by RubaDub 15 Replies latest jw friends
In my lifetime, (I will include Kennedy even though I was probably breast-feeding at the time), but it seems that there have been relatively few Presidents that we vote "for." My list would be Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton and Obama. I'm not talking about their politics here but who generally got voted for, instead of simply voting against.
Any thoughts?
Out of respect I would also list Eisenhower.....however I was a kid during his term.
Kennedy was an if for me. He got us into Vietnam. Like Lyndon and Clinton he could not resist the ladies.
However Lyndon Johnson did get some important laws past. "After taking office, he won passage of a major tax cut, the Clean Air Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After the 1964 election, Johnson passed even more sweeping reforms. The Social Security Amendments of 1965 created two government-run healthcare programs, Medicare and Medicaid.
But he kept the Vietnam war going instead of pulling out.
I would delete Reagan and Nixon who were terrible Presidents.
Nixon discouraged the Vietnam peace talks instead he continued the war because he thought it was the path to his reelection. An additional 22,000 US soldiers died.....needlessly......... so he could get reelected.
I'd add Bush senior as a highly qualified President based on his military service, being the head of the CIA and a Vice President. He had great credentials for the job. He only got four years as President but was smart enough to not press an invasion into Iraq........ something his son totally botched up.
Speaking of his son he was a terrible President. Got us in two wars and tanked the economy.
Obama...... Yes indeed! He inherited a financial meltdown and two wars all thanks to Geo Bush JR. Obama got the financial part handled though it took a good two years. Trump likes to take credit for Obama's financial success as his own.
Trump........ the worst president........ maybe ever. Everything he touches he screws up.
Because its a two party system. In a binary situation you have two motivations, for or against, and one of the two moves you. You move towards reward and away from pain. The result is that the electorate, which largely sees the government as oppressive and “hurtful”, moves towards the option of least pain resulting in a vote “against” someone as opposed to for someone.
The real joke that both parties are the same side of the coin.
The real joke that both parties are the same side of the coin.
EXACTLY! Just different sides of the same counterfeit coin, and like anything counterfeit, not worth anything! George Carlin had a very good bit about not voting.
Its an exclusive club and your not in it.
To answer only the question asked of Rub-a-Dub, I believe it has to do with the national parties. The national parties have become the true power in the U.S. If a politician wants to get elected he or she must worship at the feet of the party leaders and by party leaders I do not refer to a single elected official.
Locally where I live if a person wants to get elected to office he or she must kiss the ring of the party leaders. If the party leaders believe a candidate will be a faithful and obedient puppet for the party, that candidate will receive the endorsement of every club, elected official, as well as receive generous campaign fund contributions. At any time an elected official poses a perceived threat to a party leader, the party will run 2 strong candidates against them in the primary.
In ancient times the religious elite pulled the strings of kings and emperors. Political parties have replaced religions in the U.S. I can't think of a better example of this than the 2016 DNC National Convention in which the DNC rejected the party members' decision and went with Hillary over Sanders.
The national parties have become the true power in the U.S. If a politician wants to get elected he or she must worship at the feet of the party leaders and by party leaders
This is the SWAMP. They all hate Trump because he is not one of them.
I have heard the president called an office temp. The real power lies with the entrenched party heads and we do not get a chance to vote on them unless they are by chance in our state. Even the primaries are rigged by insiders. I cannot vote against either Pelosi nor McConnell. If none of the above was offered on the ballots it would win.
The last sexually moral president was probably Carter, Ford. And maybe bushes.
The last presidents I admire would have to be Eisenhower abd Truman.
Obama posed as a poor downtrodden black when in fact he was a snot nosed bastard from a hippie chick and philanderer. I had hopes when he did not worship Israel and took a more realistic look at the world. His health care was written by big medicine, big insurance so was set to not serve "us" at all.
Since we never seem to have a viable third party candidate, we end up choosing between two people. A vote for one is automatically a vote against the other whether we meant it that way or not.
Both the Democrats and Republicans have a history of running geriatric disasters, not because they are the best candidate, but because it's "their turn." When a candidate is old enough and/or appears to be mentally ossified, people are forced to take that into consideration. Bob Dole lost even here in my Republican state, mostly because he appeared old and infirm.
I do understand what you're saying though. Candidates who truly inspire their voters are few and far between.
I've not heard that in few yrs now.
