If there were no third parties....

[tpfkaw]

48: Dewey
52/56: Ike
60: Nixon
64: Goldwater!
68: I refuse.  W/O hindsight, Nixon.
72: McGovern!
76: Genuinely undecided, lean Carter
80/84: Reagan
88/92: Bush
96: Dole
00: Gore, W/O hindsight, Bush
04: Kerry
08: I refuse.  W/O hindsight, Obama.

President Al Gore would be a nightmare scenario - he's the man who attacked Bush in 2000 (and later!) for not being enough of an interventionist, and it would have meant Vice-President Joe Lieberman.  We would have invaded Iran.  But the good thing would be that it would push the GOP in a non-interventionist, pro-civil liberties direction, which I'd like.

[tpfkaw]

1964: Goldwater
1980: Reagan
1984: Reagan

But they're extremists!!!1!

[tpfkaw]

1964: Goldwater
1980: Reagan
1984: Reagan

But they're extremists!!!1!

Today Goldwater would be considered an eeevil liberal RINO that must be expelled from the GOP by our tea-partying friends.   Not just because of his advocacy for sane social views later in his life, but Goldwater opposed JFK's tax cuts because he feared they would dramatically increase the deficit.  Nowadays there is no room in the Republican Party for anyone who opposes any sort of tax decrease.

Reagan was a moderately conservative President.  While I would have opposed him in '76 relative to Ford, overall he wasn't an extremist at all.

Goldwater wanted the Kennedy tax cuts to be matched with spending decreases, and voted against them as a protest when they weren't.  I'm surprised you wouldn't support the candidacy of courageous moderate John Anderson and help him MAKE HISTORY!!!!!!