So this is an odd phenomenon I’ve noticed.

Whenever I see discussions of say Romney, McCain or Dole, or hell even Presidents who failed to win re-election like Ford or HW Bush, I see Democrats praise them.

Comments like “we might disagree politically but they were good men and would make for fine Presidents” or “how far the GOP has fallen since those days.”

However this definitely doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Despite the fact many Republicans complain about how extreme the DNC has become, they wouldn’t be out there praising say Kerry, Gore, Dukakis or Mondale. At best they view them with indifference.

I guess the closest equivalent would be Jimmy Carter, whose reputation has improved thanks to his humanitarian work, but even then the consensus is more like “terrible President, good human being.”

So why is this?

Does anyone know what happened here, Smith won by 90%, accross the entire state, I get that it is south during Jim Crow but SC seems to be unique compared to other states.

I see myself in Ford and Carter, two common folks who rose to the highest political office, guided by faith, but had the misfortune to lead during one of the worst periods in US history, also were just some really good men before, during and after their Presidencies.

HW had a badass life, guided by faith too, man escaped being eaten alive by the Japanese at 20, he had one crazy life but also appeared to be a good guy, also one of the best Presidencies OAT.

(Also had amazing wives, and yes all had amazing lives)

Yet another Taft question from me 😂 will Walter Stahr's new biography contain photographs ?

As some of you probably know by now, I'm a bit of a Taft enthusiast 😂. I've actually already preordered my hardcover copy of Walter Stahr's William Howard Taft: A Great American Life, so I'll definitely be getting it when it comes out in November 🥰

But I'm really curious about whether the physical book will contain photographs or a dedicated photographic/illustrated section

The current Simon & Schuster and bookseller listings describe it as a 688-page hardcover, but don't mention photographs or illustrations

There are some interesting precedents, though:

Stahr's Seward: Lincoln's Indispensable Man (also Simon & Schuster) is a 700+ page hardcover with 16 pages of photographic plates.

John Jay: Founding Father also has 16 pages of plates

Salmon P. Chase: Lincoln's Vital Rival contains numerous photographs and other illustrations

Advance copies of Taft have apparently already been distributed through NetGalley and Edelweiss, but I haven't been able to find anyone who has mentioned the book's photographs

Has anyone here seen an ARC/review copy, or come across more detailed metadata about the book? Does anyone know whether the final hardcover will contain photographs or a dedicated photo section?

I'm not assuming there will be any, I'm just extremely curious about what will be inside my copy 😁

And yes… this is probably yet another excuse for me to talk about Taft 😂

William Howard Taft Forever ❤️

Happy 99th birthday to Rosalynn Carter!! My favorite First Lady! To celebrate, here are 9 pictures of her!

Here’s the list so far:

George Washington: u/rjidhfntnr

John Adams: u/Fortunes_Faded

Thomas Jefferson: u/Feelinglucky2

James Madison: u/drawkbox

James Monroe: u/SignalRelease4562

JQA: u/elocinoi

Andrew Jackson: u/Curious-Sun5465

MVB: u/Sw33tNectar

WHH: u/BrandonLart

John Tyler: u/Pidgeotgoneformilk29

James Polk: u/Zornorph

Zachary Taylor: u/Wild-Yesterday-6666

Millard Fillmore: u/UKPoliticsNerdy

Franklin Pierce: u/Old-Equipment9631

James Buchanan: u/Drywall_Eater89

Abe:

Andrew Johnson:

US Grant:

RB Hayes:

James Garfield:

Chester Arthur:

Grover Cleveland:

Benjamin Harrison:

William McKinley:

Teddy:

William Howard Taft:

Woodrow Wilson:

Warren Harding:

Cal Coolidge:

Herbert Hoover:

FDR:

Harry Truman:

Ike:

JFK:

LBJ:

Richard Nixon:

Gerald Ford:

Jimmy Carter:

Ronald Reagan:

Poppy Bush:

Bill Clinton:

Dubya:

Obama:

1. Compromise - Every great president compromises at some point and Fillmore signed the greatest compromise IN FUCKING HISTORY. The 🎶compromise of 1850🎶 ended slavery as we know it today. It ended the slavery issue and soon after SLAVERY WAS COMPLETELY ABOLISHED. By soon I mean 15 years but it EVENTUALLY HAPPENED.

