# Multiple presidency's? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758 "2003-02-22T10:40:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/21 "2003-02-23T02:53:32Z")
Hmmm… four electoral victories in a row would tend to suggest to me that the number of those who “bitterly hated” FDR was significantly **not** “just as many” as those who had a positive opinion of him. However, although the _intensity_ of hatred may have been (ok, in the case of some people, still be) high, the _numbers_ behind it, even at the relevant time, may have not been there to make animosity towards the _person_ the determinant factor in creating this amendment – but rather towards what the long presidency stood for. Namely the capacity to remake the government w/o any realistic opposition. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/22 "2003-02-23T03:10:17Z")
Great Debate… starting… must… put on… fire… protective… clothing… ---
**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:** [February 23, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/23 "2003-02-23T03:34:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\*He easily qualifies as one of the most hated Presidents, if not the most hated men, in history. \*\* How can you debate this? I’m stunned speechless. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/24 "2003-02-23T03:51:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exapno Mapcase \* > \*\*How can you debate this? I’m stunned speechless. \*\* You need to read more books at your local library. You also need to read my post again. He was also one of the most loved Presidents/men. Hence the strangeness of it all. I’ve read quite a few books that made this inference. I’ll post them when I look up the names/authors. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/25 "2003-02-23T03:56:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Exapno Mapcase \* > \*\*How can you debate this? I’m stunned speechless. \*\* Join the Republican Party? ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/26 "2003-02-23T04:12:38Z")
No, he’s right, FDR is easily one of the most hated men in history. Check out the FDR exhibit in the “Hall of Villainy” at Madam Tussaud’s in London. In a poll conducted by CNN, FDR scored just above Dracula but slightly below Pol Pot in international popularity. The image of FDR has been incorporated into the Haitian Voudon pantheon as the spirit of treachery and perversion. There was a real controversy a few years back about whether the bronze statue at the FDR memorial should accurately depict the Ben-Hur style razor blades on his wheelchair axles that he used to gouge the shins of his political enemies. I’ll see if I can run down a few of these references. You really do need to read more, **Exapno Mapcase.** ---
**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:** [February 23, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/27 "2003-02-23T05:05:43Z")
Oh, _that_ FDR. Thanks, **Terrifel** , I was thinking of the other one. And let’s not forget Eleanor’s role in history: Eleanor Roosevelt took an axe And gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one. I remember when they executed her on radio. Orson Welles was magnificent that day as host. Truman played the piano; his daughter sung. Then they had the reviewer shot. ---
**Author:** ![Bob55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/28 "2003-02-23T05:14:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CC \* > \*\*Depends on who the president is. At the risk of setting off a debate, I’d sure rather have had Mr. Clinton continue than see what Mr. Bush has done internationally, to say nothing of the economic and social mess that’s developing. \*\* So shall I push this thread over the top into Great Debates? 🙂 (even though what I’ve stated is all factual): We saw what Mr. Clinton did internationally when he allowed Osama to escape from Sudan(?), North Korea to develope nukes, China to obtain missle technology, and Iraq to continue towards WMD unimpeded for 8 years. He also elevated a terrorist (Arafat) to an international diplomat. He attacked Milosevic without United Nations support. And while I don’t necessarily agree with his economic policies of increased taxes and welfare/social programs, we probably won’t see the effects for another 5-10 years if I recall Economics 101 correctly. Socially he was an excellent role model for our children, who now know that oral sex (by Clinton’s definition) is not sex at all, nor is it adulterous. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/29 "2003-02-23T05:28:25Z")
All I said was FDR was both one of the most loved, and most hated Presidents in history. Are some of you so damn ignorant of history that you scoff at that? It took me less than 2 minutes to find cites to be up my claim. How stoned were some of you in grade school history class? Duh! [http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/fdr2.html](http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/fdr2.html) [http://www.aldridgeshs.qld.edu.au/sose/revolutionaries/roosevelt/times.htm](http://www.aldridgeshs.qld.edu.au/sose/revolutionaries/roosevelt/times.htm) [http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/greatdepression/tgd003.htm](http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/greatdepression/tgd003.htm) [http://www.accd.edu/pac/history/hist1302/1302Theme11.htm](http://www.accd.edu/pac/history/hist1302/1302Theme11.htm) [http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/nbk/bios/32proos.html](http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/nbk/bios/32proos.html) [http://www.neylons.com/uploadpresidents/](http://www.neylons.com/uploadpresidents/) [http://allsands.com/History/People/franklinrooseve\_vat\_gn.htm](http://allsands.com/History/People/franklinrooseve_vat_gn.htm) ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/30 "2003-02-23T05:37:50Z")
