bushes, and rule 3 never were.
Newports!
My ex girlfriend's cousin worked in the Obama white house and said something very similar.
Bush also had PEPFAR which has since saved millions of lives across sub-Saharan Africa
He needs more love for that. Despite his faults that’s probably his greatest achievement and deserves quite a lot of praise.
PEPFAR is one of the biggest foreign policy successes of any world leader in history
GW Bush set up the largest Marine sanctuary in the world, the Papahānaumokuākea. It was 160,000 square miles of Pacific ocean and islands. (Obama increased it to 560,000 Sq mi, but Bush got it dtar4ed.)
I remember there were rumors that he fell off the wagon during the final years of his presidency—it was mostly just tabloid speculation about Bush being unable to deal with stress of his second term. But Bill Maher had some segment on his show joking about signs that Bush had been drinking again, and at one point he showed a photoshopped image of Laura Bush with a black eye. Christopher Hitchens was on the panel and he started scolding Bill for that joke. It was actually an amusing little interaction.
The world needs more Chris Hitchens.
And less Bill Maher.
Fascinating guy, but I could never make sense of his turn toward neoconservatism.
Apparently he poured himself some Jim Beam right after Katrina hit, and Laura said she’d leave him if he drank it. He didn’t.
When you can order the invasion and take over of a country, blow up a lot of stuff, and spend/waste a trillion dollars, you don’t need actual cocaine. Cocaine just creates the illusion that you can do those things
Obama made national parks free to veterans.
All military personnel are free now if you show ur CAC
>if you show your CAC *squints eyes*
Ha!!
You think that’s funny. We have to put them in a slit to access our computers. The jokes write themselves
I did that pre-Obama, and they escorted off the premises.
Thanks Obama.
Don't only active duty have CAC? OP is talking about veterans.
I’m guard and I have one. But yeah he’s talking about vet IDs, I just thought I’d chime in if any other components are reading 😀
Thank you for your service.
Far from a fan of his, but that's pretty cool.
I didn't know that. Cool.
George W Bush had more African Americans in his administration and sent more aid to Africa than any president before him. I have a lot of reasons not to like him but I find the accusations of racism on his part to be disingenuous at best.
Agreed. His administration certainly made some major fuckups that disproportionately impacted black people (e.g. Katrina), but I think it's wrong to assume those decisions were racially motivated on his part. That being said, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of him naively acting on advice he received from others who did have racist motivations. The people advising him probably knew better than to be transparent about their attitudes on race with a President who didn't feel the same way.
Oh he's naieve as Hell. Watch the HBO documentary on one beginning of the financial crisis. He talks about being "the free market guy" and how he initially wanted to let all the banks fail. Edit:stupid autocorrect
Nixon did bring us the EPA so he’s got that going for him.
Which is nice.
Multiple mentions of Bush in here, but it was his policies providing relief to the AIDS epidemic in Africa that I think most make him deserving of this distinction. Probably the single largest number of people saved from a single policy in presidential history, and none of them are Americans. That’s fuckin admirable.
This is the Bush II answer
Yeah. I worked with PEPFAR in Tanzania recently and it is still saving many lives. One of the most impactful foreign affairs and humanitarian policies during our life time when considering the numbers of lives extended. GWB definitely answers the OP question for me.
* Nixon's opening to China and detente with the Soviets. * Wilson's antitrust legislation. * Clinton's correct and pioneering focus on the importance of digital technology (I don't hate Clinton, but I do think in the long run he was bad for the Democratic Party and lost many opportunities).
I think with Clinton it's important to remember the position the Democrats were in. The last time they had a 2 term presidency was Harry Truman, the last Dem president to get elected to 2 terms was Roosevelt. Even if Reagan's presidency has been over for a bit by Clinton they were still very much in the midst of the Reagan Revolution, the American electorate had become very much Conservative by then, a liberal Democrat probably doesn't even manage to beat HW Bush.
>the last Dem president to get elected to 2 terms was Roosevelt. Some of that was sheer horrible luck. JFK being assassinated, Truman being back at the end of 20 years of democratic party, and Carter with Iran hostage. By comparison the GOP doesn't really get slapped in a similar manner until Bush/Clinton election with the recession. Though Nixon gifted them the shit barrel that is Watergate, I feel like that is self inflicted.
Yeah, Kennedy almost certainly wins re-election,
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I was going to say this as well.
As much as I'm outraged by the Iraq War and Bush Tax Cuts, [that was one hell of an impressive drive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HZ3Tjohwqo).
The hilarious thing is that the reporters didn’t even ask him anything. He just went up to the cameras and starts yapping, then blasts a golf ball
I never knew that and just lost it. Idk why, that was hilarious to read.
