Round 3

Here's all of round 3 in it's glory (or lack thereof).

4 Dwight Eisenhower 6 John Kennedy (Victor will be assigned number 1)

This is a difficult choice. Dwight Eisenhower is one of the greatest modern war heroes. But JFK is so "young" (for presidents) and when I see him, I just think to myself how easy it'd be to vote for someone that looks like him without knowing the issues.

Eisenhower, in the end, would probably find himself not overtaken on the issues, but overtaken by a combination of the female and youth votes. It would be a close election, no doubt. Strongly Republican states would stay with Eisenhower, but the swing states would strongly favor Kennedy.

JFK wins.


15 Warren Harding 2 Richard Nixon (Victor will be assigned number 2)

"A Return to Normalcy" is a slogan that would work perfectly with today's people. On top of that, Harding is generally considered attractive by historians. I don't see it myself, but I won't go against professionals with college degrees and all that fancy jazz.

Nixon's not known for his appearance or charisma.

Harding wins by a large electoral vote, but small popular vote.


7 Barack Obama 3 Gerald Ford (Victor will be assigned number 3)

Barack Obama wins by virtue of being black and this being a Democrat vs. Republican election, thus winning him most of the swing states and all the solidly Democratic states.


10 James Garfield 16 Chester Arthur (Victor will be assigned number 4)

Personally, I believe these men both would have served the 1881-1885 term well. But this isn't about the presidencies and what could have been. Let's be honest with ourselves. Chester Arthur was the Vice Presidential candidate for two reasons.

He was needed to appease New York and the Stalwarts. He wasn't a standout man politically.

Then again, Garfield was a dark horse candidate. Could that hurt his chances? Well, against some, yes. But he doesn't have a record of corruption like Arthur. He faught in the Civil War, while Arthur was a Quartermaster in New York.

Garfield wins in a landslide.

Goodbye, Chestermagne. You won't be conquering this tournament... :'(


9 George H.W. Bush 13 Thomas Jefferson (Victor will be assigned number 5)

Jefferson is too shy to take on Bush exceedingly well in direct debates. Some people will see this as a "Cool, Laid-back Dude" but honestly, Bush wins, with a larger margin than most elections, but not quite a landslide.


5 Harry Truman 12 Franklin Roosevelt (Victor will be assigned number 6)

What is it with Assassinated President vs. Rising Vice President this round?

Well, both candidates are Democrats, so it's not as simple as deciding who the swing states would favor. But these men are both good Democrats. FDR is a bit more extreme than Truman, though. Between that and Roosevelt's being a cripple, America chooses Harry Truman, but only barely.


11 Lyndon Johnson 1 Bill Clinton (Victor will be assigned number 7)

Another Democrat vs. Democrat election. I'm not dissing Bill Clinton, he's a good candidate, but Lyndon Johnson is just slightly better in terms of experience and appearance. He's also the second tallest president we've had, so if we go by the tall guy wins theory, I'm further affirmed in my thoughts.

Lyndon Johnson wins.

8 Theodore Roosevelt 14 Ronald Reagan (Victor will be assigned number 8)

Golly gee, this round is the best!

Theodore Roosevelt has that ability as an orator to get people excited. His voice may be a little funny, but he's just overcome so many obstacles and done some cool stuff in war.

Ronald Reagan is a popular actor with extreme conservatism. He's good looking and moderately charismatic.

Both men, of course, are remembered quite fondly today. But Theodore Roosevelt would out-campaign Reagan, and Reagan is too conservative for the people of today.

Theodore Roosevelt wins in a landslide. (Sorry, Reagan. I still love you!)




That was fun! Round 4 starting and ending tomorrow!