THE DEAD PRESIDENTS - ON THIS DAY

In 2004 Ronald Reagan became a

DEAD PRESIDENT

Today in POTUStory - RR40 Turns 103!

the First Funny

Today in POTUStory - KING FORD TURNS 100

POTUS QUOTUS - "Did He Send the Letter?"

Today in POTUStory

The following video is from President Ronald Reagan's visit to Berlin in 1987 and in his speech he famously said...

That was 26 years ago today.

Pointless Presidential Pfacts #40 - "Mugwumps 2: The Reagan Democrats"

In both 1980 and 1984, Republican President Ronald Reagan won the presidency by reaching out to independents and disappointed Democrats. Those Democrats that chose not to support their party's candidates in '80 (President Jimmy Carter) and '84 (former Vice President Walter Mondale) and instead voted for Reagan became known by political analysts as Reagan Democrats.

This label would stick. The Reagan Democrats were fiscal conservatives, but believers in liberal programs like the New Deal and the Great Society. Analysts would talk of future Republican presidential candidates trying to appeal to Reagan Democrats. Overtime, the Reagan Democrats either became independent or Republican or even returned to the Democratic Party, retaining that label.

Political ad in support of Ronald Reagan from Democratic Party voters.

Obviously, Reagan's first election relied heavily on dissatisfied Democrats but it was his huge reelection landslide in 1984 that electorally had 49 of 50 States supporting him. Former Vice President Mondale won his home State of Minnesota and the District of Columbia. While not the same electorally, the 1984 Reagan Democrats have a hundred year counterpart from the 19th Century.

James G. Blaine. 28th Secretary of State. 1884 GOP Presidential Nominee.

The Mugwumps, were dissatisfied Republicans in 1884. The term mugwumps is an Algonquian word which means "important person, kingpen." The difference with their 100 year counterparts was that this was more about not liking the candidate than voting their "pocket books." The Mugwumps felt James G. Blaine of Maine, Presidents James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur's Secretary of State in 1881, was a corrupt politician and should not be the Republican's nominee for POTUS in the November 1884 Presidential Election. The Mugwumps bolt the party and support the Democratic candidate, New York Governor Grover Cleveland. In a close election, like 1884's, the Mugwumps' votes went on to help Governor Cleveland win the presidency. But in a political era where loyalty to one's political party reigned supreme, corrupt buster Theodore Roosevelt remained loyal to the GOP and their presidential nominee in that election. Instead of publicly opposing his party's nominee, TR endorsed Blaine and ensured his rise to power within the party will not be hindered since he did not bolt. Whereas Reagan Democrats went on after 1984 in future elections to be a label for traditional Democratic voters that end up voting for the GOP ticket, the Mugwumps didn't last much except to refer to someone, in a negative way, as a party bolter.

By 1912, this term wouldn't be used, but ironically, Roosevelt 26 would be a mugwump, as would his progressive brethren when they bolt from the GOP to challenge the business and conservative half which supported President William Howard Taft, Roosevelt 26's hand-picked successor, in the 1912 election as the Progressive Party's, or Bull Moose Party's, presidential nominee.

A political cartoon from 1912.

POTUS QUOTUS - "Acting President"

Perspective President

Ronald Reagan was the first president I remember and associating with what a president should look like. Jimmy Carter was the President of the United States when I was born in 1978, so the 1980s was my childhood and Reagan defined the United States from 1981-1989, from a political-cultural level. Carter will always be a favorite president of mine because of the association but also because he only had the best interests at heart. He would be maligned, from within his own party in 1980 and of course the Republican Party. The GOP successfully lowered Carter's patriotism and increased Reagan's stature. But Reagan had the best interests of the nation at heart as well. He always showed the good of the United States while Carter told us the truth which was bad news. Either way, the idea of perspective shapes one's own view of a political figure and Reagan is a great example of a perspective president...as is Carter.

As for me, I only knew Reagan as a president. As I learned his history, governor of California was next on the list and so I still only saw him as a politician. Reagan was a lifeguard at one point in his life. Those kids that grew up around him as swimmers under his watch, they would always see Reagan as a lifeguard. Probably whenever those former recreational swimmers saw a Reagan film, or as they might call it a picture, they saw him as that lifeguard guy in pictures. So when an actor-Reagan started showing a prospective political future, the movie going audiences as voters questioned "can a movie actor be a politician?" The swimmers were probably thinking "can a lifeguard be a politician?"

I'm sure those that only knew their State governor was Ronald Reagan and not some actor, would think "yeah, he can be president...he's the governor." So says a young Californian from between 1967-1975.

This of course goes without those above people not looking at the individuals political ideology, what they believe and have they put that into practice.

Pointless Presidential Pfacts #17 - "Back-to-Back 50 Percenters (R)"

There have only been four Republican presidents that have been elected back-to-back with 50% or more of the popular vote. Ulysses S. Grant in 1868 an 1872. William McKinley in 1896 and 1900. Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956. Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. The last Republican to win 50% or more of the popular vote was George W. Bush in 2004, which was the first time since his father's run in 1988. In 2000, Bush 43 had less popular votes than Al Gore but more importantly had a majority of electoral votes.

Pointless Presidential Pfacts #3 - "The One, the Only, George Washington"

George Washington. 1st POTUS. 1789-1797. Virginian. No Party Affiliation.

George Washington was unanimously elected by the ELECTORAL COLLEGE twice in 1789 and 1792. Never again has this been repeated, but it has come near unanimous first with James Monroe in 1820 (the closest), Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 (not far behind), and Ronald Reagan in 1984 (ditto and the most recent).

President James Monroe was reelected to a second term in 1820, unopposed in the "Era of Good Feelings." Monroe would receive 98.3% of the Electoral College votes, 3 members would not end up voting and one unfaithful elector cast a vote for Secretary of State John Quincy Adams because he felt he'd be a better president than Monroe.

In President Franklin Roosevelt's first try at reelection he received 60% of the popular vote and 98.5% of the Electoral College vote, losing just Vermont and Maine to Alf Landon in 1936.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan won 59% of the popular vote and 97.6% of the Electoral College, that's everything except his opponent former Vice President Walter F. Mondale's home State of Minnesota and the District of Columbia.