[Paine in the Neck]

One strains, studying the entire history of presidential elections, to think of a president who was re-elected under such economic conditions as prevail in the U.S. today

FDR, three times. Obama's singing from the same hymn book.

[Verginius Rufus]

Yes, FDR got re-elected with higher unemployment. But in 1936 the unemployment rate wasn't as high as it had been in 1932, and FDR made people think he cared about their interests. Obama caters only to the key groups in his base and makes no effort to win over the rest of the population.

On the other hand, we've never had a President before who was the product of the Chicago political machine--his campaign may make Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972 look like a Sunday school picnic.

From now to the election, Obama will need to spend maybe 10% of his time on his official duties and 20% playing golf, and will have 70% left to fundraise and make campaign speeches.

[alloysteel]

FDR got a TREMENDOUS assist from Republican candidates who were less than, well, enthusiastic. Alf Landon, Wendell Willkie and Thomas Dewey were all “progressive” Republicans, running on a “me-too” program, promising only to make the New Deal “work better”. Not a word about repeal of any part of the web of government programs that made Fascist Italy and Socialist England of the time look like a weekly book discussion group. (The Nationalist Socialists Working-Men’s Party of Germany tended to back up their agenda with considerable muscle and concentration camps.)

We have this so far from Mitt Romney - a vow to suspend further actions under the provisions of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” on his first day in office. This is a very positive offer so far as I am concerned.

[WOSG]

The economy grew quite a bit in FDR’s first term (albeit from a disaster fall during Hoover).

Obama lucked into becoming president at the low point of the economic cycle, making it easy for him to look good ...

BUT THE ECONOMY HASNT GROWN.

THE ECONOMY TODAY IS SMALLER THAN IT WAS IN Q4 2007!!!