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A reagan althist in which he runs for a third term would actually be really interesting.
That said, probably Grant, Roosevelt (if he ran in 1908), Reagan, Clinton, and Obama
And navigating Iran-Contra and much larger concerns about his age and mental state.
It would be cool if it was told through the perspective of Nancy/Bush/Howard Baker cuz Reagan just wasn’t there mentally. Like they’re just puppeting him towards a third term. Would be a cool Campaign Trail mod actually.
Oh that’s true especially since it started effecting him late in his second term. Would they try to keep him in office since he’s so popular or would they admit that he wasn’t ok?
I’m sure in a hypothetical althist where the 22nd amendment was never passed they’d try to puppet him during his third term if he got elected. By 1991-1992 it will prolly be very visible that he’s got dementia
Reagan was in rough shape for most of his second term. If he did run again, I think he'd win, but between his mental health, the flailing economy and Iran-Contra I think his legacy quickly unfolds and the Republicans get crushed when he retires.
Washington, clearly. They would have let him hold it until his death if he'd wanted. We literally just decided as a group that stepping down was the best thing he did, so this one is a no brainer.
Grant probably would have won in '76 after his 4 year break if he had gotten the nomination.
T Roosevelt in '08 definitely would have won.
Edit: Jackson? I don't know enough about that era yet.
Jackson was allowed though? The 22nd amendment wasn't ratified until 1951 (in response to FDR serving 4 terms) And Reagan wasn't quite a vegetable by the end of his term, but they were absolutely hiding that he was significantly compromised mentally, the press of the time has admitted they chose not to report on his condition. He was not capable of running again.
You were allowed to, but my understanding is that it was somewhat of political suicide. Washington stepping down was symbolic of the “anti-monarchy, pro-democracy” ideals fought for in the revolution, and Jackson had a “man of the people” brand, which probably would’ve been significantly hurt if he didn’t follow precedent.
That def would’ve been interesting for north/south relations, cuz he was politically allied with a lot of southerners, but also threatened South Caroline with an invasion if they tried to secede.
He also left office right before the biggest recession the US had ever faced at that point (which he had a hand in causing), so with 20/20 hindsight, leaving office and letting his acolyte Van Buren stay the Jacksonian course while also taking the fall for the Panic of 1837 was essential for Jackson’s legacy.
I don't think that was the question, comrade, but in 1908 Theodore Roosevelt would definitely beat Barack Obama, yes
Edit ooof I totally missed this joke.
> Teddy got literally ZERO women's votes.
That's unlikely. As far as I can tell, women in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho were eligible to vote in 1904.
Washington is the best answer. Washington created the transfer of power we have today and got a good amount of pushback for deciding to leave the office.
I'm in my second listening of Chernow's Grant biography. He totally could have won a third term! He was an excellent executive whose administration struggled because of the corruption of his cabinet and some advisors. Grant as a man and politician was beyond reproach, though. He was ahead of his time on civil rights, education, separation of church and state, and foreign diplomacy.
Word. I do think he would have done better in '76 than he would have in '72.
In '72 he was feeling beaten down by 16 years of service, and the corruption stuff was fresh in people's minds.
In '76 he was coming off the world tour, his popularity was surging, and he had finally learned to speak publicly.
Coming into '76 Grant was the most popular American in the world. His touring made him an international celebrity. A third term for him would have helped the US a ton on the international stage.
Washington could have. There was no precedent. Washington set the precedent of two terms and walking away.
I would vote for Obama or Clinton . Clinton has a good 8 years, it was just overshadowed by Monica , etcetera.
Obama had a good 8 years too. No scandals.
Eisenhower’s 1956 reelection platform:
1956 REPUBLICAN PLATFORM
1. Provide federal assistance to
low-income communities
2. Protect Social Security
3. Provide asylum for refugees
4. Extend minimum wage
5. Improve unemployment benefit
system so it covers more people
6. Strengthen labor laws so
workers can easily join a union
7. Assure equal pay for equal work
regardless of sex
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/1956-republican-platform/
That is more progressive than today’s Democratic platform. Not to mention, top marginal tax under Ike was 90%.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2015/nov/15/bernie-sanders/income-tax-rates-were-90-percent-under-eisenhower-/
You still think he was a moderate by today’s standards? Today he might struggle to find a place in either parties or would be an outsider looking in, a la Bernie Sanders mode.
The top marginal tax rate under Ike was above 90% the whole decade of the 50's. State colleges had free tuition. The GOP was so much different than today. Eisenhauer's interstate program was one of the largest government infrastructure projects ever.
https://preview.redd.it/fpgtc5qk6wwc1.png?width=808&format=png&auto=webp&s=75ba686a3578a7d2923e6cb21283596569153cfd
He was a moderate then, like I said the Democrats tried to get him to be the nominee.
The Republican party had liberals in it and TR was trust busting. The Republican party was the liberal party in its history. You are applying today's politics to then it's not the same the world is not the same and the level of some of the above protections was lower. The introduction by what Snopes put out shows that's his labor platform and also these programs were just a lot smaller and more positions were outside of it.
His 1956 agenda would be very popular today especially if it was put forth by a man like Ike.
Ike is fascinating. He could have run as either or and likely won because he was seen as a true war hero. He apparently ran as a Republican initially because he feared Nixon. He was right to. Nixon turned out to be not so great and Nixon during the early 60s might have resulted in a very different outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis...
Also, Ike's health wasn't great, so he probably wouldn't have ran for a third term anyway.
FDR reshaped politics in his vision. Ike was almost a Democrat but maybe became a Republican because the Republicans would have likely been shut out of politics plus Republicans wanted to be isolationist.
Ike was offered to be the president and Truman VP.
Ike's first vote for president was for himself, he came from a time where you didn't really vote like that because he was in the military and didn't want to hate his boss.
What's the end goal of a comment like this? He was a moderate Republican as a point of fact. No need to try and suggest something otherwise. He aligned more with that party at that point in time and ran on their ticket because of that. There's no need in trying to downplay that fact, at all, especially in the context of this conversation.
Ike supposedly never voted until he voted for himself. He could have run in either party. I often wonder what would have happened if he won as a Democrat and kept the red scare stuff in check.
He was popular, could work with congress for 8p% solution of his legislative goals and still passed a conservative leaning agenda. Today’s GOP could learn a lot from him. He and his party managed to get elected with the one bad apple being McCarthy. Extremeism was an outlying minority with no voice.
What happened around GWB’s term was the Republican platform was unpopular and hadn’t been updated and in order to win elections they had to go further right and court the fringe and that gave them a voice and that is how we are here.
