- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Politics aside, who do you believe is the smartest president of the past 50 years?
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:05 pm
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:05 pm
I was reading Alan Greenspan's autobiography and he said Nixon and Clinton were the smartest people he ever worked with. My dad was telling me today how Jimmy Carter was one of the smartest presidents ever but also one of the worst presidents ever. Any of you oldies want to chime in?
44
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:10 pm to TheRealAlpha
First, define smart.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:13 pm to Bourre
To me, it's critical thinking. I don't care so much whether or not you arrive at the correct answer as i do about how you got there.
If you can evaluate a situation, look at possible options, eliminate those that don't make logical sense, and arrive at a good conclusion, you are intelligent.
"Knowing things" does not indicate that a person is intelligent. Being able to use that knowledge to solve problems usually does.
If you can evaluate a situation, look at possible options, eliminate those that don't make logical sense, and arrive at a good conclusion, you are intelligent.
"Knowing things" does not indicate that a person is intelligent. Being able to use that knowledge to solve problems usually does.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:14 pm to TheRealAlpha
quote:Depends on what the definition of "is" is...
who do you believe is
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:16 pm to TheRealAlpha
Trump overcame the greatest opposition any president ever did and did it without massive fundraising. Manipulated the media at their own expense. Did it while the sitting president's administration worked against him. If that's not the smartest ever, nothing is.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:17 pm to TheRealAlpha
Presidents are as smart as their best cabinet members. I think that's where you should find your answer. Not with the president himself. Frankly, intelligence isn't even top 5 on attributes that will get
you elected to that office, imo.
you elected to that office, imo.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:17 pm to TheRealAlpha
All of them are smart in their own way or they wouldn't have won. Even Dubya.
Trump is way underrated.
Smartest, at least in my time which dates back to Ike, was probably Carter. But that was his major malfunction ... he was a little too smart for his own good and he was/is a socialst. Good man though, with a good heart I think. But he was far left to the bone.
Reagan was cunning. He knew how to play the game.
H. W. was far too hubristic and assuming.
Clinton ... he wasn't that smart intellectually but he was a genius politically who surrounded himself with ruthless advisors who were very savvy.
Obama was simply a good orator.
Kennedy was out of his comfort zone and really out of his league politically. He had bad advisors as well. McNamara was one of the worst and RFK wasn't much better.
LBJ was politically savvy but not very smart imho.
Nixon was a genius intellectually but he was as egocentric as they come and that cost him. He had maybe the finest Sec of State advising him in history next to Byrnes (under Truman) ... in Kissinger.
Trump is way underrated.
Smartest, at least in my time which dates back to Ike, was probably Carter. But that was his major malfunction ... he was a little too smart for his own good and he was/is a socialst. Good man though, with a good heart I think. But he was far left to the bone.
Reagan was cunning. He knew how to play the game.
H. W. was far too hubristic and assuming.
Clinton ... he wasn't that smart intellectually but he was a genius politically who surrounded himself with ruthless advisors who were very savvy.
Obama was simply a good orator.
Kennedy was out of his comfort zone and really out of his league politically. He had bad advisors as well. McNamara was one of the worst and RFK wasn't much better.
LBJ was politically savvy but not very smart imho.
Nixon was a genius intellectually but he was as egocentric as they come and that cost him. He had maybe the finest Sec of State advising him in history next to Byrnes (under Truman) ... in Kissinger.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:19 pm to TheRealAlpha
Probably Clinton. And I'm 100% a TRUMPER
This post was edited on 12/22/18 at 11:20 pm
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:20 pm to Bourre
Different kinds of smart....
Clinton was book smart, not smart getting bj's in oval
Nixon politic smart, but not smart letting paranoia take him down
Bush 41 had greatest foreign policy smarts because all the positions he held
Of all time....John Q.Adams is known for having highest IQ.....also no surprise many of founding fathers had high IQs
Clinton was book smart, not smart getting bj's in oval
Nixon politic smart, but not smart letting paranoia take him down
Bush 41 had greatest foreign policy smarts because all the positions he held
Of all time....John Q.Adams is known for having highest IQ.....also no surprise many of founding fathers had high IQs
This post was edited on 12/22/18 at 11:23 pm
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:20 pm to TheRealAlpha
If 'smart' is not going to jail for so many indecent acts and collecting a pension for life....Clinton and Obama.
