History Shows Businessmen Make Bad Presidents

[jgarden]

History shows businessmen make bad presidents
October 18, 2012

The surveys produce remarkably similar results. The top tier is always Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt, Wilson and Truman. The only post-19th century presidents to crack the bottom quartile are George W. Bush and Warren Harding. An aggregate of the five surveys that included W rank him 34th; presidents ranked lower include such notables as Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson.

For post-19th century presidents, the highest ranked are the Roosevelts, Truman, and Eisenhower. The lowest ranked are Hoover, Coolidge, George W. Bush and Harding. Harding was very successful in business but is consistently rated as one of the worst presidents, so one of the most successful businessmen was a conspicuous failure as president ...

So the number of highly successful businessmen who became highly successful presidents? None. Or conversely, the number of successful presidents who were successful businessmen? None. The number of successful businessmen who failed as president? Three. Truman, a very successful president, failed in business.

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-b...history-shows-businessmen-make-bad-presidents

- George H.W. Bush (oilman)

- Warren Harding (newspaperman)

- Andrew Johnson (tailor)

- Herbert Hoover (mining)

Trump's claim to fame is his success as a businessman - but the track record shows that being a successful businessmen doesn't translate into being a successful president.

 

[patrick jane]

- George H.W. Bush (oilman)

- Warren Harding (newspaperman)

- Andrew Johnson (tailor)

- Herbert Hoover (mining)

Trump's claim to fame is his success as a businessman - but the track record shows that being a successful businessmen doesn't translate into being a successful president.

Who are you and where did you come from loser? [MENTION=7147]jgarden[/MENTION]

 

[Ktoyou]

Andrew Johnson was rated low because he was so good at keeping the South from devastation! Harding was only rated bad over the Teapot Dome fiasco. He was not such a bad president for the time, neither was Coolidge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_CoolidgeAll these polls are opinions out of the time context.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ln-1-obama-18-kennedy-judged-most-over-rated/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

 

[MarcATL]

The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over while expecting different results.

Today's Republican party is insane.

 

[oatmeal]

The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over while expecting different results.

Today's Republican party is insane.

Conservatives don't fix things that are not broke.

The Constitution works fine when applied.

Conservatives like to use what works.

Good businessmen know how to take care of business, they know how to utilize money and resources and nurture employees successfully to profit themselves and others.

Lawyers tend to make money from other people's misery, thus liberal lawyers endeavor to make conditions miserable for people so that they have someone to sue. Successful businessmen who employ people gainfully are the enemy of liberals and liberal lawyers.

 

[oatmeal]

- George H.W. Bush (oilman)

- Warren Harding (newspaperman)

- Andrew Johnson (tailor)

- Herbert Hoover (mining)

Trump's claim to fame is his success as a businessman - but the track record shows that being a successful businessmen doesn't translate into being a successful president.

Being a businessmen is about making use of what you have to make a profit for yourself, your customers and your employees.

Businessmen can only work with what they have, they cannot have excessive debt and expect someone else liable to pay back that debt.

Liberal and big governments advocates steal from taxpayers, those who actually work for a living and bribe unproductive people to vote for them.

Only a mafia type businessman,ie, a liberal/big government type could advocate "protection money" ie, more taxes and regulations "for the good of the people"

Businessmen are realists, liberals and liberal lawyers are crooks

 

[MarcATL]

Conservatives don't fix things that are not broke.

The Constitution works fine when applied.

Conservatives like to use what works.

Good businessmen know how to take care of business, they know how to utilize money and resources and nurture employees successfully to profit themselves and others.

Lawyers tend to make money from other people's misery, thus liberal lawyers endeavor to make conditions miserable for people so that they have someone to sue. Successful businessmen who employ people gainfully are the enemy of liberals and liberal lawyers.

Your Honor, I present to you Exhibit A. The subject clearly displays signs of full-blown insanity, ignoring all the facts and historical evidence.

 

[jgarden]

Being a businessmen is about making use of what you have to make a profit for yourself, your customers and your employees.

Businessmen can only work with what they have, they cannot have excessive debt and expect someone else liable to pay back that debt.

Liberal and big governments advocates steal from taxpayers, those who actually work for a living and bribe unproductive people to vote for them.

Only a mafia type businessman,ie, a liberal/big government type could advocate "protection money" ie, more taxes and regulations "for the good of the people"

Businessmen are realists, liberals and liberal lawyers are crooks

If "oatmeal" were to take the time to check the data, rather than spouting the "conservative" line, he would know that American reached its lowest federal debt/GDP ratio since WW2 under Carter Administration.

Federal debt/GDP ratio at the end of the Carter Administration 32.5%

Federal debt/GDP ratio at the end of the Reagan Administration increased by 20.8% to 53.1%/GDP.