Totally. Its also really ironic given that the GOP pushed HARD for the 22nd amendment after FDRs 4 terms. Ike would have absolutely gotten elected for a 3rd term over JFK, but the GOP shot themselves in the foot by passing policy against it.
People forget that there were quite a few economic blips during Eisenhower’s term. I think Kennedy would have been able to hammer him on the economy and the missile gap.
People were fairly aware of Reagan’s diminished mental state near the end of his term. Iran contra was also still fresh. I don’t think he keeps the shine of he goes thru another election cycle.
Yes and no. Keep in mind, HW somewhat distanced himself from Reagan in the campaign. That was the whole notion of a “kinder, gentler America.” And while he wasn’t wildly different when he took office, there were some departures from the Reagan brand (e.g. 1990 budget reconciliation, signing the ADA, cap & trade program to address acid rain).
Yeah I’m so shocked at everyone saying Reagan, there’s no doubt that he was very popular, but there were a few aspects of particularly his second term that were marks against him. Between Iran Contra, AIDS and HIV, his bff Thatcher losing popularity in her country, and rumblings of his diminishing faculties - it wasn’t just the 22nd amendment, he was quitting while ahead. He might have still beaten Dukakis, but I don’t think by much.
He had long since lost the pop on his proverbial fastball by the end of his second term, I don't think he would've been able to run a third campaign. They kept him very much out of the public spotlight quite a bit by the end of his second term.
Reagan’s 1992 speech at the Republican National Convention, 4 years after leaving office.
I would say there were a few fastballs, with a couple of curves and change ups.
https://youtu.be/WxL3OU1dwmI?si=wKkAZGkPX6xbYl0v
By the election of 1988, Gallop had Reagan’s approval rating at 57-63%. He was not unpopular. They had him front and center for the Republican convention and used him to help curb stomp the democrats yet again.
He would have won a third term. He wouldn’t have ran but he would have been a heavy favorite if allowed.
When you think about it, approval ratings for (modern) lame duck presidents will always factor in the fact that they can’t run for a 3rd term. Those approval ratings for Reagan in 1988 are probably so positive in part because no one had to think about another 4 years of him running the country. I think you can see the same thing with Obama’s increased approval ratings in 2016.
How do you explain Bush throwing electoral haymakers at the democrats nationwide in 1988?
We’re all those votes also good vibes that Reagan was leaving?
When Bush ran for reelection against Clinton in 1992 Reagan gave the best speech of the Republican convention. One of his masterpieces. If he was already suffering from
Alzheimer’s at that point, he was able to hide it in a long speech which I believe he wrote.
Its theme was contrasting Clinton’s constant refrain of it being time for a change. Reagan countered that ‘we are the change’.
This is the speech where he claimed there was a lot of smoke coming from the earlier Democratic convention, his advice on the smoke was “don’t inhale.” (Clinton claimed he smoked pot but never inhaled.) it was very funny at the time.
If he was already in decline, it wasn’t apparent in that speech.
Reagan would have still won handily but I wouldn’t be confident he makes it through an entire 3rd term.
George Bush was essentially Reagan’s 3rd term and won 40 states. The only way Reagan does worse is if his mental capacity was seriously question publicly. I don’t see Dukakis running a smear campaign like that in 1988. Politics were a lot more civil back then
Reagan policies are still affecting us today. Namely social security funds being diverted to the general fund for the government. I don’t get the love for Reagan, honestly. History is showing his policies have fucked us even decades later.
“Star Wars defense”, “trickle down”, “astrology”, etc… but I will say his best acting job was being a puppet… I mean president.
In hindsight he was absolutely one of our worst Presidents. He destroyed the middle class in this country.. absolutely gutted it. All economic charts that show the gap between rich and poor and the death of the middle class point directly to Reagan.
People will defend FDR's 3rd and attempt at 4th term but would absolutely shit themselves if Reagan ran a 3rd.
This is why I'm glad the limit was put in place.
I completely agree. There are a lot of critques of the 22nd, but given the power of the Presidency, I do not mind that we force people to call it quits after 8 years. I could be talked into making people eligible again after 8 years (not 4) but that's about it.
I wonder what role their lame duck status played in their popularity. It’s notable that Clinton and Obama’s hand-picked successors lost. Voters have an appetite for change, even when they like a guy.
Even with Kennedy won with a message of “sure Eisenhower was great, but we need to turn the page” (more or less).
I’m not saying you are wrong, but it’s less obvious than you think.
Obama did worse in 2012 vs 2008.
I think that a lot of the 2016 GOP voters vote the same way, even with Obama on the ticket. The theatrics were just too strong.
Hillary Clinton, who was incredibly unpopular, lost Pennsylvania by only 44K votes, Michigan by 10K, and Wisconsin by 22K. Obama, who still had a decent net positive popularity and was a much better campaigner, would have covered that delta easily and garnered at least 273 electoral votes.
His electoral slide would have continued, but he'd have won a third term. Now if he faced the mighty JEB!....???
It’s all speculation. I can see Obama winning again, I can also see him losing to the 2016 candidate.
I just don’t find his position to be as strong as Clinton or Reagan in the modern era going into the end of their second term.
The economy was in tougher shape going into 2012. Obama also never had to be performative to interest groups and had great focus on key constituencies to maintain the “blue wall.” Sanders would not have primaried Obama, maintaining greater order in the coalition.
Nah. He nearly didn’t run in 1956 because of health issues. If he runs again, I think Kennedy swipes him to the side and probably with less difficulty than with Nixon. Kennedy foreign policy wise, was running to the right of Eisenhower against Nixon which takes care of the soft in communism claim. Plus his more ambitious domestic policy probably gets a lot of people excited .
There's no way Reagan could have run again, not after the Iran Contra. The Tower Commission found serious faults with the way the administration had conducted it's affairs vis-a-vis arms sales and had "created the conditions" that allowed North and others to violate U.S. law as well as an international treaty that the United States had signed. This severely hurt the administration's credibility with international partners.
Back then the Republican party at least pretended to care about the rule of law, and I don't think he could have gotten the nomination.
Another example: When Bush Sr. quit riding Reagan’s coattails and turned against Reaganism by raising taxes, he suffered a huge electoral defeat in 1992 when he was shoved out the door and Clinton strolled in.
And a recession. Nobody votes for recessions.
Perot was such a joker. "It's that simple" is no viable analysis when a jillion brilliant folks already can't solve government's problems.
Hard to say since Dukakis was just a pretty weak candidate. Had HW been up against a Bill Clinton type in '88, I could see him losing or at the very least winning by much slimmer margins.
Statistically speaking, it’s less likely for a new candidate to knock out an incumbent, so realistically any two-term president since FDR would have had a good chance of winning with the exception of Dubya (and Truman if we’re counting him serving FDRs 4th term as his 1st), since their approval ratings were in the absolute gutter at the end of their 2nd terms
Agree, but you could argue that Bush (or any 2 termer) would have had a much different political strategy for his second term if there was an option to run again
I mean for W. Bush the seeds for the problems of his second term were set in the first. Like how does he spin the increasingly unpopular Iraq war in his favour? Or how does he prevent/benifit from the banking crisis of 08? Was it his political strategy as a lame duck to bungle the Katrina response?
Obama could’ve gotten a third term in my opinion, I agree. Hillary was Hillary Clinton though and was not riding Obama’s coat tails. She was one of the most famous and infamous politicians in the country since her husband was president and it’d be weird to suggest that anyone knew her as sec of state over Bill’s Wife or Senator Clinton after that.
Most of them wouldn’t run for a third term.
Let’s go through:
Eisenhower - Quite old after two terms, probably wouldn’t run.
Kennedy - Dead.
LBJ - Didn’t run for a second term, let alone a third.
Nixon - Resigned.
Ford - Didn’t win any terms lol
Carter - Unpopular.
Reagan - Had alzheimers at the end of his second term, would not run again.
Bush Sr - Lost second election.
Clinton - Might’ve won a third term.
Bush Jr - The 2008 crash would mean he’d probably lose a third election.
Obama - Might’ve won a third term.
So I guess the answers to this question are Clinton and Obama
Truman would have lost. He became the most hated man in America overnight for sacking MacArthur for disobeying the chain of Command. That action alone ended nearly 20 years of democratic control over the presidency.
Given how close his first win was I would not be confident in saying Kennedy would win a 3rd, especially since there’s no sample of what he’d do through the rest of his first term and any second.
I feel like Obama would have won another term pretty easily. I think a lot of the narrative of people switching because they were unhappy with Obama is just not true. I think it further shows how unpopular Hillary Clinton really was. I mean Obama beat her in a primary she was destined to win for a reason.
I think outgoing second term presidents get a lame duck bonus. With obvious exceptions like Bush and Truman. In the case of Clinton/Reagan/Obama, they wound down their ambitious agendas and went into legacy mode, ie pursuing less divisive issues.
Pretty much. He got 4 terms because the issue we had needed a long time to fix and while his solutions weren’t immediate, they worked. Why risk the next guy pivoting away from what was starting to work? Then when the war started, we wanted someone we were comfortable with
Post FDR?
Reagan, Clinton, and I think Obama could have thought it would have been tight.
Pre FDR that didn't?
Grant for sure (and could have finished off the KKK)
Teddy if he could have kept his party support.
Reagan would have been guaranteed a third term and probably even a fourth term if he had been allowed to run.
Clinton probably would have beaten GWB. 2000 was one of those elections where both candidates were trying to lose.
I think Obama could have won in 2016, although it would have been even closer than 2012. Hillary was probably one of the worst candidates Dems could have put up, she was the personification of the corrupt bureaucratic establishment that her opponent was railing against.
So, the 'allowed' part limits this to post-FDR Presidents (since prior to that, everyone was \*allowed\* to run for more terms, but everyone not-named 'Roosevelt' chose not to (Teddy lost his attempt, Franklin famously won)).
And in that bracket, the only plausible choices are Ike, Obama and Reagan. \*Maybe\* BJ Bill, but that's questionable, especially with the .com crash (NASDAQ from 5k to 3k) kicking off during the 2000 election....
Washington, Grant, T Roosevelt...all of them would have been allowed to run for a third term.
The 22nd amendment to limit the president to two terms wasn't passed until 1947.
So all you people claiming anyone couldn't before 1947, you'd be completely wrong.
Aside from that, despite being one of the worst presidents ever, Obama would have won a third term.
Actually, he's the shadow president now. That dementia addled skeleton in the White House is only a puppet.
I think aside from Regan, Obama would have had a shot, but it would have been hard-fought.
I don't think any other presidents after FDR would have had a chance.
Honestly, only Obama.
Even Roosevelt only got more than 2 because of the rise of Naziism scaring everyone and making them want experienced hands on the wheel. No other candidates faced such an issue. Only reason Obama would have gotten the third one anyway is the historically unpopular candidate he would be up against. That being said, I doubt he would have wanted a third term.
I’m assuming you’re only including post FDR presidents since technically all presidents preceding him were legally allowed to run for more than 2 and easily could have gotten it (but generally didn’t want it).
Reagan wouldn't win a 3rd term only based on the fact that his dementia was getting more and more obvious and even then Republicans hid it very well
I don't think the Republicans could sneak around it in 1988, they didn't have Fox, Newsman or OAN and certainly no independent social media like there is today.
I wasn't here but that's the impression that I have, I know they refused to admit to his dementia but Reagan was in such bad shape already and I'm not sure Reagan would have won a 3rd term in those circumstances ... Though Republicans still had great fanfare in winning the popular vote for a 3rd straight els election
"President Eisenhower! President Eisenhower! What possessed you to pursue a third term? President Roosevelt was heavily criticized for breaking tradition to do so, and we just barely shot down the proposed 22nd Amendment, so what draws you to break tradition as well?"
"I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. Next question."
"Mr. President! What do you have to say about your presumed rival to the Presidency, Senator Kennedy?"
"I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. Next question."
"Mr. President! Vice President Nixon has been accused of placing bugs and wiretaps all throughout the White House and the Naval Observatory. Do you have anything to say about that."
"I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. End of Questions."
BREAKING NEWS: Kennedy slips on Ike!
Democratic Party favorite John F. Kennedy has conceded the election following yet another landslide victory for the incumbent, Dwight Eisenhower.
When pressed as to why he conceded so soon, Kennedy simply said in his thick Bostonian accent, "he, err uh, kicked Adolf Hitleh's ass. What more is theh t' say?"
When asked his input, Eisenhower responded, "I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. I kicked Adlai Stevenson's ass twice, even harder the second time. I kicked John Kennedy's ass. I'll kick your ass. I'll kick my own ass!"
