Washington
Adams
Jefferson
MAdison
Polk
Grant
Jackson
VanBuren (sorry Fluffy)
HArding
Ford
LBJ
Bush
Lincoln
Johnson
Cleveland
Clinton
Arthur
Bush
Taft
Coolidge
Eisenhower
Truman

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan: Washington
John Adams vs Millard Fillmore: Adams
Thomas Jefferson vs FDR: FDR (I'd give Jefferson a lifetime achievement award)
James Madison vs John Tyler: Madison
James Monroe vs James K Polk: Monroe
John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant: Adams
Andrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt: Roosevelt (tougher)
Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill: Van Buren (Roadkill never served)
William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding: Harding
Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford: Ford
Franklin Pierce vs LBJ: LBJ
James Buchanan vs George W Bush: Bush
Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley: Lincoln
Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter: Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland
James Garfield vs Bill Clinton
Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon
Benjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush
William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama
Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower
Harry Truman vs JFK

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan = Reagan (Sorry, George)
John Adams vs Millard Fillmore = Adams
Thomas Jefferson vs FDR = Jefferson
James Madison vs John Tyler = Madison
James Monroe vs James K Polk = Polk
John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant = JQ Adams
Andrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt = Jackson
Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill = Van Buren
William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding = WH Harrison
Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford = Taylor
Franklin Pierce vs LBJ = Pierce
James Buchanan vs George W Bush = GW Bush
Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley = McKinley (Sorry, Abe)
Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter = Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland = Cleveland
James Garfield vs Bill Clinton = Garfield
Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon = Nixon
Benjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush = Harrison
William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama = Taft
Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge = Coolidge
Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower = Eisenhower
Harry Truman vs JFK = Truman

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan - Tie both good
Millard Fillmore
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James K Polk
John Quincy Adams
Teddy Roosevelt
Fluffy Roadkill
Warren Harding
Zachary Taylor
Franklin Pierce vs LBJ - Tie both horrid
George W Bush
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Grover Cleveland
Bill Clinton
Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon - Tie both horrid
George HW Bush
William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama - too soon to tell, but probably Taft
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight Eisenhower
Harry Truman

George Washington was a bit of a crook, so Reagan, hands down.

Anyone against Obama, even Taft.

George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Fluffy Roadkill
William Henry Harrison
Gerald Ford
LBJ
George W Bush
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes
Bill Clinton
Richard Nixon
George HW Bush
William Howard Taft
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight Eisenhower
Harry Truman

Ronald Reagan
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Fluffy Roadkill
Warren Harding
Gerald Ford
Franklin Pierce
George W Bush
William McKinley
Andrew Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes
James Garfield
Richard Nixon
Benjamin Harrison
William Howard Taft
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight Eisenhower
Harry Truman

(Tough 1st round! -- A lot of equally good as well as equally bad presidents paired against each other)

MMA -like match:
W.H. Taft sits on Obama.

Game Over.

Random???!!!

That's no way to do a tournament. Look you got Andrew Johnson against Jimmy Carter, neither of which would get past the first round with almost ANYONE else. Washington vs. Reagan? Please, on a conservative site they'd both make the sweet 16 easily..

You really should have used some sort of established ranking to seed them... Just my opinion

Your first match-up has two #1 seeds.

I vote Reagan...

...no other match-ups matter.

Andy J vs Teddy R?

Now there's a fight I'd pay to see.

George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Teddy Roosevelt
Martin Van Buren
Warren Harding
Zachary Taylor
LBJ
George W Bush
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Grover Cleveland
James Garfield
Richard Nixon
George HW Bush
William Howard Taft
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight Eisenhower
Harry Truman

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan = Washington
John Adams vs Millard Fillmore = Adams
Thomas Jefferson vs FDR = FDR (TJ was by most accounts, a terrible president. As a founding father and thinker, he was prodigious)
James Madison vs John Tyler = Madison
James Monroe vs James K Polk = tough call, but Polk
John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant = JQA
Andrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt = Roosevelt
Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill = roadkill
William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding = Harding. Harrison only prez 1 month.
Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford = Ford
Franklin Pierce vs LBJ = Pierce (Pierce was bad, but the Great Society was worse)
James Buchanan vs George W Bush = W
Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley = Lincoln (I can't believe anybody answers McKinley here)
Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter = Andrew Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland = Cleveland
James Garfield vs Bill Clinton = Clinton (working w republican help, a pretty decent 8 yrs. garfield only prez Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon = Arthur
Benjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush = Bush I
William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama = Taft.
Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge = Coolidge!
Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower = Ike
Harry Truman vs JFK = Truman

Fluffy Roadkill FTW!

