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

• Was POTUS last months of WWII

• Badly unprepared– FDR was secretive

• Start of Cold War• Korean War (50-53)

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)

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

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

Dwight D. Eisenhower(R) 1953-1961 Kansas

• First elections that used TV

• Neither candidate knew how to do it

• Very unsophisticated use of media

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

John F. Kennedy(D) 1961-1963 Massachusetts

• Berlin Wall (1961)

• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

• Assassinated in Dallas in Nov 1963

Lyndon B. Johnson(D) 1963-1969 Texas

• Ascended after JFK was shot in Dallas

• Civil Rights Era• Vietnam War• Moon Landing

Lyndon B. Johnson(D) 1963-1969 Texas

• Won 1964 election easily over Sen. Barry Goldwater (R, AZ)– Goldwater threatened

nuclear war in Vietnam

Lyndon B. Johnson(D) 1963-1969 Texas

• But 1st time most of the south voted GOP

• Final southern shift would take abt 20 yrs

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

Richard M. Nixon(R) 1969-1974 California

• Won two comfortable elections

• 1968 defeated Hubert Humphrey– LBJ’s VP (D, MN)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ronald W. Reagan(R) 1981-1989 California

• Largest # of electoral votes ever (525-13)

• Won 49 of 50 states, only lost MN & DC

George H. W. Bush(R) 1989-1993 Texas

• Had been Reagan’s VP• Easily won 1988 race

vs. Michael Dukakis (Dem Gov of MA)

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

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

William J. Clinton(D) 1993-2001 Arkansas

• Reelected in 1996 over Sen Bob Dole (R, KS)

• Ethics problems dogged presidency

William J. Clinton(D) 1993-2001 Arkansas

• Accused of perjury & obstruction of justice

• Impeached by HR 1998

• Acquitted by Sen 1999

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

George W. Bush(R) 2001-2009 Texas

• 9/11 attacks• Iraq & Afghanistan• Katrina

• Reelected in 2004 over Sen John Kerry (D, MA)

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

Barack H. Obama(D) 2009– Illinois

• TBA