I don't waste time "researching" others evaluations of the fiasco. As a child of the 50's I have watched it in action. BUT, you did refer to "input"...so here goes.
-wyatt1sc
Interesting you answer with a dig. Did you know the Electoral College can be traced to the Centurial Assembly system of the Roman Republic? As you sited unemployment here is an interesting view.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122792327402265913.htmlWar records, this was the most easy readable history I found. (BTW, not the first piece I read <g>) I can't say I agree with all the sentiments attached as this author is obviously slanted to the right but the time lines are correct and I didn't want to find a statistics chart no one would look at for war history.
I enjoy reading because while I have lived much of this, my perspective and age allow for an opinion not necessarily based on history, facts and figures. Having just turned 50, you my friend are right there too. LOL
Abraham Lincoln a Republican President freed the Black Slaves of America along with the rest of the Republicans that fought for the North. The
Democrats were for continuing the blacks as slaves even the Democrats that lived in the Northern states. It was the Confederacy that susceeded from the Union and started the Civil War when Lincoln won the election because they knew Lincoln would push Congress to abolish Slavery in the USA. Lincoln was the first Republican President. The Republicans have always been against slavery and for human rights for all races and still are.
Theodore Roosevelt a Republican bought the Panama Canal zone from the French and built the Panama Canal. Teddy also started the National Park system of the USA and the first National Park in the whole world, was Yellow Stone National Park. Teddy gave Yellow Stone Park to all citizens of the USA. Now many countries all over the world have started National Parks. Republicans were the first party for the environment starting with Teddy. Teddy also delivered the "Square Deal and regulation of industry". Which helped the working classes. BTW it was crazy and stupid Jimmy Carter a Democrat President that gave away the Panama Canal zone for nothing.
Thomas Woodrow Wilson a Democrat President led America into WWI.
Warren G. Harding a Republican President led us from WWI into "nomalcy". President Harding led the country away from Wilson's socialistic views and returned it to the Capitalistic systems and freedom we all love, with the greatest landslide Presidential election victory in USA history.
Franklin D. Roosevelt a Democrat President led the USA into WWII.
Dwight D. Eisenhower a Republican President as General and Commander of all the Armed forces of the USA led the USA to victory over Germany and Japan so America could keep the freedom we now have. Roosevelt died before WWII ended but Eisenhower won the war anyways.
Harry S. Truman a Democrat President was vice-President under FDR and took over the Presidency when FDR died in office. Truman gave away most of Eastern Europe to Russia at the end of WWII. The USA won the war but Truman was too soft and inexperienced (sounds like Obama doesn't it, that's what happens facing Communist countries like Russia with soft Presidents), so Truman faced an
international crisis at the end of WWII, he couldn't handle it and he lost most of Eastern Europe to Russia in negotiations,
which started the cold war with Russia. Then just a few years later
Truman led the USA into the Korean War. "The war remained a frustrating stalemate for two years, with over 30,000 Americans killed, until a peace agreement restored borders and ended the conflict.[127] In the interim, the difficulties in Korea and the popular outcry against Truman's sacking of MacArthur helped to make the president so unpopular that Democrats started turning to other candidates."
wikipedia.org Lyndon B. Johnson a Democrat President led the USA into the Vietnam War.
Richard Nixon a Republican President led the USA out of Vietnam and ended the Draft. Nixon also opened the doors to trading with China.
Reagan and George Bush both Republican Presidents won the cold war against Russia and freed Eastern Europe, that truman gave away to Russia, without firing a shot. They built the "big stick" which included the Military Machine we have today including the Stealth Bombers and fighters, again so we Americans can all be free instead of bowing to a Communist Dictator like Castro or Stalin. Reagan and George Bush also improved the economy to great and new heigths that was totally destroyed under
Jimmy Carter's, a Democrat President,with Carter's extremely high taxes and the running of the printing presses that caused run away inflation. (This is why many see Barack Hussein Obama as another Jimmy Carter, it has already been tried in the USA and failed miserably. This is not change nor nothing new. It is just a return to the failed policies of Jimmy Carter)
George Bush also won the Gulf war against Iraq and Sadam Hussein. Freeing Kuwait. But did not enter Iraq.
George W. Bush a Republican President has won the war over Sadam Hussein, toppled his radical dictatorship, stopped the terrorism that Sadam's Regime trained and financed with Al Queda in Iraq. George W Bush has won that war with the "Surge" and has placed a new Iraq Democracy in the Middle East with hopes to grow that democracy in other countries, thereby ending the Radical Muslim strongholds of Al Queda and others, and bring freedom to the good Muslims that live there. The Economy was great under George W Bush for his first six years with only 6% unemployed (BTW it's only about 6% unemployed even now amongst all this market melt down), but then
the Democrats took over Congress and the Senate the last two years, and the economy has gone into the tank under the
Democrats leadership with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Ried along with Barny Frank that have destroyed it. The market melt down all started with subprime loans that
Obama and Acorn and Bill Clinton all democrats thought were a good idea. So
Bill Clinton, a Democrat President deregulated the banking system so they would make loans to people who couldn't qualify nor pay the payments. And Obama with Acorn pressured those banks to make those subprime loans that caused this market melt down.
In summary: Did you noticed that it was the Democrats: Wilson that led us into WWI, FDR that led us into WWII, Truman that led us into the Korean War, and LBJ that led us into Vietnam, and all those wars were fought with huge losses of drafted American Soldiers lives. It was the Republicans that led us out of and won the wars the Democrats put us into and also ended the draft. The two Bushes won both of their wars with almost no human losses in comparison.
I would add let's all not forget things that failed, like the bay of pigs & funding Castro as a "freedom fighter". Yes there are others like that we can pull out. Perhaps what you are saying is the problem with politics are politicians?
Wyatt chimed in, anyone else care to take a stab at a fair an balanced answer?
PS I just noticed that the ad on this page is "GWB IQ is 125, are you smarter than GWB?" Well as he was a lousy "C" student I would suggest it isn't IQ, it's ability, can we get an entrance exam for all candidates? ROTFL
