He could never win, even if the fund-crisis destroys Nixon once and for all. The Dems had been in power for two decades, Truman's popularity was lower than Nixon's on 09/08/74, and he was more an intellectual than a politician, as a one-term governor. No one could beat Ike in '52, that was part of the reason Truman declined the final opportunity for a Round Three. Ditto for '56, or '60. Just not presidential material. Here's something from Schlesinger's RFK bio (who entered the federal scene in '56): "... spent three hours discussing the yield of atomic weapons to be banned... Should it be Symington or Anderson... couldn't make a decision." "On election day, he quietly marked his ballot for Eisenhower..."