What I’m looking for are presidents who did amazing things before becoming president. People like Teddy Roosevelt and his ride up San Juan Hill, or George Bush SR. with his 58 combat missions in ww2 including being shot down.
With apologies to my Native brothers, Andy “By God” Jackson will always be the top pick for me. And from various biographies he was pretty much like that from birth; kick-ass-no-apologies and damn proud of it. Teddy was sort of driven into becoming a bad-ass from health and other issues and he had the money to be one with some margin of safety. Jackson was more “outlaw biker/bar fighter” bad-ass.
I don’t really think that’s “badass”, I’d say it’s more “undisciplined hothead.” Remember what happened to Sonny Corleone? I like people who are like Michael, not Sonny.
Of the 20th Century, by far the most badass in terms of “hands-on” experience is George H.W. Bush. Read about his WWII experiences, it’s insane, though not many know about it. He was the youngest Naval Aviator at the time, and went through some harrowing shit repeatedly. He may have been so-so as a President, but he was incredibly heroic as an Aviator.
Close behind is Jimmy Carter, who personally participated in the disassembly of a malfunctioning nuclear reactor, risking horrific radiation poisoning and other awful consequences, to save the environment and surrounding people from the same. Again, so-so President, but heroic man.
You know, there was another 20th Century President whose combat vehicle was destroyed by the Japanese in WWII, and he spent a lot more time in the ocean than George Bush did.
After that bad assery, Roosevelt lost the election.
“that weak and vicious minds should be inflamed to acts of violence by the kind of awful mendacity and abuse that have been heaped upon me for the last three months by the papers.”
I’d have to say that Teddy is the most bad-ass, but that Jackson was the most personally frightening. The Bull Moose could probably dismember you with his bare hands, but Old Hickory would.
That said, while I think Teddy Roosevelt was one of our better Presidents, Jackson was one of the worst (bottom five, certainly). Being a badass is completely orthogonal to being a good President.
The Native American community would heartily agree with you. The guy was genocidal in the fine tradition of the Pilgrims and most of the presidents that came before him, including George Washington.
