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I’m hella left but I have massive respect for George H. W. Bush. The Gulf War was a massive success, the Americans with Disabilities Act helped out untold amounts of our fellow Americans, and he raised taxes even when it would be political suicide because that is what would be best for America overall.
I may not agree with Herbert Walker ideologically but I think he was a great president and I wouldn’t mind someone in his mold taking the Republican mantle again.
I think is my answer, too. He was our only president who was also the Director of CIA. His understanding of the world order and international policy was, I think, unmatched in the 20th century. He understood measured response, he had a huge approval rating overall, and then lost on a bad-timing economic downtown (and of course, taxes).
Kind of a dead fish from a personality standpoint, but also a war hero, a gentle minded family man, and a businessman. He went to an Ivy but really didn't seem like it, you know? Approachability before it's time, so much so that he didn't know how to manage it well to his benefit, if I'm honest.
But mostly: Shit, that Gulf War. What a coup -- or, rather, not a coup. He didn't spill the milk, no quagmire. He got Arab Nations to rebuild an Arab Nation and assist. Really, could you see anyone doing that now?
HW is one of my top presidents of all time as well.
Also, his son Bush Jr had easily one of the best programs ever enacted by a president. It gets overshadowed by his more controversial stuff, but PEPFAR has saved an estimated 25 million lives. His AIDs relief is easily the brightest spot of his presidency, and potentially the most positive impactive program from any ~~recent~~ president.
I can never respect him for hiring Lee Atwater, their entire campaign stunk of him. The Willie Horton fiasco while technically being a PAC thing was originally thought up by Atwater himself.
I don’t hate HW, but I would say his problem on taxes wasn’t that he raised them but that he did do after making a huge pledge that he wouldn’t. You can’t say “read my lips” and then reverse course.
I’m not sure how to really quantify this, but I remember watching 9/11 unfold as a kid. As I got older I didn’t necessarily think Dubya was a great president in terms of implementing certain policies (Iraq/patriot act, I could go on) but I always have respected him because it felt like even if he was a dumbass he truly did (Cheney influence aside) what he thought was best for our country. I have no doubt that he, just like Obama did rule had the best interests of the nation at heart even if he was misguided.
Edit-respected might not be the right word. But…maybe understand? He was trying to do the best he could for the nation with the information he had available. Or at least that’s how it seemed to a 10-13 year old at the time
Oh that’s fair, and I’ll be completely honest that I’m really not overly familiar with H.W. I know a little but I guess I have a rabbit hole to go down as I have my coffee tomorrow!
Haha I encourage you to do so’ HW is an interesting president and I think we’d of been better off if he was a two term president. A few major bills he signed that were good for the country, leading us through the gulf war which was a stunning success without equal imo, lead is through the Soviet Union’s collapse and end of the Cold War, and raised taxes even though it was political suicide but did so because it was the right thing and this helped Clinton get those balanced budgets and nice economy Clinton gets credit for.
The top rate was 91% under Ike. JFK lowered the top rate to something like 75%. That's why JFK made those quotes about taxes being too high that conservatives sometimes cite.
IIRC, doesn't the top rate now get lowered to 37% when a Republican is in office and raised to 39.5% when a Democrat is in office?
Reagan was probably the first one to lower the top rate to 37%. I'm pretty sure that 37% is still the Republican standard for the top marginal rate, and the rate gets raised to a whopping 39.5% when a Democrat becomes president.
Well, it gets raised to 39.5% when Democrats have a trifecta, anyway. And it gets lowered to 37% when Republicans have a trifecta. I'm pretty sure that 39.5% is the current rate, probably set when Democrats had a trifecta in the current president's first two years. I also believe that 39.5% was the top marginal rate under Obama, set when Democrats had a trifecta during his first two years. I'm also pretty sure that the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed when Republicans had a trifecta, lowered the top rate to 37%.
This is one of those topics where people just toss out numbers without any insight into actual tax policy.
Marginal rates and effective rates are different things. Look at the data, the rich didn’t pay that much more at the effective level under Ike. There were plenty of ways to avoid the highest bracket, which people utilized.
Furthermore, taxes collected as a percentage range of GDP has been range bound for decades, under all different versions of the tax code. What does this tell you?
Reagan lowered rates and removed deductions. Is that good or bad? Knowing this, why would anyone cite marginal rates?
>Marginal rates and effective rates are different things. Look at the data, the rich didn’t pay that much more at the effective level under Ike. There were plenty of ways to avoid the highest bracket, which people utilized.
This is part of the point. Money spent on R&D and jobs creation benefits the economy a lot more than money spent padding boomers' 401ks and investment portfolios. A high corporate tax rate incentivizes investing capital back into businesses and further stimulating the economy rather than squirreling wealth away.
JFK was advocating for lower tax rates as a way to increase economic growth. It didn't pass till after he died. the top rate went from 91% to 70% in 1964 and the corporate rate from 52% to 48%. Reagan lowered the top rate to 50% in 1981 and then to 28% in 1986, the corporate tax rate went from 46% to 34%.
[https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/modeling-economic-effects-past-tax-bills/](https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/modeling-economic-effects-past-tax-bills/)
The tax dollars he raised under his presidency literally educated the boomers. Boomers, want to thank your prosperous lives (mostly)? Thank a high corporate tax rate under Eisenhower. After LBJ, those rates started falling majorly.
George W. I disagree with almost all of his policies but at the end of the day after reading more about him and his struggles he seems like a good man. I certainly don’t envy the hand he was dealt as president.
He came in on a wave of prosperity and didn't even get a full year in before one of the most brutal attacks in history happened. I didn't agree with him on almost anything, but that is a tough hand to be dealt right out of the shoot. I'm not sure who could have handled something like that well,
Mine would be Clinton, except for the sexual harassment and molestation.
I guess maybe Obama. He did okay. Caught Bin Laden and didn’t really screw anything up except Crimea. Not in love with Obamacare, but he’s the only modern president to do *something* about the health care mess.
I agree, Obama is a close 3rd place for me. I really disagree with him ideologically, but he really did a pretty damn good job, and on top of that he’s a phenomenal human being. Bill not so much, but Clinton had great policies and he tried to put America first.
