Why do people say that Lincoln and Roosevelt were such good Presidents?

Question

Lincoln tossed people in jail without trial for disagreeing with his government. Roosevelt opened concentration camps in the US and threw US citizens into them.

Lincoln shut down disloyal newspapers and took funds out of the National Treasury to give to private individuals.

Roosevelt attempted to pack the Supreme Court with judges who supported him so he could override Congress and destroy the seperation of powers.

How can you people ***** about Pres. Bush's violations of the Constitution, but swoon over Lincoln and Roosevelt when they did even worse?

Answer 1

I dont know if its as much about thier policies as at this time thier administrations are greatly romanticized. I would be interested to see how people look at George W. Bush in 50 years or so.

Answer 2

I don't know where you twist your history from but if you look at the overall accomplishments of these presidents you will understand why people have so much respect for what they did. I believe that at some point in history people will have a different view of Bush's politics as well. Lincoln was so unpoular when he was president that he was assassinated. People thought he was out to ruin the economy and the country as a whole. People think the same way about Bush now. But it surprises me that people don't have the foresight to understand what he is trying to accomplish. I am also surprised that people have practically forgotten what happened on 9/11 and that it wasn't the first time we had been attacked.

Answer 3

Some people might think Lincoln and Roosevelt did nothing wrong because they don't know their U.S. history. Bush is now, front and center.

Personally, I did not know about those things, but then again I don't "swoon" over any human politician. All human politicians are succeptible to error in judgment and corruption.

The only difference between them and Bush is that we are living Bush's mistakes now.

Answer 4

Lincoln and Roosevelt were men who were leaders in situations that were difficult to deal with, a civil war and ww II. They saw need for strong leadership and yes they had their detractors and at were not popular with the public. Bush does not fit this league of presidents. He took us to war on false claims of WMD and tried to tie 9-11 to Iraq. Leadership comes from trust and how to use ones power.

Answer 5

are referring to FDR or TR?
Let's go with FDR
Short answer:
They were the winner!
History is very kind to the winner, and cruel to the loser, like Jimmy Carter
Good analogy, W is like very much like Lincoln, restoring strength to the presidency, forced to be in a reactive state , open opposition from without and with in
Certainly all our lives could be better, with time I think people will realize a lot more bad was avoided because of W's decisions

Answer 6

Its becaue they brought about a revolution that bettered the country, its not that i think they were good, i just think without them, the country would be worse. I think Bush might be remembered that way, except he will be known as a good president, for the right reasons

Answer 7

Lincoln freed the slave and Roosevelt came up with the New Deal that got us out of the Great Depression

Answer 8

Take your pick
1) Time passes and you forget the bad
2) You are judging past actions by today's standards.
3) Though the actions were wrong, the intentions were Honorable.

I can't figure out what GWB's goals are. At best, it just seems that he's trying to find some way to leave a legacy. Or, perhaps, he's just a puppet and people are pulling the strings behind him. Who knows, I just don't think his actions are honerable.

Answer 9

The measures they took were correct and helped win the war ultimately.

Answer 10

Time heals all wounds. Wait a couple of decades.