Have to agree with Don and JFH, these match-ups are just dumb. Washington vs. Reagan in the first round?? That would be like Kentucky playing Kansas in the first round of this years NCAAs. I'd rather see those two square off in the final four.

Regarding the seeding: Remember, anything but a random seeding would be accused of rank bias. What this is, is a triple-elim tournament similar to the pre-season stuff we see all the time. And the idea is to consider various match-ups, not take this all that seriously.

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan - Washington (He set the bar for how a President should act, and had to do it without a historical record to act on.)
John Adams vs Millard Fillmore - Adams (Followed Washington, which was a tough act to follow.)
Thomas Jefferson vs FDR - Jefferson (Did more before breakfast than FDR could do in a decade)
James Madison vs John Tyler - Madison
James Monroe vs James K Polk - Monroe
John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant - Adams
Andrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt - Teddy
Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill - Fluffy Roadkill (Van Buren was the opposite of the backwoodsman his handlers campaigned him as. At least when Fluffy licked his butt, it was his own butt.)
William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding - Harrison (Because he held office for a month and did no harm. Harding gave us massive coruption in the White House.)
Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford - Ford (Had a 'no-win' situation which he did as best as he could.)
Franklin Pierce vs LBJ - Pierce (Mr Do-Nothing vs Mr Do Too Much)
James Buchanan vs George W Bush - Bush (Took the blows with dignity and class.)
Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley - Abe of course
Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter - Johnson (Carter was a massive failure who should have been impeached if incompetence was impeachable.)
Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland - Cleveland (Hey, he didn't quit and got elected twice)
James Garfield vs Bill Clinton - Clinton
Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon - Arthur
Benjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush - Bush (Was the first Bush to be savagely attacked by an MSM totally enamored of a pure political opportunist.)
William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama - Taft (Obama's ego and vanity are huge. Taft WAS huge but at least he was honest enough to admit it.)
Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge - Coolidge (Wilson's idealism blinded him to what eventually lead to the misery in Germany and the eventual rise of Hitler.)
Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower - Hoover
Harry Truman vs JFK - Truman (Took far more risks and accepted the blame for his decisions. JFK pretty much got a 'hands off' from the media)

In order for it to be fair you would have to match Barrack Obama with Wil E Coyote.

Definite seeding errors here.

Still, here's how I'd go:

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan

John Adams vs Millard Fillmore

Thomas Jefferson vs FDR

James Madison vs John Tyler

James Monroe vs James K Polk

John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant

Andrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt

Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill

Fluffy Roadkill.

William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding

Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford

Franklin Pierce vs LBJ

James Buchanan vs George W Bush

Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley

Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter

Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland

James Garfield vs Bill Clinton Garfield: Assassinated president, likes lasagne. Clinton: Banged an intern, likes Big Macs, banged an intern, likes French Fries, banged an intern and got Newt to lose is job. Winner: Clinton.

Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon

Interesting contrast here. Arthur was responsible for civil service reform, while Nixon had Watergate. Arthur.

Benjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush

Bush.

William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama

No opinion. I can't really judge Obama yet.

Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge

Wilson

Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower

Eisenhower

Harry Truman vs JFK

Truman. Kennedy was assassinated too early to anything lasting.

DJ,

Dude, why did you match up Washington and Reagan in the first round? That's like matching two number 1 seeds, or at least a one and a two. Bad form, hombre!
:)

(From your old buddy, Scott from Election Projection)

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan
---Foul!! Unfair putting Reagan against GW. Reagan was a great president, but it doesn't reach the level of setting a precedent for those who would follow him that would endure for 2 centuries. Washington clearly wins

John Adams vs Millard Fillmore
Adams

Thomas Jefferson vs FDR
Jefferson. Sure FDR got us through WWII. But he ran the country into the ground with his new deal. Jefferson's big spending was the Louisiana purchase. Jefferson bought land, FDR bough more government. Jefferson in a walk!

James Madison vs John Tyler
Madison, despite siding with Napoleon over the rest of the world in 1812.

James Monroe vs James K Polk
There's a reason we still talk about the Monroe doctrine. Monroe wins

John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant
Grant. Wildly popular at the time of his presidency. Brought the country back together.

Andrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt
Roosevelt. Jackson could have been good, but his belligerent attitude ruined it.

Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill
Roadkill. Trail of tears, allowing Mormons to be slaughtered so he could get votes in Missouri. I'd still rank Van Buren above Carter and Obama though.

William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding
Harrison. Anyone beats Harding except Carter and Obama. Few presidents did as little damage to the country as Harrison, who had the good taste to die in office after only 1 month.

Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford
Ford. Pardoning Nixon was controversial, but helped this nation heal. Taylor punted on slavery.

Franklin Pierce vs LBJ
LBJ. Sure he bollixed up Vietnam and his Great Society was a huge mistake. Also LBJ signed the civil rights act against his own better judgment and the wishes of his party. But they pale in comparison to pushing the country toward civil war.

