# If not for the 22nd Obama would be re-elected **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 23, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462 "2016-05-23T16:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/21 "2016-07-04T04:26:41Z")
> [@](#): > > U.S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, among others, both acknowledged the tradition Although Roosevelt ran again as a Bull Moose. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/22 "2016-07-04T06:04:08Z")
Of course if you really want to play alternative history, if not for the 22nd, it’s likely that everything would be different and Obama would never have been elected in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/23 "2016-07-04T12:37:51Z")
Start with Eisenhower winning a third term in 1960 (which is probable) and anything that follows over the subsequent half-century is pure, pointless fancy. Some of those alternate timelines might well include Obama being elected, but so what? ---
**Author:** ![Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearl_Clutching_Provocateur)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/24 "2016-07-04T13:14:03Z")
Then why isn’t Hillary running as Obama’s third term? Why didn’t Biden run? Why is it every time I hear Hillary or Bernie they talk as if the country is in ruins and they need to fix it? Obama has been ruling with an iron fist for seven years bringing in Ebola, Zika and TB to the country. “Black folk, in the era of Obama, have lost ground in every major economic category.” > **[Tavis Smiley: Black Americans Have 'Lost Ground' Under Obama](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tavis-smiley-obama-black-wealth_n_569820dbe4b0ce496423f053)** > > "Black folk, in the era of Obama, have lost ground in every major economic category." As someone who identifies culturally as African American, I find this extremely distressing yet is ignored on the SDMB. Obama’s ratings have been rising because everyone has forgotten about him and are focused on the highly charismatic and much more interesting Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/25 "2016-07-04T13:22:44Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Then why isn’t Hillary running as Obama’s third term? Why didn’t Biden run? Why is it every time I hear Hillary or Bernie they talk as if the country is in ruins and they need to fix it? Obama has been ruling with an iron fist for seven years bringing in Ebola, Zika and TB to the country. > > “Black folk, in the era of Obama, have lost ground in every major economic category.” > > [Tavis Smiley: Black Americans Have 'Lost Ground' Under Obama | HuffPost HuffPost Live](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tavis-smiley-obama-black-wealth_us_569820dbe4b0ce496423f053) > > As someone who identifies culturally as African American, I find this extremely distressing yet is ignored on the SDMB. > > Obama’s ratings have been rising because everyone has forgotten about him and are focused on the highly charismatic and much more interesting Trump. So more people approve of Obama’s job as president because…Trump? Too bad mental gymnastics aren’t an Olympic event. You’d be a medalist for sure. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/26 "2016-07-04T13:25:40Z")
“…Obama has been ruling with an iron fist for seven years bringing in Ebola, Zika and TB to the country. …” Pearl Clutching Provocateur, indeed, pleased to meet you! (The board quote function is not cooperating with me right now.) ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/27 "2016-07-04T13:46:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > With the whole Lewinsky thing weighing him down, I doubt Bill would’ve won in 2000. Oh c’mon. Lewinsky was a non-scandal. Nobody besides die-hard Republicans gave half a toss about it. Well, and the media, because there was so much innuendo and tawdry they could talk about, and that sells :). But it was basically Benghazi with dicks in it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/28 "2016-07-04T13:48:19Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > Then why isn’t Hillary running as Obama’s third term? She is. If you think she isn’t, you haven’t listened to any of her stump speeches recently. She wasn’t running that way in the primaries because she had Bernie to deal with. But she’s been running in the general for weeks now, and she can’t stop talking about Obama. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/29 "2016-07-04T13:55:45Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Start with Eisenhower winning a third term in 1960 (which is probable) and anything that follows over the subsequent half-century is pure, pointless fancy. Some of those alternate timelines might well include Obama being elected, but so what? And he very well might have died in office with Nixon becoming president. The 1964 election blowout by Johnson wouldn’t have happened and Nixon might have been re-elected. But by 1968, no doubt, the country would have been sick and tired of Nixon and a Democrat would have won. Perhaps JFK, but maybe LBJ or even HHH. \*\* Of course, President Obama would also win re-election if the election was held in Canada. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHRkLmTkj6k) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/30 "2016-07-04T17:04:34Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Oh c’mon. Lewinsky was a non-scandal. Nobody besides die-hard Republicans gave half a toss about it. Well, and the media, because there was so much innuendo and tawdry they could talk about, and that sells :). But it was basically Benghazi with dicks in it. Until Bubba lied about it, and every Democrat under the sun lined up to lie for him. Up to that point it was just one of those /facepalm moments about the dignity of the office. It was the epitome of what’s wrong with politics. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462/31 "2016-07-04T17:05:37Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > …and much more interesting Trump. Interesting only in the sense of the Chinese curse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-not-for-the-22nd-obama-would-be-re-elected/755462.md?page=1)