from
ShortBus at DailyKos.
This is really important, because they are doing all they can to minimize this Blue Tsunami and take the wind out of the Democrats sails.
Your homework: - Read this
- Memorize a couple of the main facts - especially the section about Wilson and Bush's commonality
- Gently challenge everyone you encounter who attempts to spread this fallacy.
Remember: - False statements repeated often do not equal Facts.
Thank you.
There is a talking point going around that this win "isn't significant because the House always turns on a second term President." Charles Krauthammer was one of the first to start on this with this kool aid-inducing, party pooping article at the Post. The wingnuts have promptly jumped on it as they trying to pysch themselves out of their dashing defeat.
Figuring this was a typical Republican scramble for excuses, I crunched the numbers. I'm sure everyone is surprised that this statement isn't all it's cracked up to be...
Over the past 100 years, 11 Presidents have served more than one term:
Theodore Roosevelt (R) 1901-1909
Woodrow Wilson (D) 1913-1921
Calvin Coolidge (R) 1923-1929
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (D) 1933-1945
Harry S. Truman (D) 1945-1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) 1953-1961
Lyndon B. Johnson (D) 1963-1969
Richard Nixon (R) 1969-1974
Ronald Reagan (R) 1981-1989
Bill Clinton (D) 1993-2001
George W. Bush (R) 2001-2008
Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, FDR, and LBJ all served entirely with both a friendly House and Senate. Nixon had to contend with both houses opposing him his entire presidential career. Excluding W., that leaves us with five multi-term Presidents that had to deal with a mix on the hill:
Wilson: 6 years with both the House and Senate and two years opposing both of them. A Democrat, the Republicans seized control of both houses in his second term.
Truman: Also a Democrat, served during a very contentious time in American politics. Truman started with the Senate also being held by the Democrats, but the House was Republican controlled. In 1947, both houses turned Republican, but then teetered back to Democratic control the next cycle. Then in his last two years, the Republicans won control again of both the Senate and House.
Eisenhower: 2 years with both chambers, 6 years both opposing him. He started with Republican majority in both chambers, but the Democrats took control the next cycle and continued to gain momentum throughout his presidency.
Reagan: Never had a friendly House. Though 6 of his 8 years the Republicans had control of the Senate.
Clinton: Had to deal with opposition in both the House and Senate for all but two of his eight years.
There you have it... Summary? In the past 100 years, only one other multi-term President (Wilson) has had his hat handed to him like George W. Bush just did. Let's not let Republican noise machine drown out this crystal clear reality.
Let's not let them start taking our power away, lie by lie, like they have in the past.
Thanks. :pals: