History HilariousInHindsight / Politics

** Nixon has also become known as one of the most racist Presidents of the 20th century due to various policies, as well as the man who got many racists to join the Republican Party. However, in 1960 Nixon not only ran on a platform of Civil Rights, but his Running Mate, then-UN ambassador Henry Lodge Jr., promised that if elected, Nixon would have at least one African-American on his cabinet.

* King UsefulNotes/LudwigIIOfBavaria, ruler of a then-independent [[UsefulNotes/TheSixteenLandsOfDeutschland Bavaria]], was so obsessed with building castles that the kingdom began drowning in debt. Nowadays the castles bring in huge amounts of tourist revenue to the local economy.

* In 1845, the Anti-immigrant Nativists in the US formed the (White) Native American Party.

* King UsefulNotes/LudwigIIOfBavaria, ruler of a then-independent Bavaria, was so obsessed with building castles that the kingdom began drowning in debt. His nobles eventually got so fed up that they deposed him before he could bankrupt the country. Today, those castles bring in huge amounts of tourist revenue to the local economy.

* In 1979, the famous French humorist Creator/{{Coluche}} [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCFlkBAr-xU&lc=4irJSUIJHEirtV39ZN_dhv4NVDCB0ASwzqpuYIrqDys&feature=inbox joked about the left-wing party rising to power in 2012]]. The man died in 1986. Come 2012, France elects left-wing President Francois Hollande after seventeen years under right-wing governments.

** His phrase could also refer to a potential massive victory of the left-wing in elections of the members of French Parliament, which happened every five years or when the French president dissolves the Parliament. Seen from 1980, there would have been one in 2013.

* Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has often been quoted as saying, "There were three heroes in Arkansas: UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}, Music/{{Elvis|Presley}}, and FDR, not necessarily in that order." In the 2010s, someone by the name of [[NamesTheSame Elvis Presley]] (and yes, he dresses like an ElvisImpersonator) ran for Governor of Arkansas for the Libertarian Party.

* [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2183072/Heres-Boris-Johnson-work-way-Number-10.html This image]] of then Mayor Boris Johnson getting stuck in a zip line during a promotional stunt for London's Olympic Games in 2012 became a [[https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/nintchdbpict000247356020.jpg?w=600 perfect summary]] of Johnson's situation after Britain voted to leave the European Union in referendum, four years later. Johnson's panicked appearance on TV, not even 24 hours later, all but confirmed that Johnson had campaigned heavily for 'Leave' as a way to distance himself from sitting PM David Cameron (who campaigned for 'Remain') and [[TheStarscream to postulate himself as his successor]] at the head of the Conservative party in the future, [[SpringtimeForHitler all while being confident that 'Remain' would win by a short margin]] and [[PlayingWithFire not wishing it to happen in reality himself]]. Instead, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor 'Leave' won and Cameron announced his resignation]], [[OutGambitted leaving Johnson no choice]], [[BlessedWithSuck in case he finally succeeded Cameron]], to either handle the exit from the EU himself and take the blame for all negative consequences (which Johnson said would be none), or to go back in his stance and cancel the UK's exit from the EU. [[MortonsFork Either way]], Johnson would be exposed as a liar and his political career, compromised. Johnson chose not to run, though he would eventually become PM three years later, following Theresa May's resignation.

* [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2183072/Heres-Boris-Johnson-work-way-Number-10.html This image]] of then Mayor Boris Johnson getting stuck in a zip line during a promotional stunt for London's Olympic Games in 2012 became a [[https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/nintchdbpict000247356020.jpg?w=600 perfect summary]] of Johnson's situation after Britain voted to leave the European Union in referendum, four years later. Johnson's panicked appearance on TV, not even 24 hours later, all but confirmed that Johnson had campaigned heavily for 'Leave' as a way to distance himself from sitting PM David Cameron (who campaigned for 'Remain') and [[TheStarscream to postulate himself as his successor]] at the head of the Conservative party in the future, [[SpringtimeForHitler all while being confident that 'Remain' would win by a short margin]] and [[PlayingWithFire not wishing it to happen in reality himself]]. Instead, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor 'Leave' won and Cameron announced his resignation]], [[OutGambitted leaving Johnson no choice]], [[BlessedWithSuck in case he finally succeeded Cameron]], to either handle the exit from the EU himself and take the blame for all negative consequences ([[WhatAnIdiot which Johnson said would be none]]), or to go back in his stance and cancel the UK's exit from the EU. [[MortonsFork Either way]], Johnson would be exposed as a liar and his political career, compromised. Johnson chose not to run, though he would eventually become PM three years later, following Theresa May's resignation.

* There is a history documentary, made during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, in which a famous historian says "[The UsefulNotes/BerlinWall] now separates Germany, a country that will probably never be united again." The documentary was made in 1988, one year before TheGreatPoliticsMessUp at its finest brought the wall down.

* Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has often been quoted as saying, "There were three heroes in Arkansas: UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}, Elvis, and FDR, not necessarily in that order." Now someone by the name of Music/ElvisPresley is running for Governor of Arkansas.

