Total votes: 20
Real Tree: 10 votes; 50%
Artificial Tree: 10 votes; 50%
Seriously. I swear I did not meddle with the numbers [unless you count the fact that I had to interpret one or two responses. . . . Still, pretty amazing. ;)]. So apparently we are split down the middle. What would really be interesting would be to repeat this poll over the next ten years (Will you all still be following me 10 years from now?!) and see how the numbers change . . . IF they change. Hmmm . . .
Anyhoo, I did think that Joanna from Whole Latte Life gave the most compelling reason to go artificial. A nest of spiders would definitely make me think twice!
So on to the next debate. President's Day approaches:
George Washington
vs.
Abraham Lincoln
Posts
22 comments:
Abraham Lincoln, for me. George Washington always struck me as one of many, in terms of the Founding Fathers. Plus I've just always found the Civil War to be a fascinating era of U.S. history.
I went to an exhibit on Abraham Lincoln's life and it's amazing (and terrifying) how much he changed physically while in office. He went from a healthy, robust-looking person to someone absolutely gaunt and drained. You could actually -see- how much he poured into the office.
I'd go with George Washington. Not just because he led a bunch of barefoot troops through the snow, but also because he was a Virginian. Go George!
I'm Canadian, so I can't vote for this one. I barely remember much from my American history course from when I lived in Houston.
I'll probably mess up your statistics here, but I vote for an all-encompassing President's Day, recognizing them all in their own way :)
Washington was basically a guerrilla of his generation, mucho cool. on the other hand lincoln is one of only 4 president to ever get assassinated. still have to go washington because of the youtube cartoon.
GW, all the way. How can you lose nearly every battle you fought and yet still win a war? How can you keep troops fighting enemies when they are consistently fighting dysentery? Under fed, out classed, underfunded, outnumbered, and under trained - what GW did was impossible, but it was also accomplished.
I think if you're looking at them from the perspective of who had a greater impact on our country you have to go with Lincoln.
Lincoln held a mirror up to what was wrong with America. He changed the way we looked at human rights, at equality and at ourselves. The Civil War was a dark period but the ideals behind it were a shining light to the world. We talk about divisive politics nowadays and forget that Lincoln was willing to split the country in half to do the right thing as a nation.
George Washington, I would argue, was more influential with his role in the revolution than in the political sphere. As President he was more of a delegator, allowing Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to work out the kinks of American governance.
You could really argue this one either way because without the success of Washington during the revolution there wouldn't be an Abraham Lincoln but without Lincoln we'd live in a country we wouldn't recognize.
Great debate! I wish I could have participated in your tree debate because I would have swung it over to artificial! mwahahahaha! Anyway, I like Lincoln. I like his beard. I like the impact he had on our country and the fact that he led us during a crucial time (so did Washington, but Washington didn't have to deal with a divided nation). To me, he is even more 'symbolic' than Washington. He represents honesty, a virtue I admire above almost all else, and equality.
This is where I fall down. Being a brit means my president knowledge is slim, but I did check out the Lincoln exhibit/show in Disneyland last summer and it was fascinating. So I'll go with Lincoln. :)
I think I'd go with Lincoln because of his honesty and integrity, what he stood for.
ten to ten? ARGH! I wanted to see a decisive victory!
I'm voting for Abe. Though my reasons are kinda vague and squirrely, so I won't list them. LOL
Just letting you know, I gave you an award on my blog.
hi miss janet! yikes! you got a pretty hard question on your poll this time. for me i like both guys. george cause of how good a army leader he was and abe for how good a people leader he was. both did really good stuff for america. but if youre gonna make me say one im gonna say lincoln.
...hugs from lenny
Honest Abe gets my vote, though it's tough choice. Emancipating the slaves is a big part of my choice. I just feel very strongly in standing up for what is right and he did that, whether or not it was popular. Also, he was an avid reader like I am. My father also looks like him (okay, not the best reason to cast my vote but I had to throw it out there). And if I had known about the tree vote, I would have been completely torn. Nothing smells as good as a real fresh pine but I've seen some really great artificial trees in my day. I would have been no help!
I'm afraid I'm one of the uneducated voters, but I'm going to say Lincoln. Being an Aussie I don't have an extensive knowledge of the finer points of various presidents, but I've always had a soft spot.
Abraham Lincoln.
OMG, that's a tough one! Both of them truly deserve honor. I love GW because he declined the offer to become King! But I think I have to pick Lincoln because of his Emancipation address... and his tragic end. And...have you ever seen the Steampunk poster of him? totally out-of-character, but so very memorable!
Abe the babe baby :)
I'll go with Lincoln...
This one IS hard, you wicked person, you! I'm going to go with George because 1. He DID lead a nation divided. The divisions were between those who wanted to be a British colony and those who wanted to have their own representative government. Just because we won the war does not mean those who wanted the King left. They didn't. :D 2. He lost his battles, lead an utterly dejected group of men and yet won where it mattered. 3. This is the most important part and may not be well known: George Washington was offered a kingship. Despite everything we had just fought and died for, we still came close to having a monarchy. We don't have one because the man who lead us displayed as much integrity as is attributed to Lincoln and he turned down their offer. GW, for sure.
Can I say both? :o) The more great leaders and examples we have in the world(and history), the better.
Great question--I loved reading other's answers!
Do Canadians get to vote on this one? If so, put my vote in for Lincoln.
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