James Buchanan vs George W Bush
Bush. 7 years of safety after 911. Freeing 50 million repressed people overseas. He'll be remembered better than he was in real time.

Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley
Lincoln. shouldn't have to explain that one.

Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter
Johnson. One word: Malaise. Carter is dead last only because Obama has time yet to do far far worse.

Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland
Cleveland. Both dealt with labor unrest, both furthered civil rights. Cleveland did a little bit more.

James Garfield vs Bill Clinton
Clinton. I hated him while he was in office, but looking back we did have a tremendous economy and he managed to correct his course after the first two years and really govern from the center. Flawed man, above average presidency.

Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon
Nixon. Arthur was a cypher. You might hate Nixon for watergate, but he was huge in foreign policy. Ended Vietnam, opened relations with the Chinese, started strategic arms negotiations with the Soviets. Better president than most people want to admit.

Benjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush
Harrison. Supported technology development. Established US presence in Hawaii (pearl Harbor). Pushed for civil rights laws. Bish screwed up the first gulf war meaning we would have to go back and raised our taxes.

William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama
Taft. Obama comes in only above Carter and that not by much.

Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge
Coolidge. I agree with the comment above that Wilson's idealism too often lead him and this country into a ditch.

Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower
Eisenhower. Hoover signed too many bad laws that gave us the great depression. Sure, Congress passed them, but he signed them.

Harry Truman vs JFK
Truman. JFK managed to do some good things: reduced taxes, started us toward the moon, successfully negotiated the dangers of the Cuban Missile Crisis. But he royally botched the Bay of Pigs and probably would not have won the election had he lived that long. Truman on the other hand came into office totally in the dark, navigated the end of WWII extremely well, governed far better than the hack every assumed he was.

Commentary on Clinton is interesting. I have a number of conservative friends who despised Bill Clinton when he was in office, but they now look back on his administration as, if not the good old days, then the "substantially better than now" days.

I wonder how many of these conservatives would have voted Democratic if Hillary had won the nomination.

How many people will vote without even bothering to inform themselves about some of the lesser known presidents? How many will vote based on what they think other people think and not based on an informed judgment of what that individual actually did?

Just wondering.

Reagan was a great President and a paragone of Conservatism, but, Washington literally had nothing established to follow. They all winged it at that time, and, with amazing intellect, convictions, intelligence and moral character, created the Presidency and template which could be followed for generations.

Same with John Adams. When Washington left, the state of the country was so fragile and in such a shroud of uncertainty, that it is amazing he was able to leave such a strong government for Jefferson to inherit and become the political icon he is remembered for.

Yea I REALLY don't get the Washington vs. Reagan matchup. Every revolutionary movement that began in the New World to break away from their mother countries failed simply b/c the leader of the standing army declared themselves King, Emperor, etc., These countries have suffered ever since, GW turned this dwn. He set the roadmap for the U.S. becoming the country it is today.

I think there is a good chance Reagan will go dwn as the greatest president of the 20th century. Pitting these 2 together in the first round is blantantly unfair.

I have a number of conservative friends who despised Bill Clinton when he was in office, but they now look back on his administration as, if not the good old days, then the "substantially better than now" days.

I would fit in this category. I hated Clinton back then, but compared to Obama, not so much. I find myself pining for the days of Bill Clinton. Strange, but true.

I wonder how many of these conservatives would have voted Democratic if Hillary had won the nomination.

Probably few, if any. We'd all have voted for McCain over Hillary, no question about that.

#24

Typo: paragon

Sorry

That first round matchup is so unfair to Reagan (Final Four material). That said, here's my votes:

Washington
Adams
Jefferson
Madison
Polk
JQ Adams
Jackson
Van Buren
W.H. Harrison
Ford
Pierce (Very lucky draw for both Presidents)
George W. Bush
Lincoln
Johnson
Cleveland
Garfield
Arthur
Harrison
Taft
Coolidge
Ike
Truman

Washington, sorry Ronnie but washington is, well Washington!
Adams
Jefferson or FDR? Not even close, Jeffeson!
Madison over Tyler, again not close
Monroe!
JQA over Grant
Jackson over Teddy
Van Buren
Harding
Ford
Pierce
W!
McKinley
Johnson, just because Carter WAS that bad!
Cleveland
Garfield
Arthur
HW Bush
Taft
Coolidge
Ike
Truman

