would you classify any of the US presidents as dictators?

[brianmanahan]

i read some things about past presidents such as andrew jackson and they were shocking. there were things that quite frankily i would have only expected a dictator to do.

do you think any of the US presidents, present or past, exhibited tendencies that would cause you to classify them as dictatorial?

 

[glenn1]

Dictator, no. Some acted directly against the Constitution however; e.g. Lincoln removing habeas corpus during the Civil War, FDR impounding Japanese ancestry citizens during WW2, etc. Some stretched the bounds of their powers in ways that were ultimately harmful as well; e.g. Jackson ignoring the Supreme Court on the Cherokee issue and directing the Trail of Tears, FDR threatening "packing" of the Supreme Court, etc.

 

[gevorg]

not yet

 

[nextJin]

I know exactly who will be voting for yes.

 

[Darwin333]

Lincoln

 

[zinfamous]

Lincoln and FDR were the closest.

They are also universally regarded as some of our best, and favorites.

go figure.

:awe:

 

[CrackRabbit]

Lincoln and FDR were the closest.

They are also universally regarded as some of our best, and favorites.

go figure.

:awe:

I would put FDR and Jackson higher on the list than Lincoln.
Plus Lincoln gets a minor pass for the whole nation being at war against itself thing.
Jackson was just plain old nuts and FDR was more than a tad bit power hungry. But none of the three managed to ruin the nation (unless you listen to Anarchist) so I guess it turned out ok.

 

[BoberFett]

Dictator, no. Some acted directly against the Constitution however; e.g. Lincoln removing habeas corpus during the Civil War, FDR impounding Japanese ancestry citizens during WW2, etc. Some stretched the bounds of their powers in ways that were ultimately harmful as well; e.g. Jackson ignoring the Supreme Court on the Cherokee issue and directing the Trail of Tears, FDR threatening "packing" of the Supreme Court, etc.

Agreed. Not dictators, but they all attempt to push the envelope for expanding their power.

 

[Jaskalas]

Lincoln takes the cake. Civil War was a very ugly thing.

 

[Anarchist420]

Yes. Even though they're not officially dictators, they govern as dictators.

Also, the person who said Jackson was more dictatorial than Lincoln needs to put the crack blunt down. Henry Clay would've done the same thing or possibly even tried to outright exterminate the Native Americans. Jackson was actually carrying out an Act of Congress.

Jackson wasn't that good of a President and he was a dictator, but not on Lincoln's level.

 

[BlueWolf47]

Some conservatives think Obama is a dictator even though every poilicy he puts forward is successfully blocked by republicans. I guess that would make him the most unsuccesful dictator. If Lincoln was a dictator then why did he need congress to ratify the abolishment of slavary. The civil war was an act of wealthy plantation owners trying to hold onto cheap labor and break apart from the US.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Some conservatives think Obama is a dictator even though every poilicy he puts forward is successfully blocked by republicans. I guess that would make him the most unsuccesful dictator. If Lincoln was a dictator then why did he need congress to ratify the abolishment of slavary. The civil war was an act of wealthy plantation owners trying to hold onto cheap labor and break apart from the US.

More like the South refusing to be dictated to by the North.

Slavery was an offshoot.

 

[BlueWolf47]

Ya keep telling yourself that.

 

[Smoblikat]

Obama

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Dictatorship is an end result and we're not there however the tendency is towards a more authoritarian government. The Obama administration actions against the press being s good example.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2013/05/20/doj-fox-news-james-rosen_n_3307422.html