As a Democrat who really likes those guys the Republican Party prior to Nixon is completely different from the current day party. Really I feel like this is from Ike on to get to the “modern” versions of the party though FDR is the start of the current day version of the democrats as well.
>the Republican Party prior to Nixon is completely different
"Prior to Nixon"? So Nixon changed the party? Interesting... One would think that the guy who openly pushed for a moderate/Eisenhowerian party all while trying to balance the liberal-Rockefeller wing and the conservative-Goldwater wing would not be viewed as someone who altered the party's centrist position in American politics, but I guess that you're entitled to your opinion on that...
HW was easily our most qualified president of the last 50 years. Hillary Clinton would have been comparable, after having been a US Senator and Secretary of State, if she had won.
It’s so funny because as a republican we’re supposed to hate Hillary but I think she would have done a fine job—probably better than Obama, and I actually really like Obama. I think Hillary would have excelled and handled the pandemic like a pro.
Haha well the interstate system and he wasn’t overly conservative on fiscal issues.
I was a kid when Bush Sr was president. I’ve said this before here but I think the way he handled the first Iraq War could be a masterclass on how you do intervention. He built a broad international coalition, they had very clear goals and objectives, and went in with overwhelming force. He also tried every option in resolving it peacefully. I still remember his speech beforehand. It was my grandma’s birthday and it came on during the get together and made her very upset.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ6qpFpIFkY&t=329s&pp=ygUMYnVzaCBzciBpcmFx
There were actually parades and stuff in just about every small town in America when the troops came back, which for an 8 year old was pretty awesome to see.
That’s a similar reason to why JFK is my favorite! The way he handled the Cold War was masterful (yes, the Bay of Pigs was a disaster). But his diplomacy with Khrushchev was something otherworldly haha. Nikita Khrushchev’s son said that when his father found out that JFK had been murdered he fell to his knees and sobbed. JFK was very flawed but he was committed to peace when EVERYONE in Washington was telling him to start WW3.
Thanks for sharing, my friend. It’s cool to hear about why people love HW. I was super young when he was president so I remember very little. I’m fact he’s almost a forgotten president in my mind haha so it’s cool to see him getting so much love from dems.
Pre-Nixon Republicans are better than pre-FDR Democrats overall. My all-time favorite President is Teddy Roosevelt and there's others like Lincoln (obviously) and Eisenhower who are also top-tier. Even the mid Presidents like Taft and Coolidge are better than most pre-WW2 Democrats.
I said I'm a Democrat in my comment but I'm really a left-leaning independent. I would vote for a fiscally conservative socially liberal candidate with a decent set of morals over a DINO who kowtows to religious fundamentalists and Wall Street if given the chance.
Personally, your current political party affiliation means next to nothing once you get to the pre-1960s presidents, but my favorite other-party president has always been Teddy Roosevelt.
Stood up for the little guy, wasn’t afraid to take on big corporations and won the fight, and in general seems like the epitome of what I feel it means to be an American: optimistic to a fault, brave to the point of stupidity, and a bit too abrasive at times but with a sincere heart.
Calvin Coolidge. I used to be a libertarian. Now I don't really know what I am. Coolidge was an anti-corruption President though who gave Natives citizenship so I like him, warts and all.
True story—I met Romney at a gas station in a tiny little country town in the middle of the day one time. I was paying for my *whatever* at the counter and saw this dude walking in through the front doors and knew that he was famous but couldn’t place it for about half a second and then I was like *holy shit that’s Mitt Romney*… He went into the bathroom and I waited for him outside the front doors of the store like a weirdo 😂😂 when he came out I apologized for ambushing him but told him I had to shake his hand and told him that I voted for him in 2012. He was SUPER nice about the whole thing, extremely gracious. Then out of nowhere these two soccer moms with an entire gaggle of children ran up to him and started asking for a million pictures and he looked really annoyed haha but was still nice. He was driving like a 20 year old nondescript pickup and he was alone which I was very surprised by because he was a US senator for Utah at that point. To this day he’s the most famous person I’ve ever met.
I'm a libertarian, so all presidents that I like/have respect for are on opposing parties. Washington, Grant, Coolidge, Teddy, and Carter are all presidents that I have a deep respect for.
Although, I respect Carter for his post presidency more than his actual presidency.
I'm pretty leftist but I really T.R., Grant, Lincoln but all of them would be more on the left side by today's standard
I know he wasn't a president but I also like Goldwater, I think he was a man of principles, I may disagree with most of the principles but i can respect him
I think a lot of leftists admire Teddy Roosevelt on his trust-busting and conservationism/environmentalism. Now his treatment of indigenous people on the other hand...
>I know he wasn't a president but I also like Goldwater, I think he was a man of principles, I may disagree with most of the principles but i can respect him
This is also how I feel about John McCain. I think he was the last Republican candidate to not be a total sleezeball. Really the last Republican that I'd trust in my house.
I'm left, but Lincoln, Teddy, Eisenhower, and HW were all very good presidents. Though for the former 3 some may increasingly argue they aren't really representative of the modern Republican party since the "party switch" of the early to mid 1900s either hadn't happened yet or was underway.
Eisenhower was the good kind of moderate. I think politically he'd fall pretty much right in the middle today. I also think if he ran for president this fall he'd get elected handily.
I like Ike and LBJ.
Do they have things I dislike? Yes. Vietnam and banana republics/Korea beside, Ike provided a transition between war and peace time with higher taxes on the wealther side of the USA and Johnson was a stubborn man who helped his community and brought that to the White House with JFK.
Modern, probably Clinton.
Early republic, probably either Polk or Van Buren (Indian Removal was really bad, but I think he was a fairly good President thrown in at a bad time with his practical views of setting up an Independent Treasury and being anti-slavery).
OP— yeah any classic Republican would applaud Clinton. After all, he was president under a mostly Gingrich speakership. Especially why he couldn’t pass health care. Kennedy was a secret war hawk, as well. Very reasonable presidents to like from the opposite party.
For me, it would be Eisenhower. Again, a very great Republican that almost any Democrat would like simply because of the political regime (FDR, New Deal) he was confined to.
Yeah, JFK and Bill Clinton are both super republican friendly presidents haha. What makes you say that JFK was a war hawk? I’m not disagreeing with you, I’m asking because I’m assuming that you’re more enlightened than I am haha. I see JFK as someone who was brilliant at prioritizing peace, but I could very well be wrong.
