This blogger keeps on hearing that it is highly unlikely for a political party to hold the White House for more than two terms. Most recently, Chris Matthews said this on MSNBC on HARDBALL!
This is totally untrue, as witness the facts, a total of 7 times:
1800-1824—Democratic Republicans Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe–Six terms, 24 years
1828-1840–Democrats Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren–Three terms, 12 years
1860-1884–Republicans Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James A. Garfield, Chester Alan Arthur (Andrew Johnson elected with Lincoln on “Union” ticket in 1864 was a Southern Democrat, but was never elected)–Six terms, 24 years
1896-1912–Republicans William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft–Four terms, 16 years
1920-1932–Republicans Warren G. Harding. Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover–Three terms, 12 years
1932-1952–Democrats Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman–Five terms, 20 years
1980-1992–Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush–Three terms, 12 years
This adds up to 30 terms and 120 years from 1789-2008. So that means 30 terms out of 55 terms, more than half the time and 120 years out of 220 years, more than half the time!
And now in 2016, an 8th time, this time the Democrats with Barack Obama and, likely, Hillary Clinton, will add to the record, making it 33 terms out of 58, and 132 years out of 232 years!