Who is the most underrated president ever?

[Rockefeller]

Polk.

But on that list?  Nixon.

[Senator Clarence]

James K Polk. I mean, his presidency literally shaped modern America, AND shaped its culture. And he did it all in 4 years. Not bad for Young Hickory.

I agree fully-

[Χahar]

Polk was, of course, a loathsome imperialist, but I suppose he did do a good job of expanding the institution of slavery into new lands long after civilized nations had abolished it.

[Ghyl Tarvoke]

Isn't the idea of rating politicians the strangest ever? Perhaps it can apply to Republican presidential nominees of this world but to actual US presidents, bizarre...

Anyway, if you mean "impact-to-whatpeopleknowabouthimneverher" then Polk is certainly a major contender. Basically for what Xahar said (perhaps we should go to www.elatlasdelaseleccionesmexicanas.com and ask them). As for Nixon, are you people serious? Do you want me to invoke that thread again?

[Rooney]

Polk was, of course, a loathsome imperialist

One can also argue that Polk was simply responding to the fact that Mexico owed a great deal of money to the United States and even though the lands of the west could easily have been used as payment for Mexican debts to the United States the Americans were willing to pay for the lands. The Mexican government of Herrera actually wanted to speak with John Slidell about peaceful land grants, but the anti-American Mexican military refused to follow through with these peaceful notions and placed Gabriel Valencia in power. During his trip across Mexico in 1846, Marine officer Archibald Gillespie reported back to Polk that anti-Americanism was rampant across Mexico and that war was imminent. Thus, while Polk did fight a war that some consider immoral, the Mexicans had many chances to avoid the war and chose otherwise. I surmise that you are a fan of the Whig Party, though.

Polk also did some great things in terms of upholding gold based currency, reestablishing the Independent Treasury System and repealing the Tariff of 1843, replacing it with the Walker Tariff which helped ease tensions with Great Britain and led to the uneasy treaty which awarded a parcel of disputed territory in Oregon to the United States. Polk is not one of my favorite presidents but he was effective and helped the economy in many ways. 

[traininthedistance]

Polk was, of course, a loathsome imperialist, but I suppose he did do a good job of expanding the institution of slavery into new lands long after civilized nations had abolished it.

Absolute truth.  The independent treasury was a marked improvement over previous systems, though.

[JulioMadrid]

Other: Jimmy Carter

[perdedor]

Carter, without question. Authorized SALT II, ended "containment" policies that propped up murderous far-right dictators, created the Department of Energy, and had the balls to go on television and tell the American populace that they were becoming spoiled consumption machines. The lesser man won in 1980, unquestionably.

[ModerateCoward]

Jimmy Carter

[Emperor SJoyce]

Chester A. Arthur. He actually ended cronyism (Pendleton Act) by making people have to have some level of competency. A great corruption cleaner-upper, and he was the first to ban immigration by criminals and the insane. He also got time zones established, so there's that.
"No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted, and no one ever retired ... more generally respected"--Alexander K. McClure.
"I am but one in 55 million, still, in the opinion of this one-fifty-five-millionth of the country's population, it would be hard to better President Arthur's administration."--Mark Twain.

[Platypus]

I want to vomit, but... George W Bush.

[For Oklahoma]

I want to vomit, but... George W Bush.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Emperor SJoyce]

I want to vomit, but... George W Bush.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Makes a tiny bit of sense. People don't give him credit for his efforts to rally the country right after 9/11, when he made it clear that Islam was not the enemy, went to Ground Zero, and got the world to really stand with the US. Then, of course, he used that goodwill to invade Iraq, tear up the Constitution, run up the debt, and basically upset every single other nation and destroy the achievements of Bush41 and Clinton. But that one week was good, and the part where he actually committed to fighting AIDS in Africa (a fluke compared to the rest of his foreign policy). So there were a few good bits, but we don't commemorate them because the rest was so, so terrible.

[For Oklahoma]

Well of course there were good bits, but the most underrated President ever?!

[Χahar]

With regard to Africa, it should be noted that the actions of the Bush administration in dealing with the crisis in the Congo were far superior to those taken by Clinton's people.

[ModerateCoward]

Post-1900: Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

He is way overrated.

[shua]

James A. Garfield. I mean, c'mon the guy could write in Latin and Greek at the same time!

[oakvale]

Carter was hardly a good President, but considering that he's frequently cited as an example of one of the worst in history of whatever I think he's a good contender for this title.

Bonus: Most overrated President - Clinton, Clinton, Clinton. It never fails to amaze me how the Clinton administration seems to exist in the popular imagination as a collection of savvy, pragmatic pros with unmatched political skills instead of the scandal-plagued, half-competent near disaster that it really was.

[For Oklahoma]

I had a teacher about 2 years ago who thought Bill Clinton was the best thing since sliced bread. She loved him. It was creepy.

[Emperor SJoyce]

Most overrated would have to be Lincoln, as it sucked to be a protestor or someone who supported peace during his presidency; he suspended habeas corpus, shut down newspapers, tried to limit speech, introduced the income tax and fiat money, and generally presided over a fundamental change in the size of government.

[For Oklahoma]

Most overrated would have to be Lincoln, as it sucked to be a protestor or someone who supported peace during his presidency; he suspended habeas corpus, shut down newspapers, tried to limit speech, introduced the income tax and fiat money, and generally presided over a fundamental change in the size of government.

No way. He was extremely authoritarian.

Scroll down to him (#42) on this list:

http://www.xaviercromartie.com/2009/12/libertarian-ranking-of-united-states.html

[A cowboy always follows his beard]

So Underrated = Libertarian and Overrated = Authoritarian?

[For Oklahoma]

So Underrated = Libertarian and Overrated = Authoritarian?

No, not at all. Lincoln's individual authoritarianism leads me to believe he is not underrated. This of course is just my opinion.

[Emperor SJoyce]

Most overrated would have to be Lincoln, as it sucked to be a protestor or someone who supported peace during his presidency; he suspended habeas corpus, shut down newspapers, tried to limit speech, introduced the income tax and fiat money, and generally presided over a fundamental change in the size of government.

No way. He was extremely authoritarian.

Scroll down to him (#42) on this list:

http://www.xaviercromartie.com/2009/12/libertarian-ranking-of-united-states.html

Uh, I was saying he was the most OVERrated (and that Arthur was most underrated). I was pointing out how people think Lincoln should be (well, is) on Mt. Rushmore, but that he did all that bad, authoritarian stuff, making him very, very overrated (he's certainly the highest-rated president at that end of the list).

[Jackson]

The most underrated president ever was William Henry Harrison. No other president comes close to matching his achievements.