Was just thinking about this. How accurate do you think these are psychologically?
Ben Franklin --> Bill Clinton
John Adams --> Al Gore
George Washington --> George W. Bush
Thomas Jefferson --> Barack Obama
- - -
This room is green. I wanna go back to the blue room.
Although I can sort of see how you made the connections - just barely - I don't really see the psychological similarities at all. It's funny, even though I have come across people who I feel have major psychological similarities to the Founders, I rarely see *politicians* that remind me of the Founders. Those guys lived in a very, very different time, and were they alive today, I think many of them would be in different fields. Most of them had personality traits or issues that would sink them in the modern political world, especially if they were after the Presidency (Adams's temper, Jefferson's shyness, even Franklin's wit probably would have gotten him into trouble).
shareThe first two aren't bad, and are kind of amusing.
The last two ... I don't know. Not really, in either case.
In modern times, most like Benjamin Franklin in intelligence, philosophy and personality would be Winston Churchill, an American Brit.
John Adams, doing what he felt was right and good, regardless of what others thought, would be George W. Bush.
George Washington, first in defense, protection of union and modest in virtue, would be Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Thomas Jefferson, constant in faith in America and ability to know the traits of human character, would be Ronald W. Reagan
You know I've been thinking about that whole situation back when and I don't know if the stars were aligned or something but it's very interesting to think that we had the right how shall I say this "complement" of people handling the British, the Loyalists, the fate of the colonies and those unborn into those territories that would be the United States. I mean were we just lucky to get a fellow like Washington to be the first president of the United States? I'm thinking that perhaps if Adams' was just a little more overboard, both in his actions and personality, in his prosecution of the war against the British that things could have turned out much differently.
sharedeeveed,
I could not agree with you more. I have thought about this since I was old enough to read about our history and those remarkable individuals. It does seem like an event with destiny.
[deleted]
uk6strings-1~
Excellent Points!! A++
to ukstrings-1
Not even close. Most of your "contemporary" examples are all anti-intellectual and not even close to the founders. Your Jefferson examples are the worst.
I second that. Utterly ridiculous to even mention those whackjobs Bachmann, Palin and Perry in the same sentence with Thomas Jefferson!
shareYour comparisons to Jefferson make my skin crawl. Jefferson should not be compared to any teabag nut, period!
I do agree though with your disagreement about he and Obama.
I'm not the biggest Obama fan, but I am a huge fan of Jefferson and Franklin. I'm more of an individualist myself, and that's why comparing any of the founders to the teabaggers is just down right insulting.
Oh my good god in heaven.
A broken oaken bucket full of Thomas Jefferson's dung would pack more intellectual firepower than the dingy dingbats Palin and Bachmann put together.
None of these are even close. Perhaps you could elaborate?
There's no one person I'd equate with any of these individuals, and I don't much see the point of doing so anyway.
AMERICA WANTS PERDICARIS ALIVE, OR RAISULI DEAD!!!
uk6strings-1, there's a big difference between what Jefferson said, what he did, and how he lived his own life. I'm always amazed that the tea party types revere him so much when he was despised by the conservatives of his time for being an atheist and a staunch supporter of the French Revolution. He might have talked the love of common man, but he was an elite cosmopolitan if there ever was one. Jefferson was probably happiest when he lived in Paris. And he was waited on hand and foot by slaves at Monticello, while he went about his studying. Now to be fair to Jefferson he may have had Asperger's syndrome, and that would account for some of his strengths and weaknesses.
shareHear hear.
"Lola, I love you, you selfish bitch!"
Did you really try to compare George bush to George Washington? Oh man, wow.
shareNot very. George Washington and George W. Bush is probably the most absurd, of them. Washington was a man of quiet reserve, dignity, and sterling integrity. W. is a poorly spoken loud mouth idiot and a puppet for big business and corporations. Washington led the Revolution, W. had a checkered record as a low ranking officer in the Texas Air National Guard. I seem to recall Washington in his Farewell Address advising against foreign intervention, yet Bush did exactly the opposite as President.
Bill Clinton seems to have Franklin's low moral standards when it comes to women, but the similarity stops there.
John Adams was a man of a rather conservative disposition and if he were alive today would most likely be a Republican.
Thomas Jefferson said "a government that is powerful enough to give you everything is powerful enough to take it away" and "the best government is the government that governs least." Jefferson was very anti-big government whereas Obama has done more to expand the size of the government than any POTUS since LBJ. I see were you made your connection though. The controlled media is always telling the sheep how brilliant the chosen one is, even though he got into those Ivy League colleges with a government affirmative action program.
IMO, there are no leaders on the political stage today that come even remotely close to the quality of leadership of the Founders. In fact, these comparisons are down right insulting to their legacy...
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.