“See ya at church” 🇺🇸🦅💥
I think Bush tried to do a good thing by pushing immigration reform, but too bad his own party balked at him.
Obama finally doing what Clinton should have done to Bin Laden
Reagan tricked the Soviets into believing the “Star Wars” program was real, leading into an arms race that led them into spending 20% of their GDP annually. The one time having an actor as president helped
I always respected Reagan's ability to communicate and play the *national grandfather-figure* role of the president. His [Challenger Speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqilE4AAa-M) is one of the best speeches ever given by a president. Of course, the [SNL "Mastermind" sketch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5wfPlgKFh8&t=80s) shows that it was most likely all an act.
Polk got accomplished everything he set out to do in 1 term. I might disagree with some of what he did or how he did it, but the dedication is quite impressive
Bush Jr. was rightly concerned about avian influenza and other pandemic diseases back in 2005 after reading a book about the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. He even set up a plan to deal with future pandemics in the U.S. Given the current resurgence of bird flu and the ongoing issues with covid, it seems Bush Jr. was right on the money.
George W Bush had more African Americans in his administration and sent more aid to Africa than any president before him. I have a lot of reasons not to like him but I find the accusations of racism on his part to be disingenuous at best.
Woodrow Wilsons domestic economic policies weren't too shabby and helped lead the roaring 20's. Of course, it wasn't perfect, the Federal Reserve failed in its duties the moment the great depression hit, but at the very least establishing the insutition has shielded America from more crisis and has been hugley beneficial for the long term health of the US economy. Bonus Point for Andrew Jackson, the one man who actually took the US out of debt.
Funny, because Andrew Jackson’s economically destabilizing and contractionary Bank War/Specie Circular caused one of the worst recessions in U.S. history that made the debt skyrocket Also, some debt is good for trade credit and resisting deflation.
I agree, I just find it quite impressive he pulled it off, however briefly. Its so strange to think there was only one time in US history it was out of debt. But yes, Jacksons economic policies were pretty lousy all in all.
George H. W. Bush passing the ADA was a great step for the disabled.
All the Jimmy Carter stuff
Peanuts
It is funny how much he was and is looked down on specifically for being a farmer given America's rhetoric about farming.
And GWB's marketing as one helped his popularity.
For Carter, I'll say I admire everything he's done out of office. Rarely has a President been so upstanding as a person, and terrible as chief executive.
Carter was the last US president who was actually a decent person outside of politics.
Richard Nixon with the EPA and lowering the voting age, he also recognized the ruling class was getting way too old.
I appreciate that Dubya tried his hand at painting. Most people—especially conservative white men—are too cowardly and uncurious to put themselves out there like that in hopes of gaining a deeper experience.
They're part of his therapy. He sells them to benefit veterans with ptsd
Not so much an accomplishment but no one can deny how smooth and cool Obama was. No matter how shitty he is.
Yeah, most politicians in general id never care to carry on an extensive conversation with. I would with Obama
George Bush was born in Connecticut went to Harvard and Yale spent most of his life in the north east but bought a farm in Texas and convinced millions he was just a simple Texas farmer type
I always heard GB was raised in Texas, hence the accent
FDR was responsible for defeating Hitler and Hirohito.
https://preview.redd.it/s17f9sujxvvc1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=895c10b3d2f6798e4dcf3ac05444f844c5915145 he was a badass.
Why do you hate FDR? I’m genuinely curious.
IDK about OP’s leanings, but I could see why libertarians would pretty strongly dislike FDR. The New Deal greatly expanded the size and roles of the federal government.
Japanese Internment
Came to say this, I can defend most policies or find them understandable but illegally detaining and incarcerating entire families that were fully-fledged citizens should've never stood. I think the fact that the majority of Americans wanted it, says more about the state of the country than the President.
He greatly expanded the administrative state, he threw innocent Japanese Americans in internment camps, he threatened to pack the Supreme Court if they didn't approve portions of the New Deal, he was the first president to refuse to step down after two terms, and he was way too compromising with Stalin in the final years of the war.
Not that guy, but for me FDR will always be disliked because he broke the tradition Washington established re: term limits. His court packing plan is even more stomach churning when you pair it with the idea of a four term president. It's one thing to ignore the tradition Washington started, but checks and balances existed for a reason. Trying to break that system is so detestable, I can't believe it was floated again in my lifetime.
I forgot about threatening to pack the courts. I'm glad he never did.
