5 Most Bad-Ass Things Done By Presidents

Every year, despite party allegiance, we stop and celebrate the people of history, who were courageous enough to take on the hardest job in the world. Presidents, after a certain time, begin to morph from being history to mythology. Perhaps that is for political reasons, but many times it comes from real admiration for real things that they did. As I sit waiting for my next class, I start to think about how ridiculous it is to not have off on Presidents day, especially when we get off for a guy, WHO DIDN’T EVEN DISCOVER AMERICA (I’m talk to you Christopher Columbus, Leaf Erickson called dibs). So, out of pure bitterness, I decided to list the top 5 Bad-Ass Things Presidents have ever done.

5. Andrew Jackson tells the Supreme Court to Shove it

Jackson’s first time on this list. During a battle over the fate of the national bank system, The Supreme Court ruled one of his initiatives as unconstitutional, to which Jackson responded famously “if you want it, you enforce it”. This is paraphrased of course; I wasn’t there because I was busy that day. Jackson then went on dismantle the national bank system, because he thought it was dangerous to democracy. Even though this led to some tough economic times, you got to respect a guy who will knock a bunch of snooty lawyers down a peg.

4. FDR backing the Allies Before Entering the War

Many people think that the U.S. was always in World War II, but really we got into it at the end, because of Pearl Harbor. That doesn’t mean we didn’t help out. Although we weren’t in the war, FDR knew the morally right side, and backed them up with supplies and equipment. Then he had Congress declare war, and we beat on the Nazis worse than Holy Holm beats on Rhonda Rousey.

3. Settling Arguments the Andrew Jackson way

Listen, Andrew Jackson was not a great guy. A lot of the things he did were pretty messed up, but he was never known for being a wimp. Jackson was a very masculine man so, if he had a problem with someone, he would challenge them like any man would: a duel to the death. Over the course of his life, Jackson has been in many duels, and obviously won.

2. Ronald Reagan Laughs in the Face of Death.

Very early into his Presidency, Ronald Reagan was shot by a man named John Hinckley Jr. Going against all logic, Hinckley didn’t try to assassinate the Gipper for political reasons, instead he was trying to impress actress Jodie Foster. Isn’t that every girl’s dream? Despite almost literally killing him, Reagan didn’t allow the assassination attempt to kill his spirits. Let’s set the scene. The president has just been shot, and no one knows if he’s going to pull through. They begin wheeling him into the operating room, after getting him some-what stable. Nancy Reagan looks down at her beloved husband, and he looks back at her and says “Sorry honey, I forgot to duck”. They then get him onto the operating table, and the doctor leans in close. The Teflon President then says to him “Please tell me you’re all republicans.”

1. Teddy Roosevelt Being Teddy Roosevelt

For as tough as Reagan was during his assassination attempt, Teddy Roosevelt will always have his number. T.R. was the king of being a presidential bad-ass. Whether it was bare-knuckle boxing, living in the woods by himself, or charging up San Juan Hill, Teddy Roosevelt never forgot to do things with a certain amount of flair, even after being shot. During a campaign speech, Teddy Roosevelt was shot by a man named John Schrank, because he didn’t like Roosevelt’s attempt at a third term. Teddy was not fatally injured from the shot, then decided he was completely fine and delivered a fairly long speech with a bullet in his chest. In his speech he started with this quote “Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.”