So what are the chances of a Democrat being elected following a 2-term Democrat?

[RiverLover]

I was told at dinner tonight it's only happened once before, in the mid-1800s. Buchanan followed Polk.

And its only happened once for rethugs, good ole Georgie boy on the coattails of Reagan.

Is this true?

Does it matter?

[djean111]

1. Doesn't matter.

If the next president is not a Dem it will be blamed on liberals and Progressives. That's just how it is.

[RiverLover]

2. Fabulous. Just great. That rings too true, djean.

[hollysmom]

36. Bazinga!

[Cleita]

3. Good, if everyone shows up to vote. If they don't, then congratulations

to President Bush, the younger brother.

[VanillaRhapsody]

4. when we vote we win

[RKP5637]

26. +++ 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 +++ n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Before Obama, we were told repeatedly how rare it is for Senators to become President.

Never mind African American ones.

[RiverLover]

7. Very true, good point. That's encouraging! nt

[OilemFirchen]

6. You were misinformed.

Three words:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

[RiverLover]

9. My guy followed a Democrat?

[OilemFirchen]

10. Huh?

[RiverLover]

18. I'm an FDR dem. FDR followed a republican pres, Hoover. He died and his VP became pres, Truman.

That much I do know.

[OilemFirchen]

23. FDR was elected following a two-term Democrat.

That it happened to be himself is irrelevant. Perhaps the question should have been "has a different Democrat been elected directly following a two-term Democrat?"

[RiverLover]

24. LOL ya got me.

Should have been clearer. ha

[kwassa]

20. and two words: Harry Truman, elected after 3-term FDR. Long Democratic presidency.

Democratic presidents from 1933 - 1953.

[RiverLover]

22. He wasn't elected his first term. He was VP when FDR died. nt

[kwassa]

28. So what? Continuous Democratic presidents for 20 years.

Stay on the topic.

[Thinkingabout]

29. He was completing FDR term, he could have been elected two times, as in LBJ

Completing JFK term, LBJ ran and was elected one term and decided not to run the second term.

[OilemFirchen]

30. Actually, kwassa made a great point.

I'm embarrassed to have overlooked that Truman actually followed a four-term Democrat. So that's, technically, three occurrences.

[Motown_Johnny]

8. Gore won, FDR won a third term (which counts too)

Anyone saying that is seriously slanting the story.


The important thing to watch is the shift in demographics. Odds are that a (D) will win in 2016. It is up to us to get the best (D) the nomination. That will really be the hard part.

[RiverLover]

13. I just read on Huffpo that Ds in the senate got millions more votes than Rs 2014

overall.

We do have a solid base. I just can't bear the thought of Kasich being President. I know everyone here thinks it will be Bush or Romney, mainly due to name recognition at the moment, but I feel in my gut its going to end up being Kasich. And it makes my gut HURT.

He is the epitome of a Bad Bad Wolf in sheeps clothing. He'll have mass appeal.

Yes, the important thing is to get the right candidate. That's what it will take...

[Boreal]

42. Kasich?!

No way. I haven't heard his name even mentioned. ooooo, I HATE that asshole.

While I have nothing with which to bet, I would bet that Jeb Bush has been promised the job (selected).

[Art_from_Ark]

11. Buchanan followed Franklin Pierce, who was a one-termer

Polk was also a one-termer, but he was succeeded by Zachary Taylor, who died in office and was succeeded by Millard Fillmore (who was then succeeded by Pierce).

However, Harry Truman followed FDR, who had been elected 4 times.
Al Gore was the actual winner of the election of 2000, but was cheated out of his victory.

[RiverLover]

16. Thanks Art. I wish I'd known all that at dinner!

Makes me wish I'd paid more attention in history classes.

[Art_from_Ark]

32. I've been interested in Presidential trivia since my mom gave me a sticker book of Presidents

That book ended with Lyndon Johnson

[CK_John]

12. About 10%.

[rainy]

14. Technically is has been all dems since Clinton

[RiverLover]

25. ??? I don't even want to know what ur saying here... nt

[WhiteAndNerdy]

37. I think

I think rainy meant that Dems actually won the 2000 and 2004 elections.

[rainy]

39. That's right!

[Recursion]

15. Truman

Though I suppose you could say that FDR wasn't strictly a "two-term" Democrat but a four-term one.

[RiverLover]

21. Truman wasn't elected after FDR. He was VP when FDR died. nt

[kwassa]

27. What? He will be surprised he didn't beat Thomas Dewey in the election of 1948.

[RiverLover]

31. He first became president in 1945, following President FDR's death.

He wasn't elected first time around, he became President only because he was VP when the president died. That was the point at dinner. A (different) Democrat being elected following a multiterm Democrat is rare. But maybe it doesn't even matter.

The past is the past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman

[kwassa]

34. What is your point? He was elected. 1948. No Republican intervening.

[Ken Burch]

41. He still won the next election after FDR's last re-election.

And was expected to lose by pretty much everybody going into Election Day, 1948

There were Dems(including FDR's sons) who had tried to draft Eisenhower to replace him as nominee(at a time when nobody KNEW what Ike's politics actually were-and at a time when he may not have had ANY actual political views at all-Eisenhower had never expected to be anything but a career military man, and believed that career officers should never publicly express any political or even religious viewpoints. In fact, it's likely that the 1952 election was the first one in which Ike actually VOTED.

[Recursion]

44. He was the next President elected after FDR (nt)

[JI7]

17. demographics favor democrats more than they use to compared to recent decades

when it comes to presidential elections. but someone like jeb or christie depending on how they are as a candidate and if they distance themselves away from the crazies in their party enough and come off as being better than the rest of the party , they can have a chance.

[Bucky]

19. Since the Roosevelt-Truman years it's been "8 and rotate" with only one exception

The "8 years and switch parties" has continued for a long time now--only the 1980 election broke that pattern.

I think the Democrats are a little over confident. I think Jeb Bush or Chris Christie could win nationally, but not by much.

[Bagsgroove]

33. It happened in 2000 as well

A Democrat was elected president in 2000 following a 2-term Democrat. Poor Al Gore. How quickly we forget.

[hollysmom]

35. I think the chances vary if Mitt Romney is running in opposition

I can see Anne now -
Yes, it is really really his turn now!!!
I needed that dancing Zoo to help my MS


So many ideas, my head hurts now

[ChosenUnWisely]

38. With the stupidity of the American voter anything can happen

Any nation that elects not once but twice, 2 of the most destructive people ever to be POTUS, Rancid Ronnie and Bush the Lessor, and an electrocute that keeps voting for those that now openly campaign and operate on policies that will directly harm the very people that vote for them, is a nation where the majority is not very bright.

In the end we will get the Government we deserve.

[Ken Burch]

40. 1836: Martin Van Buren succeeded Andrew Jackson

1948: Truman succeeded FDR.

[JonLP24]

43. The demographics are in our favor

Odds are very good for us. The question is how much will the GOP's War on Voting impact things?