Who was the most radical president in US history?

[BurtWorm]

I'm guessing it would be either Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt. By radical, I mean the president whose policies did most to structurally alter the nation's direction. Bush is on course to be one of the most radical, as well, proving that radicalism is not necessarily a positive.

[rpannier]

1. Which Roosevelt????

Although both did a lot. Theodore Roosevelt was the last Great Republican President.

[BurtWorm]

2. Franklin.

I edited the original post to make it clearer.

[WildClarySage]

3. If Roosevelt were alive today

I doubt very seriously he would be a republican. The terms don't mean today what they did then. Look at Zell. Or, don't, if you can't stand to like I can't. Fucking dixiecrat POS.

Sorry, referring to TR, since you got more specific while I was posting. :hi:

[TreasonousBastard]

8. TR dumped the Republican Party...

way back when he ran as a Progessive ("Bull Moose").

[Justitia]

4. gotta go w/Bush - 1st to "pre-emptively" invade a non-attacking nation

That pretty much turns American foreign policy on it's head all the way back to our country's formation.

And I hate him for it too.

[Muddy Waters Guitar]

5. Well, James K. Polk did that against Mexico

in 1846-48. The whole SW portion of the United States came courtest of the US-Mexican War-- Mexico in fact lost half its territory. One can chalk it up to border conflicts or land disputes, whatever, but Mexico definitely didn't provoke us in that war. The provocation came almost fully from north of the border; read Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs for more info. Grant served in the war and did not like it-- he bitterly criticized the US land seizure, and Grant basically said that Polk's policy was to have his officers start fights across the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers. Polk IMHO was the most influential (not necessarily upright or respectable, but influential) president outside of Washington and Jefferson. The large territory of the US, its economic and military power on two oceans, dates from Polk.

Although, of course, now the culture of the SW (esp. California, Arizona, and New Mexico) is becoming Mexican again. The amount of land that Mexico transferred to the US in 1848 has never been equalled, before or since; never has a single war and treaty resulted in such a large loss of land from one nation to a neighbor. I guess it was inevitable that at least a portion of that enormous stretch would begin to revert, culturally and linguistically at least.

[Kolesar]

6. And one year later, gold was discovered in formerly-Mexican-California

...at Sutter's Mill. Actually, the discovery may have been a year before that. We really ripped off Mexico good with that one.

"Why do they hate us?"

[obreaslan]

12. Yeah, think about that....

If California with it's gold discovery and Texas with it's oil were part of Mexico, it would be a very different situation in North America today.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. I've been wondering...

how far Mexico would get trying to get all that, especially Texas, back since the US never honored the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo.

We'd be left with not much besides the Gadsden Purchase if they won.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. GW has the MS view of the world.... pic

[Maddy McCall]

9. Domestically, Lincoln.

Lincoln's emancipation of slaves changed the direction of this nation more radically than any other single presidential decision in history.

Foreign policy-wise, McKinley, who made it clear that the US military would protect corporate interests abroad.

[AngryAmish]

14. Agreed re Lincoln

But in a good way.

[Yupster]

20. Agree Lincoln

Not as positive about him as you are.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Washington...

because he was the first and set the standard for the Presidency, creating the office out of whole cloth.

(A standard that is not being met today.)

[DistressedAmerican]

15. He was the first to voluntarily step down...

He set the two term tradition that much later became law. Terms limits are pretty radical in my book and we could use more of 'em! Remember these guy's came out of centuries of hereditary monarchs.

The founding fathers would have puked over the return of dynasty in America (except for those Adams boys of course). I don't like Kennedy's, Clinton's and most especially Bush's!
DA

[Zynx]

13. FDR

No president since Washington has had such a significant impact on the long term political and economic structure.

[UpsideDownFlag]

16. would anyone else say woodrow wilson? His ideas about a leage of Nations

brought the US out of Isolationism...at least that was my impression.

[leftofthedial]

17. FDR

he changed the economic paradigm of the country.

the rabid, "I hate everything except my money" capitalists are still pissed. Hence the repuke economic policies that are more punitive than rational.

[bemildred]

18. "radical president" is an oxymoron.

[BurtWorm]

19. This radical "president" is a moron, for sure.

;)

[Radical Activist]

22. Exactly. Radicals don't get elected President

dramatic change comes from people who are never considered mainstream and establishment enough to become President.

[vision]

21. TR

Teddy broke the trusts and established national parks.

FDR did a lot for the average man but looking at what is considered "Radical" now i.e. "tree-hugging" and "anti-globalist" attitudes IMO TR would be considered more radical. FDR on the other hand would liberal but not really radical as what he accomplished is generally accepted, while what TR stood against is seen as radical stances.

[kentuck]

23. Andrew Jackson....

He challenged the banking system. It was like if a president shut dwn the Fed...pretty powerful and "radical" move..

[leesa]

24. Dubya is by far the most radical because he had no reason to do what

he has done to us, other than his fantasies of world domination