* Creator/ChrisRock starred in a movie called ''Film/HeadOfState'', in which his character runs for the (2004) Presidency as a long shot and wins. In the ''next'' election in 2008, where Usefulnotes/BarackObama did just that.

* There was a report in a newspaper from the 1930s in which a spokesman for UsefulNotes/NaziGermany ''accused Britain of oppressing its colonial subjects''. Another paper of roughly the same vintage had a report detailing economic deals the Nazis had made with the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which were being enthused about by the German economics minister at the time. His name: Dr Funk.

* [[http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/are-you-a-separatist-or-not-mr-levesque This interview]] on the controversial CBC television show ''This Hour Has Seven Days'' is particularly hilarious for a number of reasons if you know your Canadian history. To explain/ruin the joke for the rest of you: [[note]]Rene Levesque, the Liberal minister being interviewed, went on to lead the Parti Quebecois (and become premier of Quebec) in the strongest ever movement for peaceful separation of Quebec from Canada, eventually calling for a public referendum on the subject. Pierre Trudeau, the interviewee, would become Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal party, and Levesque's strongest opponent during the referendum.[[/note]]
* Sometime in the [[TheGayNineties 1890s]], president [[UsefulNotes/GroverCleveland Stephen "Grover" Cleveland]] once met a young toddler. Cleveland said to him "I’m making a strange wish for you, little man; a wish I suppose no one else would make. I wish for you that you may never be President of the United States." The toddler's name? UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt!

* Communist leader Santiago Carrillo had the nickname of Juan Carlos I of Spain picked out before his reign even began: "The Brief". 35 years later, Santiago is no longer leader of the Communist Party in Spain, but Juan Carlos is still King.
** Juan Carlos continued as Spain's king until abdicating for his son in 2014. By that time, Carrillo had been dead for a year and a half.

-->"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

* The Emancipation Proclamation sounds like it could have been the title of an episode of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', and its signing was a big bang in American history.

* Creator/ChrisRock starred in a movie called ''Film/HeadOfState'', in which his character runs for the (2004) Presidency as a long shot and wins. Fast forward to 2008, where Usefulnotes/BarackObama did just that.

** When he campaigned for President of the United States in 2000, he went under the Reform Party platform. He said that he found it disturbing that the people that were running alongside him in the Reform Party included a Klansman and a Communist. 16 years later, Trump's Presidential campaign (as a Republican) found endorsements from both the Ku Klux Klan (including David Duke, the Klansman Trump was referring to) and North Korea.
*** Both during his brief campaign and in his book The America We Deserve, Trump insulted Reagan communication director and twice Republican Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan as "disgusting." Buchanan has since become seen as the forefather to Trump's "America First" ideology, with Buchanan himself even naming a column of his "Before Trump, There Was Buchanan."

** In 2012, he [[https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/266038556504494082 tweeted]] "The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy." In the 2016 election, he lost the popular vote, but won the electoral college and the presidency -- retweets for that tweet surged following the announcement. Whether that proves his original tweet right or wrong [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment is a topic best left to other sites]].

* In 1979, the famous French humorist Coluche [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCFlkBAr-xU&lc=4irJSUIJHEirtV39ZN_dhv4NVDCB0ASwzqpuYIrqDys&feature=inbox joked about the left-wing party rising to power in 2012]]. The man died in 1986. Come 2012, France elects left-wing President Francois Hollande after seventeen years under right-wing governments.

*** Both during his brief campaign and in his book ``The America We Deserve``, Trump insulted Reagan communication director and twice Republican Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan as "disgusting." Buchanan has since become seen as the forefather to Trump's "America First" ideology, with Buchanan himself even naming a column of his "Before Trump, There Was Buchanan."

*** Both during his brief campaign and in his book ```The America We Deserve```, Trump insulted Reagan communication director and twice Republican Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan as "disgusting." Buchanan has since become seen as the forefather to Trump's "America First" ideology, with Buchanan himself even naming a column of his "Before Trump, There Was Buchanan."

*** Both during his brief campaign and in his book ***The America We Deserve***, Trump insulted Reagan communication advisor and twice Republican Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan as "disgusting." Buchanan has since become seen as the forefather to Trump's "America First" ideology, with Buchanan himself even naming a column of his "Before Trump, There Was Buchanan."

* Sometime in the [[TheGayNineties 1890's]], president [[UsefulNotes/GroverCleveland Stephen "Grover" Cleveland]] once met a young toddler. Cleveland said to him "I’m making a strange wish for you, little man; a wish I suppose no one else would make. I wish for you that you may never be President of the United States." The toddler's name? UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt!

** Another Larry Craig example: A December 4, 1993 headline from the Spokesman-Review headline (covering the Spokane, WA area as well as parts of western Idaho) read "[[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5hEzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=__ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6529%2C2261567 Politically, Craig's Aim is Straight]]" in relation to his opposition to a gun control bill. Needless to say, an interesting choice of words in the headline in light of the aforementioned lewd conduct arrest.