Was 2016 the first time a seemingly unelectable candidate won?
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  Was 2016 the first time a seemingly unelectable candidate won?
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Author Topic: Was 2016 the first time a seemingly unelectable candidate won?  (Read 1014 times)
darklordoftech
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« on: September 20, 2021, 06:09:22 PM »

Or were there other Presidents who seemed unelectable when they first announced their campaign?
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Computer89
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« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2021, 06:14:29 PM »

Bill Clinton was considered unelectable in 1991
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Mr. Smith
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« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2021, 08:14:22 PM »

2008...before Obama turned out to be a sellout.
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Pericles
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« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2021, 01:38:55 AM »

Every presidential election winner practically gets called unelectable. The most obvious one is Obama given the idea that America was too racist to elect a black President.
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Matty
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« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2021, 02:48:38 AM »

bill clinton was booed off the stage at the 1988 dnc and was initially widely viewed as a sacrificial lamb vs bush
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jfern
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« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2021, 02:55:51 AM »

1948 and 1980
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Seef
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« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2021, 10:41:35 AM »


1980 was my first thought. When did Reagan become palatable to the general public, anyway?
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Computer89
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« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2021, 05:01:55 PM »


1980 was my first thought. When did Reagan become palatable to the general public, anyway?


It’s pretty much a myth , Reagan was the odds on favorite to be the GOP nominee all through 1979 and much of the gop establishment backed him .


Even in 1979 Reagan led Carter in the polls : https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/01/archives/carter-is-edged-in-poll-by-reagan-and-ford-kennedy-leads-both-just.html


Really only the rally around the flag effect early on gave Carter that huge lead which by May completely collapsed and Reagan never trailed in the average of polls from then onwards .


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Progressive Pessimist
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« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2021, 05:44:19 PM »

What about Woodrow Wilson?
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E-Dawg 🇺🇦🇦🇲
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« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2021, 11:11:12 PM »


1980 was my first thought. When did Reagan become palatable to the general public, anyway?


It’s pretty much a myth , Reagan was the odds on favorite to be the GOP nominee all through 1979 and much of the gop establishment backed him .


Even in 1979 Reagan led Carter in the polls : https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/01/archives/carter-is-edged-in-poll-by-reagan-and-ford-kennedy-leads-both-just.html


Really only the rally around the flag effect early on gave Carter that huge lead which by May completely collapsed and Reagan never trailed in the average of polls from then onwards .



Reagan won his initial election as governor of California by 15 points and his re-election by 8 points. Considering that he performed far better in these elections than most GOP Presidential nominees during this period did in California, I think it is clear that Reagan was already "palatable to the general public."
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Podgy the Bear
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« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2021, 06:11:21 PM »

bill clinton was booed off the stage at the 1988 dnc and was initially widely viewed as a sacrificial lamb vs bush

Clinton made a comeback after his appearance on the Tonight show shortly after the DNC.  His willingness to laugh at himself won him a lot of fans and established his persona as someone that you would like to hang out with.  He won his gubernatorial race in 1990 without any difficulty. 

Clinton and the other Democratic candidates may have been thought of as sacrificial lambs during much of 1991, but that changed at the beginning of 1992.
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darklordoftech
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« Reply #11 on: September 22, 2021, 06:27:12 PM »

Sacrificial lamb != unelectable. Sacrificial lamb means it’s a bad year for their party, unelectable means they’re such a bad candidate that they wouldn’t have a chance even if their party does have a chance.
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NotSoLucky
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« Reply #12 on: September 23, 2021, 11:46:09 AM »


1980 was my first thought. When did Reagan become palatable to the general public, anyway?
Because of the poor economy, stagflation, rising gas prices, the Iran hostage crisis, a conservative shift in social attitudes after the 60's crime wave, and overall distrust in government after Watergate.

Not defending Reagan or his policies, but I understand his rise to power.
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StateBoiler
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« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2021, 08:40:55 PM »

Andrew Jackson 1828
Abraham Lincoln 1860

That'd be it before Trump.
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