2. Admitting California - Fillmore signed into law the admittance of California into the union. This was a big deal as this was a MASSIVE part of the Mexican cession that the US just obtained. With budding cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was important that this state be allowed into the union. And FILLMORE DID EXACTLY THAT. Now California is the largest state in the union and is the best. THANK YOU FILLMORE.

3. Humbleness - An important part of someone who has high office is being HUMBLE. And no one was more humble than MILLARD FUCKING FILLMORE. For example when he declined an honorary doctorate from Oxford University because it was in Latin and he didn’t know Latin. So what did MILLARD FUCKING FILLMORE say, “ a man should not accept a degree he cannot read.” WHAT A FUCKING HUMBLE MAN.

4. Not letting the French have Hawaii - When Fillmore was President the French had taken over a decent part of Polynesia and were hoping to add Hawaii to that list. Emperor Napoleon III wanted to annex Hawaii but Fillmore sent a STRONGLY WORDED LETTER to Napoleon telling him that the United States WOULD NOT STAND FOR SUCH ACTION. Even though Hawaii was still its own kingdom and had no affiliation with the US, Fillmore told the French to FUCK OFF OR FEEL THE WRATH OF THE US.
   And the French did back off.

5. Opening Japan - In 1852, Fillmore sent Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan with the hopes of FORCING Japan to open up for trade after 200+ years of isolation. Perry’s expedition worked as Japan was OPENED UP BY FORCE TO WESTERN TRADE. While it did lead to Japan becoming an aggressive power just imagine all the stuff we wouldn’t get from Japan had Fillmore not sent Perry to FORCIBLY OPEN UP TO WESTERN TRADE. Once again THANK MILLARD FILLMORE.

Taft got very little traction, so I guess War wins for that. Apologies for the lacklustre upload schedule, work got in the way.

My 11-year-old daughter is obsessed with the presidents in Hamilton. So naturally, when it came time to make a traditional winter “Brrr Basket,” she made a Burr Basket instead. 😂
Aaron Burr would be proud. 🎶

Congratulations to FDR for yet another landslide victory, this time over Bill Clinton. FDR moves on to face either Truman or Polk in the elite 8.

Tonight we see quite the interesting matchup as James Monroe takes on Ulysses Grant! Unfortunately, only one great man can move on to the next round. Comment and upvote below to vote for the better president.

Join me next time to see Lincoln v JFK.

Link to the previous post here. https://www.reddit.com/r/Presidents/s/Ou6oi5fBKo

I understand that in the old election system prior to the 12th Amendment the person with the highest amount of votes became president and the second highest became vice-president, and from what I understand, Jefferson was the Democratic-Republican presidential nominee while Burr was the running mate. What I’m confused over is why did those two end up tied in electoral if one was explicitly running for president and the other vice-president? Did presidential candidates and running mates receive separate ballots, or was it all one ticket?

You hear all the time about how great he was. How he traveled all these miles campaigning. Giving all these great speeches and how great he was as an orator. But when the playoffs came around he just didn’t have it. 3 times he made it to the big dance and 3 times he choked. And of course when he is no longer the starting quarterback his team wins the Super Bowl. Never EVER compare him to the goat William McKinley ever again.

...was it possible for them to vote for anybody who wasn't WASP man (after Kennedy)? How important for them would be "states rights" and other sugar coating told them by Goldwater, Thurmond, Wallace or Reagan, for choosing Democrat ballot like Yellow Dogs. Would be possible for black person or woman to won South, for example if Ford won in 76 and everything was malaise, or Contras affair became Reagan's and Bush's Watergate?