George Washington vs. Abraham Lincoln

[TDAS04]

Well?

[RINO Tom]

Pretty clearly our two best Presidents, so it's hard to choose, but Lincoln by a hair.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Lincoln, mainly because of differences on slavery. I respect Washington, though.

[Prosperum]

Lincoln, mainly because of differences on slavery. I respect Washington, though.

[Santander]

Washington

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Both were excellent presidents, and arguably the two absolutely indispensable figures of American history. On the whole, though, I would rank Lincoln slightly ahead of Washington by reasoning that he began his presidency with a much bleaker outlook and nothing approaching the universal respect and long service in the public arena that the latter benefitted from. When Washington assumed the presidency, he did so at a time when the country had just made a conscious decision to unite (albeit after a divisive and controversial battle over the Constitution); furthermore, he took office having already established himself as a national hero, and therefore had an existing base of popular support and credibility to draw upon. Lincoln, by contrast, became president at the very moment when the nation had decided to cleave itself in two, following a long and bitter struggle over slavery that had defied all attempts at resolution by previous presidents; he had no national reputation (indeed, he was nominated for just that reason), and what support he had was of the vague, general sort for the faceless figurehead of a greater cause. That his accomplishments were just as great if not greater than Washingtons, effectively rebuilding the Union from scratch and leaving a permanent stamp on the national character, is all the more remarkable when one considers that few who elected him expected anything of the sort to come from his administration.

[nicholas.slaydon]

Lincoln easily.

[dead0man]

Washington was more important.  Slavery in the south was going to end eventually one way or the other, likely later if Lincoln hadn't been elected, but perhaps without a Civil War.  The odds were long that we would win the Rev War, and there are very few humans who could have accomplished what Washington did in 1776 and 77 holding the sh**t together.

I'll agree that Lincoln is the better President for the reasons given by Truman, but that's not how I read the question.

[(Still) muted by Kalwejt until March 31]

Washington

[Middle-aged Europe]

Lincoln.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Lincoln, of course.

[OSR stands with Israel]

Its close but I give Washington the edge as he was the father of this country.

[Reaganfan]

Really tough. Both of them are exceptional leaders in history.

[Santander]

Pretty clearly our two best Presidents, so it's hard to choose, but Lincoln by a hair.

If you find yourself constantly having to ask why most conservatives and Republicans have a different worldview than you, maybe it's time to stop calling yourself a conservative or a Republican.

[Blue3]

It's difficult, both were fantastic, but I'd go with Lincoln for ending slavery and making us into a more unified country, even if ending slavery wasn't his original intention.

[All Along The Watchtower]

It's difficult, both were fantastic, but I'd go with Lincoln for ending slavery and making us into a more unified country, even if ending slavery wasn't his original intention.

It's pretty clear that it was, certainly by the time Lincoln was elected President. The only really significant thing that he changed his mind on regarding slavery was whether it would be better to legally abolish it outright or just "let it die out" while abolitionists continued to grow in power and influence. By the time of the Civil War, I think Lincoln had become convinced that the latter was not going to happen so long as the South not only continued to profit immensely from the foundation of their economy (and more broadly, their entire society), but also were determined to expand it into the West. The question then became at what point should slavery actually be abolished by the federal government.

[Lechasseur]

Washington

[Bakersfield Uber Alles]

Its close but I give Washington the edge as he was the father of this country.

[SWE]

Lincoln (correct)

[RINO Tom]

Pretty clearly our two best Presidents, so it's hard to choose, but Lincoln by a hair.

If you find yourself constantly having to ask why most conservatives and Republicans have a different worldview than you, maybe it's time to stop calling yourself a conservative or a Republican.

How do you have any friends in real life?

[SWE]

Pretty clearly our two best Presidents, so it's hard to choose, but Lincoln by a hair.

If you find yourself constantly having to ask why most conservatives and Republicans have a different worldview than you, maybe it's time to stop calling yourself a conservative or a Republican.

How do you have any friends in real life?

He spends time on Atlas, so he demonstrably does not.

[Mr. Smith]

Not the Henry Clay loving corporatist.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Not the Henry Clay loving corporatist.

I thought Mormons didn't drink.

[Kingpoleon]

Not the Henry Clay loving corporatist.

"I consider the President who gave freedom to all slaves worse than the president who had literal internment camps because of my populism, anti-corporatism, and 'anti-imperialism'."

[Goldwater]

FWIW, I am the second Lincoln (R) voter.