Category: Greatest American

NewMexiKen frees up 57 of the 100 slots.

Considering the first 10

The next 10 (11-20)

Another set of ten (21-30)

Ten more (31-40)

That’s all for now (41-50)

Ten more again (51-60)

Six more bite the dust (61-70)

And, finally, the remaining 30 from the list (71-100)

71. Maya Angelou — there are far more significant writers
72. Mel Gibson — he was born in the U.S., but he’s a hack, however successful
73. Michael Jackson — there are scores of better entertainers who aren’t freakin’ whackos
74. Michael Jordan — Michael is “THE” American athlete as far as much of the world is concerned; his time on the list may be short, but he’s there for now
75. Michael Moore — absurd
76. Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) — another athlete that rose above athletics; as time passes he may seem less important, however, for now he stays
77. Neil Alden Armstrong — not sure Armstrong was “great” but what he did was; NewMexiKen believes Armstrong will be the most famous person from our times in 500 years
78. Nikola Tesla — too many of you are saying “who?” for Tesla to make the list; a great electrical engineer, but true greatness is moving beyond your primary field and achieving fame elsewhere as well [Update: Tesla should be included. See comments.]
79. Oprah Winfrey — Oprah’s influence is unbelievable and mostly positive; I included Carson, she rises to that level
80. Pat Tillman — bless his patriotic heart, but get real
81. Dr. Phil McGraw — LOL
82. Ray Charles — heroin-addict womanizer who helped revolutionize popular music
83. Richard Nixon — let’s not kick Nixon around
84. Robert Kennedy — inspirational leader for a couple months
85. Ronald Reagan — changed American politics
86. Rosa Parks — maybe the toughest one; symbol for so much; in the end, her own actions are too specific, too limited
87. Rudolph W. Giuliani — he rose to the occasion, but what else?
88. Rush Limbaugh — greatness implies not appealing to the lowest common denominator
89. Sam Walton — changed American retailing; JC Penney and Montgomery Ward were probably as influential, but we’re living with Walton today
90. Steve Jobs — maybe Jobs could be included with Wozniak for inventing the PC; but not for running Apple
91. Steven Spielberg — a pretty impressive and varied body of work to date, but …
92. Susan B. Anthony — NewMexiKen rule: you make the currency (or coins) you make the list
93. Theodore Roosevelt — one of the great presidents
94. Thomas Edison — inventor in so many areas and also entrepreneur: General Electric
95. Thomas Jefferson — drafted the Declaration of Independence; that’s enough right there and he was just getting started
96. Tiger Woods — still just an athlete and celebrity
97. Tom Cruise — one of the silliest on the list, though he was good in Collateral
98. Tom Hanks — arguably the best actor on the list; but not the best actor who could be on the list
99. Walt Disney — Mickey, Donald, Goofy — that’s good enough for me
100. Wright Brothers (Orville & Wilbur Wright) — up-up-and-away

61. Lance Armstrong — great athlete and his public battle with cancer is significant, but I just don’t think he’s transcended athletics yet, like Ruth or Robinson or Owens
62. Laura Bush — married beneath herself
63. Lucille Ball — I Love Lucy
64. Lyndon B. Johnson — a tough one for NewMexiKen; in the end, fatally flawed; but the “We Shall Overcome” speech (in support of the Civil Rights Act) is a signal moment in American history; he stays
65. Madonna (Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone) — why not Cher? why not Barbra? are they not strong women who managed their own entertainment careers? Is that sufficient? No.
66. Malcolm X (Malcolm Little) — Alex Haley’s Autobiography of Malcolm X tries to convince us Malcolm was changing at the time of his assassination; had he lived he may well have become a more important historical figure
67. Marilyn Monroe — talented, gorgeous, tragic, but not great
68. Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) — “THE” American writer
69. Martha Stewart — huh? Jon Stewart maybe, Payne Stewart even; not Martha
70. Martin Luther King Jr. — you get a holiday named after you, you make the list; greater for what he represented and how he lead than for who he was, but if you doubt him go read his letter from Birmingham Jail; that alone puts him on the list

51. Jimmy Carter — a successful man in everything except the presidency
52. Jimmy Stewart — not even among the greatest actors
53. John Edwards — is there some other John Edwards? surely this isn’t the one-term senator
54. John Glenn — marine officer, game show contestant, astronaut, Senator, back in space in his seventies
55. John F. Kennedy — lots and lots of points for not ending the world during the Cuban missile crisis but name something else he accomplished
56. John Wayne — actors become the best by pretending to be other people; can an actor be a great American?
57. Johnny Carson (John William Carson) — another tough one (and another I’ve seen in person); does he get credit for keeping the national discourse on a higher plane while he was such an influence?
58. Jonas Edward Salk — NewMexiKen saw enough of polio as a child to know what Salk did
59. Joseph Smith Jr. — Brigham Young surely, but not Smith
60. Katharine Hepburn — fine actress; what else?

