Who was the best president in D.R. history

be4unvme

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Jan 22, 2010
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hey dr1, lately i been really interested in going back to my country, but before that i want to learn as much as a can. over this process i've learned the darkside of corruption. so much corruption that i feel i want to get involve and do something.


tell me who in your opinion has served the country best. from what i've learned Juan Bosch has been a great president. why? because he did not abuse his power a known fact he was the most efficient president in the DR(from what i've learned) i guess thats it. keep i mind i am having a very hard time trying to find some history so i barely know much.


discuss..................

and dont tell me someone that has given out money or has set up gov handouts to "help" the poor. we all know those are political stategies for reelection.
 

edm7583

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tell me who in your opinion has served the country best. from what i've learned Juan Bosch has been a great president.

I'm hardly an expert on Dominican hisory, but wasn't he President for like only 6 months? And wasn't he a communist?? (or at least had extreme left wing ideology) which is why he was ousted. That's when the US came in to restore law an order after he was ousted and in the 66 election he was defeated soundly.
 

be4unvme

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Jan 22, 2010
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I'm hardly an expert on Dominican hisory, but wasn't he President for like only 6 months? And wasn't he a communist?? (or at least had extreme left wing ideology) which is why he was ousted. That's when the US came in to restore law an order after he was ousted and in the 66 election he was defeated soundly.

you know what i just found that out, i feel so stupid. but why at the end was he so admired and looked at as a patriot and standing for justice.

its very hard to find info on any of this, especially when the dr has such a big mess in presidents. i am just surprised at how much problems ans struggles my country has been throught
 

ExtremeR

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Mar 22, 2006
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Juan Bosh was really respected, he just didn't knew how to gain the General's loyalties.

Is being said that one of the most respected DR's President was Antonio Guzman (1978-1982).

Juan Bosch won the 1990 elections fair and square but Balaguer tinkered with the elections results (as usual) and won again. And that comment about the US invading the DR to "restore law and order" is a huge lack of respect to us Dominicans.
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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Antonio Guzman

I asked my husband this question and he didn't hesitate a second before replying "Antonio Guzman". I asked why and he said the man was honest and took DR in the right direction. He added that when he learned his daughter and son-in-law were embezzling from the government he was so devastated and betrayed that he shot himself in the head right in the presidential palace. Apparently he couldn't face the shame.

Imagine.....an honest politician who wasn't in it to line his own pockets....

AE
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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You ask a good question: Bosch was certainly NOT the 'best' president in the history of the DR.
Leaving out contemporary presidents, like Balaguer (a lot of people ar thinking that maybe he was pretty good after all), and Fernandez (it's too early to see the consequences ofhis actions)

I think you have to back into the early XX century to the time of C?ceres. He took over a terrible economy, pacified the country--not easy and not bloodlessly, got things under control and moving (not to matter that the US was pretty much handling the finances), moved projects along, attended to agriculture for the first time in DR history, started roads. He was pretty good, IMO.

Luperon (XIX century) tried, but the country was too segmented and divided. Which is to say that the South and East were nearly cut off from the Cibao and the economies of the two regions were totally different.

Bosch became a symbol for frustrated politicians. He talked a good game but was incapable of leading a party to victory. the PRD won in 78 and 82 without him, and if Balaguer had not mistrusted Pe?a G?mez so much the PLD would never have achieved power.

I am afraid to say that the 'best' DR president is yet to appear...

HB
 

AlterEgo

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I'm hardly an expert on Dominican hisory, but wasn't he President for like only 6 months? And wasn't he a communist?? (or at least had extreme left wing ideology) which is why he was ousted. That's when the US came in to restore law an order after he was ousted and in the 66 election he was defeated soundly.

My understanding is that Bosch was a leftist, but never declared himself Communist. The timing was bad, the US was still reeling from Castro's Cuba, the Bay of Pigs disaster, etc., and the potentiality of another communist country in the Caribbean alarmed the US. We stuck our nose in DR politics, and we all know what that led to.

So yes, Bosch leaned left - but so does Leonel. And so does Obama.

AE
 
Jan 5, 2006
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From my personal observation, which includes the 12 years of Balaguer and forward, I would say that the first go around with LF (right after Hipo), has been the best job by a president in DR.

I've had the Bosch conversation with my father, and he has told me that those were the best 7 months that he can remember.
 

bachata

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I asked my husband this question and he didn't hesitate a second before replying "Antonio Guzman". I asked why and he said the man was honest and took DR in the right direction. He added that when he learned his daughter and son-in-law were embezzling from the government he was so devastated and betrayed that he shot himself in the head right in the presidential palace. Apparently he couldn't face the shame.

Imagine.....an honest politician who wasn't in it to line his own pockets....