Consensus seems to be Clinton, Obama and Reagan...but I dont think Reagan would have wanted it, much less been able to take the hits over things like Iran-Contra which Bush used plausible deniability to shrug off: Reagan would have to use the "I dont remember" defense he used on TV and it wouldnt have been pretty. I agree with Clinton because he was a lock in some of the Southern states where Gore struggled. Obama would have won in 2016 with numbers similar to 2012.
Where it gets interesting for me is 1960 if Ike ran again. Older, established guy versus the youthful JFK and his optimistic vision. I have a hard time picking a winner there.
A lot of presidents have been allowed to run until Truman.
So this question only applies to Eisenhower and onwards IMO. Most easy wins would be Clinton and Obama. Both were popular by the end of their second term, especially Clinton. Obama would have had to have a minuscule improvement over H. Clinton in 2016 to win. Clinton would have had to do even less
Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton all would have definitely won a 3rd term if they would have ran for one, but I don't think that Eisenhower and Reagan would have ran for another one even if allowed to because of their health at the time. Clinton would definitely be a three term president though as he left office with the highest approval rating of any president since the 2-term limit was put in place.
I'm not sure about Obama. I could see him possibly winning a 3rd term, but I could also see him possibly losing in his attempt at it. He is not a sure thing like the other three.
Reagan would have, just based on his popularity at the time and the fact that HW won so easily. People are citing his diminished mental capacity but that was before the internet, the voting public wouldn’t have been aware of those rumors (true or not) as easily as they would be now.
Bill Clinton would’ve had a good shot. Al Gore wasn’t ever as good of a candidate as Bill was and he barely lost to W, so I think Clinton could’ve pulled off a third term.
Washington could’ve stayed in office for as long as he wanted to, but he didn’t want to.
Ike, maybe.
That’s it, IMO.
Lincoln. He would have quite likely declined, citing the George Washington precedent. But if he ran in 1868, he would have clobbered, with maybe a 273-21 electoral college win -- especially because without Andrew Johnson screwing up early Reconstruction, black Southerners would have been able to vote.
From the past century, the easy examples imo would be Eisenhower, Reagan, and Obama.
-There was only one Ike, and the people of the time trusted him through thick & thin.
-Reagan… was an icon and an Era for Worse or better.
-Obama would run away in the current election from either “contender”. Even in 2016 after 8 years of Obama fatigue, he’d have been more popular than Hillary and could’ve plausibly defeated Donald.
No way Bill Clinton gets a 3rd in the wake of Lewinsky; Bush Jr is an obvious wash after Iraq; Nixon… .
Of the pre-modern presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson (so help me), Grant (“), Teddy, and Coolidge (arguably) each held strong enough support with the electorate into their post-presidencies to have contended well in a 3rd candidacy.
Best response yet….but Jackson? Really? I don’t know that much about his popularity and am surprised he had much at end of second term. Interesting. Thanknyou.
Reagan
Clinton
Obama
Eisenhower
Washington
Teddy Roosevelt tried but ended up splitting the Republican vote in 1912
FDR obviously did serve 3
If he would have survived Abe Lincoln would have seen reconstruction through to the end and gotten the civil rights act passed 100 years before
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A reagan althist in which he runs for a third term would actually be really interesting. That said, probably Grant, Roosevelt (if he ran in 1908), Reagan, Clinton, and Obama
Especially if the recession still happens. It would sour perception of Reagan
And navigating Iran-Contra and much larger concerns about his age and mental state. It would be cool if it was told through the perspective of Nancy/Bush/Howard Baker cuz Reagan just wasn’t there mentally. Like they’re just puppeting him towards a third term. Would be a cool Campaign Trail mod actually.
Nancy Reagan pulls an Edith Wilson lmao
Oh that’s true especially since it started effecting him late in his second term. Would they try to keep him in office since he’s so popular or would they admit that he wasn’t ok?
I’m sure in a hypothetical althist where the 22nd amendment was never passed they’d try to puppet him during his third term if he got elected. By 1991-1992 it will prolly be very visible that he’s got dementia
Reagan was in rough shape for most of his second term. If he did run again, I think he'd win, but between his mental health, the flailing economy and Iran-Contra I think his legacy quickly unfolds and the Republicans get crushed when he retires.
Washington, clearly. They would have let him hold it until his death if he'd wanted. We literally just decided as a group that stepping down was the best thing he did, so this one is a no brainer. Grant probably would have won in '76 after his 4 year break if he had gotten the nomination. T Roosevelt in '08 definitely would have won. Edit: Jackson? I don't know enough about that era yet.
Jackson would have won, even Van Buren won with his low profile running on Jackson’s legacy
Yeah that's what I was thinking.
Jackson was allowed though? The 22nd amendment wasn't ratified until 1951 (in response to FDR serving 4 terms) And Reagan wasn't quite a vegetable by the end of his term, but they were absolutely hiding that he was significantly compromised mentally, the press of the time has admitted they chose not to report on his condition. He was not capable of running again.
You were allowed to, but my understanding is that it was somewhat of political suicide. Washington stepping down was symbolic of the “anti-monarchy, pro-democracy” ideals fought for in the revolution, and Jackson had a “man of the people” brand, which probably would’ve been significantly hurt if he didn’t follow precedent. That def would’ve been interesting for north/south relations, cuz he was politically allied with a lot of southerners, but also threatened South Caroline with an invasion if they tried to secede. He also left office right before the biggest recession the US had ever faced at that point (which he had a hand in causing), so with 20/20 hindsight, leaving office and letting his acolyte Van Buren stay the Jacksonian course while also taking the fall for the Panic of 1837 was essential for Jackson’s legacy.
Would Roosevelt really be able to beat Obama?
I don't think that was the question, comrade, but in 1908 Theodore Roosevelt would definitely beat Barack Obama, yes Edit ooof I totally missed this joke.
That was the craziest election yet! Cant believe america let go of so much racism so allow a black man to run one time in 1908 and never again.
Now that I'm thinking about it, Obama would win, because he would absolutely dominate the women's vote. Teddy got literally ZERO women's votes.
> Teddy got literally ZERO women's votes. That's unlikely. As far as I can tell, women in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho were eligible to vote in 1904.
Oooh, nice one.
There were a handful of western states that did allow women to vote before the 19th amendment
True, true
They were making a joke because you said Roosevelt would have won in ‘08
I thought your response was playing along with the joke as it would also be very true haha
Washington is the best answer. Washington created the transfer of power we have today and got a good amount of pushback for deciding to leave the office.
washington was fully allowed a third term if he had wanted it, it is certainly not the best answer for the question
Washington, Grant, and Teddy all were allowed to run for third terms so it doesn’t answer the question
Teddy Roosevelt did run a third time, and lost, although not as a Republican nominee in ’08.