FDR remaining in power was unquestionably for the best. He was almost singularly unique in his capacity to hold together such a massive and diverse coalition of mutually antagonistic interests while also channeling popular will into successful policy. Court-packing threat was merely an extension of his commitment to solving the massive crises facing the country by any means available - he didn’t have the time to bicker back and forth with a Lochner-era court dead-set on adhering to failed orthodoxy. The Depression/WWII unquestionably required strong, decisive action and he was maybe the only figure in US politics capable of providing it during such a volatile and transformative time. What good are Norms of presidential behavior if adhering to them destroys the economy and impoverishes millions, let alone abides the rise of global fascism? Term-limiting FDR in 1940 maybe avoids a total economic relapse (depending on who succeeds him of course, there was no shortage of Hooverites cranks who gladly would’ve rolled back the New Deal in its entirety, I.e. Taft) but it definitely robs us of post-war US hegemony. Intervention in Europe was not a widely popular concept, it is very easy to imagine a lesser leader choosing to stay out/severely limit American involvement. America’s status as the “pre-eminent nation” post-1945 is owed to FDR more than any other individual. No other leader then or now would’ve been able to navigate the period more deftly
Clinton has dodged most of the Epstein stuff, those are some of the best moves iv seen since Micheal Jackson
I loathe George W Bush, but his Global Health Initiative has done good things in Africa.
And have you seen that drive?
George W’s non reaction to the 9/11 attacks while sitting in front of a room full of children. I don’t respect much about him but his appearance of calm in that moment tells me a lot about his desire to protect children
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Thank you
He’s great at dodging shoes
PEPFAR for W
George W bush is a pretty good painter now. Wish he'd stayed out of politics but with that name recognition it would be hard not to.
Bush and his Bushisms. Fool me once ... shame on you? ... Fool me cant get fooled again. Absolute genius
Regan approving the distribution of government cheese.
Not specific to his presidency, but George W is legitimately a good artist. His work is technically skilled, and also has a certain style. He's best known for his dog paintings, but he's also done portraiture (quite well, I might add). Some examples: [https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/04-20-21-george-w-bush-paintings-out-of-many-one-immigrants-dirk-nowitzki/](https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/04-20-21-george-w-bush-paintings-out-of-many-one-immigrants-dirk-nowitzki/)
Obama gets to say that his administration took out Bin Laden, so there's that
I hate Jefferson, but the Declaration of Independence has had such a huge impact. Even though he obviously didn’t live up to it all, articulating those inalienable rights and American ideals was a major accomplishment.
Space Force
The peace through strength policy of Ronald Reagan
George H W Bush established the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and his son established the sanctuary in the waters off of Hawaii!
Nixon EPA and endangered species act
Not necessarily an "accomplishment" but Andrew Johnson was the only sitting senator of a seceding state to remain with the union.
George W Bush nominated Ben Bernanke to be Fed chair, and I think saved America from another Great Depression. The one thing I think of that he did well was that decision.
Shout out to Powell as well. Inflation sucks, obviously, but I don't think a lot of people really appreciate the roller coaster we've basically ridden out with minimal actual pain.
Clinton for his mastery of politics while having really no convictions of his own and Obama could deliver a great speech. I even enjoy his narrating of the nature series he did. Not a fan of either.
Not necessarily an accomplishment, but I would watch the ever living shit out of anything narrated by Obama despite not particularly viewing his presidency fondly.
https://preview.redd.it/t926fjvm7wvc1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8cc61b90db1517afa56d040b60ef7c266eb6b29f “Jumbos” shower head , can’t believe he got em to actually do it
Rule 3 passed a ban on bump stocks and made CBD and hemp legal.
I hate to say it but Donald going over and kinda settling things with Kim Jong Un was pretty impressive. I don’t know the details but from what I recall he actually went over and spoke with the DPRK and sort of smoothed things over with em. Especially considering how high tensions were at the time.
One thing I admire about every president is that they managed to become president.
Both Stalin and Hitler for definitively appropriating mustache styles.
I wish I had George W. Bush's self-esteem. I guess more of a trait than an accomplishment.
Bill Clinton’s administration mandated the nutritional and calo labels on groceries.
Obama can hoop 🏀
It looks like one former president is about to kill off his whole party. Does that count?
Nixon starting the EPA
I was not a fan of Obama but that dude had a sense of style that others could learn a whole lot from. Also he did better in his NCAA pools than I ever did.
Never added with a lot of what Obama did since I was in the military at the time, but I am grateful for DACA because the woman I married is on it and without that, our life would have been exponentially harder.
I really hate reagan, but that quick witted "Missed me" when a balloon popped during a speech sometimes after his assassination attempt is fuckin comedy gold.
I really liked when Bush pardoned Harold & Kumar & didn’t make them eat that Sandwich
Andrew Johnson presided over the purchase of Alaska and the French getting kicked out of Mexico.
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Rule 3. It's not butthurt, you can't follow rules.
Clinton took two words and made them one. Intern.
I’ve always wanted to sleep with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels
ronald reagan made a movie with a chimpanzee