# Constitutionally limited Prez winning 3rd term? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 4, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964 "2013-03-04T02:51:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/21 "2013-03-04T22:09:50Z")
Hell, Bill Clinton would have a pretty good showing if he ran again _now_. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/22 "2013-03-05T00:59:43Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The list in the OP left out Nixon. However, I don’t think he could have staged a come-back and wouldn’t have won a third term. 🙂 Well, since this is an AH thread, if the Watergate break-in had never been detected – and, the 22nd amendment did not at that time exist – could Nixon have won a third term in 1976? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/23 "2013-03-05T01:12:41Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Well, since this is an AH thread, if the Watergate break-in had never been detected – and, the 22nd amendment did not at that time exist – could Nixon have won a third term in 1976? The economy did in Ford. There’s no reason to think Nixon would get a pass on inflation and the energy crisis any more than Ford did. ---
**Author:** ![conservativerod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@conservativerod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conservativerod)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/24 "2013-03-05T01:14:35Z")
Clinton is a snake & thank God the Marxist in the White House can’t be elected again. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/25 "2013-03-05T01:29:57Z")
…because if the Republicans had a third shot at him, they’d lose again. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/26 "2013-03-05T01:37:55Z")
Rod, your homework assignment is to look up Marxist and see if you can figure out why you’re wrong. ---
**Author:** ![conservativerod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@conservativerod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conservativerod)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/27 "2013-03-05T02:13:31Z")
Put down the kool-aid, blindly devoted kooks, & back away from the shrines. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/28 "2013-03-05T02:15:08Z")
If you say things like that, people will make jokes. That being said, welcome to the board - but don’t insult other posters. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/29 "2013-03-05T02:19:46Z")
I’m trying to picture what a Clinton shrine would look like. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/30 "2013-03-05T02:25:13Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I’m trying to picture what a Clinton shrine would look like. I’m guessing both alcohol and penis would ensue. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/31 "2013-03-05T03:10:47Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The economy did in Ford. There’s no reason to think Nixon would get a pass on inflation and the energy crisis any more than Ford did. Ford lost because people were still mad about Nixon and Ford was the “accidental president” who was never elected by anyone. Yes, the economy was an issue, but people here keep trying to come up with rational reasons for the way people voted instead of emotional ones. Issues are the excuses for people to vote the way they do far more often than they are the drivers.\* \*You see the “far more often”? That means “in a majority of cases for a majority of people” not “always.” I’m really tired of comments that take “often” to mean “always”. It’s practically a disease on this board. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/32 "2013-03-05T04:15:03Z")
Also-Ford’s pardon of Nixon was a factor. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/33 "2013-03-05T14:43:20Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > He was elected twice. If Obama resigns today, he cannot stand again in 2016. Can he?😕 No, I just meant there was no plausible way he could have won a third term given the whole Watergate thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kepler1571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/34 "2013-03-05T18:36:55Z")
Clinton and Reagan would have had a shot. And naturally Dubya would keep winning as long as Diebold stayed in business. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kepler1571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/35 "2013-03-05T18:37:59Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I’m trying to picture what a Clinton shrine would look like. Ever been to Graceland? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/36 "2013-03-07T17:51:04Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > That was mainly predicated on The Comedian assassinating Woodward & Bernstein (and, presumably, Deep Throat) in a Washington, D.C. parking garage. If Watergate had never come to light? Hard to say, really. Nixon, even at his best, was a polarizing figure, and it’s come to light that his re-election was due at least in part to some dirty tricks. How many times could he pull that off? Nixon’s people did some _dirty tricks_, but it does not follow that his re-election was due to _dirty tricks_. Given how lopsided the 1972 election turned out to be, it’s almost certain that Nixon would have won in any case. It reminds me of all those episodes of _Wacky Races_ where Dick Dastardly is way out in the lead and wastes so much time setting traps for his rivals that they’re able to catch up to him. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/37 "2013-03-07T18:13:42Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Nixon’s people did some _dirty tricks_, but it does not follow that his re-election was due to _dirty tricks_. Given how lopsided the 1972 election turned out to be, it’s almost certain that Nixon would have won in any case. That may have been true, but some of the dirty tricks were designed to make sure the Democrats nominated McGovern because Nixon felt he would be the easiest candidate to beat. It worked and McGovern added to that by experiencing a campaign meltdown over his VP choice. So it’s hard to talk about the election without looking at the effects of Nixon’s skullduggery. ---
**Author:** ![Jamie\_Gillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@Jamie\_Gillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamie_Gillis)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/38 "2013-05-24T08:32:53Z")
Clinton would have destroyed GWB in 2000. It would have been laughable. GWB loses in '04 had the dems not nominated a Massachusetts liberal. Reagan v Dukakis is interesting. I think Reagan would have won because his health issues were not widely known yet, and Dukakis was one of the weakest candidates possible, as weak as Mondale. Ford lost a very close election. The Nixon pardon and the debate flub on Eastern Europe is what did him in. Had Johnson ran and won in 1968, I believe the stress of the job would have killed him in short order. (Johnson died just a few days after Nixon began his second term.) Johnson was overweight, had high blood pressure, suffered from stress, smoked like a chimney, and was an alleged heavy drinker. He simply did not lead a healthy life. Hijack: If the military operation in 1980 to rescue to hostages had been successful, Carter wins a second term and Reagan becomes a footnote in history. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/39 "2013-05-25T03:29:54Z")
I think you have to take into account the voters who absolutely would not support a third term. When FDR ran for a 3rd term, it was a big issue in the campaign and probably cost him votes. Not that he needed them. He got 3 percentage points less and still whipped Wilkie soundly. But I’m not sure Clinton or Reagan or Ike would have been able to afford such a loss of votes given their relative positions at the ends of their 2nd terms. But if I had to go with my gut, I say they all win 3rd terms. For all the good it does them. Presidents usually accomplish their goals in their 1st term or never. The only time a 2nd term does them good is if they are skilled administrators who get better and better with experience. I think Ike and Clinton filled that bill, but not any of the other two term Presidents post-war. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964/40 "2013-05-31T20:53:12Z")
Nah, Reagan would have easily won. He was still pretty popular, the economy was okay, and his opponent would have been Dukakis. George W. Bush was elected basically because he was Reagan’s VP and seen as Reagan, the Sequel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/constitutionally-limited-prez-winning-3rd-term/651964.md?page=3)