LogFAQs > #978928924

FDR and three blank spots is probably the answer because of just how far ahead of the pack he is

But if youre making me pick

FDR

LBJ - Civil Rights, Medicare, Medicaid, the good versions of Social Security and Welfare all stem from his admin. Yes Vietnam is a thing but the major war crimes are mainly nixon and the idea of the war is mainly kennedy, LBJ is just holding the bag and you know what US relations with Vietnam are fine now so the lasting damage is way overstated.

Grant - the only president pre Eisenhower who gave a SHIT about Jim Crow. Yes his admin is responsible for some wildly, irresponsibly pro corporate shit and he had some blatant grifters working for him, he was president for one reason and if the GOP had kept up his commitment to sending troops adter the klan the world might be a better place.

4th is tricky because these candidates dont have sparing highs to outweigh their negatives or in the case of the one who does have soaring highs his negatives are literally genocide

Jackson - oversaw major expansion of the franchise and was responsible for really making the country significantly more democratic, this included defeating the idea of a National Bank which i know you libertarians liked. But you know...strongly pro slavery, responsible for a lot of anti native american genocide.

Van Buren - Jacksons right hand for all of the above but he was also the first president to take actions trying to limit the spread of slavery and would later become a full blown abolotionist. The trick is Jackson wqs actually president for the realization of all of Van Burens pro liberalization of the vote goals and his attempts to slow the spread of slavery were ultimately ineffective.

Arthur - Against all odds and at great personal expense, he followed through on Garfields promise to end the patronahe system and passed the laws that created the modern federal bureaucracy, a move absolutely vital for the accomplishments ofnthe Progressives and FDR/LBJ. But this was his only accomplishment and he did sign the chinese exclusion acts.

Adams - Kept the US out of major wars, opposer slavery, downside he was kinda fashy.

And to argue against some people getting votes who DO NOT deserve them

Polk - You are aware the They Might Be Giants song is supposed to be highlighting what a piece of shit he was right? Doubled down on genocide vs natives, picked a war of territorial aggression with Mexico, massively expanding the country with absolutely NP regard for the delicate peace between free and slave states (because he WANTED the expansion of slavery) and tried to pick wars with britain and russia over oregon. Just not a guy id ever vote for unless youre sp unbothered by this shit that youre putting Jackson over him.

JFK - Two failed coups against Castro, commiting troops the vietnam in what will be the proximate cause of the Vietnam War and the weaksauce version of the civil rights act makes him LBJ without any of the good shit.

Im gonna be bothered by genocide enough to vote Arthur even though its probably Jackson

So

FDR
LBJ
Grant
Arthur