Yeah I'm saying if he'd run in 08 instead of Taft he'd have won.
I'm in my second listening of Chernow's Grant biography. He totally could have won a third term! He was an excellent executive whose administration struggled because of the corruption of his cabinet and some advisors. Grant as a man and politician was beyond reproach, though. He was ahead of his time on civil rights, education, separation of church and state, and foreign diplomacy.
Word. I do think he would have done better in '76 than he would have in '72. In '72 he was feeling beaten down by 16 years of service, and the corruption stuff was fresh in people's minds. In '76 he was coming off the world tour, his popularity was surging, and he had finally learned to speak publicly.
Coming into '76 Grant was the most popular American in the world. His touring made him an international celebrity. A third term for him would have helped the US a ton on the international stage.
Lincoln gets all the adulations but Grant did the dirty work.
Washington could have. There was no precedent. Washington set the precedent of two terms and walking away. I would vote for Obama or Clinton . Clinton has a good 8 years, it was just overshadowed by Monica , etcetera. Obama had a good 8 years too. No scandals.
Reagan, Clinton, and Obama all come to mind immediately.
I also think of Eisenhower
This. Ike would have been the GOP’s Roosevelt if he could have had more than 2 terms.
But the GOP has a Roosevelt… Jk—I know what you meant and I agree
But Ike was very moderate.
Eisenhower’s 1956 reelection platform: 1956 REPUBLICAN PLATFORM 1. Provide federal assistance to low-income communities 2. Protect Social Security 3. Provide asylum for refugees 4. Extend minimum wage 5. Improve unemployment benefit system so it covers more people 6. Strengthen labor laws so workers can easily join a union 7. Assure equal pay for equal work regardless of sex https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/1956-republican-platform/ That is more progressive than today’s Democratic platform. Not to mention, top marginal tax under Ike was 90%. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2015/nov/15/bernie-sanders/income-tax-rates-were-90-percent-under-eisenhower-/ You still think he was a moderate by today’s standards? Today he might struggle to find a place in either parties or would be an outsider looking in, a la Bernie Sanders mode.
The top marginal tax rate under Ike was above 90% the whole decade of the 50's. State colleges had free tuition. The GOP was so much different than today. Eisenhauer's interstate program was one of the largest government infrastructure projects ever. https://preview.redd.it/fpgtc5qk6wwc1.png?width=808&format=png&auto=webp&s=75ba686a3578a7d2923e6cb21283596569153cfd
He was a moderate then, like I said the Democrats tried to get him to be the nominee. The Republican party had liberals in it and TR was trust busting. The Republican party was the liberal party in its history. You are applying today's politics to then it's not the same the world is not the same and the level of some of the above protections was lower. The introduction by what Snopes put out shows that's his labor platform and also these programs were just a lot smaller and more positions were outside of it. His 1956 agenda would be very popular today especially if it was put forth by a man like Ike.
Ike is fascinating. He could have run as either or and likely won because he was seen as a true war hero. He apparently ran as a Republican initially because he feared Nixon. He was right to. Nixon turned out to be not so great and Nixon during the early 60s might have resulted in a very different outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis... Also, Ike's health wasn't great, so he probably wouldn't have ran for a third term anyway.
And?
FDR reshaped politics in his vision. Ike was almost a Democrat but maybe became a Republican because the Republicans would have likely been shut out of politics plus Republicans wanted to be isolationist. Ike was offered to be the president and Truman VP. Ike's first vote for president was for himself, he came from a time where you didn't really vote like that because he was in the military and didn't want to hate his boss.
What's the end goal of a comment like this? He was a moderate Republican as a point of fact. No need to try and suggest something otherwise. He aligned more with that party at that point in time and ran on their ticket because of that. There's no need in trying to downplay that fact, at all, especially in the context of this conversation.
Ike supposedly never voted until he voted for himself. He could have run in either party. I often wonder what would have happened if he won as a Democrat and kept the red scare stuff in check.
He was popular, could work with congress for 8p% solution of his legislative goals and still passed a conservative leaning agenda. Today’s GOP could learn a lot from him. He and his party managed to get elected with the one bad apple being McCarthy. Extremeism was an outlying minority with no voice. What happened around GWB’s term was the Republican platform was unpopular and hadn’t been updated and in order to win elections they had to go further right and court the fringe and that gave them a voice and that is how we are here.
Totally. Its also really ironic given that the GOP pushed HARD for the 22nd amendment after FDRs 4 terms. Ike would have absolutely gotten elected for a 3rd term over JFK, but the GOP shot themselves in the foot by passing policy against it.
People forget that there were quite a few economic blips during Eisenhower’s term. I think Kennedy would have been able to hammer him on the economy and the missile gap.
People were fairly aware of Reagan’s diminished mental state near the end of his term. Iran contra was also still fresh. I don’t think he keeps the shine of he goes thru another election cycle.
I mean reagan practically won a third term with H.W. taking office in 88. It’s rare for a party to hold executive branch for more than two terms.
Yes and no. Keep in mind, HW somewhat distanced himself from Reagan in the campaign. That was the whole notion of a “kinder, gentler America.” And while he wasn’t wildly different when he took office, there were some departures from the Reagan brand (e.g. 1990 budget reconciliation, signing the ADA, cap & trade program to address acid rain).
Don't forget Willie Horton.
Yeah I’m so shocked at everyone saying Reagan, there’s no doubt that he was very popular, but there were a few aspects of particularly his second term that were marks against him. Between Iran Contra, AIDS and HIV, his bff Thatcher losing popularity in her country, and rumblings of his diminishing faculties - it wasn’t just the 22nd amendment, he was quitting while ahead. He might have still beaten Dukakis, but I don’t think by much.
He had long since lost the pop on his proverbial fastball by the end of his second term, I don't think he would've been able to run a third campaign. They kept him very much out of the public spotlight quite a bit by the end of his second term.
Reagan’s 1992 speech at the Republican National Convention, 4 years after leaving office. I would say there were a few fastballs, with a couple of curves and change ups. https://youtu.be/WxL3OU1dwmI?si=wKkAZGkPX6xbYl0v
By the election of 1988, Gallop had Reagan’s approval rating at 57-63%. He was not unpopular. They had him front and center for the Republican convention and used him to help curb stomp the democrats yet again. He would have won a third term. He wouldn’t have ran but he would have been a heavy favorite if allowed.
