The 20-year curse?

[MrPresident]

With one exception, since 1840, U.S. Presidents who have been elected in years ending in zero have been killed or have died of natural causes while in office. And the one exception literally came within an inch of death.

Died Under the "Curse"
1840 ... William Henry Harrison
1860 ... Abraham Lincoln
1880 ... James A. Garfield
1900 ... William McKinley
1920 ... Warren G. Harding
1940 ... Franklin D. Roosevelt
1960 ... John F. Kennedy

William Henry Harrison, who was elected in 1840, died at the age of 68 after delivering his inaugural address unprotected by an overcoat on a cold, drizzly day. Harrison spoke for an hour and 40 minutes, became ill, and died of pneumonia exactly one month later in April 1841.

Abraham Lincoln, first elected in 1860, was assassinated just after embarking on his second term in office in 1865.

James A. Garfield won the 1880 election. He was shot in the back in a Washington railroad station waiting room in July 1881 and died of his wounds in September 1881.

William McKinley was re-elected in 1900. In September 1901, after giving a speech at an exposition in Buffalo, he was shot while shaking hands with wellwishers. McKinley died of his wounds a little more than a week later.

Warren G. Harding, elected in 1920, expired of a stroke or heart attack in 1923. It was long rumored his wife had poisoned him.

Elected to an unprecedented third term in 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt, suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and died just after having started an equally unprecedented fourth term in 1945.

John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960 and assassinated in 1963.

Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 but managed to cheat the Grim Reaper by a matter of an inch, the distance by which a would-be assassin's bullet missed his heart in 1981.

Do you believe the curse? Or is it just a statistical abnormality? The next President to fall under the potential curse is Bush Jr (elected in 2000), I guess we wait and see.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Statistical abnormality.
And Rockin' Ronnie Raygun broke the mold anyway
Dubya has already had his incident, and survived the craven attack by the pretzel, which resulted in the rest of the pack of pretzels being confined in Leavenworth Prison, pending a military tribunal.

 

[Richard III]

Yes, you're quite right.

The curse will take its effect, striking down President Dick Cheney with a fatal heart attack sometime in the next several months, leaving his office, powers and responsibilities to the his number 2 man and the new President, George W. Bush.

 

[dannyevilcat]

Yes, you're quite right.

The curse will take its effect, striking down President Dick Cheney with a fatal heart attack sometime in the next several months, leaving his office, powers and responsibilities to the his number 2 man and the new President, George W. Bush.

... ...

That was a rather amusing remark.

 

[Ohwell]

No, just some coincidence

What do you mean Dick Cheny is President?

 

[TubaGuy]

It's a joke, It's pretty much saying that Dick Cheney is actually doing all the Presidential stuff. Pretty much a slam at Bush's intelegence. With his heart condition alot of people say that George W. is only a few heart beats from actually being president.

 

[amadeus]

Killing the President isn't fashionable, anymore. Besides, the government has plans for anything from a pre-emptive strike from the United Kingdom to an invasion of Hawaii by Guatemala.

 

[Richard III]

Actually, Tubaguy, I think W's a little smarter than the world gives him credit for. But the "Bush is a heartbeat away from the Presidency" IS funny, you have to admit.

 

[Greadius]

I actually had some old guy tell me that I shouldn't vote for Gore because of the '00 curse he would die in office and leave a Jew as president.
God forbid.

 

[TubaGuy]

Originally posted by Richard III
Actually, Tubaguy, I think W's a little smarter than the world gives him credit for. But the "Bush is a heartbeat away from the Presidency" IS funny, you have to admit.

I totally agree, if i was old enough to vote I probably would have voted for Bush.

 

[History_Buff]

It would be somewhat amusing to see George W. get assasinated, then Dick Cheney to die from shock, and then there would be a huge scandal, and fight for power. And then you'll all want in to the much more stable Canadian government. Liberals for close to 30 now i reckon' . . .

