tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post3524135663232333149..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Against P DayJonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-9026845004187669562013-02-19T11:49:38.037-06:002013-02-19T11:49:38.037-06:00The answer to that one is that it's decided po...The answer to that one is that it's decided politically, which is appropriate because it's a political nation. Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-34609135423279736762013-02-19T11:48:39.580-06:002013-02-19T11:48:39.580-06:00And of course, Burr neglects Lincon's long his...And of course, Burr neglects Lincon's long history of not objecting to or seeking to undo slavery in the southern states so long as they stayed in the Union. Take the great man as his word.Truth > Spinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-22258991897898374792013-02-19T11:06:19.718-06:002013-02-19T11:06:19.718-06:00I agree that Presidents day isn't the best ide...I agree that Presidents day isn't the best idea for a holiday, and that celebrating the greatest Americans is a better idea, but who decides who is picked? We have a Martin Luther King day, but not a Ben Franklin day? Not an Einstein day?<br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10117365827811701545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-73690745347806556362013-02-19T10:04:05.105-06:002013-02-19T10:04:05.105-06:00His inept handling of the War of 1812 - both run-u...His inept handling of the War of 1812 - both run-up and execution - should exclude Madison from anyone's list.Phil O.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14499273759083108847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-8921604277945695392013-02-19T01:27:46.902-06:002013-02-19T01:27:46.902-06:00Probably not for his presidency so much as who he ...Probably not for his presidency so much as who he was and that it happened at all. It wasn't like he didn't stick his neck waaaay out there for us.Crissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13389565751169783614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-63841688551035838652013-02-19T00:46:53.858-06:002013-02-19T00:46:53.858-06:00Not to mention that Washington could have remained...Not to mention that Washington could have remained on after two terms (there was no limit then) with little argument from his fellow countrymen and did not. That set a precedent which was only codified when the Republicans finally got revenge on FDR posthumously in 1951.Linkmeisterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00576347754628145004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-90244532635666389302013-02-18T22:46:00.168-06:002013-02-18T22:46:00.168-06:00Heh.
On GW: no one had ever been a president of a...Heh.<br /><br />On GW: no one had ever been a president of a republic before. Brand new invention. I can't even imagine to think of all the things that could have gone wrong, but didn't. So even if for nothing else, that's pretty good.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-67783197982523759572013-02-18T22:36:38.341-06:002013-02-18T22:36:38.341-06:00I've never been that clear on why Washington i...I've never been that clear on why Washington is considered such a great president. However, I think that "Roadrunner" would make an excellent state song for Massachusetts.<br />Frank Moraeshttp://www.franklycurious.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-39763112111143557412013-02-18T22:20:09.012-06:002013-02-18T22:20:09.012-06:00Washington freed all his slaves in his will and se...Washington freed all his slaves in his will and seems to have had <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_and_slavery" rel="nofollow">fairly respectable views on the issue.</a>Neil Sinhababuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03249327186653397250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-41447422941637825792013-02-18T22:07:09.315-06:002013-02-18T22:07:09.315-06:00Agreed on JQA, also (seriously) Garfield. Great gu...Agreed on JQA, also (seriously) Garfield. Great guy.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15295138520775220050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-85273672143284013682013-02-18T19:32:26.472-06:002013-02-18T19:32:26.472-06:00My favorite Jefferson story is when Ben Franklin l...My favorite Jefferson story is when Ben Franklin locked him in a steamy hotel room at the end of June in a city about to be overrun by cholera (?) I think, so that he could write the Declaration of Independence, a piece of prose that still brings tears to my 47-year-old eyes.<br /><br />Some people need some serious pressure to produce their best work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-50727512383672027892013-02-18T14:34:49.909-06:002013-02-18T14:34:49.909-06:00Teddy Roosevelt gets overshadowed by his cousin, b...Teddy Roosevelt gets overshadowed by his cousin, but he did a lot to shape 20th century foreign and domestic policy and deserves some credit as one of the most influential presidents. He was responsible for the early foundations of the modern American regulatory state (including the introduction and enforcement of labor, food, drug, consumer, and environmental regulations). Short of FDR and LBJ, few modern presidents have had such a profound influence on domestic policy. Though perhaps it is a big black mark against him that he did almost nothing to move forward on civil rights.Joshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-71082742982840372032013-02-18T13:23:30.062-06:002013-02-18T13:23:30.062-06:00I'm not a big fan of Jefferson either. It seem...I'm not a big fan of Jefferson either. It seems like some of his best moments were when he was being hypocritical (DoI, Louisiana Purchase). His fight for secularism is the only one off the top of my head that doesn't seem mired in hypocrisy. I'm a much bigger fan of Madison. So I'd definitely like to see Madison celebrated more. But I probably wouldn't object too strongly to Jefferson being celebrated. Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15955054735802185726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-23571901841501765612013-02-18T12:24:12.517-06:002013-02-18T12:24:12.517-06:00I believe I'd place Abraham Lincoln way, way a...I believe I'd place Abraham Lincoln way, way ahead of President Washington. I know we can't separate an historical figure from the times or wisdom of that life, but I kind of gag at putting a slaveholder above someone who faced the opposite direction.Burr Deminghttp://fairandunbalanced.com/blog1.php/2010/07/04/patriotism-and-america-1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-34213616769053724722013-02-18T11:51:56.393-06:002013-02-18T11:51:56.393-06:00Here's something you might enjoy, then: TV wri...Here's something you might enjoy, then: TV writer Ken Levine has a special guest blogger for today. It's former president Chester Arthur.<br /><br />http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-former-us-president-is-todays-guest.htmlRobnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-56281299048462269302013-02-18T09:13:26.694-06:002013-02-18T09:13:26.694-06:00Well then, for me I'll consider this happy LBJ...Well then, for me I'll consider this happy LBJ day as my favourite president!Yaramah Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11545126290793710143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-65980454151505981272013-02-18T07:57:09.178-06:002013-02-18T07:57:09.178-06:00If you want to distinguish "awesomeness of pe...If you want to distinguish "awesomeness of person X who was POTUS" from "awesomeness of person X's POTUS-ship" then I think you have to put JQA way way up near the top of that list. Awesome diplomat before he was POTUS and probably the awesomest post-POTUS career of any POTUS, ever. Plus we pretty much owe him the Smithsonian Institutions, which as a Greater DC resident is a pretty big debt of gratitude. Squarely Rootedhttp://squarelyrooted.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com