Harris Poll Says Reagan Best President in History

The number one president of all time, according to a new Harris poll is President Ronald Reagan.  Reagan was cited by 25 percent, well ahead of Franklin Roosevelt with 19 percent and John F. Kennedy, who was third with 15 percent.

Reagan was chosen for his ability to confront challenges as daunting as those the nation faces today, and meeting them so successfully that he’s now considered the best president in modern times.

The poll asked respondents who they consider the “best president since World War II.”

There is much to learn today from Reagan’s successes. As Wayne Allyn Root, recently in Forbes magazine: “We need a revolutionary new vision. We need a modern-day Reagan with a bold plan.

“Reagan was not afraid to ruffle feathers and put dramatic, even radical plans on the table. That is how he created the Reagan Revolution that revitalized America.”

Reagan faced difficulties on many fronts when he entered the White House in January 1981.

The nation was heavily embroiled in the Cold War. The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan a year earlier.  Until the day of Reagan’s inauguration, Iran had held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

On the economic front, the nation was in the doldrums after four years of the Jimmy Carter presidency. Inflation stood around 12.5 percent, unemployment was 7.5 percent, and the top tax rate was 70 percent.

Reagan implemented free market policies that came to be known as Reaganomics — drastically reducing taxes on income and capital gains, cutting spending on many federal programs, and deregulating the economy.

The result: the largest economic boom in U.S. history.