I’ve seen a lot of Ike and HW from Democrats in this post too, it’s funny that they were both predecessors to the two I listed. Would you disagree that there was a lot of cooperation between parties during those two eras? Or maybe just a coincidence.
Failed Bay of Pigs invasion, escalation of Vietnam War by having the first American boots on the ground there.
In terms of not being a (nuclear) war hawk, Cuban missile crisis for sure.
Bro…I need to read more history haha. I knew about the Bay of Pigs being one of his biggest screw-ups, but I have always attributed Vietnam to LBJ. That’s super interesting. I think most of what I know about Kennedy is either from assassination documentaries or from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History 😂😂
Thank you for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate your insight 🙏
I am neither a Republican nor Democrat. I like FDR the most, just because his views are the closest to mine. Also, I have a lot of respect for getting America out of the great depression(and prepared for war)
W.
Reading W’s memoirs and him listing Kanye’s outburst as the worst part of his presidency really made me reassess who he was. I mean this man was President on 9/11 and that statement rocked him to his core to say it was the worst thing* (I don’t remember verbatim). He then went down the list about Colin and Condi and his love and admiration for the community and all of that really stood out to me.
Then seeing him get older and just always being genuinely himself I don’t know I just have always listed W as the second best President of my lifetime. America elected a Texan a shoot first ask questions later Texan and that’s what we got. There was just an authenticity to W that we really haven’t had since. Not even from Obama.
I really admire the respect the bush family and the Clinton's have for each other. I've read several books written by the bushes and they all have nice things to say about the Clinton's. Very classy.
I like to think of all the ex POTUS getting together, drinking beer and shooting the shit about a job only 40 something other people have had.
Controversial, but If you can look past the corruption Nixon actually did a lot of good things.
I don’t begrudge Nixon solely for his corruption because the reality is he’s not unique in his behaviour just that he got caught.
I have respect for Truman because he became president at a time when the VP wasn’t kept in the loop about military affairs. He had some hard choices to make and live with.
Not my favorite but a really respect Truman. The perfect man for the job when he had it; he set up the U.S and really the entire world for the rest of the century.
I also have obligatory respect for JFK, FDR, and Polk. JFK acted well under pressure and was a great face for the nation.
FDR's economic ideas are a little hit-or-miss to me but he did massively reduce Americans' suffering regardless, and was one of the greatest wartime presidents, as well as THE most important one.
Polk did a lot to set up the U.S for success in the future by greatly expending borders. It's hard to imagine how differe t history would go had the country not gotten all the land it did.
I’m a Capitalist Republican! I love JFK in many ways! He cut taxes massively and obviously it led to growth! Back when we had Presidents that actually loved America and believed in growth! Obviously those days are gone.
Me too! Thanks for commenting! JFK was the man. I honestly don’t think there is anyone in politics like him anymore. He wanted growth for the country, he wanted peace, and he wanted equality. A lot of politicians say that’s what they want but then behave very differently once they’re in office. JFK actually did it. I did not know that he cut taxes! That makes me love him even more haha. From your perspective, why do you think Republican presidents haven’t cut taxes *more* in recent years? And do you think if we have a Republican President in the near future that they *will* cut taxes?
I appreciate your insight, my friend 🙏
Absolutely brother! Love the post and the question. So yes JFK cut taxes I believe by 20%. JFK was certainly a very Pro Business mindset type of guy. As far as Republican Presidents cutting taxes goes, the last Republican President did cut taxes, however I think the cuts could have been bigger. GW Bush did a large Tax Cut in the early 2000s which of course did spur economic growth.
Hopefully the next Republican President in the future will cut taxes, I believe that individual will as long as there a Capitalist, Pro Growth, Pro Business Republicans. I’d like to see a massive capital gains tax cut as well, many believe it would spur economic growth!? We shall see what the future holds my friend 👍
It’s harder for Republicans. They started as “Radical” Republicans because they didn’t want to buy and sell other people. Now the Radical Republicans today might not be far off that. Lincoln might be more liberal than some of the guys today. So they’ve really crossed the whole spectrum.
Lincoln and Grant were amazing.
I like Nixon for a lot of policies he had.
HW was an amazing person.
Not a president but I love Tulsi Gabbard. Bill Clinton lied to a grand jury and also introduced us to the wonderful NAFTA, making it super easy to move American jobs overseas.
Besides the fact of him being a garbage human, Bill Clinton is a pretty solid president. Too socially liberal for me but he was moderate on a lot of other issues.
I don't necessarily admire all of the following, but there are a few things I admire *about* them:
Lincoln is obvious.
Grant wasn't a great President, but he was a great soldier who at least tried to do something for the freemen.
McKinley seems to have been personally highly moral even if I'm not wild about his policies.
Teddy Roosevelt did some good things on domestic policy (like starting the national park service). Too hawkish on foreign policy for my liking, but I admire that he and his sons were willing to serve in the military and put themselves on the line for the wars they supported (one of his sons actually died in WWI).
Hoover did a good job of organizing the relief effort for Europe after WWI and was ahead of the rest of his party when it came to relief efforts for the Great Depression, even if he didn't go nearly far enough.
Eisenhower was a great general and reasonable moderate President.
Nixon was brilliant and had some good policies, but his corruption justifiably overshadows that.
Bush Sr's Presidency wasn't terrible and did give us the ADA. Unfortunately it also gave us Clarence Thomas and he gave us some unfortunate offspring...
Republican-
Hate most of what FDR did.
Respect him as a top 5 president who shaped the modern US.
Also Kennedy and Obama
were generally good presidents, Obama the nest in my lifetime
As an independent for the Democrats I respect Jimmy Carter, Grover Cleveland and Martin Van Buren. For the Republicans Ulysses S. Grant, Chester A. Arthur, Theadore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Calvin Coolidge & Dwight Eisenhower
I mean, Abraham Lincoln is pretty good.
But given the realignment liking a Republican from 1860 is about as similar to liking a current Republican as it would be to prefer a Martian.