41. Harriet Ross Tubman — escaped slave, put her life on the line to help more escape; women’s rights leader
42. Harry Truman — among the top Presidents surely
43. Helen Keller — overcame obstacles most of us can’t even imagine
44. Henry Ford — for the $5 dollar day and the assembly line; pay people enough so they can buy your product
45. Hillary Rodham Clinton — not yet
46. Howard Hughes — too many fatal flaws
47. Hugh Hefner — for publishing photos of nude women; I don’t think so; Hefner is on the list but not Hearst, nor Pulitzer, nor Luce, go figure
48. Jackie Robinson (Jack Roosevelt Robinson) — superb athlete but makes the list for grace under fire
49. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis — points for style and grace; but nothing more
50. Jesse Owens — rose to the occasion and dispelled the Aryan myth in front of the world

31. Elvis Presley — of course; changed popular music
32. Frank Sinatra — NewMexiKen would rather listen to Frank than Elvis, but Frank was not a revolutionary
33. Franklin D. Roosevelt — America’s most conservative president; willing to accept change to preserve the system
34. Frederick Douglass — a great presence when one was most needed
35. George H. W. Bush — if your claim to greatness is being President, you have to be re-elected
36. George W. Bush — name one accomplishment
37. George Lucas — ruined movies forever, but great at it
38. George Patton — eccentric, daring, an ass; my vote is with Omar Bradley
39. George Washington — the indispensable American; second only to Lincoln
40. George Washington Carver — there are sufficient African-American leaders now; Carver can be retired

21. Charles Lindbergh — heroism isn’t by itself greatness; Nazi sympathizer
22. Christopher Reeve — tragedy isn’t greatness
23. Chuck Yeager — a cool guy; but bottom line just a test pilot
24. Clint Eastwood — Harry Callahan makes the list maybe; Clint I think not
25. Colin Powell — failed to respect his own conscience
26. Condoleezza Rice — 9/11
27. Donald Trump — other moguls have done more with less
28. Dwight D. Eisenhower — won the war; didn’t try to undo the New Deal
29. Eleanor Roosevelt (Anna Eleanor Roosevelt) — first First Lady to lead publicly; important change for women
30. Ellen DeGeneres — not even funny; Fanny Brice gets my vote

11. Barbara Bush — when Jeb gets elected president maybe, but until then my vote goes to Abigail Adams
12. Benjamin Franklin — top five; the first American
13. Bill Clinton — was unfairly attacked but provided the ammunition; best president to hang out with, not great
14. Bill Cosby (William Henry Cosby, Jr.) — one of several people on the list NewMexiKen has seen in person, so gets extra credit; integrated television, no small thing
15. Bill Gates — another I’ve seen in person; capitalism is what America is about
16. Billy Graham — anti-Semitic remarks to Nixon
17. Bob Hope; wasn’t funny; Bing Crosby gets my vote
18. Brett Favre; Johnny U maybe, not Brett; only one ring
19. Carl Sagan — role was to popularize science, especially space; look where he’s left us
20. Cesar Chavez — labor and ethnic leader; changed perceptions

1. Abraham Lincoln — NewMexiKen’s greatest American
2. Albert Einstein — came to America at age 54; important work done more than 25 years earlier
3. Alexander Graham Bell — Canadian
4. Alexander Hamilton — if you’re on the currency you make the list
5. Amelia Earhart — does a woman get to be great simply for being the first to do what men did?
6. Andrew Carnegie — for philanthropy more than steel
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger — not a good actor, not a good governor
8. Audie Murphy — most highly decorated soldier of World War II (28 medals), all before age 21
9. Babe Ruth — yes, made professional athletics part of popular culture
10. Barack Obama — one speech, one big-time election; we’ll see

Functional Ambivalent on Dr. Phil? No, Really, You’re Kidding. Dr. Phil?

the more absurd it is.

