Greatest Ex-President

richlevy · 02-17-2004, 11:54 AM

I was reading over the posts in the Clinton Brings It thread and began to think about ex-Presidents. So I did a search for 'ex-President' and found a nice article about Carter entitled America's Greatest Ex-President?.

So lets say you are elected in your 40's or 50's, and serve 4 to 8 years (sounds like a prison sentence) in the Oval Office. The stress of the job probably ages you twice that. At the end of it you have a nice retirement package and bodyguards for the rest of your life. What you do with it is completely up to you.

Some ex-presidents stay in politics, some supplement their income on the lecture circuit. Some, like Carter, see themselves as ambassadors, domestically and internationally.

So I'll open up the floor. Of the presidents of the 20th century who left office, who was the best ex-president.

I had to leave off three candidates since the limit was 10.
LBJ
Nixon
Reagan

Reagan was ill leaving office. Nixon was disgraced and I don't recall him doing much. LBJ I would have liked to keep on if there was room.

Telefunken · 02-17-2004, 12:27 PM

*cough* You left out FDR.

Undertoad · 02-17-2004, 12:42 PM

The North Koreans really like Carter... almost as much as Castro.

Troubleshooter · 02-17-2004, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Telefunken
*cough* You left out FDR.

And what about Reagan, Bush Sr. and Nixon?

richlevy · 02-17-2004, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Troubleshooter

And what about Reagan, Bush Sr. and Nixon?

FDR died in office, which sort of leaves him out of accomplishing anything as an ex-president.

The poll only allows 10 choices, so I made a judgement call on the remaining presidents who did not die in office.

Nixon may have been a partisan judgement on my part, since I honestly don't remember him doing anything significant in his retirement.

Reagan left office diagnosed with Alzheimer's and did not appear to be very active in affairs.

I honestly forgot Bush Sr.

mrnoodle · 02-17-2004, 05:13 PM

so it's a poll on the contributions of ex-presidents once they left office?

edit: duh, read the post derek.

Carter's the only one who has proven himself to be truly useful in a post-white house gig. He's a much better diplomat than he was a president, plus he's got character coming out the ears.

Whether or not he has any real impact is in question, but I admire the guy's sense of patriotic duty.

xoxoxoBruce · 02-17-2004, 09:41 PM

Carter builds nice houses.

russotto · 02-18-2004, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mrnoodle

Carter's the only one who has proven himself to be truly useful in a post-white house gig. He's a much better diplomat than he was a president, plus he's got character coming out the ears.

Taft became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as ex-President.

Pi · 02-18-2004, 05:55 PM

Maybe Carter is such a good ex-president because as being a president he didn't reach a lot. So everything he does after being president is better...
But you're right it's the best for, mostly, other reasons!

wolf · 02-18-2004, 11:15 PM

Ford.

Nobody voted for him, he was in briefly, got the fuck out, didn't do much damage, hasn't done anything since. The consummate politician, folks.

Saturday Night Live never had as much good material as when he was in office.

xoxoxoBruce · 02-18-2004, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by russotto

Taft became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as ex-President.

Is that a good thing or bad thing?

phillybilly · 03-16-2004, 10:02 AM

HE dropped the bomb!!!!

Happy Monkey · 03-16-2004, 11:33 AM

Not when he was an ex-president.
.
.
Right?

phillybilly · 03-16-2004, 11:40 AM

He's an ex-president NOW, but he's the best EX-PRESIDENT, because he made those sandle weraing goldfish tenders glow!!!

View Poll Results: Best 2-th Century Ex-President
Theodore Roosevelt	2	11.11%
William Howard Taft	0	0%
Woodrow Wilson	0	0%
Calvin Coolidge	2	11.11%
Herbert Clark Hoover	0	0%
Harry S. Truman	1	5.56%
Dwight David Eisenhower	1	5.56%
Gerald Rudolph Ford	2	11.11%
James Earl Carter, Jr.	8	44.44%
William Jefferson Clinton	2	11.11%
Voters: 18. You may not vote on this poll

02-17-2004, 11:54 AM	#1
richlevy King Of Wishful Thinking Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Philadelphia Suburbs Posts: 6,669	Greatest Ex-President I was reading over the posts in the Clinton Brings It thread and began to think about ex-Presidents. So I did a search for 'ex-President' and found a nice article about Carter entitled America's Greatest Ex-President?. So lets say you are elected in your 40's or 50's, and serve 4 to 8 years (sounds like a prison sentence) in the Oval Office. The stress of the job probably ages you twice that. At the end of it you have a nice retirement package and bodyguards for the rest of your life. What you do with it is completely up to you. Some ex-presidents stay in politics, some supplement their income on the lecture circuit. Some, like Carter, see themselves as ambassadors, domestically and internationally. So I'll open up the floor. Of the presidents of the 20th century who left office, who was the best ex-president. I had to leave off three candidates since the limit was 10. LBJ Nixon Reagan Reagan was ill leaving office. Nixon was disgraced and I don't recall him doing much. LBJ I would have liked to keep on if there was room. __________________ Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE! I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama Last edited by richlevy; 02-17-2004 at 12:01 PM.

02-17-2004, 05:13 PM	#6
mrnoodle bent Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: under the weather Posts: 2,656	so it's a poll on the contributions of ex-presidents once they left office? edit: duh, read the post derek. Carter's the only one who has proven himself to be truly useful in a post-white house gig. He's a much better diplomat than he was a president, plus he's got character coming out the ears. Whether or not he has any real impact is in question, but I admire the guy's sense of patriotic duty. __________________ Sìn a nall na cuaranan sin. -- Cha mhór is fheairrde thu iad, tha iad coltach ri cat air a dhathadh Last edited by mrnoodle; 02-17-2004 at 05:16 PM.

02-17-2004, 09:41 PM	#7
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Carter builds nice houses. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

02-18-2004, 11:15 PM	#10
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Ford. Nobody voted for him, he was in briefly, got the fuck out, didn't do much damage, hasn't done anything since. The consummate politician, folks. Saturday Night Live never had as much good material as when he was in office. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-17-2004, 12:27 PM	#2
Telefunken Going for the DX Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Taxachusetts Posts: 82	cough You left out FDR.

02-17-2004, 12:42 PM	#3
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	The North Koreans really like Carter... almost as much as Castro.

02-18-2004, 05:55 PM	#9
Pi desperate finder Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Luxembourg Posts: 437	Maybe Carter is such a good ex-president because as being a president he didn't reach a lot. So everything he does after being president is better... But you're right it's the best for, mostly, other reasons!

03-16-2004, 10:02 AM	#12
phillybilly Belt Conveyor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Philadelphia, Pa Posts: 68	COME ON!! TRUMAN!! HE dropped the bomb!!!!

03-16-2004, 11:33 AM	#13
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Not when he was an ex-president. . . Right? __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

03-16-2004, 11:40 AM	#14
phillybilly Belt Conveyor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Philadelphia, Pa Posts: 68	technicalities!! He's an ex-president NOW, but he's the best EX-PRESIDENT, because he made those sandle weraing goldfish tenders glow!!!

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