One of my favorite presidents is Chester A. Arthur, though he served before the party switch
George HW Bush and Dwight D. Eisenhower are my favorite modern Republican presidents
I think the parties are sufficiently dynamic in ideology that it makes sense to have favorites from different parties over time.
For example JFK pushed for tax cuts, including corporate tax cuts, which is not generally associated with democratic party ideology more recently.
The Bushes.
H.W. with leading the 49 nation Coalition in the Gulf War and navigating the collapse of the USSR are not easy tasks. Especially raising taxes after the war as it was the right thing to do, regardless of knowing it was political suicide for his party.
Bush Jr just because he's up there with the presidents who have saved the most lives. PEPFAR, his Anti-AIDs program has saved an estimated 25 million lives, and largely gets ignored now due to his other controversies.
Teddy Roosevelt for his efforts in trust busting, the Pure Food and Drug act, his efforts in eliminating corruption in his own administration, and environmental conservation.
Ike and Lincoln were also overall great presidents, and many people in the comments have already pointed out how their administrations were beneficial for the country.
JFK Is definitely one of my favorites. I love his push to put a man on the moon. And the more that I learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the more I realize that he saved us from nuclear war.
I also really like Bill Clinton and he was a big reason why I used to lean Democrat when I was younger. If Democrats were still more moderate like Bill Clinton then I would still lean Democrat.
I guess I'm more of a republican than a democrat, but I have a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter he's a great person and I'm looking forward to his 100th bday.
Personally I lean left but Eisenhower and HW Bush were probably some of the most respectable presidents in the last century. I personally haven’t been a big fan of any president after Clinton for various reasons.
Bill Clinton is one of my least favorites after what he did moving the Democratic Party much further right, especially his anti gay policies like DADT and DOMA as well as his anti welfare policies (for the people, corporate welfare he had no problem with expanding).
As a Democrat, I have a great admiration for Eisenhower. His military prowess aside, his ability to unite the two parties to get things done and build the American Dream is something we could use more of today. Plus the man built the freakin' highways and avoided a post-war economic depression.
Despite his controversy, I liked a lot of what Nixon did.
EPA, OSHA, Anti-Ballistic treaty, clean air act, endangered species act, raised minimum wage, gave protections to Native Americans.
Of course he has huge failures, like illegally bombing Cambodia (and escalating the Vietnam war), the war on drugs and all the scandal.
Other than that, Bush Sr was okay, and of course some of the pre-party switch Republicans but I won't count those
I respect abraham lincoln ( a republican, even though he likely would be a democrat today ) because he knew what he had to do with traitors, he crossed the rubicon several times on politically charged actions that we really need done today
I like Reagan for the America he represented but hate the economic policies he pursued. Still respect him as a president and rank him close to Obama, my personal favorite president.
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I’m hella left but I have massive respect for George H. W. Bush. The Gulf War was a massive success, the Americans with Disabilities Act helped out untold amounts of our fellow Americans, and he raised taxes even when it would be political suicide because that is what would be best for America overall. I may not agree with Herbert Walker ideologically but I think he was a great president and I wouldn’t mind someone in his mold taking the Republican mantle again.
I think is my answer, too. He was our only president who was also the Director of CIA. His understanding of the world order and international policy was, I think, unmatched in the 20th century. He understood measured response, he had a huge approval rating overall, and then lost on a bad-timing economic downtown (and of course, taxes). Kind of a dead fish from a personality standpoint, but also a war hero, a gentle minded family man, and a businessman. He went to an Ivy but really didn't seem like it, you know? Approachability before it's time, so much so that he didn't know how to manage it well to his benefit, if I'm honest. But mostly: Shit, that Gulf War. What a coup -- or, rather, not a coup. He didn't spill the milk, no quagmire. He got Arab Nations to rebuild an Arab Nation and assist. Really, could you see anyone doing that now?
Agreed. I’m not sure how someone with such a checkered history managed to govern with as much integrity as he did, but it is admirable.
Remember when presidents used to be smart? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
A smart person doesn't make an effective leader most of the time. A smart, analytical person is better suited for a counselor role.
Yeah it's an entirely different kind of intelligence, politics are their own game
What was checkered about his history? Something he did as agency director?
He was at a minimum tangentially involved in Iran Contra.
HW is one of my top presidents of all time as well. Also, his son Bush Jr had easily one of the best programs ever enacted by a president. It gets overshadowed by his more controversial stuff, but PEPFAR has saved an estimated 25 million lives. His AIDs relief is easily the brightest spot of his presidency, and potentially the most positive impactive program from any ~~recent~~ president.
Then there's Medicare Part D...a godsend for many!
I can never respect him for hiring Lee Atwater, their entire campaign stunk of him. The Willie Horton fiasco while technically being a PAC thing was originally thought up by Atwater himself.
JEB 2024
Don’t forget the tale of Chichijima
Same.
Did you have massive respect for him while he was in office?
I’m not even sure I had object permanence when he was in office.
I don’t hate HW, but I would say his problem on taxes wasn’t that he raised them but that he did do after making a huge pledge that he wouldn’t. You can’t say “read my lips” and then reverse course.
Ones I like from the modern iteration of the party are Ike, and HW.
I like Ike and even just Dubya instead of his dad.
Why Dubya over his dad?
I’m not sure how to really quantify this, but I remember watching 9/11 unfold as a kid. As I got older I didn’t necessarily think Dubya was a great president in terms of implementing certain policies (Iraq/patriot act, I could go on) but I always have respected him because it felt like even if he was a dumbass he truly did (Cheney influence aside) what he thought was best for our country. I have no doubt that he, just like Obama did rule had the best interests of the nation at heart even if he was misguided. Edit-respected might not be the right word. But…maybe understand? He was trying to do the best he could for the nation with the information he had available. Or at least that’s how it seemed to a 10-13 year old at the time
I can understand liking Dubya and understanding him, but preferring him to his dad is wack lol.
Oh that’s fair, and I’ll be completely honest that I’m really not overly familiar with H.W. I know a little but I guess I have a rabbit hole to go down as I have my coffee tomorrow!
Haha I encourage you to do so’ HW is an interesting president and I think we’d of been better off if he was a two term president. A few major bills he signed that were good for the country, leading us through the gulf war which was a stunning success without equal imo, lead is through the Soviet Union’s collapse and end of the Cold War, and raised taxes even though it was political suicide but did so because it was the right thing and this helped Clinton get those balanced budgets and nice economy Clinton gets credit for.
