General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Lyndon Baines Johnson - Good President or Bad President [View all]Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)Ask those who benefited from the Civil Rights Act or the Social Security Act of 1965 and the many other programs that he put through.
A lot of good came out of his presidency and we should not dump him down the crapper for the bad. No single President since did anywhere near as much. In many ways, he was the last great liberal President.
Nixon formed the EPA, but he wasn't a liberal.
Ford, nothing.
Carter? A great man and probably our greatest elder statesman, but what programs did he really initiate that compare?
Reagan? (Wow, I make myself laugh with that. He did raise taxes.)
Bush Sr? Nada.
Clinton? Changed the military from sending all gays to jail to Don't Ask Don't Tell. (Which today is considered an abomination and is wiped away.) He initiated welfare to work.
Bush? (Made myself laugh again.)
Obama? The Affordable Care Act. Ended Don't Ask Don't Tell and allowed gays to serve openly in the military. He has the best record of any president since Johnson, but still doesn't come close. he also expanded the war in Afghanistan and has prosecuted drone attacks, including killing at least one American citizen.
By the way, I think Obama has done a pretty good job and deserves another 4 years, bu he isn't perfect.
If you want to go before Johnson, only FDR compares, and he led through WWII and under him the Nuclear bomb was developed that Truman ordered dropped.
There is no perfect record.