This article talks about the recent number of two term presidents and compares it back to the 1820s, the last time we saw so many:
Despite the shift of presidential power back and forth between the Democrats and the Republicans, it’s possible that the outcome of the 2012 race will create a situation that hasn’t existed in the U.S. since the nation’s early days. If Barack Obama defeats Mitt Romney, he would become the third straight president (following Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) to win a second term.
The only other period in our history with a trio of consecutive two-term victors occurred at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe each prevailed twice and, ultimately, served eight years in the presidency. From March 4, 1801 until the same March date in 1825, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe engaged in a friendly transfer of executive authority.
The possibility of three straight two-termers today deserves our attention for the questions it raises about the current state of America’s most significant political office. Has the presidency in recent years become so powerful that the incumbent’s advantage becomes overwhelming and, in effect, too much to overcome? Are citizens who go to the polls across the country reluctant to register a vote of “no confidence” in the nation’s leader, especially at a time of turmoil at home and abroad? Have Clinton, Bush and Obama been beneficiaries of generally weak opponents who had difficulties exciting the bases of their parties, as was the case with Bob Dole in 1996, John Kerry in 2004 and, it would seem, Romney in 2012?
As this article ends, it says we really can't speculate o what is coming, just reflect on the patterns we see. Obviously, we'll see who wins come November. We at APB strive for non-partisanship, so I don't have any voting recommendations for you, just that go and vote!!