Presidential Re-election Quotes
The George W. Bush re-election campaign tactics were so polarizing that the two parties would not work together thereafter and little was accomplished at a time when the Bush administration had led the country into terrible problems. Ironically, what seemed like a brilliant re-election for a Republican Administration in retrospect caused an atmosphere where the voters ousted the Republican control margin in 2006, and by the election of 2008, Bush had the lowest approval rating of any President in history, and many historians felt he had become the worst President in American History.
In the original constitution there was no limit to the number of 4 year terms the President could serve. By the 1840’s there was much concern that a President could even serve 2 terms and there was a movement to limit the presidency to one term of which Harrison was a leading proponent. His death and short time in office, ended that initiative. . There was an “unwritten” rule that presidents would only serve at most two terms until TR tried for a 3rd but failed only because of a rigged Republican convention. After FDR was elected to 4 consecutive terms, the Republicans pushed through the 22nd Amendment limiting the President to two terms. The irony was that the first president that was affected by the new standard was Republican Eisenhower who probably could have won a 3rd term. Then Ronald Reagan could probably have won a third term even though he was already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in his second term. Democrat William Clinton could also have likely won a third term were it not for the 22nd Amendment.
