Franklin Roosevelt

1932, 1976, 1992, 2008

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:35:58 -0400

The 2008 elections in North Carolina can be summed up as an analogy.

With Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain both competitive in the state's presidential race, it could turn out that 2008 is like...

* 1932: When Democrat Franklin Roosevelt won the state, presaging a long period of Democratic dominance of North Carolina's electoral votes.

* 1976: When post-Watergate anger helped Democrat Jimmy Carter buck the trend of the Southern Strategy, though the win turned out to be an exception to Republican rule.

* 1992: When Democrat Bill Clinton fought hard for the state and made it competitive, but the underlying Republican tendency handed the win to George H.W. Bush.

There is a fourth possibility, however. Regardless of who wins, this could be the year that kicks off a long period of competitive elections, with both parties trading the state back and forth.

That would be the most unusual possibility in a state that went — with one exception each — for the Democratic candidate every cycle between 1876 and 1964, and for the Republican every cycle between 1968 and 2004.

Third time's the charm?

estephenson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:50:00 -0500

Some supporters of John Edwards' still hope for a comeback.

Ed Turlington, a Raleigh lawyer who managed Edwards' campaign in 2004, told the Winston-Salem Journal yesterday that Ronald Reagan didn't win the presidency until his third attempt.

Comparisons with former presidents are familiar territory for the Edwards camp. Some Republicans predicted that the former senator's career was over after he and John Kerry lost the 2004 race, arguing that failed veeps rarely win the top job.

Edwards supporters were quick to point out that Franklin Roosevelt lost his 1920 vice presidential attempt but later became the only four-term president.

But the similarities end with the failed vice-presidential races because Roosevelt didn't attempt another national campaign until he won the presidency 12 years later.

Edwards '16 anyone?

Edwards' role models

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:05:59 -0500

IOWA CITY, Iowa—John Edwards has taken to citing three former presidents on the campaign trail as his models.

He likes Republican Teddy Roosevelt, because he dared to take on the corporate trusts. He notes Franklin Roosevelt was vilified by the large corporations. And he praises Harry Truman for his give-em hell style, Rob Christensen reports.