No matter how one might characterize the man, I believe that that particular quote is quite true. It's very common for people to be blind to the past and not have an historical perspective as they judge the relative importance of events over time. People just have this tendency to overstate the importance of the time in which they live... because that's all they really know. That's all Galbraith was trying to express and I believe that several of the comments in this thread give credence to the accuracy of that statement.Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonyvop
Not all historians (or even most) are on the same page about every President. They have their opinions and you have yours. But (and no offense intended) I would say that actual historians are probably a good deal more objective and less biased than you, as they rank various Presidents.Quote:
I could care less about what "most historians" think. They are the same people who claim the JFK was a great president.
Ah yes, but I hear Galbraith's quote playing just now. ;) If you actually believe that, then I suggest you do a bit of comparative reading on the Andrew Johnson administration, and especially that of Herbert Hoover.Quote:
Carter easily oversaw the worse 4 years any administration in US history.
I'll see your Jimmy Carter and raise you a George W. Bush. :dozey:Quote:
High unemployment, High Inflation. Gave away US territory, His abandonment of US allies directly led to the world's problem in Iran and the Taliban. He allowed US territory to be invaded and our people held hostage and did little or nothing(Except for some stupid special forces mission that most of the military knew was doomed to failure)
I'll give you a couple - at no extra charge: the Camp David Agreement, where he brought together Israel and Egypt. Also, the creation of 8 million jobs during his administration. George W. Bush was actually the first President since Herbert Hoover to experience a net loss of jobs over the course of his administration. Every administration has some positives, Anthony - even if the net is a negative.Quote:
Just tell me one significant, positive thing that happened in his administration. Just one!
I'm not a fan of Jimmy Carter or his administration. But in comparison to where George W. Bush took the country by the time he left office and where it was when Carter left office, I believe Bush wins the Donkey of the Race trophy pretty easily... if we go by actual data and facts.
But my point remains: through good administrations and bad ones, a truly great nation survives and eventually prospers. That's the way it has always been for the U.S. and that's the way it will always be... until the people of this republic stop believing in themselves, and they allow the republic to fold up and die. In times of adversity, my grandfather often said this: "the same heat that melts butter, tempers steel."
So IMO, it really just comes down to whether the people of this nation (current and future generations) are butter or steel. IMO, we have waaay too many Chicken Little types these days, who are predicting that the sky is falling whenever things aren't going exactly the way they think they should be. They are butter. They are weak. They are in the way.
