Which of these dead Presidents would support gay marriage,

[King]

Obviously none would if they jumped out of the grave into this strange modern world, but if all ten of these people were born in 1956 and were in prime stage to be a 2016 Presidential contender--same personalities, different era--who would be "evolved" to a pro stance?

I think all except Eisenhower.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

All, if Eisenhower had the same sensibilities.

[Old Man Svensson]

Definitely not Reagan. Ever.

[DINGO Joe]

Definitely not Reagan. Ever.

Regan actually played a character in a movie where the subtext was that the character was gay, though whether Reagan knew that or not is debatable.

[Supersonic]

Towards the end of his life, didn't Ford come out in favor of gay rights?

Could have sworn he endorsed gay marriage. Maybe that was Carter.

[publicunofficial]

Ford's life was saved by Bill Sipple, a man who tackled Sara Jane Moore during her assassination attempt. When the San Francisco Chronicle outed Sipple as gay, he became estranged from his unknowing family in Michigan until Ford sent them a letter calling Sipple a hero and asking them to accept him.

There have also been strong rumors that Steven Ford, his son, is gay. He is almost 60 and still single.  

Ford was also a member of the Republican Unity Coalition along with Alan K. Simpson and David Rockefeller.

I wouldn't be surprised if he was in favor but kept it secret due to current times.

[Brittain33]

FDR and Kennedy, yes. Truman and Johnson would be announcing their support this week. Hoover, maybe. That's it. The idea of Coolidge as a pol in Massachusetts today makes my head explode.

[morgieb]

* Reagan - no chance
* Ford - came out in favour of gay rights towards the end of his life, would probably endorse it now.
* Nixon - fence-sitting/evolving, maybe.
* Johnson - probably yes.
* Kennedy - I think Teddy came out in favour, so yes.
* Eisenhower - maybe, probably civil unions at least.
* Truman - probably yes
* Roosevelt - probably yes
* Hoover - see Eisenhower.
* Coolidge - federalist approach probably.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Nixon, I could see, would probably sign some bill in favor of it while stating to an aide or loyalist that it was a passing fad that mattered little.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Assuming they were active in politics, then all the Democrats plus Ike and Hoover.  If Ike and Hoover had been born in 1956 and were facing modern politics, they'd be Democrats not Republicans.  I don't think the other four Republicans would have been vocally opposing gay marriage but probably arguing a let the States decide approach.  Ford might go as far as supporting a repeal of DOMA if the Supreme Court doesn't strike it down.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Reagan - no
Ford - definitely
Nixon - lean yes
Johnson - definitely
Kennedy - definitely
Eisenhower - probably
Truman - probably
Roosevelt - definitely
Hoover - possibly
Coolidge - possibly

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Ford, Johnson, and Kennedy for sure. Mabye on FDR, Hoover, Coolidge (in a "states rights" sense), Nixon, and Truman. No to Reagan and Eisenhower.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I love how some of you are so adamant on LBJ......he'd be dragged to it kicking and screaming, maybe literally.

[Holmes]

It's so difficult to answer this, especially for the older presidents, because it's difficult to imagine how they would even react to modern-day issues in a a modern-day society. Those that were in their prime in the 30's, 40's, and 50's probably didn't care for gays, to put it lightly. It was only very recently that acceptance towards gay people has become mainstream.

[Maxwell]

All, except possibly Reagan, and even then, I doubt he holds off as long as modern day conservatives.

[Lief 🗽]

The Democrats would support it, the Republicans would oppose it.

[Old Man Svensson]

The Democrats would support it, the Republicans would oppose it.

Including Ford, who actually endorsed it? Jesus.

[Maxwell]

LBJ would be endorse Same Sex Marriage as late as Kay Hagan or some of the other southern democrats were. Same for JFK.

[TDAS04]

Probably not Nixon

[Lief 🗽]

The Democrats would support it, the Republicans would oppose it.

Including Ford, who actually endorsed it? Jesus.

If Ford were still a Republican with national ambitions, then yes. Of course he may be a Democrat if he were a politician today.

[old timey villain]

I don't see Nixon truly supporting gay marriage. Maybe he would have if there was overwhelming support for it, just to be on the right side of the issue. I mean, we know EXACTLY  how Nixon felt about the gays. Remember all those tapes?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPb-PN9F2Pc

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The Democrats would support it, the Republicans would oppose it.

Including Ford, who actually endorsed it? Jesus.

Ford didn't do so until after he left office.  So long as any of the Republicans here had Presidential aspirations, they'd not be coming out at this point in time.  Conversely, I listed Hoover and Ike as supporting it since based on other issues I would expect them to be Democrats today if they were active politically.

[traininthedistance]

Reagan - no
Ford - definitely
Nixon - lean yes
Johnson - definitely
Kennedy - definitely
Eisenhower - probably
Truman - probably
Roosevelt - definitely
Hoover - possibly
Coolidge - possibly

More or less this.  LBJ might have to wait longer than some because he's from the South; and Nixon would probably present himself as more gay-friendly than he actually is.

Coolidge would probably be one of those folks who would take the sour grapes "libertarian" position of "get the government out of marriage entirely".

[bballrox4717]

Ranking this as presidents most likely to support if they were born in our time period.

FDR - without a doubt
Kennedy - would evolve similarly to Clinton and Obama
Truman - would be announcing his support this week
Ford - didn't he support it after his presidency? I think he'd go in the same route as Portman and Kirk
Eisenhower - probably support civil unions and evolve on the issue, would be Dem today anyways
Johnson - LBJ the president would be leaning towards supporting, LBJ the senator would be firmly opposed
Hoover - see Eisenhower, though it's harder to tell with earlier Republicans
Coolidge - I don't really know
Reagan - he'd probably oppose it as president and support it afterwards
Nixon - Probably the most likely on this list to be bigoted towards gays

[memphis]

Buchanan FTW!