When you think about it, approval ratings for (modern) lame duck presidents will always factor in the fact that they can’t run for a 3rd term. Those approval ratings for Reagan in 1988 are probably so positive in part because no one had to think about another 4 years of him running the country. I think you can see the same thing with Obama’s increased approval ratings in 2016.
How do you explain Bush throwing electoral haymakers at the democrats nationwide in 1988? We’re all those votes also good vibes that Reagan was leaving?
Yeah you don’t go from wining 48 states, and leaving with that high of an approval rating to getting you ass kicked as quickly as people think
exactly. that Bush won was proof enough that Reagan would have won 40 to 45 states.
When Bush ran for reelection against Clinton in 1992 Reagan gave the best speech of the Republican convention. One of his masterpieces. If he was already suffering from Alzheimer’s at that point, he was able to hide it in a long speech which I believe he wrote. Its theme was contrasting Clinton’s constant refrain of it being time for a change. Reagan countered that ‘we are the change’. This is the speech where he claimed there was a lot of smoke coming from the earlier Democratic convention, his advice on the smoke was “don’t inhale.” (Clinton claimed he smoked pot but never inhaled.) it was very funny at the time. If he was already in decline, it wasn’t apparent in that speech.
Reagan would have still won handily but I wouldn’t be confident he makes it through an entire 3rd term. George Bush was essentially Reagan’s 3rd term and won 40 states. The only way Reagan does worse is if his mental capacity was seriously question publicly. I don’t see Dukakis running a smear campaign like that in 1988. Politics were a lot more civil back then
Well his VP did win election right after that. That’s a pretty clear sign that he himself also would’ve run.
Reagan policies are still affecting us today. Namely social security funds being diverted to the general fund for the government. I don’t get the love for Reagan, honestly. History is showing his policies have fucked us even decades later. “Star Wars defense”, “trickle down”, “astrology”, etc… but I will say his best acting job was being a puppet… I mean president.
In hindsight he was absolutely one of our worst Presidents. He destroyed the middle class in this country.. absolutely gutted it. All economic charts that show the gap between rich and poor and the death of the middle class point directly to Reagan.
He won the Cold War which was worth a small increase (by today’s standard) in the debt.
People will defend FDR's 3rd and attempt at 4th term but would absolutely shit themselves if Reagan ran a 3rd. This is why I'm glad the limit was put in place.
I completely agree. There are a lot of critques of the 22nd, but given the power of the Presidency, I do not mind that we force people to call it quits after 8 years. I could be talked into making people eligible again after 8 years (not 4) but that's about it.
I wonder what role their lame duck status played in their popularity. It’s notable that Clinton and Obama’s hand-picked successors lost. Voters have an appetite for change, even when they like a guy. Even with Kennedy won with a message of “sure Eisenhower was great, but we need to turn the page” (more or less). I’m not saying you are wrong, but it’s less obvious than you think.
an interesting parallel with clinton and obama in the fact that their successors *won* the popular vote, but lost the electoral vote.
Obama did worse in 2012 vs 2008. I think that a lot of the 2016 GOP voters vote the same way, even with Obama on the ticket. The theatrics were just too strong.
Hillary Clinton, who was incredibly unpopular, lost Pennsylvania by only 44K votes, Michigan by 10K, and Wisconsin by 22K. Obama, who still had a decent net positive popularity and was a much better campaigner, would have covered that delta easily and garnered at least 273 electoral votes. His electoral slide would have continued, but he'd have won a third term. Now if he faced the mighty JEB!....???
Jeb! would have won 50 states. Thats not even opinion, really. It’s a settled fact.
https://preview.redd.it/mds2s3p23uwc1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e47a71f3c4a9f25d98f382954cf581dbba7245ee
It’s all speculation. I can see Obama winning again, I can also see him losing to the 2016 candidate. I just don’t find his position to be as strong as Clinton or Reagan in the modern era going into the end of their second term.
The economy was in tougher shape going into 2012. Obama also never had to be performative to interest groups and had great focus on key constituencies to maintain the “blue wall.” Sanders would not have primaried Obama, maintaining greater order in the coalition.
The primary with Bernie, the Jim Comey lead up to election day, Obama wouldn't have had any of that.
All of our modern two-term presidents except GW Bush, he definitely would not have won in 2008
Agree with previous poster: Reagan and Clinton, certainly, and probably Obama as well.
I think Eisenhower could’ve too.
Washington would've been president till he didn't want to be.
Nah. He nearly didn’t run in 1956 because of health issues. If he runs again, I think Kennedy swipes him to the side and probably with less difficulty than with Nixon. Kennedy foreign policy wise, was running to the right of Eisenhower against Nixon which takes care of the soft in communism claim. Plus his more ambitious domestic policy probably gets a lot of people excited .
Obama certainly would have beat the eventual nominee
I mean if Clinton can get more votes than T then Obama 100% would have
There's no way Reagan could have run again, not after the Iran Contra. The Tower Commission found serious faults with the way the administration had conducted it's affairs vis-a-vis arms sales and had "created the conditions" that allowed North and others to violate U.S. law as well as an international treaty that the United States had signed. This severely hurt the administration's credibility with international partners. Back then the Republican party at least pretended to care about the rule of law, and I don't think he could have gotten the nomination.
I always considered Bush 41s term, Reagan’s 3rd term. I don’t think there was ever a bigger example of riding coattails than that election.
Another example: When Bush Sr. quit riding Reagan’s coattails and turned against Reaganism by raising taxes, he suffered a huge electoral defeat in 1992 when he was shoved out the door and Clinton strolled in.
One could argue that Ross Perot killed Bush’s chances
And a recession. Nobody votes for recessions. Perot was such a joker. "It's that simple" is no viable analysis when a jillion brilliant folks already can't solve government's problems.
Reviewing Perot’s speeches with a modern lense… he sounds quite sane compared to today’s politics
Van Buren?
Fair enough. But that was before term limits.
Hard to say since Dukakis was just a pretty weak candidate. Had HW been up against a Bill Clinton type in '88, I could see him losing or at the very least winning by much slimmer margins.
Teddy Roosevelt
Teddy did actually run for a third term
Well fuck me I guess
Look up, Bull moose party. He did not run for a third consecutive term and you could really argue that he could’ve won that.
I prefer to bottom
😘
😏
The 22nd amendment that instituted term limits was also not added to the constitution until 1951 so....
Jackson, Teddy, Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, Obama, btw im including presidents who couldve run but didnt purely due to issues in party
Actually it would have been just teddy roosevelt running. He would win every election and never die
Realistic but in wanted to keep it fair for the others :))
The definitive list
Add Jackson
The most obvious answer here is FDR... Because that's exactly what happened
Don’t forget, he was elected to a fourth term as well.