**pk** , because if 100 people think you are a so-so OK fellow, and 10 people think you are the Antichrist Himself, the statement that “people think **pk** is the Antichrist Himself” may be technically accurate, but the reality is that the statement “ **pk** is widely considered a so-so OK fellow” is what reflects reality. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/31 "2003-02-23T05:47:22Z")
So you’re saying that the cites I’ve presented (even one by TIME) are incorrect, but you are right, even though you (probably) weren’t even around during FDR’s time? Well, screw Time Magazine I guess… What do they know? By the way. Does this mean he also wasn’t one of the most loved Presidents? It’s possible he wasn’t, especially according to your formula. Just because he was elected 4 times doesn’t mean anyone liked him. After all, I voted for Bush and I don’t like him at all. The fact remains, regardless of your silly theories: FDR has been regarded by many sources as both the most loved and most hated Presidents in history. Too bad Cecil is always snubbing us. he’d set you straight on this. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/32 "2003-02-23T06:11:14Z")
Hitler was regarded as good by many sources, too. > [@](#): > > But he was hated too–hated because he called for change, and the changes he proposed reduced the power, status, income and self-esteem of those who profited most from the old order. SCATHING. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/33 "2003-02-23T06:20:16Z")
I think some here think I was mearly bashing FDR. Had I intended to do that I would have omited the part about how he was also the most loved Prez. I was only stating fact. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/34 "2003-02-23T06:29:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\*I think some here think I was mearly bashing FDR. Had I intended to do that I would have omited the part about how he was also the most loved Prez. > I was only stating fact. \*\* Well, it is POLITICS. Of _course_ some people hate him, especially considering the revolutionary changes he made to the US. Some people hate Lincoln, too. I think he (especially his “abolotionist” stane) is vastly overrated, for one. The backlash against FDR is notable because of one, the scale, and two, the sudden appearance of mass media, and of course the “Red Menace” that also resulted. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/35 "2003-02-23T06:43:05Z")
Pkbites, every single “cite” you listed traces back to the same essay by Arthur Schlesinger. You’re not stating any facts, you’re just parroting your Google results, and poorly at that. Schlesinger says that FDR was “the best loved and most hated American president of the 20th century.” The second is a debatable claim, given the presidencies of Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton, but it falls well short of your statement that “He easily qualifies as one of the most hated Presidents, if not the most hated men, in history.” How many hated men have to be on that list before you get to FDR? How many presidents? ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/36 "2003-02-23T06:46:11Z")
Er, “abolotionist” obviously was supposed to be “abolitionist”… don’t deal the dope when you are really tired. Wait, that didn’t sound right. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/37 "2003-02-23T08:57:19Z")
Former Democrat Ronald Reagan voted for FDR in each of his four presidential elections, and even forty years later spoke admiringly of FDR. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/38 "2003-02-23T09:26:42Z")
[Our founding framers of the United States Constitution](http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articleii.html) put off the Executive Branch stuff till Article II. excerpt: > [@](#): > > He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. > [@](#): > > I’m just a bill. > Yes a lonely old bill. > And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/39 "2003-02-23T11:07:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\*The law in question is [22nd Amendment](http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxxii.html) to the Constitution, which forbids the same person from being elected President more than twice. > > It was ratified because before FDR was elected, it was traditional for two-term Presidents not to seek a third term, even though they would be able to. The tradition started with George Washington, who refused to run a third time on the grounds that he did not want to become a _de facto_ monarch. The reasons for passing the 22nd Amendment were similar; people did not want to allow a single President to amass too much power by being in office forever. \*\* **friedo** , isn’t impeaching the right to kick the president out of power and get another one elected? If so, why not do that? ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758/40 "2003-02-23T14:31:00Z")
The factual question here is asked and answered. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-presidencys/156758.md?page=3)