 

[TubaGuy]

Well you may be a history buff but not a US law buff. Theres an act that dictates the people who become president if such a situation happened. after the VP it's the Speaker of The House, then if he dies it's the President Protemp of the Senate, after that it goes through the Cabinant Positions in the order they were created (State - Homeland Security)

 

[Greadius]

Originally posted by TubaGuy
Theres an act that dictates the people who become president if such a situation happened. after the VP it's the Speaker of The House, then if he dies it's the President Protemp of the Senate, after that it goes through the Cabinant Positions in the order they were created (State - Homeland Security)

Homeland security isn't actually a cabinet position, it is a cabinet level position. Tom Ridge isn't in line for the presidency; the last Cabinet position applicable is the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi, who is 17th in line for the Presidency.

Interestingly enough, everytime the President gives a state of the Union address, 16 of those people are in attendance with the secretaries 'drawing straws' and one of them is in an 'undisclosed location' in a tradition that dates back to the first state of the union addresses given to joint sessions of congress.

 

[santo67]

A bit off-topic here, but where do they go after the Cabinet? I mean, it's not too likely that the President, Vice President, President Protempore of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and all the Cabinet secretaries State through Veterans affairs would die, but let's assuem that they did. Does the good ole' Constitution even define anything after that?

 

[prefect42]

Santo

If the cabinet is wiped out, Gray Davis is our new president, it goes to Governors by state population.

Now, the 20 year curse. . .

I think that now people have noticed it, whatever magic force controls things like this will stop just to make us wrong. . .

I hope so anyway, I'm running in 2020!

 

[santo67]

Originally posted by prefect42
Santo

Thanks for the answer, but it's all lowercase, with a 67 on the end, if you please. I am not 'Santo', I am santo67.

 

[prefect42]

Originally posted by santo67
Thanks for the answer, but it's all lowercase, with a 67 on the end, if you please. I am not 'Santo', I am santo67.

OK <edited, because he doesn't want his real name exposed>

 

[MrPresident]

the government has plans for anything from a pre-emptive strike from the United Kingdom

Not as far fetched as you may think. We have been lulling you Americans into a false sense of security for over a hundred years waiting for a moment to avenge the defeat the war of Independence. We'll let you build your radar post in Yorkshire, then we will fool you into thinking that Russia, North Korea, Iraq and Iran have launched nukes at you. While you lot fight it out, the British army will secretly enter Canada and then we will launch a joint attack. Victory will be ours. Then we shall go on to a new British Empire, an Empire that will be bigger than the world has ever seen. Finally we shall turn our glaze onto Europe. We shall defeat the France easily as they will probably give, the Italians will side with Europe but as we continue to win they will change sides and then there shall be the final battle with Germany. Where we will lose on penalties.

I hope so anyway, I'm running in 2020!

I hope on of your campaign pledges is not to die in office.

If the cabinet is wiped out, Gray Davis is our new president, it goes to Governors by state population.

Is this true? So you are saying that there is a chance that there will be a President from Wyoming?

 

[scorch]

i sure do hope that that curse is true... another 2 years to go.

 

[monkeyman116]

quote:
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the government has plans for anything from a pre-emptive strike from the United Kingdom
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Not as far fetched as you may think. We have been lulling you Americans into a false sense of security for over a hundred years waiting for a moment to avenge the defeat the war of Independence. We'll let you build your radar post in Yorkshire, then we will fool you into thinking that Russia, North Korea, Iraq and Iran have launched nukes at you. While you lot fight it out, the British army will secretly enter Canada and then we will launch a joint attack. Victory will be ours. Then we shall go on to a new British Empire, an Empire that will be bigger than the world has ever seen. Finally we shall turn our glaze onto Europe. We shall defeat the France easily as they will probably give, the Italians will side with Europe but as we continue to win they will change sides and then there shall be the final battle with Germany. Where we will lose on penalties.

I've been planning this for many years now. I shall become prime minister then declare myself king, and we shall reform the empire. I can imagine now marching down the Champs-Elysees with my army behind me, rifle in hand pointed at the sky in victory.