AE
Your husband is right at this point Pte. Guzman was a serious man that is all..
But the best president DR ever had is Juaquin Balaguer the man who continued building the country past Trujillo. If you take a look all the monuments, roads,bridges, canales de riego,airports were built at this time.
Bosh never was a DR president as he never had los cojones to run the country.
I remember a political commercial when Balaguer was running for his last period, there it was a kid asking his father Papi y eso quien lo hiso? and the father was responding Eso lo hiso Balaguer!!
That is a Balaguerista pride.... Eso lo hiso Balaguer!!

Lo unico que Leonel a hecho es la porqueria del metro y un par de elevados en la capital pero en Santiago no ha hecho naaaa..

JJ
 
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be4unvme

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Your husband is right at this point Pte. Guzman was a serious man that is all..
But the best president DR ever had is Juaquin Balaguer the man who continued building the country past Trujillo. If you take a look all the monuments, roads,bridges, canales de riego,airports were built at this time.
Bosh never was a DR president as he never had los cojones to run the country.
I remember a political commercial when Balaguer was running for his last period, there it was a kid asking his father Papi y eso quien lo hiso? and the father was responding Eso lo hiso Balaguer!!
That is a Balaguerista pride.... Eso lo hiso Balaguer!!

Lo unico que Leonel a hecho es la porqueria del metro y un par de elevados en la capital pero en Santiago no ha hecho naaaa..

JJ

not to offend you but every Dominican thinks that's infrastructure is all a presidents job. how bout personal liberty, lowering taxes, small governent, foreign policy(including our borders) and fighting corruption. alot has been built by hipplito but does that make him a good president no way. in my opinion infrastructure shoulnt be the nationals gov job, why? because it usually is too expensive most of the time companies lobby to build. I would give more power to the state and city gov
 

RonS

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not to offend you but every Dominican thinks that's infrastructure is all a presidents job. how bout personal liberty, lowering taxes, small governent, foreign policy(including our borders) and fighting corruption. alot has been built by hipplito but does that make him a good president no way. in my opinion infrastructure shoulnt be the nationals gov job, why? because it usually is too expensive most of the time companies lobby to build. I would give more power to the state and city gov

One of the things I've come to understand over the years is that it is essential to understand the political culture of the country you are analyzing. The DR does not operate in the same way as the US, for example, where you have sovereign states with local governments that operate within a federal system where the national government has limited and, in most cases, separate authority. The DR operates from the top down. The real political power and authority reisdes in the presidency, ergo, the building of infrastructure, setting economic, agricultural and environmental policies, and the domestic agenda, etc., lies with the president, who is the embodiment of the patria. That authority is extensive and transcends that of the legislature, and the local governments, and no president of the DR is going to voluntarily relinguish it.
 
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cobraboy

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not to offend you but every Dominican thinks that's infrastructure is all a presidents job. how bout personal liberty, lowering taxes, small governent, foreign policy(including our borders) and fighting corruption. alot has been built by hipplito but does that make him a good president no way. in my opinion infrastructure shoulnt be the nationals gov job, why? because it usually is too expensive most of the time companies lobby to build. I would give more power to the state and city gov
But keep in mind what stage of development the DR has been in. You see issues through the eyes of one in the "esteem" stage. Fact is a Third World nation is still in the security/psysiological stage.

One cannot happen until the other is accomplished. A bridge, dam or new highway does more for developing a country that a lowered tax structure.
 
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Horacio Vasquez's term was very respectful of individual rights.
Luperon was very progressive and liberal.
Mon Caceres got sh!t done and wasn't too too hard on the people.
Bosch was an idealist with very beautiful theories but he couldn't get the generals to work under him...

One big sigh....
 

J D Sauser

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I just asked "my" girl's tiguere teenage brother. His answer?

"el mejoi? CLINTON"
:cheeky:

If he would vote, he'd vote for Balaguer thou (he actually WOULD!), polque el, lo que hizo, e que le daba de to'o a la gente... casas y baina, tu sabe!

So, why not vote for Clinton (again)? "Jajaja, si el murio, tu no sabia (gringo paloooomo)!" :bunny: :surprised :bored:



Yeah well, e p'a 'lante que vamo! Cono! :squareeye


... J-D.
 

cobraboy

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Might Bosch have been too intelligent to make a good president? A philosopher, thinker, writer but not a political games-player.
Are "intelligence" and "leadership skills" mutually exclusive?
 

Chirimoya

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Might Bosch have been too intelligent to make a good president? A philosopher, thinker, writer but not a political games-player.
Mr C, who knew him personally, would agree. He would add "too ethical".
 

bachata

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Might Bosch have been too intelligent to make a good president? A philosopher, thinker, writer but not a political games-player.

Why do you think people call him Profesor Juan Bosh?? instead of Presidente JB. same as we call all the ex presidents.

JJ