Top Ten Most Liberal U.S. Presidents
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, commonly known as FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. A Democrat, he won a record four presidential elections and dominated his party for many years as a central figure in world events... read more Roosevelt went against the wishes of laissez-faire advisors and implemented the New Deal during the Great Depression. The New Deal contained more regulations on banking, work programs for the unemployed, farming programs, and more. He also helped create Social Security, the minimum wage, the forty-hour work week, put limits on child labor, passed consumer protection laws, ended Prohibition, passed the Wagner Act, and helped create the UN.
On top of it all, he proposed a Second Bill of Rights to the Constitution, which would have included a right to healthcare, education, freedom from monopolies, and more.
Lyndon Baines Johnson, often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Johnson took over after the unfortunate death of Kennedy. Once President, he passed several civil rights bills, consumer protection laws, environmental protection laws, made the food stamps program permanent, created Medicare and Medicaid, increased federal funding of public schools, and so on.
LBJ was a socialist as well who wasted billions of dollars and increased taxes. I think he was a very bad president.
Theodore Roosevelt was an American statesman, author, explorer, soldier, naturalist, and reformer who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. As a leader of the Republican Party during this time, he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the... read more Teddy began the process of breaking up large monopolies, which were devastating the public. He also passed consumer protection laws. He would later run as a Progressive, or a Bull Moose. His platform included national healthcare, social insurance, a minimum wage, an eight-hour workday, limits on lobbying, an inheritance tax, the direct election of senators, and women's suffrage.
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician and author who served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Carter Center. Here's the thing: Jimmy Carter was a great man. I liked many of his social policies. However, he just was not a great leader. Jimmy Carter's fiscal policies were lacking, as well as his foreign policy.
Well, hey, I wish Jimmy Carter luck later in his life, and may God bless him! All in all, Jimmy Carter was definitely not my favorite president, but he was a great man. I just thought that fiscally and in foreign policy, Carter was just too far to the left for me, even though I loved his personality.
Carter tried to implement a single-payer system during his term but failed. However, he did pass consumer protection laws, environmental protection laws, loosened immigration quotas, pursued nuclear disarmament, promoted human rights, brought peace between Israel and Egypt, and created the Departments of Education and Energy. He was also the first President to openly call for equal rights for members of the LGBTQ community and supported the Equal Rights Amendment. After his Presidency, he has called for the decriminalization of marijuana and prostitution and has shown concern over the growing amount of wealth inequality.
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. He was the first African-American president of the United States... read more Obama, during his term, passed the Affordable Care Act, which expanded healthcare access to millions. He's the first President since LBJ to get any major healthcare reform passed by Congress. On top of that, he supported marriage equality for same-sex couples, fought for equal pay, cut taxes for low-income families, passed a stimulus package to prevent a depression, passed consumer protection laws, addressed the threat of climate change, created DACA, and let up on the War on Drugs.
Barack Obama was awesome! He was eloquent, funny, and cared about people. He was a shining example of what it means to be a good person. He treated others with dignity and respect, while at the same time calling out bad behavior.
He was met by resistance at every turn and was still able to get through some programs to help people versus big business. I don't think Republicans currently work for the people of America, and I miss President Obama and, frankly, common sense!
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, an American politician of the Democratic Party. Truman took over the presidency after the death of FDR. He wasted no time in getting the US into the UN, expanding Social Security, raising the minimum wage, loosening immigration quotas, expanding aid to public schools, and passing some minor civil rights legislation.
Like FDR, he proposed a Fair Deal, which would've included single-payer healthcare, free public education, federal employment programs, increased aid to veterans, etc.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29th, 1917 - November 22, 1963) commonly referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination. The Cuban Missile Crisis, The Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Nuclear Test Ban... read more Kennedy weakly supported civil rights, helped create Medicare, passed the Equal Pay Act, created the Peace Corps, began the space race, expanded Social Security and food stamps, and raised the minimum wage.
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States from 1969 until his resignation in 1974, the only president to resign from office. He had previously served as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961, and prior to that as a U.S. Representative and also Senator... read more Nixon was a strong proponent of civil rights for African Americans. He also passed more environmental legislation than any other President in history. He created the EPA and OSHA. He passed consumer protection laws. He almost implemented a system similar to the Affordable Care Act. He almost implemented a guaranteed income, but was dissuaded from doing so. He supported strict, and I mean strict, gun control. He could have been a great President if it wasn't for his disastrous foreign policy and, of course, Watergate.
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. was an American politician who served as the 38th President of the United States from August 1974 to January 1977. Ford was an advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment, which was generally opposed by conservatives at the time. He also passed consumer protection laws, environmental protection laws, established special education throughout the US, created the Earned Income Tax Credit, or the EITC, pardoned Vietnam draft dodgers, made modest reforms in surveillance and CIA activities, expanded antitrust laws, and was pro-choice. After his presidency, he would oppose the Iraq War.
Constantly clashing with Conservatives of "his" party, being a running mate of Nixon while being buddies with Carter post-presidency… These three presidents in a row with their liberal policies ran us into one of the worst conditions the U.S. has ever been in.
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War and succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery,... read more Abraham Lincoln was a very progressive president. Besides passing the 13th Amendment to free the slaves, he also strengthened the US Banking System by making the first Federal Reserve Note. He created the first continental railroad and more. These benefited all Americans, what can be more progressive and liberal than that!
Equality, a cornerstone of American liberalism.
Freeing slaves is one of the most liberal things a president has ever done.
William Jefferson Clinton (Born August 19th 1946) is an American politician who was the 42nd President of the United States. He previously served as governor of Arkansas. He became president after unseating incumbent president George H.W. Bush in 1992. He was re-elected in 1996 after defeating Senator... read more Clinton, like Carter, tried to implement universal healthcare but failed. He did, however, pass the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which made it easier for people to retain their insurance. He also passed the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Violence Against Women Act, expanded the EITC, negotiated the somewhat successful Oslo Accords, increased funding to fight AIDS, implemented a now-expired Assault Weapons Ban, implemented the Brady Bill, let homosexuals serve in the military, and pursued nuclear disarmament.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 under Barack Obama and represented Delaware in the United States Senate from... read more
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American businessman, television personality, politician, and the 45th President of the United States. Born and raised in Queens, New York City, Donald J. Trump received an economics degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968... read more
John Adams was born on October 30, 1735 in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. Adams served as the president of the United States from March 4, 1797 to March 4, 1801. He died on July 4, 1826 at the age of 90. Most liberal founding father.
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th President of the United States from 1913 to 1921. Born in Staunton, Virginia, he spent his early years in Augusta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina.
George Washington (February 22, 1732– December 14, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of the Continental Army, Washington led the Patriot... read more
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was an American politician and general who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. "In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human. In all those things which deal with the people's money or their economy or their form of government, be conservative."
William Howard Taft served as the 27th President of the United States and as the tenth Chief Justice of the United States, the only person to have held both offices.
Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father who was principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and served as the 3rd President of the United States from 1801-1809. He was born on April 13, 1743, and died on July 4, 1826, on the same day 2nd United States President John Adams died. "The sickly, weakly, timid man fears the people, and is a Tory (Conservative) by nature. The healthy, strong and bold cherishes them, and is formed a Whig (Liberal) by nature."
James Monroe was an American statesman and Founding Father who served as the fifth President of the United States from 1817 to 1825.
Stephen Grover Cleveland was an American politician and lawyer who was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, the only president in American history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office.
James Abram Garfield was the 20th President of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881, until his assassination later that year.
Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911-2004) was an American politician and actor who was 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989 . Prior to his presidency, he was the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, following a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader until his death in 2004