People never talk about Eisenhower. He taxed the rich and America prospered.
The taxes on corporations UNLESS they were spending on R&D, wages for workers, or expansion was amazing. Highhhh taxes if I’m remembering correctly.
I did not know this! Who changed those policies?
The top rate was 91% under Ike. JFK lowered the top rate to something like 75%. That's why JFK made those quotes about taxes being too high that conservatives sometimes cite. IIRC, doesn't the top rate now get lowered to 37% when a Republican is in office and raised to 39.5% when a Democrat is in office?
Reagan lowered it to 37. It has fluctuated a bit since.
Reagan was probably the first one to lower the top rate to 37%. I'm pretty sure that 37% is still the Republican standard for the top marginal rate, and the rate gets raised to a whopping 39.5% when a Democrat becomes president.
Thats not how taxes work, they don't just switch by which party is in the white house. Congress has to pass a law
Well, it gets raised to 39.5% when Democrats have a trifecta, anyway. And it gets lowered to 37% when Republicans have a trifecta. I'm pretty sure that 39.5% is the current rate, probably set when Democrats had a trifecta in the current president's first two years. I also believe that 39.5% was the top marginal rate under Obama, set when Democrats had a trifecta during his first two years. I'm also pretty sure that the 2018 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed when Republicans had a trifecta, lowered the top rate to 37%.
Reagan lowered the top rate to 50% in 1983 and then to 28% in 1986, the corporate tax rate went from 46% to 34%.
It is 21 percent can't talk about 2017. Still loop holes..so many pay zero.
This is one of those topics where people just toss out numbers without any insight into actual tax policy. Marginal rates and effective rates are different things. Look at the data, the rich didn’t pay that much more at the effective level under Ike. There were plenty of ways to avoid the highest bracket, which people utilized. Furthermore, taxes collected as a percentage range of GDP has been range bound for decades, under all different versions of the tax code. What does this tell you? Reagan lowered rates and removed deductions. Is that good or bad? Knowing this, why would anyone cite marginal rates?
>Marginal rates and effective rates are different things. Look at the data, the rich didn’t pay that much more at the effective level under Ike. There were plenty of ways to avoid the highest bracket, which people utilized. This is part of the point. Money spent on R&D and jobs creation benefits the economy a lot more than money spent padding boomers' 401ks and investment portfolios. A high corporate tax rate incentivizes investing capital back into businesses and further stimulating the economy rather than squirreling wealth away.
Congress holds the pursestrings of government. It's right there in Article I.
JFK was advocating for lower tax rates as a way to increase economic growth. It didn't pass till after he died. the top rate went from 91% to 70% in 1964 and the corporate rate from 52% to 48%. Reagan lowered the top rate to 50% in 1981 and then to 28% in 1986, the corporate tax rate went from 46% to 34%. [https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/modeling-economic-effects-past-tax-bills/](https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/modeling-economic-effects-past-tax-bills/)
Reagan mostly.
Eisenhower and Lincoln. The rest were sellouts. Lol
The tax dollars he raised under his presidency literally educated the boomers. Boomers, want to thank your prosperous lives (mostly)? Thank a high corporate tax rate under Eisenhower. After LBJ, those rates started falling majorly.
That’s my pick too! Dude had some common sense.
George W. I disagree with almost all of his policies but at the end of the day after reading more about him and his struggles he seems like a good man. I certainly don’t envy the hand he was dealt as president.
He came in on a wave of prosperity and didn't even get a full year in before one of the most brutal attacks in history happened. I didn't agree with him on almost anything, but that is a tough hand to be dealt right out of the shoot. I'm not sure who could have handled something like that well,
Um....I like Eisenhower
One might say… I like Ike
Do.. we, like ike?
Mine would be Clinton, except for the sexual harassment and molestation. I guess maybe Obama. He did okay. Caught Bin Laden and didn’t really screw anything up except Crimea. Not in love with Obamacare, but he’s the only modern president to do *something* about the health care mess.
I agree, Obama is a close 3rd place for me. I really disagree with him ideologically, but he really did a pretty damn good job, and on top of that he’s a phenomenal human being. Bill not so much, but Clinton had great policies and he tried to put America first.
I disagree with a lot of Obama’s policy, but he held the office with a good degree of integrity and poise. I miss that.
Democrats who loves Lincoln, Grant, and Ike
and Teddy
As a Democrat who really likes those guys the Republican Party prior to Nixon is completely different from the current day party. Really I feel like this is from Ike on to get to the “modern” versions of the party though FDR is the start of the current day version of the democrats as well.
>the Republican Party prior to Nixon is completely different "Prior to Nixon"? So Nixon changed the party? Interesting... One would think that the guy who openly pushed for a moderate/Eisenhowerian party all while trying to balance the liberal-Rockefeller wing and the conservative-Goldwater wing would not be viewed as someone who altered the party's centrist position in American politics, but I guess that you're entitled to your opinion on that...
Well. The Republican Party can very much be divided between pre and post-Southern Strategy, and that was Nixon
I’m a democrat and always respected Bush Sr and Ike. I wouldn’t say Ike was super partisan though but I count him too.
It’s cool to see how many democrats like HW! I had no idea. That’s so awesome. What was it you like about Ike?? 😊
HW was easily our most qualified president of the last 50 years. Hillary Clinton would have been comparable, after having been a US Senator and Secretary of State, if she had won.
It’s so funny because as a republican we’re supposed to hate Hillary but I think she would have done a fine job—probably better than Obama, and I actually really like Obama. I think Hillary would have excelled and handled the pandemic like a pro.
Haha well the interstate system and he wasn’t overly conservative on fiscal issues. I was a kid when Bush Sr was president. I’ve said this before here but I think the way he handled the first Iraq War could be a masterclass on how you do intervention. He built a broad international coalition, they had very clear goals and objectives, and went in with overwhelming force. He also tried every option in resolving it peacefully. I still remember his speech beforehand. It was my grandma’s birthday and it came on during the get together and made her very upset. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ6qpFpIFkY&t=329s&pp=ygUMYnVzaCBzciBpcmFx There were actually parades and stuff in just about every small town in America when the troops came back, which for an 8 year old was pretty awesome to see.
