The Second-Term Curse

[I didn't think of this reason the current occupant of the Presidency should probably not get a second term when we in the United States vote a week from tomorrow – if you want my opinion, a single six-year term makes more sense – but you know I tend to take the historic view anyway. So allow me to present Rapture Ready co-founder Todd Strandberg's take on at least one event. – David]

www.raptureready.com

There are many reasons I think Barack Obama should be voted out of office. In the past few weeks, several folks who regularly write for the site have detailed the reasons Mitt Romney would be a better choice. I found an historic reason to send Obama back to Chicago. Of the nineteen U.S. presidents who have been elected to a second term, only seven avoided a troubled or failed second term.

The second-term curse has affected every qualifying president who followed Calvin Coolidge, who luckily retired ten months ahead of the 1929 stock market crash. Here is a rundown of just the last six presidents:

George W Bush: The housing bubble burst on his watch. The financial crisis was caused by loose economic policy that resulted from people being approved for loans that they were unqualified to pay back. The meltdown in 2008 almost destroyed the economy. The Bush administration added $4 trillion to the nation debt.

Bill Clinton: Special investigator Kenneth Starr uncovered Bill Clinton's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Clinton denied the allegations in a televised appearance on January 26, 1998, but was later forced to recant. The Republican-controlled House impeached him, but he was saved by all of the Democrats in the Senate voting for acquittal.

Ronald Reagan: The Iran-Contra affair was a major distraction during Reagan's second term. The administration sold weapons to Iran to gain the freedom of hostages held in Lebanon, illegally diverting the profits to the Contras, a rebel force fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Lt. Col. Oliver North and retired naval officer John Poindexter were both convicted of obstructing Congress. Reagan's knowledge of the arms deals remains a mystery.

Richard Nixon: Five members of Nixon's Committee to Re-elect the President (CREEP) were arrested for breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex. Nixon became implicated in the break-in by ordering a cover-up. He became the first president to resign when it became clear he faced impeachment.

Lyndon Johnson: The Vietnam War conflict started during the Kennedy administration. Johnson presided over a major escalation of fighting, sending an additional 35,000 troops to Vietnam each month. After the North Vietnamese launched their deadly Tet offensive, confidence in the campaign quickly collapsed. Johnson chose not to run again after being confronted with protestors who would often chant the line, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids have you killed today?"

Dwight Eisenhower: During the height of the Cold War, a U-2 spy plane operated by the CIA was shot down by the Soviet military. Eisenhower denied the plane was in Soviet airspace, but Kremlin leader Nikita Khrushchev proved Eisenhower to be a liar by parading pilot Francis Gary Powers before the media. Khrushchev compounded Eisenhower's embarrassment by walking out of the U.S.-Soviet peace talks. His chief of staff became embroiled in a bribery scandal before being forced to resign.

I think what causes second-term presidents to veer off track is the cockiness that comes from annihilating your presidential opponent. Having had a first term that was successful enough to warrant the voters giving them a second term, presidents become convinced that they have the magic touch. Second-term presidents also don't need to worry about being reelected. The lack of caution leads to disaster.

It seems to me that we have already had Barack Obama's second term. All the errors from previous administrations have been at work during the past forty-five months. Obama has made zero progress towards getting government spending under control, welfare roles have exploded under his watch, his administration has become rife with corruption, and the "Fast and Furious" scandal is the first time I've ever seen a White House show total contempt for the rule of law.

It scares me endlessly to think of what we have yet to see in the cocky and reckless president who will emerge from a second-term victory. I'm reminded of the phrase written by Lord Acton in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton: "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." [I LOVE this quote! – David]

The second-term curse isn't the only jinx we need to worry about. The Bible promises a series of curses to any nation that rejects God's biblical truth. Since we've been going down the path toward destruction for so long, the greatest curse may be the inability to turn the rudder around. On November 6, we may find this to be the case.

"Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” (1 Kings 3:9 ESV).

"If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them" (Ecclesiastes 5:8 ESV).

--Todd