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan - Washington
John Adams vs Millard Fillmore - Adams
Thomas Jefferson vs FDR - Jefferson
James Madison vs John Tyler - Madison
James Monroe vs James K Polk - Monroe
John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant - Adams
Andrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt - Jackson
Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill - van Buren
William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding - Harison
Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford - Ford
Franklin Pierce vs LBJ - Pierce
James Buchanan vs George W Bush - Bush
Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley - Lincoln
Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter - Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland - Cleveland
James Garfield vs Bill Clinton - Garfield
Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon - Nixon
Benjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush - Harrison
William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama - Taft
Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge - Coolidge
Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower - Eisenhower
Harry Truman vs JFK - Truman

I'll play:
1. Washington-Reagan, Washington. The best President of my lifetime (1947-present) can't beat the man who defined the office.
2. Adams-Fillmore, Adams. No contest.
3. Jefferson-FDR, Jefferson. He did less damage.
4. Madison-Tyler, Madison. Again no contest. No other President ended up in a foreign legislature.
5. Monroe-Polk, Polk. Close call, two good Presidents.
6. JQAdams-Grant. Adams. Grant was a better General. Adams a more competent administrator.
7. Jackson-TR, Teddy. Jackson was basically a demagogue.
8. Van Buren-silliness. Van Buren. One of the few he could beat.
9. WH Harrison-Harding. Harrison. Other than leaving the country in the hands of John Tyler he did very little damage in his month.
10. Taylor-Ford. Taylor. John Paul Stevens, enough said.
11. Pierce-LBJ. Two losers. No vote.
12. Buchanan-W. Bush. No contest. Bush was no prize but Buchanan may have done more damage than any other President.
13. Lincoln-McKinley, Lincoln. Although McKinley won his war at less cost.
14 . Andy Johnson-Carter. Johnson. Johnson was a total failure. Carter makes him look like Washington.
15. Hayes-Cleveland, Hayes. The Cleveland administration started the foundation for segregation that Wilson finished.
16. Garfield-Clinton, Garfield. Clinton remains my least favorite President, although the incumbent is doing his best to displace him.
17. Arthur-Nixon. Arthur. Nixon is underrated but wage and price controls and damaging the GOP cost him dearly.
18. B Harrison-GHW Bush. No vote.
19. Taft-Obama, Taft. The largest physical specimen vs the largest ego. No contest.
20. Wilson-Coolidge. Coolidge. Wilson was a racist and an internationalist.
21. Hoover-Eisenhower, Ike. Hoover should have stayed in NGOs.
22. Truman-JFK. Truman. Harry was a hyperpartisan loud mouth. But he's up against the most overrated President of all times. I'll take Truman over a man who's only virtue was charisma.

Your pairings suck, so I assume the fix is in. Seriously, heavy hitters like Washington-Reagan and Jackson-TR and Jefferson-FDR in the first round, while Van Buren gets to fight roadkill, and Ike draws Hoover?

It's a good thing you don't do the pairings for March Madness, or all the excitement would be over the first weekend.

George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
Ulysses S. Grant
Teddy Roosevelt
Martin Van Buren
William Henry Harrison
Zachary Taylor
Franklin Pierce
George W Bush
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Grover Cleveland
Bill Clinton
Chester A Arthur
George HW Bush
William Howard Taft
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight Eisenhower
Harry Truman

Ronald Reagan (sorry George) Actually too close I could go either way.
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Jackson
Martin Van Buren (Fluffy Roadkill only because he/she was never a president) But it was a hard choice to be Van Buren still...LOL
Warren Harding
Gerald Ford
Franklin Pierce
George W Bush
William McKinley
Andrew Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes
James Garfield
Richard Nixon
Benjamin Harrison
William Howard Taft
Calvin Coolidge
Dwight Eisenhower
Harry Truman

These debates have a very real support. Old presidents make the history.asigurari auto

George Washington vs. Ronald Reagan-Washington
John Adams vs Millard Fillmore-Admans
Thomas Jefferson vs FDR-Jefferson
James Madison vs John Tyler-Madison
James Monroe vs James K Polk-Monroe
John Quincy Adams vs Ulysses S. Grant-GrantAndrew Jackson vs Teddy Roosevelt-Teddy
Martin Van Buren vs Fluffy Roadkill-Buren
William Henry Harrison vs Warren Harding-Harrison
Zachary Taylor vs Gerald Ford-Taylor
Franklin Pierce vs LBJ-Pierce
James Buchanan vs George W Bush-GW
Abraham Lincoln vs William McKinley-Abe
Andrew Johnson vs Jimmy Carter-Johnson
Rutherford B Hayes vs Grover Cleveland-Grover
James Garfield vs Bill Clinton-Clinton
Chester A Arthur vs Richard Nixon-NixonBenjamin Harrison vs George HW Bush-Harrison
William Howard Taft vs Barack Obama-Taft
Woodrow Wilson vs Calvin Coolidge-Cal
Herbert Hoover vs Dwight Eisenhower-Hoover
Harry Truman vs JFK-Truman ww