# Is the curse gonna get Bush? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2000, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578 "2000-12-14T18:47:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/1 "2000-12-14T18:47:31Z")
No, not menstruation. From this site: [http://www.civil-liberties.com/factoids/july4\_02.htm](http://www.civil-liberties.com/factoids/july4_02.htm) The “Zero Factor” and Tecumseh’s Curse Some folks believe that the curse of Indian chief Tecumseh has killed every U.S. President before the end of their term in office, if they were elected in a year that ended with 0. The first victim of the curse was William Henry Harrison, whose troops killed the Indian chief in 1813. Harrison, elected in 1840, died of pneumonia after serving 31 days in office. Lincoln, elected in 1860, assassinated. Garfield, elected in 1880, assassinated. McKinley, elected to a second term in 1900, assassinated. Harding, elected in 1920, died of a stroke in 1923. Roosevelt, elected to a third term in 1940, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945. Kennedy, elected in 1960, assassinated. Reagan, elected in 1980, survived an attempted assassination. (Is the curse finally broken? We’ll find out sometime in the next decade!) ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/2 "2000-12-14T18:53:00Z")
Maybe Gore turned out to be the real winner in the election after all 😉 Robin ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/3 "2000-12-14T19:01:38Z")
May all the gods that are and ever were grant that the Curse be gone. Imagine it: President Cheney. :::shudder::: A gun in every house and a woman in every kitchen. I’m hoping Quayle…er, Bush survives ---
**Author:** ![Felinecare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Felinecare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Felinecare)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/4 "2000-12-14T19:23:11Z")
Don’t know about the curse, but my own prediction is that Cheney either drops dead from the strain of running the country (or maybe the strain of dealing with GW) or else resigns for reasons of ill health. You heard it here first. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/5 "2000-12-14T19:35:46Z")
I think Reagan did not break the curse, merely sold his soul or something to avoid it, meaning that we both Prez and VP will die this time around. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/6 "2000-12-14T19:56:19Z")
No need to link to another site, when the great Cecil Adams has described this eerie occurrence. [Was there an Indian curse that presidents elected in “0” years would die in office?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_082.html) ---
**Author:** ![caircair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@caircair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caircair)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/7 "2000-12-14T21:02:25Z")
DID Reagan break the curse? Or, is it possible that this time around it will be EXTREMELY messy, since it’s not only a year ending in 0, but he was elected in the ultimate 20 year - year. Could be they BOTH get taken out at the same time, in which case I think the Speaker of the House (whoever it is) gets to take over. But with our luck, Bush will be healthy and stay in office all four years, God help us all!! ---
**Author:** ![hypergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/49beb7/32.png) [@hypergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hypergirl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/8 "2000-12-14T22:30:02Z")
Well, Cheney will be dead soon anyway. Maybe Bush will get killed. Doesn’t really matter, since his replacement would probably be just as bad. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/9 "2000-12-14T22:50:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xizor \* > \*\*I think Reagan did not break the curse, merely sold his soul or something to avoid it, meaning that we both Prez and VP will die this time around. > \*\* Actually, you could argue that Reagan was already, in many ways, dead at the time he took office. Tecumsah was probably a bit confused. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-curse-gonna-get-bush/45578/10 "2000-12-14T23:00:21Z")
Ya’ll don’t realise how this works, I see. Since a good number of people around the country will start thinking along these lines, it’ll never happen. 😃 Bush will live long, have a Good Presidency, and everything will turn out well. And it’ll happen just to spite everyone who curses him. 😃