The greatest American

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well I just the end of the show. And the winner is



Ronald Reagan

With Linclon second and Martin Luther King third Absurd.

As is Oprah Wnnfrey ninth and Jefferson not even in the top ten.

[IrishMike]

Hmm...... I think something is screwd up their, majorly. Where was FDR?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Hmm...... I think something is screwd up their, majorly. Where was FDR?

Tenth or 7th behind GWB in sixth But he sucked anyway and should be on the 100 worst list

[Productivity]

Have a link? Oprah Winfrey being in the top 100 to me seemse ridiculous (on the other hand, similar people would probably pop up in every nations greatest list).

[Gawain of Orkeny]

No I dont have a lin as the show just ended and they havent posted it yet. Again remember this was just an online or call in poll. To me Jefferson is the greatest American. King isnt even the greatest black american.

[Red Harvest]

Hmm...... I think something is screwd up their, majorly. Where was FDR?

It was a popular vote sort of thing I believe (saw a commercial for it.) Historian rankings interest me more.

I won't knock Reagan (though I acknowledge his faults.) He gets a lot of credit from me for forcing the win in the Cold War, as well as shaking the country out of its post Vietnam-Nixon/Watergate-Oil Embargo-Carter/Iranian Hostage malaise.

[IrishMike]

Tenth or 7th behind GWB in sixth But he sucked anyway and should be on the 100 worst list

I knew that response was comming.

Anyways this is what happens when you trust the public, you get crazy results.

My thoughts have always been since I first saw the trailer for this show, is that the greatist american is probaly some soldier somewhere that did something to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.

[Red Harvest]

Tenth or 7th behind GWB in sixth But he sucked anyway and should be on the 100 worst list

By "he" you mean Bush, right?

[PanzerJaeger]

Wow - for a poll where anyone could call in and vote, thats not actually a bad result.

A great president - maybe not the best American, but the results could have been much more embarrassing.

I would have gone with John C. Calhoun myself.

[edyzmedieval]

I'm going with Tracy McGrady

He's my fav basketball player....

[English assassin]

King isnt even the greatest black american.

You are more of a Malcolm X man, am I right?

I wouldn't argue that Reagan was the GREATEST American, but I don't think its a bad choice.

[King Henry V]

FDR, IMO, was the best and shrewdest president of the U.S. It's because of him that America is the superpower today.

[doc_bean]

Reagan doesn't seem like a bad choice, certainly better than what some countries have come up with...

Was Washington even on the list ?

[Don Corleone]

I would have gone with John C. Calhoun myself.

Here fishy,fishy, fishy...

[bmolsson]

I must see his movies. I mean the only reason Ronald Reagan can be the best American, must be his movies....

[Proletariat]

It's obscene that Jefferson wasn't in at least the top three.

[Proletariat]

Ok, after looking at this list, how in the blue heaven can Oprah be so high?

Higher than JFK? Edison? Einstein?!

Crap. Already handled by SC. Repeating the Mantra: read, then post...read then post. My apologies, Prollie.

[Ser Clegane]

Ok, after looking at this list, how in the blue f*ck can Oprah be so high?

Higher than JFK? Edison? Einstein?!

in 2003 the major public TV network made a similar poll for Germany. While the top positions were rather reasonable (e.g., Adenauer, Luther) there were some strange names from the entertainment sector appearing rather high on the list - this will always happen in polls of this kind...

[Proletariat]

I know. I had an urge to be outraged this morning. Forgiveness, please.

[Ser Clegane]

I know. I had an urge to be outraged this morning. Forgiveness, please.

No problem - my post was just an observation and not meant to "chastise" you

[Franconicus]

Ok, after looking at this list, how in the blue f*ck can Oprah be so high?

Higher than JFK? Edison? Einstein?!

Because more people know Oprah. Who is Einstein?
By the way, why did not Michael Jackson win?
As Churchill used to say: Do not trust any poll that is not in the org.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

You are more of a Malcolm X man, am I right?

No
George Washington Carver

FDR, IMO, was the best and shrewdest president of the U.S. It's because of him that America is the superpower today.

Oh please.

[Duke Malcolm]

Albert Einstein was American? Since when?
Andrew Carnegie certainly wasn't American, and he funded 2 libraries in this city.
Nikola Tesla wasn't American.

There are more, but these were the most interesting...

[Ser Clegane]

Albert Einstein was American? Since when?

He became US citizen in 1940

[Duke Malcolm]

Exactly, an American citizen, but his nationality was not American

[Ser Clegane]

Exactly, an American citizen, but his nationality was not American

And why would the fact that he was not born in the US be a reason to not include him in a list of great Americans?

[Duke Malcolm]

because that shows that he is not American, unless he has American parents. Just holding citizenship of a country does not make one of that country. When the BBC did a poll of Great Britons, they had people who came from the British Isles, not anywhere but then later became British subjects...

[Gawain of Orkeny]

because that shows that he is not American, unless he has American parents.

Were not talking about Jews here but Americans So if he has illegal Mexican parents but is born here is he Mexican or American? According to the law hes American. If you are born in Germany and move to the US at 2 months old and become a citizen are you an American? There is no ethincity to being an American all it requires is US citizenship.

Meanwhile in another thread a man who was born and lived in the middle east for his 1st 21 years is said to know nothing about the middle east and is an American.

[King Henry V]

When it comes to choosing the greatest national figure, the public should not be allowed to vote.I mean, in the Great Britons poll John Lennon came something like fourth. WTF? Some stoned, crappy musician is considered greater than the likes of Nelson or Cromwell!

[Franconicus]

In fact he was a Jewish German from Switzerland

He once said: If my theory turns to be wrong, the French will say he is a German and the German will say he is a Jew. If it turns to be right, the Germans will say he is a German and the French will say he is European.

This was before he went to the US.

I think he did not care too much about nations (and notions )