Federal debt/GDP ratio at the end of the Bush Sr. Administration
increased by 13.0% to 66.1%/GDP.

Under the Clinton Administration the debt actually decreased by 9.7% to 56.4%/GDP.

Under the Bush Jr. Administration it increased 27.8% to 84.2%/GDP.

The Obama Administration inherited a financial meltdown and was the first Democratic president since Roosevelt where the federal debt/GDP ratio increased.

During the post WW2 period there have been 4 Republican presidents (Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr., Bush Jr.) have run federal debts that have exceeded the GDP by a grand total of 61.8%.

Much of this debt can be attributed to the Republican's bright idea to cut taxes for the wealthy under the guise that it would stimulate the economy - the net result was that these cuts were financed with borrowed money and the promised economic benefits never materialized.

Only the conservatives would argue that financing tax cuts with borrowed money makes business sense!

[url https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States_public_debt[/url]

 

[HisServant]

The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over while expecting different results.

Today's Republican party is insane.

So are the Democrats... the question is who is going to implode first...

I tend to think they will both implode at the same time... since they both operate basically the same way.

 

[The Berean]

Was George H.W. Bush a bad president? :idunno:

 

[Nick M]

Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge were good Presidents. Liberal RINO Hoover tried (successfully) to undo it and he put the economy in peril. Allowing FDR to kick it while it was down.

 

[Nick M]

Was George H.W. Bush a bad president? :idunno:

He handed Bill Clinton a roaring economy, and Bubba left it in shambles. So yes, it is Bush's fault.

 

[Ktoyou]

I think he allowed himself to be used?

 

[Mocking You]

Federal debt/GDP ratio at the end of the Carter Administration 32.5%

Prior to entering politics Jimmy Carter was a very successful peanut farmer. I would characterize his presidency as a disaster.

Also, a lower federal debt/GDP ratio is not the hallmark of a great presidency but one where Congress's spending was held in check.

Bill Clinton, lawyer, with zero business experience added 23 million jobs during his watch.

 

[Mocking You]

He handed Bill Clinton a roaring economy, and Bubba left it in shambles. So yes, it is Bush's fault.

George Bush Sr. handed Clinton a roaring economy? On what alternative history novel can I find this data?

 

[jgarden]

Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge were good Presidents. Liberal RINO Hoover tried (successfully) to undo it and he put the economy in peril. Allowing FDR to kick it while it was down.

Based on 18 separate surveys:
- Warren Harding ranked 42 out of 43
- Andrew Johnson ranked 41 out of 43
- George Bush Jr. ranked 35 out of 43
- Calvin Coolidge ranked 27 of 43

If Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge qualify as "good Presidents," one questions as to whom "Nick M" would assess as bad ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

 

[jgarden]

Prior to entering politics Jimmy Carter was a very successful peanut farmer. I would characterize his presidency as a disaster.

Also, a lower federal debt/GDP ratio is not the hallmark of a great presidency but one where Congress's spending was held in check.

Bill Clinton, lawyer, with zero business experience added 23 million jobs during his watch.

The topic of debt was introduced by "oatmeal," another conservative, who was repeating the standard rant that its the Democrats that are responsible for running the country into the "red."

The federal debt/GDP ratio shows that quite the opposite is true and that the actions of the 3 most recent GOP presidents doesn't match their rhetoric.

Despite their "smaller government" claims, it was Republican presidents (Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr., Bush Jr.) who increased the federal debt/GDP ratio by 61.8%.

Jimmy Carter's presidency ranks 26th, and as previously mentioned the federal debt/GDP ratio reached its lowest point (32.5%), since the end of WW2, during his Administration.

 

[Ktoyou]

The ranking is meaningless, as it changes. It is more like a popularity contest

 

[jgarden]

The ranking is meaningless, as it changes. It is more like a popularity contest

Its only meaningless when Republicans are not ranked at the top of the heap!

 

[Mocking You]

Despite their small government, it was Republican presidents (Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr., Bush Jr.) who increased the federal debt to GDP ratio by 61.8%.

Ford moved the needle 3.0% in his tenure. Carter brought it back down the same amount. When Bush Jr. left office the ratio had increased 39.8% from when Ford took office, not 61.8%.

Jimmy Carter's presidency ranks 26th, and as previously mentioned the federal debt/GDP ratio reached its lowest point (32.5%) during his Administration since the end of WW2.

Nope. Federal debt to GDP level reached its lowest level in Reagan's first year (30.6%), second lowest level in Ford's first couple months (4th quarter 1974 at 30.7%), then Nixon (3rd quarter 1974) with 30.79%, then Carter (1st quarter 1980) with 30.87%.

You can see all this here, and then playing around with the endpoint dates:

https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/GFDEGDQ188S/