Ranking U.S. Presidents

"Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall!" These are the most iconic words from one of our most iconic presidents: Ronald Reagan. Reviled by some, loved by others: who was Ronald Reagan in reality? In this episode we will take a deep dive into his personality, early career and controversial foreign policy.

In part two, we will look at his domestic policy and rank him, so strap in for a two part ride with Ronald. 

Jimmy Carter is(as of this episode) the first living President we have covered! A peanut farmer and Navy veteran took over the Presidency from Gerald Ford. As president, he would preside over economic issues, energy issues and conflict in the Middle East and an infamous hostage situation in Iran. Although he is often maligned for his presidency and praised for his post presidential work, how well did he really perform as president? Find out in this episode!

Gerald Ford was America's only president who wasn't actually elected. Coming in as VP for Nixon after the fall of Spiro Agnew, he was left to pick up the pieces after Nixon resigned in 1974. As president, Ford would have to handle the fallout from Nixon, economic woes and foreign policy challenges, all while dealing with SNL jokes about his accident prone nature.

How did he handle all of this? And where does he rank? Listen to find out!

I am not a crook. At least that's what Nixon claimed. In this episode we will be looking at Nixon's foreign policy and the infamous Watergate scandal. Also special guest Matt will join us to discuss the culture of the 70s and how the true counter culture was born during the era of Nixon.

Also, we will finally rank ole tricky Dicky. 

It's the president you'll all been waiting for: Tricky Dicky himself. In this episode we will be looking at his early life, political career and domestic policy as president. We will be saving his foreign policy and a little something called Watergate for part two.

LBJ inherited a heavy burden, taking over for JFK. But was he up to the challenge? How did he handle Civil Rights crises, the war in Vietnam and growing poverty in America?

Before LBJ became president, he led an interesting political life, engaging in a good deal of questionable campaigns to rise to his station. He was particularly infamous for what became known as the LBJ Treatment, a method of intimidation that involved close contact and public nudity. In this episode, we will look at his early life, career and his beliefs on matters of religion and...race. 

Despite only being President from 1961 to 1963 due to his assassination, a lot happened during JFK's presidency. He presided over massive Civil Rights protests and segregationist riots and the infamous Cuban Missile Crisis. How did he handle these events and where does he rank as a President? Does he live up to the legend of Camelot? 

For the Camelot era of JFK, we are going to need more than one episode. In part one, we will be looking at his life before the presidency, his personality and his many many affairs both before and during his presidency. We will also be skipping ahead to look at his assassination and take a look at some of the conspiracy theories surrounding his death. 

Eisenhower was many things: war hero, anticommunist and President. As president he oversaw the birth of the atomic arms race, the end of the Korean War and various Civil Rights issues such as the Little Rock desegregation case. But the real question is do we like Ike? Give us a listen and find out!