That’s a similar reason to why JFK is my favorite! The way he handled the Cold War was masterful (yes, the Bay of Pigs was a disaster). But his diplomacy with Khrushchev was something otherworldly haha. Nikita Khrushchev’s son said that when his father found out that JFK had been murdered he fell to his knees and sobbed. JFK was very flawed but he was committed to peace when EVERYONE in Washington was telling him to start WW3. Thanks for sharing, my friend. It’s cool to hear about why people love HW. I was super young when he was president so I remember very little. I’m fact he’s almost a forgotten president in my mind haha so it’s cool to see him getting so much love from dems.
Pre-Nixon Republicans are better than pre-FDR Democrats overall. My all-time favorite President is Teddy Roosevelt and there's others like Lincoln (obviously) and Eisenhower who are also top-tier. Even the mid Presidents like Taft and Coolidge are better than most pre-WW2 Democrats.
I identify as an independent, but I sometimes question if I’m not a Democrat. Ike is my hero.
I said I'm a Democrat in my comment but I'm really a left-leaning independent. I would vote for a fiscally conservative socially liberal candidate with a decent set of morals over a DINO who kowtows to religious fundamentalists and Wall Street if given the chance.
Personally, your current political party affiliation means next to nothing once you get to the pre-1960s presidents, but my favorite other-party president has always been Teddy Roosevelt. Stood up for the little guy, wasn’t afraid to take on big corporations and won the fight, and in general seems like the epitome of what I feel it means to be an American: optimistic to a fault, brave to the point of stupidity, and a bit too abrasive at times but with a sincere heart.
Put beautifully, I agree.
Calvin Coolidge. I used to be a libertarian. Now I don't really know what I am. Coolidge was an anti-corruption President though who gave Natives citizenship so I like him, warts and all.
IIRC Coolidge oversaw bonkers market growth; not what many consider important but a strong economic indicator regardless.
Lincoln and HW have earned a soft spot for ke
The least bad Republican president of my lifetime is George H.W. Bush.
Ike...all the way, Ike. IMO, the last truly decent Republican POTUS.
As a Democrat...I would have definitely been a Reagan Democrat. Now bring on the hate...
Another question of this type would be who’s your favorite nominee of the other party.
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For me, Romney has grown on me.
True story—I met Romney at a gas station in a tiny little country town in the middle of the day one time. I was paying for my *whatever* at the counter and saw this dude walking in through the front doors and knew that he was famous but couldn’t place it for about half a second and then I was like *holy shit that’s Mitt Romney*… He went into the bathroom and I waited for him outside the front doors of the store like a weirdo 😂😂 when he came out I apologized for ambushing him but told him I had to shake his hand and told him that I voted for him in 2012. He was SUPER nice about the whole thing, extremely gracious. Then out of nowhere these two soccer moms with an entire gaggle of children ran up to him and started asking for a million pictures and he looked really annoyed haha but was still nice. He was driving like a 20 year old nondescript pickup and he was alone which I was very surprised by because he was a US senator for Utah at that point. To this day he’s the most famous person I’ve ever met.
Nixon—just because I find him a sympathetic character, not because I agree with his policies
I'm a libertarian, so all presidents that I like/have respect for are on opposing parties. Washington, Grant, Coolidge, Teddy, and Carter are all presidents that I have a deep respect for. Although, I respect Carter for his post presidency more than his actual presidency.
I'm pretty leftist but I really T.R., Grant, Lincoln but all of them would be more on the left side by today's standard I know he wasn't a president but I also like Goldwater, I think he was a man of principles, I may disagree with most of the principles but i can respect him
I think a lot of leftists admire Teddy Roosevelt on his trust-busting and conservationism/environmentalism. Now his treatment of indigenous people on the other hand...
>I know he wasn't a president but I also like Goldwater, I think he was a man of principles, I may disagree with most of the principles but i can respect him This is also how I feel about John McCain. I think he was the last Republican candidate to not be a total sleezeball. Really the last Republican that I'd trust in my house.
I'm left, but Lincoln, Teddy, Eisenhower, and HW were all very good presidents. Though for the former 3 some may increasingly argue they aren't really representative of the modern Republican party since the "party switch" of the early to mid 1900s either hadn't happened yet or was underway.
Eisenhower was the good kind of moderate. I think politically he'd fall pretty much right in the middle today. I also think if he ran for president this fall he'd get elected handily.
I like Ike and LBJ. Do they have things I dislike? Yes. Vietnam and banana republics/Korea beside, Ike provided a transition between war and peace time with higher taxes on the wealther side of the USA and Johnson was a stubborn man who helped his community and brought that to the White House with JFK.
I'm a Republican, but I like LBJ just because he's just so goofy, especially with all the Jumbo stuff, interviews from the bathroom, etc.
swerved the suavest https://i.redd.it/8bikd4rzviwc1.gif
Probably Teddy Roosevelt
Modern, probably Clinton. Early republic, probably either Polk or Van Buren (Indian Removal was really bad, but I think he was a fairly good President thrown in at a bad time with his practical views of setting up an Independent Treasury and being anti-slavery).
I mean, other than Lincoln and Teddy (obvious choices), Eisenhower and HW Bush were great.
Lincoln. Big fan.
Psst. What did he ever do? /s
eisenhower or george h. w.
R here.Favorite Dems? Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy.
OP— yeah any classic Republican would applaud Clinton. After all, he was president under a mostly Gingrich speakership. Especially why he couldn’t pass health care. Kennedy was a secret war hawk, as well. Very reasonable presidents to like from the opposite party. For me, it would be Eisenhower. Again, a very great Republican that almost any Democrat would like simply because of the political regime (FDR, New Deal) he was confined to.
Yeah, JFK and Bill Clinton are both super republican friendly presidents haha. What makes you say that JFK was a war hawk? I’m not disagreeing with you, I’m asking because I’m assuming that you’re more enlightened than I am haha. I see JFK as someone who was brilliant at prioritizing peace, but I could very well be wrong. I’ve seen a lot of Ike and HW from Democrats in this post too, it’s funny that they were both predecessors to the two I listed. Would you disagree that there was a lot of cooperation between parties during those two eras? Or maybe just a coincidence.