If 'smart' is utilizing persuasive power for the greater good of his own country......let's go Trump and Reagan.
If 'smart' is utilizing persuasive power for the greater good of his own country......let's go Trump and Reagan.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:25 pm to dstone12
Clinton has been Hillary’s puppet since college how does that make him smart?
He was assaulting every girl in sight and entrenched in crime for 4 decades not the sharpest tool
He was assaulting every girl in sight and entrenched in crime for 4 decades not the sharpest tool
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:30 pm to TheRealAlpha
I would bet Carter had the highest IQ, nuclear engineer and graduated in the top 10% of the Naval Academy, the rest of the attorneys and businessmen could probably not touch him in terms of raw intelligence. But Carter obviously lacked the interpersonal and grifter personalities of the rest of them.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:32 pm to TheRealAlpha
Clinton was easily the most intellectually curious. Thankfully not bi- curious. Carter was a pretty high IQ guy but hopelessly naive and self- reverent. Obama was a stuffed shirt- a totally mediocre mind and a demagogue with verbal virtuosity that people erroneously confused with wisdom. Nixon was brilliant- a first rate analytical thinker but lower emotional intelligence. Both Bush men were just normal guys- not original thinkers- both had a certain trustworthy judgement they relied on. Reagan had amazing emotional intelligence and phenomenal instincts. He got the big picture better than anyone and he was mature and not impulsive. Our GEOTUS is clearly in the 200 + IQ range and also clearly clairvoyant and shoots rays of destruction out of his eyes and fingers- so I’d say he’s the smartest.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:35 pm to THDAY
quote:
also no surprise many of founding fathers had high IQs
How could that be without common core and standardized testing?
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:38 pm to OleWar
Carter had an undergraduate degree from Annapolis. He never received an engineering degree and was never a nuclear engineer although he was a submarine officer. That said, he could have been had he wanted to and he was extremely intelligent. Not diminishing his intelligence, just correcting the record.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:42 pm to Lsupimp
Whichever president was able to draw up a treaty with aliens and keep it silent is the smartest who was that?
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:48 pm to TheRealAlpha
Nixon
This post was edited on 12/22/18 at 11:49 pm
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:52 pm to TheRealAlpha
quote:
I was reading Alan Greenspan's autobiography and he said Nixon and Clinton were the smartest people he ever worked with.
Zero question in my mind that Nixon was the smartest President of the last 50 years, probably the smartest, period. If you look at the writing, the speeches, the complexity of some of the recorded conversations. Now, he probably had untreated paranoia, but I would assume many Presidents have borderline personality/narcissistic features (perhaps not clinical, but maybe), certainly you see elements of that with Obama, Clinton, Nixon and LBJ.
From an intellectual standpoint, Clinton was pretty smart, but so was HW. They were probably pretty close in that area. But, I don't think either had the raw intellect of Richard Milhous Nixon.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:53 pm to MSMHater
quote:
Presidents are as smart as their best cabinet members.
This reminds me of head coaches and their OC and DC.
Posted on 12/22/18 at 11:58 pm to Lsupimp
You are correct sir. Some pretty impressive graduates in his class.
Reminiscing with their classmates yesterday were Adm. Stansfield Turner, former director of central intelligence; Adm. William J. Crowe, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and now serves as ambassador to Great Britain; Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, a prisoner of war in Vietnam for eight years and Medal of Honor recipient, who ran for vice president in 1992 on the independent ticket with billionaire entrepreneur Ross Perot; Jeremiah Denton, a former Republican senator from Alabama, who as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam blinked a Morse code message of distress during a filmed interview by his captors; and Adm. Wesley L. McDonald, former chief of the Atlantic fleet.
LINK
Reminiscing with their classmates yesterday were Adm. Stansfield Turner, former director of central intelligence; Adm. William J. Crowe, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and now serves as ambassador to Great Britain; Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, a prisoner of war in Vietnam for eight years and Medal of Honor recipient, who ran for vice president in 1992 on the independent ticket with billionaire entrepreneur Ross Perot; Jeremiah Denton, a former Republican senator from Alabama, who as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam blinked a Morse code message of distress during a filmed interview by his captors; and Adm. Wesley L. McDonald, former chief of the Atlantic fleet.
LINK
Page 1 of 6
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News