The first half (rounded up) of Round 2 matches:
3 Bill Clinton 21 James Madison (Victor will be assigned number 1)
Appearance is important in elections, and the 5 feet 4 inches Madison pales in comparison to 6 feet 2 inches Clinton. Madison is, however, well versed in political theory. Bill Clinton seems to have been in the right election at the right time, but he did manage to earn the title of "The Comeback Kid."
I say Clinton comes out with the W.
22 Jimmy Carter 9 Richard Nixon (Victor will be assigned number 2)
When Carter won the presidency, there were two main factors. He campaigned hard and strategically well, and he was an outsider of Washington so he wasn't connected to Watergate. Speaking of Watergate, Richard Nixon was pretty well liked through his vice presidency, and expanded the job to be more active. He proved to be a bit weak in campaigning in 1960, but better in 1968.
Being an outsider from Washington probably wouldn't be as much of an asset for Carter now, thus Nixon wins.
*14 Gerald Ford 1 Thomas Jefferson (Victor will be assigned number 3)
Ford is not a man known for presidential campaigning. This is because he was appointed VP then ascended to the presidency. However, he could be a decent candidate.
Thomas Jefferson is a bit of a quiet candidate, on the other end of things. His shyness can only be put on a balance against his understanding of the inner workings of the Constitution. However, his unwant for fervency in campaigning does become most clear when he and Aaron Burr were tied in 1800. The man who caused the tie to break was Alexander Hamilton, not Jefferson.
So after correction, Ford wins.
12 Dwight Eisenhower 13 Rutherford Hayes (Victor will be assigned number 4)
Superstar war hero Eisenhower vs. Offend No One Hayes. Not being offensive isn't enough. Eisenhower's positive image as a victorious general overtakes the bland idea of being just liked. Eisenhower wins comfortably.
20 James Polk 19 Harry Truman (Victor will be assigned number 5)
Two active campaigners without any major blemishes on their record. Give 'em Hell Harry was just a bit more into his campaigning and could give a piece of that hell to Polk.
16 Andrew Johnson 17 John Kennedy (Victor will be assigned number 6)
Unfortunately, Andrew Johson is going to be blown out of the water. John Kennedy is too charismatic and honestly we don't have much evidence that Andrew Johnson could run a very good campaign. Kennedy wins in a landslide.
Tune in tomorrow for the second batch of matches.
*Thank you, non-president Harrison.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Say what you will about Jerry Ford, but Jefferson was terribly shy and horribly uncomfortable speaking publicly. That's why at the Continental Congress, while the delegates debated the text of Declaration of Independence, Jefferson listened silently, amusing himself by taking temperature readings with the new thermometer he had just bought in town. Fortunately, in TJ's day, candidates "stood" for election while others campaigned. (It was considered unseemly to campaign on your own behalf.) At his inauguration, he spoke so quietly that almost no one heard what he said.
ReplyDeleteIf Ford just managed not to hurt anyone while campaigning, he would have beaten Jefferson easily.