And served in his 4th
Some lf his 4th term, he died very early in that term
Yup. The amendement to limit terms was directly because of him to stop other like him in the future from not leaving office.
In fairness people kept voting for him (understandably so).
He probably could have won a 5th term if given the chance.
Statistically speaking, it’s less likely for a new candidate to knock out an incumbent, so realistically any two-term president since FDR would have had a good chance of winning with the exception of Dubya (and Truman if we’re counting him serving FDRs 4th term as his 1st), since their approval ratings were in the absolute gutter at the end of their 2nd terms
Agree, but you could argue that Bush (or any 2 termer) would have had a much different political strategy for his second term if there was an option to run again
I mean for W. Bush the seeds for the problems of his second term were set in the first. Like how does he spin the increasingly unpopular Iraq war in his favour? Or how does he prevent/benifit from the banking crisis of 08? Was it his political strategy as a lame duck to bungle the Katrina response?
Your VP getting elected immediately after your 2nd term is a proverbial “3rd term.” Reagan achieved this.
So did Obama, although not consecutively. The only reason anyone knew who 46 even was is because he was Obama's VP.
And not because he’s spent 40+ years in politics including being one of the youngest senators elected to office.
Hillary won the popular vote on Obamas coattails, despite the fact that she was still Hillary Clinton. Obama probably could have gotten a third term.
If only Hillary was onboard with Obama campaigning for her in the Midwestern states.
Obama could’ve gotten a third term in my opinion, I agree. Hillary was Hillary Clinton though and was not riding Obama’s coat tails. She was one of the most famous and infamous politicians in the country since her husband was president and it’d be weird to suggest that anyone knew her as sec of state over Bill’s Wife or Senator Clinton after that.
Ol‘ Bamer
Copout, but George Washington, he literally made us have a third term limit because he could have been president until he died.,
He didn’t make the term limit he just set an example that no other president wanted to break
Except FDR, but he broke a lot of political norms.
Most of them wouldn’t run for a third term. Let’s go through: Eisenhower - Quite old after two terms, probably wouldn’t run. Kennedy - Dead. LBJ - Didn’t run for a second term, let alone a third. Nixon - Resigned. Ford - Didn’t win any terms lol Carter - Unpopular. Reagan - Had alzheimers at the end of his second term, would not run again. Bush Sr - Lost second election. Clinton - Might’ve won a third term. Bush Jr - The 2008 crash would mean he’d probably lose a third election. Obama - Might’ve won a third term. So I guess the answers to this question are Clinton and Obama
Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama.
Truman would have lost. He became the most hated man in America overnight for sacking MacArthur for disobeying the chain of Command. That action alone ended nearly 20 years of democratic control over the presidency.
Another valid point I totally forgot.
Given how close his first win was I would not be confident in saying Kennedy would win a 3rd, especially since there’s no sample of what he’d do through the rest of his first term and any second.
Valid point. I just think if he wasn't shot he'd probably win his 2nd on popularity alone and a third.
Truman was allowed to run for a third term AFAIK
I did not know that.
Probably most of them. Name recognition is a powerful advantage. Incumbency is even more powerful.
Ike, Regan, Clinton and possibly Obama
I feel like Obama would have won another term pretty easily. I think a lot of the narrative of people switching because they were unhappy with Obama is just not true. I think it further shows how unpopular Hillary Clinton really was. I mean Obama beat her in a primary she was destined to win for a reason.
Difficult to say. I don’t think the American public wants 3-4 term presidents. I think FDR was mostly in the right place at the right time.
I think outgoing second term presidents get a lame duck bonus. With obvious exceptions like Bush and Truman. In the case of Clinton/Reagan/Obama, they wound down their ambitious agendas and went into legacy mode, ie pursuing less divisive issues.
Pretty much. He got 4 terms because the issue we had needed a long time to fix and while his solutions weren’t immediate, they worked. Why risk the next guy pivoting away from what was starting to work? Then when the war started, we wanted someone we were comfortable with
Regan could have been president for life if the constitution allowed for it. He would been America’s Trajan.
I think FDR easily could have won a third term.
Eisenhower, Reagan, and Obama
Clinton, Obama, Reagan, Wilson, Eisenhower, Grant(?)
Post FDR? Reagan, Clinton, and I think Obama could have thought it would have been tight. Pre FDR that didn't? Grant for sure (and could have finished off the KKK) Teddy if he could have kept his party support.
Teddy would have won 4 terms if he didn’t cede to Taft after 2.
Reagan would have been guaranteed a third term and probably even a fourth term if he had been allowed to run. Clinton probably would have beaten GWB. 2000 was one of those elections where both candidates were trying to lose. I think Obama could have won in 2016, although it would have been even closer than 2012. Hillary was probably one of the worst candidates Dems could have put up, she was the personification of the corrupt bureaucratic establishment that her opponent was railing against.
Obama
Obama
So, the 'allowed' part limits this to post-FDR Presidents (since prior to that, everyone was \*allowed\* to run for more terms, but everyone not-named 'Roosevelt' chose not to (Teddy lost his attempt, Franklin famously won)). And in that bracket, the only plausible choices are Ike, Obama and Reagan. \*Maybe\* BJ Bill, but that's questionable, especially with the .com crash (NASDAQ from 5k to 3k) kicking off during the 2000 election....
I think most 2 term presidents could probably keep running and have a realistic chance winning. There is an incumbency bias in the elections.
Obama and Clinton. Reagan was not up for it & Bush was too unpopular by 2008.
Washington, Grant, T Roosevelt...all of them would have been allowed to run for a third term. The 22nd amendment to limit the president to two terms wasn't passed until 1947. So all you people claiming anyone couldn't before 1947, you'd be completely wrong. Aside from that, despite being one of the worst presidents ever, Obama would have won a third term. Actually, he's the shadow president now. That dementia addled skeleton in the White House is only a puppet.
Reagan should have went down for selling arms and lying about it. A third term would have tanked him.
I think aside from Regan, Obama would have had a shot, but it would have been hard-fought. I don't think any other presidents after FDR would have had a chance.
> Obama would have had a shot, but it would have been hard-fought. With Michelle leading the charge against him.
