Good logic DT, though I forgot to add James Monroe, Ambassador to UK who later became a two-term President.

Your theory is good, and I think similarly except a flaw that necks us is 1988.

You remember, Bush Sr. had a tough GOP primary field and well, he wasn't exactly a splendid candidate. That's why many Democrats thought front-runner Gary Hart would have dispatched GHWB, except the Monkey Business affair sank Hary's campaign.

Al Gore maybe could have snatched the momentum on Super Tuesday, but he got chop blocked by Jesse Jackson's token campaign which won him a few primaries (i.e. South Carolina), and thus the traditional liberal, if shitty, candidate Dukakis prevailed, and got creamed by Bush Sr.

So really, opportune time for the Dems to have learned their lesson, they still missed the point, and payed for it.