John Adams.
Adams actively encouraged via direct participation in partisan politics while in office. He failed to unite the Federalists in the wake of Washington’s retirement, drawing opposition from his own party when seeking re-election. Failing to defeat Jefferson in a re-match in 1800, he ironically performed his most influential (and proudest) act in a ridiculous, lame-duck, “fuck you” to Jeffersonian Republicans.
Zachary Taylor, agian. I’d vote for John Adams if this guy wasn’t still around.
At least Adams got something done during his time in office. Alien and Sedition Acts notwithstanding, the fact that Adams resisted the call to war over the XYZ affair is the only reason Madison had a country to lose in 1812. Madison’s failure was Adams’ triumph.
But Zachary Taylor? Is there anything that man did in office that had any lasting effect? I mean, besides dying and passing the presidency over to Millard Fillmore, who has already been voted out in this game?
I don’t understand the Adams hate. Presidential ranking polls usually put him in the top 15 all time.
Look, I thought we all agreed to lynch Wilson.
Vote Wilson
To be fair, Adams was in office three times as long as Taylor.
Taylor. Short tenure and ineffectual.
This time I actually did the math instead of just glancing at the ranking polls that Skammer linked above, and it looks like I was wrong last round.
Zachary Taylor is the worst ranked, on average, that remains. So there’s my vote.
I’m willing to switch my vote for adams or Taylor. I see the adams hate. So why Taylor again?
Wilson
And Wilson was never worse than 11th, yet people here are trying to get him out.
Coolidge.
That’d be for throwing dissenters in jail. Tim LaHaye aside, this isn’t Russia.
And I’ve spoken my case for Taylor. In 16 months, he made the greatest free-soil strides of any antebellum president. Then he died, and Fillmore promptly undid them. Voting against him at this stage just because he died…that’s just not fair.
Noticed Coolidge is still on there, so following my own precedent from about 3 pages back, he’s my vote this time (even tho I read and pondered the post which played him up).
I’ll back the “Dump Coolidge” bandwagon. “Keep cool with Cal,” indeed! When the weather gets bad, you can always heat with worthless stock certificates.
You do know that Adams opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts (although he did ultimately sign them) and that there are only 10 recorded convictions, and no deportations, recorded under those acts? His biggest mistake was not getting rid of Alexander Hamilton.
Adams also successfully avoided war with both the French and the English despite heavy provocation from both sides. Heck, he pretty much sacrificed his party for peace with Napoleon. He oversaw the buildup of the army and navy which enabled us to beat the British in 1812.
And he should also get credit for putting John Marshall on the Supreme Court.
I’m not voting for Adams until we get rid of several more losers and less-than-one-termers like Taylor or Kennedy.
Is this not contradictory?
Try telling that to Matthew Lyon. Thankfully, Adams was thrown out of office (and Lyon re-elected while in prison) before the count got higher.
Unlike Wilson, Adams really did keep us out of war. The A&S Acts were bad, but on the balance, he accomplished a lot more in one term than many others did in eight years.
Gerald Ford
To boost the Wilson-hate, you all know that he had a stroke his last year in office? And he and his wife concealed it, and his wife acted as president? In clear violation of the constitution? The vice-president is supposed to take over, not the woman the president happens to be sleeping with. That’s monarchical feudalist crap, and completely un-American.
Damn. I’m torn between Wilson and Teddy R.
I guess Wilson has a slight edge on suckage. Off with his head!
I’ll switch my vote from Kennedy to Wilson in order to save Adams.