Who could beat FDR's record?
- Thread starter ArKhan
- Start date
Butterfly his health, start a little earlier in 1948, and you could get 3 or 4 terms of Eisenhower. If WWIII starts, or is derailed from a small conflict like the first World War was, that increases his chances, but like FDR human morality will catch up to him and drag him down to the grave before his time in office is over. Other than that butterflies would make it unlikely and infeasible considering the last few Presidents that have gone to 2 terms.
Here's an off the wall one, Lyndon Johnson. Butterfly away the Vietnam War, either give the US some lucky breaks like in Icarus Falls or have it ended before he enters office, you could have Johnson and his uber-popular Great Society win 1968 and possibly 1972 if things are running well enough (space exploration, healing racial wounds, etc.), and he avoids the hedonistic spiral he went into post 1968, he could live long enough to serve 4 terms (3 full ones and the remainder of Kennedy's).
Here's an off the wall one, Lyndon Johnson. Butterfly away the Vietnam War, either give the US some lucky breaks like in Icarus Falls or have it ended before he enters office, you could have Johnson and his uber-popular Great Society win 1968 and possibly 1972 if things are running well enough (space exploration, healing racial wounds, etc.), and he avoids the hedonistic spiral he went into post 1968, he could live long enough to serve 4 terms (3 full ones and the remainder of Kennedy's).
LBJ wins the Senate race in 1941, become FDR's VP in 1945, and serves until death.
I doubt it would go that smoothly, but the start of Truman's presidency to the end of LBJ's life is really the height of the New Deal Consensus. Given the extraordinary economic growth, I can see LBJ rather easily lasting up to 1965 at least. Of course, he has to avoid those pesky foreign entanglements... I'm not a gambling man, particularly, but I don't think LBJ is as likely as Truman to create the nuclear taboo.
I doubt it would go that smoothly, but the start of Truman's presidency to the end of LBJ's life is really the height of the New Deal Consensus. Given the extraordinary economic growth, I can see LBJ rather easily lasting up to 1965 at least. Of course, he has to avoid those pesky foreign entanglements... I'm not a gambling man, particularly, but I don't think LBJ is as likely as Truman to create the nuclear taboo.
I've actually always wanted to do a TL where Johnson fills in for Truman. I think it would be possible for him to win three terms before party fatigue finally catches up to him; especially if he is seem as 'winning' the Korean War (as you said, this might involve the use of Nukes which would have some very negative impacts on world history).
I think he would have sat out a race to recoup his health and then ran again afterwards maybe in 04? I think he actually said in an interview he believed that there should be a provision that you could run again at some point just not consecutively after your first 2 terms.
I think there would be a LOT of interesting potential there.
I would say George Washington, but he was dead long before the 22nd Amendment. Even so, health permitting, he could have won five terms.
He's done by 2004. First, I think there was some Clinton fatigue following the Lewinsky scandal. Second, the tech bubble was going to burst ending the clinton prosperity. But most of all, either he invades Afghanistan in 2000 to get Bin Laden or 9/11 happens. Either one is difficult. No 9/11 and Afghanistan has to go perfectly before public supports drops to zero. If there is 9/11, he gets all the blame. And given how much conservatives HATED him, he would get all the blame.
The best bet for avoiding presidential term-limits long-term is to have a Republican win multiple terms after FDR. Like Ike.
The only two I could see would be Ike and Clinton. Ike is doubtful due to health issues but Clinton for sure. Even though there was Clinton fatigue I think Bubba could have pulled another term from 2001-2005.
Opinions from...
last week,
WI: No 22nd Amendment?
last month,
WI: No 22nd Amendment
earlier this year,
AHC: Overturning the 22nd Amendment
and, in December 2012,
WI no 22 amendment?
BlairWitch749
Banned
No doctor would have let him near a campaign in 00 his cholesterol and bp were out of control he looked like shit and was worn out. He had to rest for months on end and go on a fairly radical diet before he could even get his major bypass surgery
There is a good chance that the stress of another campaign and busy travel schedule gives him a heart attack
If Clinto gets a third term, there might not be a 9/11. He repeatedly stated that he saw the bombing the USS Cole as sufficient causus belli for war and wanted to invade Afghanistan, but didn't because he couldn't get basing rights. If he can win a third term, then the elimination of Al Qaeda and the Taliban may become one of his primary foreign policy objectives.
If Richard Nixon got elected in 1960, or came into power after Eisenhower died during his presidency or decided not to run for reelection in 1956, he could potentially get elected for multiple terms, maybe after taking a term or two off.