Who was the best president in your lifetime and why?

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Ronald Reagan.........He spoke only of hope and the American dream and did his best to get government out of the way because he understood it is the people who make the country what it is not the government. He was the 1st president since Washington to win 2 landslide elections. In fact his second run he won 49 out of 50 states....Show more

I got you by a year. What are we doing here?! Seriously though, it's probably JFK for me. Imho, Reagan gets too much credit for ending the hostage crisis and the cold war. Poor Jimmy Carter's timing wasn't good as his policies were informed by the prevailing mood of the post-Vietnam and Watergate era which was against aggressive U.S. intervention abroad and for stronger checks on executive power. He's been among the best ex-prezs as measured by his tireless work at home and abroad. The Soviet Union was a nation in name only composed of 100s of ethnic groups and just as many different languages and world views. It was held together by brute force and intimidation. The seed of its destruction were already there before Ronnie and the "Morning in America" people came along. I don't think outspending the enemy will work in this day's war....Show more

I was born in fifty three. Clinton hands down. Other then his infamous I didn't have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky, line he generally had the country feeling good about itself. He instituted welfare reform, he reduced the deficit, he created real jobs, he shrunk the government, unemployment was low and the economy was strong. Ironically Clinton also was the reason I exited the democratic party after his signing of NAFTA. I've been an independent ever since....Show more

This question has been asked and answered more times than I care to count. I think the only reason to ask it at this point is to measure how many libs vs conservatives are on YA at any point in time. Reagan always wins (rightfully so) and Carter is always remembered for the buffoon he was (again, rightfully so) ....Show more

Gerald Ford:
Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was the thirty-eighth President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the fortieth Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974. He was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, and became President upon Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974.

Prior to 1973, Ford served for over eight years as the Republican Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives; he was originally elected to Congress in 1948 from Michigan's 5th congressional district.

As president, Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the Cold War, even as South Vietnam, a former ally, was invaded and conquered by North Vietnam. Ford did not intervene in Vietamese affairs, but did help extract friends of the U.S. Domestically, the economy suffered from inflation and a recession under President Ford. One of his more controversial decisions was granting a presidential pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal. In 1976, Ford narrowly defeated Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, but ultimately lost the presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter.

so its:
James Earl Carter Jr. (commonly known as Jimmy Carter, born October 1, 1924) was the thirty-ninth President of the United States from 1977 to 1981, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Prior to becoming president, Carter served two terms in the Georgia Senate, and was the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975.[1]

Carter's presidency was marked by several major crises, including the take over of the American embassy and holding of hostages by militants in Iran, a failed rescue attempt of the hostages, serious fuel shortages, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

His administration created two new cabinet-level departments: the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. He established a national energy policy,[2] removed price controls from domestic petroleum production,[3] but was unable to make America less reliant on foreign oil sources. He introduced a staggered increase in the payroll tax in a failed attempt to bolster Social Security. In foreign affairs, Carter pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Carter advocated a policy that held other countries to the highest moral standard possible, a standard by which, he believed, Americans would want themselves to be judged.[4] The final year of his term was dominated by the Iran hostage crisis, during which the United States struggled to rescue diplomats and American citizens held hostage in Tehran. By 1980, Carter was so unpopular that he was challenged by Ted Kennedy for the Democratic Party nomination in 1980. Carter received the Democratic nomination, but lost the election to Republican Ronald Reagan.

After leaving office, Carter founded an institute to promote global health, democracy and human rights. He has traveled extensively to monitor international elections, conduct peace negotiations and establish relief efforts[citation needed]. He is also a key figure in Habitat for Humanity.[18] Carter also became a prolific author, writing 27 books. As of 2007, he is the earliest living president and the second-oldest living president....Show more