Note that Phil McGraw is a “Dr.” but Condoleezza Rice, Jonas Salk, Bill Cosby, Carl Sagan and Martin Luther King are not.

Here’s the whole AOL/Discovery Channel list:

Abraham Lincoln
Albert Einstein
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Hamilton
Amelia Earhart
Andrew Carnegie
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Audie Murphy
Babe Ruth
Barack Obama
Barbara Bush
Benjamin Franklin
Bill Clinton
Bill Cosby (William Henry Cosby, Jr.)
Bill Gates
Billy Graham
Bob Hope
Brett Favre
Carl Sagan
Cesar Chavez
Charles Lindbergh
Christopher Reeve
Chuck Yeager
Clint Eastwood
Colin Powell
Condoleezza Rice
Donald Trump
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eleanor Roosevelt (Anna Eleanor Roosevelt)
Ellen DeGeneres
Elvis Presley
Frank Sinatra
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Frederick Douglass
George H. W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Lucas
George Patton
George Washington
George Washington Carver
Harriet Ross Tubman
Harry Truman
Helen Keller
Henry Ford
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Howard Hughes
Hugh Hefner
Jackie Robinson (Jack Roosevelt Robinson)
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jesse Owens
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Stewart
John Edwards
John Glenn
John F. Kennedy
John Wayne
Johnny Carson (John William Carson)
Jonas Edward Salk
Joseph Smith Jr.
Katharine Hepburn
Lance Armstrong
Laura Bush
Lucille Ball
Lyndon B. Johnson
Madonna (Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone)
Malcolm X (Malcolm Little)
Marilyn Monroe
Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)
Martha Stewart
Martin Luther King Jr.
Maya Angelou
Mel Gibson
Michael Jackson
Michael Jordan
Michael Moore
Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.)
Neil Alden Armstrong
Nikola Tesla
Oprah Winfrey
Pat Tillman
Dr. Phil McGraw
Ray Charles
Richard Nixon
Robert Kennedy
Ronald Reagan
Rosa Parks
Rudolph W. Giuliani
Rush Limbaugh
Sam Walton
Steve Jobs
Steven Spielberg
Susan B. Anthony
Theodore Roosevelt
Thomas Edison
Thomas Jefferson
Tiger Woods
Tom Cruise
Tom Hanks
Walt Disney
Wright Brothers (Orville & Wilbur Wright)

Definitions of great:

Remarkable or outstanding; Of outstanding significance or importance; Superior in quality or character; noble; Powerful; influential; Eminent; distinguished.

(See next three entries.)

“First clue about the absurdity of this list: it’s ordered alphabetically by given name. (‘Is Thomas Jefferson on the list? Oh, right, he’s under the Ts.’)”

Commenter RSA at Political Animal on the list of The 100 Greatest Americans (see below).

AOL and Discovery Channel are producing a TV series in June to count down the 100 Greatest Americans. They created the list from nominations made by 500,000 voters (ignoramuses I’d say).

Let NewMexiKen share just some of the most absurd from the list to get you agitated:

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Barbara Bush
Brett Favre
Christopher Reeve
Ellen DeGeneres
Hugh Hefner
John Edwards
Lance Armstrong
Laura Bush
Martha Stewart
Michaels Jackson, Jordan and Moore
Pat Tillman
Dr. Phil
Tom Cruise

These are listed to compete with others of similar importance; you know, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain.

Professor Bainbridge has a good discussion.

Thanks to Ken for the pointer.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to read Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail I encourage you to do so. It’s one of the most remarkable documents in American history.

Dr. King’s note provides some background.

Note from the author: This response to a published statement by eight fellow clergymen from Alabama (Bishop C. C. J. Carpenter, Bishop Joseph A. Durick, Rabbi Hilton L. Grafman, Bishop Paul Hardin, Bishop Holan B. Harmon, the Reverend George M. Murray. the Reverend Edward V. Ramage and the Reverend Earl Stallings) was composed under somewhat constricting circumstance. Begun on the margins of the newspaper in which the statement appeared while I was in jail, the letter was continued on scraps of writing paper supplied by a friendly Negro trusty, and concluded on a pad my attorneys were eventually permitted to leave me. Although the text remains in substance unaltered, I have indulged in the author’s prerogative of polishing it for publication.

The letter is lengthy; nine pages. It is an Adobe PDF file.