AH Challange: Have a post WW2 President pull a Grover Cleveland

[dw93]

Well, have a post war President pull a Grover Cleveland a serve two non consecutive terms. It can be a one term President (Ford, Carter, Bush 41) or a two term President (Ike, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush 43, Obama) losing their re election bids OTL and giving it a try four years after their defeat.

My guess is the easiest way to it is have Ford run in 1980 by having Reagan win the primary in '76 and lose the general to Carter, or have Reagan sit the '80 election out for health reasons, or scandal.

 

[serdog]

Another interesting one (but a big big POD) is Kennedy is only badly injured in Dallas, as a result he doesn't run in '64 by '68 with LBJ out and his health better he runs and beats Nixon again

 

[dw93]

Another interesting one (but a big big POD) is Kennedy is only badly injured in Dallas, as a result he doesn't run in '64 by '68 with LBJ out and his health better he runs and beats Nixon again

That would be interesting. While I'm not a huge JFK fan, that would be possible considering Humphrey almost beat Nixon in 1968 OTL.

 

[Maeglin]

The possibilities:

Hoover (who lived until the 1960s) - too unpopular.
Roosevelt - too dead.
Truman - too unpopular.
Eisenhower - two terms, and he can't lose 1956.
Kennedy - too dead (and sick)
Johnson - too unpopular.
Nixon - two terms, and he can't lose 1972.
Ford - Yes. Stop Reagan in 1980.
Carter - Difficult. If 1984 were winnable, the party would have preferred someone else.
Reagan - two terms, and if loses 1984 (difficult), he's too old for 1988.
Bush Senior - Yes. Have Clinton's first term be a disaster (budget fails, etc).
Clinton - two terms, and if he loses 1996, it's through a failed presidency.
Bush Junior - Yes. He loses 2004 narrowly, and makes a comeback in 2008 as Kerry gets blamed for the financial crisis.
Obama - If he loses 2012, he's not making a comeback in 2016.

Your possibilities are thus Ford and (to a lesser extent) the Bushes. No-one else seems viable.

 

[PuffyClouds]

Another interesting one (but a big big POD) is Kennedy is only badly injured in Dallas, as a result he doesn't run in '64 by '68 with LBJ out and his health better he runs and beats Nixon again

IIRC, President Kennedy's health had been deteriorating. He may have to retire from public life after a gunshot wound.

 

[Nofix]

How about Eisenhower dies in the late 1950's, Nixon comes to power, wins 1960 with incumbency and the sympathy vote, narrowly loses 1964 (maybe losing the electoral vote while winning the popular vote), and comes back in 1968?

ex.

1953-1959: Dwight/Eisenhower/Richard Nixon (Republican)
1959-1961: Richard Nixon/none (Republican)
1961-1965: Richard Nixon/Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (Republican)
1965-1969: Robert B. Meyner/Frank Lausche (Democratic)
1969-1973: Richard Nixon/Jim Rhodes (Republican)

 

[dw93]

The possibilities:

Hoover (who lived until the 1960s) - too unpopular.
Roosevelt - too dead.
Truman - too unpopular.
Eisenhower - two terms, and he can't lose 1956.
Kennedy - too dead (and sick)
Johnson - too unpopular.
Nixon - two terms, and he can't lose 1972.
Ford - Yes. Stop Reagan in 1980.
Carter - Difficult. If 1984 were winnable, the party would have preferred someone else.
Reagan - two terms, and if loses 1984 (difficult), he's too old for 1988.
Bush Senior - Yes. Have Clinton's first term be a disaster (budget fails, etc).
Clinton - two terms, and if he loses 1996, it's through a failed presidency.
Bush Junior - Yes. He loses 2004 narrowly, and makes a comeback in 2008 as Kerry gets blamed for the financial crisis.
Obama - If he loses 2012, he's not making a comeback in 2016.

Your possibilities are thus Ford and (to a lesser extent) the Bushes. No-one else seems viable.

I agree with you on Bush 43 and everyone else except Bush 41 and Obama. If Clinton's first term is a disaster, I think they would run someone younger than 41 or Dole. Part of the reason Dole got the nomination that year was because Clinton in '96 was in a similar position to Reagan in '84 in a sense that he to was practically un beatable. The other was the fact that it was "his turn." Plus, Bush 41 seemed eager to retire after the loss.

As for Obama, If he loses a very close election (I don't see Romney winning a landslide or even a margin like Obama's OTL), I don't see Romney handling the events of 2013-Present any better than Obama, he'll at best be the same. If the Democrats keep the senate in the 2012 elections, Romney is gridlocked, if a Romney win produces a GOP takeover of the senate, Romney is a rubber stamp for the Tea bagger agenda and more than likely goes to war in Syria. All of that could very well throw the recovery (a weak and un even one) off, we get a recession again, and Obama comes back to beat Romney in 2016.