Worse than Bush?

[Weez]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 2:45pm

I'm just reading my mate's blog, and she declared that Bush was a shambles, and never before has such an incompetent idiot been voted into power. So I was just wondering, in your opinions, has there ever been a worse, less competent world leader voted into power that you can think of?

Posted: 1/12/09 at 2:51pm

Ever hear of Hitler? Nicolei Ceaucescu? Stalin? As dreadful as GW has been, he's not really a world-class failure.

On the domestic front I think there is a case to make that Bush was the worst president ever. He's failed in every single area. Before the second great depression began, I think he probably was close to tied with Harding and Fillmore, but he's shown that he really is the worst.

[Weez]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 2:57pm

I think I'm looking more at "incompetent and stupid" rather than "freakin' evil". You don't think those answers are a little too easy and not *exactly* (although certainly comparable in some ways) on the same level as Bush?

Updated On: 1/12/09 at 02:57 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 3:05pm

Jimmy Carter - Worst President ever

gasoline was rationed
American hostages in Iran
high interest rates
high unemployment
reinstituted Selective Service
the list goes on and on

Updated On: 1/12/09 at 03:05 PM

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 5:09pm

Warren G. Harding was pretty ridiculously bad, from what I hear.

But I think we can't compare Bush with 'rulers' from the past yet, because you can't really judge until enough time has passed. Because we've all been personally affected by the stuff from the last few years, but none of us have been harmed by, say, Rutherford B. Hayes or Grover Cleveland.

[Winston3]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 5:31pm

I would say that Regan is up there as bad presidents.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 7:23pm

so did I miss that Stalin was "voted" in?

[jasonf]

Posted: 1/12/09 at 7:29pm

Goth - is that all you have on Carter? Geez, Bush's list on just about any ONE subject here beats that:

http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/broken_government/ratings

Posted: 1/12/09 at 9:36pm

Elph, I didn't see the "voted in" line when first posted and figured I'd wait and see if anyone else did. You win!

[kelzama]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 2:54pm

carter.
Inflation rate at end of term: 12%
Unemployment: 7.7% nationally.
Mortgage rates hovered around 20%.
Value of US dollar on international markets plummeted.
Prime Interest Rate soared to 21%
Gold shot to over $800 per ounce.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 3:23pm

Value of US dollar on international markets plummeted.

Worse than during Bush's regime?

Posted: 1/13/09 at 3:27pm

I lived through Bush, I lived through Carter. Bush was worse. Not only has he trashed the economy AT LEAST as badly as Carter- he has failed in every other area. Carter at least made progress in the middle east. Bush has NO successes to point to.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 3:37pm

If this administration had only failed in one or two areas or even in parts of them, it would not be deemed as the failure that it has been. I say 'administration' because it wasn't just Bush even though he was the President.

For instance, let us set aside the latest economic fiasco (which like it or not has been building for quite a while), the Bush II administration still has charged a war on the equivilent of its credit cards. There was no tax increase to pay for this folly. If you give a dance you gotta pay the band.

Then the economy fell apart.

The Administration went to war with Iraq on false pretenses and has caused the US to lose so much credibility abroad as to be ridiculous.

No other US President, Vice President or Defense Secretary has been considered for trial on war crimes. They may not be able to travel abroad except to like Saudi Arabia, for the rest of their lives for fear of arrest. This isn't my opinion, but that of the world. People do not like the idea of torture.

The situation has been made grave by so many situations in so many areas of US policy.

I lived through LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan and they all had successes in some areas to go with monumental failures in others. The successes of this administration are few. Too few.

Defending this administration is defending the indefensible.

[artscallion]

Posted: 1/13/09 at 3:47pm

More than 1.2 million people we can't ask if they think Bush was worse than Carter...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORB_survey_of_Iraq_War_casualties

Updated On: 1/13/09 at 03:47 PM