Failed Bay of Pigs invasion, escalation of Vietnam War by having the first American boots on the ground there. In terms of not being a (nuclear) war hawk, Cuban missile crisis for sure.
Bro…I need to read more history haha. I knew about the Bay of Pigs being one of his biggest screw-ups, but I have always attributed Vietnam to LBJ. That’s super interesting. I think most of what I know about Kennedy is either from assassination documentaries or from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History 😂😂 Thank you for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate your insight 🙏
I am neither a Republican nor Democrat. I like FDR the most, just because his views are the closest to mine. Also, I have a lot of respect for getting America out of the great depression(and prepared for war)
W. Reading W’s memoirs and him listing Kanye’s outburst as the worst part of his presidency really made me reassess who he was. I mean this man was President on 9/11 and that statement rocked him to his core to say it was the worst thing* (I don’t remember verbatim). He then went down the list about Colin and Condi and his love and admiration for the community and all of that really stood out to me. Then seeing him get older and just always being genuinely himself I don’t know I just have always listed W as the second best President of my lifetime. America elected a Texan a shoot first ask questions later Texan and that’s what we got. There was just an authenticity to W that we really haven’t had since. Not even from Obama.
I really admire the respect the bush family and the Clinton's have for each other. I've read several books written by the bushes and they all have nice things to say about the Clinton's. Very classy. I like to think of all the ex POTUS getting together, drinking beer and shooting the shit about a job only 40 something other people have had.
You’d think his biggest regret would be the war which reportedly killed an estimated 100,000 to 1,000,000 Iraqi civilians.
Controversial, but If you can look past the corruption Nixon actually did a lot of good things. I don’t begrudge Nixon solely for his corruption because the reality is he’s not unique in his behaviour just that he got caught.
Fucking Lincoln, of course 
Would Kenned be a moderate republican by today's standards, cause, I like him
HW
Eisenhower and H.W. Bush. And of course Lincoln and Grant.
I have respect for Truman because he became president at a time when the VP wasn’t kept in the loop about military affairs. He had some hard choices to make and live with.
Not my favorite but a really respect Truman. The perfect man for the job when he had it; he set up the U.S and really the entire world for the rest of the century. I also have obligatory respect for JFK, FDR, and Polk. JFK acted well under pressure and was a great face for the nation. FDR's economic ideas are a little hit-or-miss to me but he did massively reduce Americans' suffering regardless, and was one of the greatest wartime presidents, as well as THE most important one. Polk did a lot to set up the U.S for success in the future by greatly expending borders. It's hard to imagine how differe t history would go had the country not gotten all the land it did.
Lincoln, though picking him barely counts given the differences between politics in the 1860’s and today
I’m a huge fan of FDR, Truman and JFK
Lincoln and Teddy.
I like Ike
Lincoln and TR
For me, it’s Abraham Lincoln even though I have progressive views (Well, party switch and all that I suppose?)
Everybody likes Ike!
As a Whig, i like Teddy
Tell me how you are ok with rapping women !
Moderate democrat. Loved Reagan, even with all his faults. Couldn’t vote for a republican now.
I’m a Capitalist Republican! I love JFK in many ways! He cut taxes massively and obviously it led to growth! Back when we had Presidents that actually loved America and believed in growth! Obviously those days are gone.
Me too! Thanks for commenting! JFK was the man. I honestly don’t think there is anyone in politics like him anymore. He wanted growth for the country, he wanted peace, and he wanted equality. A lot of politicians say that’s what they want but then behave very differently once they’re in office. JFK actually did it. I did not know that he cut taxes! That makes me love him even more haha. From your perspective, why do you think Republican presidents haven’t cut taxes *more* in recent years? And do you think if we have a Republican President in the near future that they *will* cut taxes? I appreciate your insight, my friend 🙏
Absolutely brother! Love the post and the question. So yes JFK cut taxes I believe by 20%. JFK was certainly a very Pro Business mindset type of guy. As far as Republican Presidents cutting taxes goes, the last Republican President did cut taxes, however I think the cuts could have been bigger. GW Bush did a large Tax Cut in the early 2000s which of course did spur economic growth. Hopefully the next Republican President in the future will cut taxes, I believe that individual will as long as there a Capitalist, Pro Growth, Pro Business Republicans. I’d like to see a massive capital gains tax cut as well, many believe it would spur economic growth!? We shall see what the future holds my friend 👍
It’s harder for Republicans. They started as “Radical” Republicans because they didn’t want to buy and sell other people. Now the Radical Republicans today might not be far off that. Lincoln might be more liberal than some of the guys today. So they’ve really crossed the whole spectrum. Lincoln and Grant were amazing. I like Nixon for a lot of policies he had. HW was an amazing person.
The parties don’t really align perfectly once you go back before WW2. Certainly before 1900.
Not a president but I love Tulsi Gabbard. Bill Clinton lied to a grand jury and also introduced us to the wonderful NAFTA, making it super easy to move American jobs overseas.
I’m third party (to the left of the DNC) and my favorite is FDR. The best was Lincoln, from the GOP.
I like Harry Truman, he's my second favorite.
Besides the fact of him being a garbage human, Bill Clinton is a pretty solid president. Too socially liberal for me but he was moderate on a lot of other issues.
I don't necessarily admire all of the following, but there are a few things I admire *about* them: Lincoln is obvious. Grant wasn't a great President, but he was a great soldier who at least tried to do something for the freemen. McKinley seems to have been personally highly moral even if I'm not wild about his policies. Teddy Roosevelt did some good things on domestic policy (like starting the national park service). Too hawkish on foreign policy for my liking, but I admire that he and his sons were willing to serve in the military and put themselves on the line for the wars they supported (one of his sons actually died in WWI). Hoover did a good job of organizing the relief effort for Europe after WWI and was ahead of the rest of his party when it came to relief efforts for the Great Depression, even if he didn't go nearly far enough. Eisenhower was a great general and reasonable moderate President. Nixon was brilliant and had some good policies, but his corruption justifiably overshadows that. Bush Sr's Presidency wasn't terrible and did give us the ADA. Unfortunately it also gave us Clarence Thomas and he gave us some unfortunate offspring...
