More to Honor
President's Day is set aside to honor Washington and Lincoln, specifically. Who else deserves to be included?
My favorite has always been Thomas Jefferson. The man could write. Favorite quote:
I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyrannyThe power of his prose helped bring our nation together in its infancy. Those same words bind and define us even today. Plus there's the whole Lousiana thing. That's gotta count for something.
over the mind of man.
Who else? Oh, I know. Both Roosevelts, Kennedy, and Clinton.
I honor them all today. Beers on me.
posted by kate @ 8:39 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Dont forget Reagan. He was a powerful and revolutionary republican leader back when both parties actually worked with each other occasionally.
I would add...
John Adams - For being among the first leaders of American Independence.
James Madison - For writing the Constitution and the Federalist Papers.
Andrew Jackson - For being a man of the people.
Woodrow Wilson - For envisioning the League of Nations, which led to the United Nations.
And I agree with Ronald Reagan - For understanding that supply side economics works, and ushering in the 1990's economic expansion.
Ronald Reagan - the man understood very little and spare me the whole "Reagan was responsible for Clinton's success."
Kate,
I didnt say he was incredible by any means, but... he was responsible for our current system as jim johnson said, that has now only resulted in 2 recessions in 26 years.
He also was brave enough to be forceful with the Soviet Union, which eventually bankrupted them when their oil revenue dropped in 1986 and 1987. (they were spending all their oil revenue to produce weapons, and kept spending it to keep up with the US.
Remember, there was a reason he won 49 states out of 51 in 1984.
So I figured if you mentioned Clinton, who's largest feat was welfare reform, which was pushed by republicans 3 times, to finally not be vetoed the third time, then Reagan should definitely be in the list.
I will give you that he balanced the budget, partially by spending cuts, which is very good, but partially by tax increases on high achievers, which is not good policy.
Usually great leaders are people who led the country in a new direction well when they needed to be taken in a new direction. There was no new direction in the 1990's, and none was needed. And if we needed a new direction this decade, we sure arent being led into it.
I'm not so sure welfare reform was Clinton's largest feat. I'm a big fan of Americorps, Freedom of Choice Act, Family Medical Leave Act, the Motor Voter Bill and the overall atmosphere of the country during Clinton's presidency. I liked having a brilliant and kind POTUS who, despite some personal flaws, promoted sound policies, surrounded himself with brilliant minds, and worked toward the betterment of the world.
Yes, indeedy. Big fan.
I am not a Reagan fan, but I think his policies significantly hastened the fall of the Soviet Union and that is cause for celebration. However, the cautionary tale presented by the collapse of a superpower brought on by too much military spending-and getting bogged down in a country they had no business invading-seems to have gone unnoticed by the current administration. Certainly, our traditions of civilian leadership, civil liberties, and economic system, are better able to weather such folly, but folly it is nonetheless. W, has thus accomplished a miracle. He has me longing for the days Reagan was POTUS.
I think it is too soon to evaluate the greatness, or lack thereof, of any president who served in the last half century or so. It's too hard to see the ultimate outcome of any policiy, and to assign credit or blame, without the perspective of time.
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