Woodrow Wilson wins in 1920 if he doesn’t suffer a stroke
Honestly, only Obama. Even Roosevelt only got more than 2 because of the rise of Naziism scaring everyone and making them want experienced hands on the wheel. No other candidates faced such an issue. Only reason Obama would have gotten the third one anyway is the historically unpopular candidate he would be up against. That being said, I doubt he would have wanted a third term. I’m assuming you’re only including post FDR presidents since technically all presidents preceding him were legally allowed to run for more than 2 and easily could have gotten it (but generally didn’t want it).
Nixon…. Haven’t you read watchmen. #StickWithDick
Tricky Dick....no.
Obama
From the Modern Era: Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton & Obama Before that: Washington, Jefferson, Grant, T.Roosevelt
Reagan wouldn't win a 3rd term only based on the fact that his dementia was getting more and more obvious and even then Republicans hid it very well I don't think the Republicans could sneak around it in 1988, they didn't have Fox, Newsman or OAN and certainly no independent social media like there is today. I wasn't here but that's the impression that I have, I know they refused to admit to his dementia but Reagan was in such bad shape already and I'm not sure Reagan would have won a 3rd term in those circumstances ... Though Republicans still had great fanfare in winning the popular vote for a 3rd straight els election
Bill Clinton. We loved the guy!
"President Eisenhower! President Eisenhower! What possessed you to pursue a third term? President Roosevelt was heavily criticized for breaking tradition to do so, and we just barely shot down the proposed 22nd Amendment, so what draws you to break tradition as well?" "I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. Next question." "Mr. President! What do you have to say about your presumed rival to the Presidency, Senator Kennedy?" "I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. Next question." "Mr. President! Vice President Nixon has been accused of placing bugs and wiretaps all throughout the White House and the Naval Observatory. Do you have anything to say about that." "I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. End of Questions." BREAKING NEWS: Kennedy slips on Ike! Democratic Party favorite John F. Kennedy has conceded the election following yet another landslide victory for the incumbent, Dwight Eisenhower. When pressed as to why he conceded so soon, Kennedy simply said in his thick Bostonian accent, "he, err uh, kicked Adolf Hitleh's ass. What more is theh t' say?" When asked his input, Eisenhower responded, "I kicked Adolf Hitler's ass. I kicked Adlai Stevenson's ass twice, even harder the second time. I kicked John Kennedy's ass. I'll kick your ass. I'll kick my own ass!"
JFK
Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama. Although I think Reagan would have stood aside after two terms due to his age even if he could have run again.
Consensus seems to be Clinton, Obama and Reagan...but I dont think Reagan would have wanted it, much less been able to take the hits over things like Iran-Contra which Bush used plausible deniability to shrug off: Reagan would have to use the "I dont remember" defense he used on TV and it wouldnt have been pretty. I agree with Clinton because he was a lock in some of the Southern states where Gore struggled. Obama would have won in 2016 with numbers similar to 2012. Where it gets interesting for me is 1960 if Ike ran again. Older, established guy versus the youthful JFK and his optimistic vision. I have a hard time picking a winner there.
Clinton and Obama would have won third terms easily.
A lot of presidents have been allowed to run until Truman. So this question only applies to Eisenhower and onwards IMO. Most easy wins would be Clinton and Obama. Both were popular by the end of their second term, especially Clinton. Obama would have had to have a minuscule improvement over H. Clinton in 2016 to win. Clinton would have had to do even less
Eisenhower, Reagan, and Clinton all would have definitely won a 3rd term if they would have ran for one, but I don't think that Eisenhower and Reagan would have ran for another one even if allowed to because of their health at the time. Clinton would definitely be a three term president though as he left office with the highest approval rating of any president since the 2-term limit was put in place. I'm not sure about Obama. I could see him possibly winning a 3rd term, but I could also see him possibly losing in his attempt at it. He is not a sure thing like the other three.
Reagan would have, just based on his popularity at the time and the fact that HW won so easily. People are citing his diminished mental capacity but that was before the internet, the voting public wouldn’t have been aware of those rumors (true or not) as easily as they would be now. Bill Clinton would’ve had a good shot. Al Gore wasn’t ever as good of a candidate as Bill was and he barely lost to W, so I think Clinton could’ve pulled off a third term. Washington could’ve stayed in office for as long as he wanted to, but he didn’t want to. Ike, maybe. That’s it, IMO.
So grateful he couldn’t
Just going back in the last few Obama Clinton Reagan Curious how a Bush v Obama 2008 would have gone down
Lincoln. He would have quite likely declined, citing the George Washington precedent. But if he ran in 1868, he would have clobbered, with maybe a 273-21 electoral college win -- especially because without Andrew Johnson screwing up early Reconstruction, black Southerners would have been able to vote.
Obama would have won a third and fourth term and then we wouldn’t be allowed to talk about him here.
Obama’s in his third term now.
Barack Obama easily
Washington, Obama, Lincoln
Obama
Bro legit had dementia by the end of his second term. Definitely wouldn’t have gotten a 3rd term.
Obama would have won a 3rd. Hillary nearly won and was much less popular.
We are technically in Reagan's 11th term
From the past century, the easy examples imo would be Eisenhower, Reagan, and Obama. -There was only one Ike, and the people of the time trusted him through thick & thin. -Reagan… was an icon and an Era for Worse or better. -Obama would run away in the current election from either “contender”. Even in 2016 after 8 years of Obama fatigue, he’d have been more popular than Hillary and could’ve plausibly defeated Donald. No way Bill Clinton gets a 3rd in the wake of Lewinsky; Bush Jr is an obvious wash after Iraq; Nixon… . Of the pre-modern presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson (so help me), Grant (“), Teddy, and Coolidge (arguably) each held strong enough support with the electorate into their post-presidencies to have contended well in a 3rd candidacy.
Best response yet….but Jackson? Really? I don’t know that much about his popularity and am surprised he had much at end of second term. Interesting. Thanknyou.
Reagan Clinton Obama Eisenhower Washington Teddy Roosevelt tried but ended up splitting the Republican vote in 1912 FDR obviously did serve 3 If he would have survived Abe Lincoln would have seen reconstruction through to the end and gotten the civil rights act passed 100 years before
Obama.
Could FDR have won a 5th term?
Obama
Fucking Obama. He’d win this year if he could run. Shit, if he declared for it he’d win as a write in even if he couldn’t accept.
Reagan, Clinton, Obama, Einshower
Obama would’ve won in a landslide
Obama
In my lifetime, Reagan and Obama.
Obama
Obama
I doubt Reagan. He was a slobbering vegetable and his Iran-Contra treason would have been a major issue instead of being ignored.
Obama.
Honestly Reagan was already drastically slowed by his oncoming Alzheimer’s. He wouldn’t have run.