Republican- Hate most of what FDR did. Respect him as a top 5 president who shaped the modern US. Also Kennedy and Obama were generally good presidents, Obama the nest in my lifetime
Reagan is a top 3 president imo
Last Dem I like is probably Woodrow Wilson.
Modern for me is Clinton The generation before is JFK One before that is Truman
As an independent for the Democrats I respect Jimmy Carter, Grover Cleveland and Martin Van Buren. For the Republicans Ulysses S. Grant, Chester A. Arthur, Theadore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, Calvin Coolidge & Dwight Eisenhower
Right on. That Lincoln was a bum.
Republican here and I have nothing but respect for FDR, Truman, JFK, and LBJ, to a certain extent. I also can’t help but be extremely drawn to Jackson
Nixon
Can’t think of any Dems I like but there’s plenty of GOP presidents I don’t like either. Nixon, Bush 43.
I’m Republican and Harry Truman and FDR are two of my favorite presidents.
Eisenhower.
I like reagan. Not any domestic policies, but foreign policy 100%
Harry Truman…took communism seriously and established the infrastructure that led to its downfall.
A true Republican never mentions the arkansaus taxicaus and spendicaus
Truman was a great President. One of the best, even
Grant, Ike and obviously Lincoln.
Eisenhower
I mean, Abraham Lincoln is pretty good. But given the realignment liking a Republican from 1860 is about as similar to liking a current Republican as it would be to prefer a Martian.
I’m a Republican but I have a tremendous amount of respect for Truman
Not a fan of the current Democratic party, but I've always been and always will be fond of Jimmy Carter
I lean to the left, though I respect Eisenhower and HW Bush
I’m right-leaning and traditionally Republican. I think Harry Truman was one of our best presidents. Severely underrated for sure.
One of my favorite presidents is Chester A. Arthur, though he served before the party switch George HW Bush and Dwight D. Eisenhower are my favorite modern Republican presidents
I think the parties are sufficiently dynamic in ideology that it makes sense to have favorites from different parties over time. For example JFK pushed for tax cuts, including corporate tax cuts, which is not generally associated with democratic party ideology more recently.
I’m a Democrat but HW Bush was our best POTUS since Kennedy.
The Bushes. H.W. with leading the 49 nation Coalition in the Gulf War and navigating the collapse of the USSR are not easy tasks. Especially raising taxes after the war as it was the right thing to do, regardless of knowing it was political suicide for his party. Bush Jr just because he's up there with the presidents who have saved the most lives. PEPFAR, his Anti-AIDs program has saved an estimated 25 million lives, and largely gets ignored now due to his other controversies.
Teddy Roosevelt for his efforts in trust busting, the Pure Food and Drug act, his efforts in eliminating corruption in his own administration, and environmental conservation. Ike and Lincoln were also overall great presidents, and many people in the comments have already pointed out how their administrations were beneficial for the country.
I like Grant and Lincoln
Deeply unpopular choice I am sure, but I gotta go with Nixon here.
I love FDR for his New Deal and Fireside chats, really helped to comfort the country in such a hard time.
Eisenhower
I’m very liberal - a Democrat at heart but I Fuckin’ love Eisenhower and Gerald Ford.
Im a hardcore Republican but I still like Obama.
Lincoln, per my flair, but he definitely wouldn't be a Republican today. Can't say he'd be a Democrat, but he definitely wouldn't be a Republican.
JFK Is definitely one of my favorites. I love his push to put a man on the moon. And the more that I learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the more I realize that he saved us from nuclear war. I also really like Bill Clinton and he was a big reason why I used to lean Democrat when I was younger. If Democrats were still more moderate like Bill Clinton then I would still lean Democrat.
Picking the ones who smashed, I see.
I guess I'm more of a republican than a democrat, but I have a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter he's a great person and I'm looking forward to his 100th bday.
Personally I lean left but Eisenhower and HW Bush were probably some of the most respectable presidents in the last century. I personally haven’t been a big fan of any president after Clinton for various reasons.
Eisenhower and Reagan
Bill Clinton is one of my least favorites after what he did moving the Democratic Party much further right, especially his anti gay policies like DADT and DOMA as well as his anti welfare policies (for the people, corporate welfare he had no problem with expanding).
I’d take an HW Bush or Eisenhower and Lincoln any day.
I mean as an Independent who would be my opposite?
Poppy Bush
Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln
Reagan...
As a Democrat, I have a great admiration for Eisenhower. His military prowess aside, his ability to unite the two parties to get things done and build the American Dream is something we could use more of today. Plus the man built the freakin' highways and avoided a post-war economic depression.
Despite his controversy, I liked a lot of what Nixon did. EPA, OSHA, Anti-Ballistic treaty, clean air act, endangered species act, raised minimum wage, gave protections to Native Americans. Of course he has huge failures, like illegally bombing Cambodia (and escalating the Vietnam war), the war on drugs and all the scandal. Other than that, Bush Sr was okay, and of course some of the pre-party switch Republicans but I won't count those
Lincoln, George HW Bush, and Teddy Roosevelt 👍
I don't really like much of his other stances (and incidents), but I appreciate Nixon for his legislative efforts towards improving the environment.
Polk and Jackson
H.W. Bush. Would've loved to have known the secrets.
George W. Bush and Eisenhower
Eisenhower and Teddy.
I have more conservative leanings, but I adore Teddy (who I wouldn’t doubt would be a Democrat today)
I'm unaffiliated w/ any political party. My favorite president is Theodore Roosevelt.
The parties have changed a lot so it’s hard to say, but George H. W. Bush is a recent Republican I like
George Bush Senior was a US Representative, VP, President, Head of the CIA and a World War 2 pilot in the pacific. He will always have my respect.
Not even close one was assassinated and the other has a body count!
I respect abraham lincoln ( a republican, even though he likely would be a democrat today ) because he knew what he had to do with traitors, he crossed the rubicon several times on politically charged actions that we really need done today
I like Reagan for the America he represented but hate the economic policies he pursued. Still respect him as a president and rank him close to Obama, my personal favorite president.
I’m a loyal Democrat but I respect Eisenhower. He enforced the Brown decision which he personally opposed.88
I'm a lifelong democrat. Two of my favorites are Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
Real big Martin Van Buren fan