post-wwii presidential politics
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Post-WWII Presidential Politics. A quick note. Presidential election years are ALWAYS evenly divisible by 4 Presidents assume office the following January 2008 – Obama elected 2009 – Obama’s presidency began. Harry S Truman (D) 1945-1953 Missouri. Ascended after FDR died in Warm Springs - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Post-WWII Presidential
Politics
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A quick note• Presidential election years are
ALWAYS evenly divisible by 4• Presidents assume office the
following January
• 2008 – Obama elected• 2009 – Obama’s presidency began
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Harry S Truman (D) 1945-1953 Missouri
• Ascended after FDR died in Warm Springs
• Was POTUS last months of WWII
• Badly unprepared– FDR was secretive
• Start of Cold War• Korean War (50-53)
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Harry S Truman (D) 1945-1953 Missouri
• VERY UNPOPULAR while president– Approval rating 36%
in spring of 1948
• Won a miracle come from behind election over Thomas Dewey (GOP Gov of NY)
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Dwight D. Eisenhower(R) 1953-1961 Kansas
• Served as Supreme Allied Commander in WWII
• Universally beloved in post-war era
• Had no known political affiliation
• Both parties wanted him, GOP won
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Dwight D. Eisenhower(R) 1953-1961 Kansas
• Easily won elections in 1952 and 1956
• Democrats put up token opposition
• Adlai Stevenson (Dem Gov of IL) lost both elections
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Dwight D. Eisenhower(R) 1953-1961 Kansas
• First elections that used TV
• Neither candidate knew how to do it
• Very unsophisticated use of media
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John F. Kennedy(D) 1961-1963 Massachusetts
• Elected in very close 1960 race
• Defeated Richard Nixon, who was Eisenhower’s VP
• First campaign that understood impact of television
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John F. Kennedy(D) 1961-1963 Massachusetts
• Berlin Wall (1961)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
• Assassinated in Dallas in Nov 1963
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Lyndon B. Johnson(D) 1963-1969 Texas
• Ascended after JFK was shot in Dallas
• Civil Rights Era• Vietnam War• Moon Landing
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Lyndon B. Johnson(D) 1963-1969 Texas
• Won 1964 election easily over Sen. Barry Goldwater (R, AZ)– Goldwater threatened
nuclear war in Vietnam
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Lyndon B. Johnson(D) 1963-1969 Texas
• But 1st time most of the south voted GOP
• Final southern shift would take abt 20 yrs
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Richard M. Nixon(R) 1969-1974 California
• Had been Ike’s VP in 1950s
• Before being VP had strong reputation as anti-communist
• Lost to Kennedy in ’60
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Richard M. Nixon(R) 1969-1974 California
• Won two comfortable elections
• 1968 defeated Hubert Humphrey– LBJ’s VP (D, MN)
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Richard M. Nixon(R) 1969-1974 California
• 1972 soundly defeated Senator George McGovern (Dem, SD)
• Won 49 of 50 states, only lost MA and DC
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Richard M. Nixon(R) 1969-1974 California
• In 1972, campaign workers broke into McGovern’s campaign HQ in Watergate Hotel
• White House covered up the break-in
• After conspiracy revealed, resigned in disgrace
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Gerald R. Ford(R) 1974-1977 Michigan
• Was All-American center for Michigan Wolverines
• Drafted by Packers, decided to go to Yale Law School instead
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Gerald R. Ford(R) 1974-1977 Michigan
• Served in US House from Michigan
• Became replacement VP when Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973– Scandal totally
unrelated to Watergate
• Only POTUS never actually elected to any national office
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Gerald R. Ford(R) 1974-1977 Michigan
• Pardoned Nixon after ascending
• American public never forgave him
• Lost close 1976 race to relatively unknown southern governor
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James E. Carter, Jr.(D) 1977-1981 Georgia
• Pretended to be a simple peanut farmer
• Nuclear physicist from Naval Academy
• Depressing time period:– Iran Hostage Crisis– Bad economy– Disco
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Ronald W. Reagan(R) 1981-1989 California
• Won 1980 race over Carter easily
• Oversaw period of general prosperity
• Strong on defense, hardline against USSR
• Big tax cuts, big spending increases
• Beginning of massive budget deficits
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Ronald W. Reagan(R) 1981-1989 California
• 1984 – defeated Walter Mondale (Carter’s VP), Dem from MN
• Mondale argued against deficit– He promised to cut
spending & raise taxes to balance budget
• Bad idea when you’re running for office
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Ronald W. Reagan(R) 1981-1989 California
• Largest # of electoral votes ever (525-13)
• Won 49 of 50 states, only lost MN & DC
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George H. W. Bush(R) 1989-1993 Texas
• Had been Reagan’s VP• Easily won 1988 race
vs. Michael Dukakis (Dem Gov of MA)
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George H. W. Bush(R) 1989-1993 Texas
• End of Cold War• 1st Gulf War• Bad recession in 1992
• Lost close 1992 race to relatively unknown southern governor
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William J. Clinton(D) 1993-2001 Arkansas
• Oversaw period of general prosperity
• Republican Revolution– GOP took control of
Congress (1994)– 1st time since 1954 GOP
controlled the House
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William J. Clinton(D) 1993-2001 Arkansas
• Reelected in 1996 over Sen Bob Dole (R, KS)
• Ethics problems dogged presidency
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William J. Clinton(D) 1993-2001 Arkansas
• Accused of perjury & obstruction of justice
• Impeached by HR 1998
• Acquitted by Sen 1999
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2000 Election• Bush – GOP Gov of TX• Gore – Clinton VP• One of closest
elections in US history• Gore won popular vote• Bush won Florida by
537 votes• Bush won Electoral
vote 271-266
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George W. Bush(R) 2001-2009 Texas
• 9/11 attacks• Iraq & Afghanistan• Katrina
• Reelected in 2004 over Sen John Kerry (D, MA)
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2008 Election• Senator Obama (D, IL)• Senator McCain (R, AZ)• Obama—1st African
American president• 1st election since 1952
without sitting POTUS or VP running
• 1st POTUS election between 2 senators
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Barack H. Obama(D) 2009– Illinois
• TBA