A friend has drawn my attention to a question that appeared in The Times a few days ago. I missed it but I thought I would reproduce it as it is such a good question.
When was the last US presidential election which was won by the Republicans in which a Nixon or a Bush was not on the ticket?
If you have not seen the answer in The Times the result may surprise you. Anyone wish to be the first with the answer?
My guess was Eisenhower – but apparently I’m wrong!
pilo: You are indeed wrong. Eisenhower’s running mate in 1952 and 1956 was Richard Nixon.
before Eike there’s a dearth of Republican presidents, so it must have been Hoover in 1928?
Has to be Herbert Hoover, doesn’t it?
Herbert Hoover?
Goodness, it is Hoover then. Quite a shock eh.
Well done. Yes, the last time the Republicans won a presidential election without a Nixon or a Bush on the ticket was 1928. As Chris Dornan says, quite a shock.
Since 1928, the Republicans have won the presidential elections of:
1952 (VP candidate: Nixon)
1956 (VP candidate: Nixon)
1968 (Presidential candidate: Nixon)
1972 (Presidential candidate: Nixon)
1980 (VP candidate: Bush snr)
1984 (VP candidate: Bush snr)
1988 (Presidential candidate: Bush snr)
2000 (Presidential candidate: Bush jnr)
2004 (Presidential candidate: Bush jnr)
Gerald Ford, of course, was a Republican President (without a Nixon or Bush as VP) but was never elected President and lost the presidential race he did contest.
Mention of Gerald Ford prompts a supplementary question: what is it that Barack Obama and John McCain have in common and which they share with Gerald Ford and his 1976 running-mate Bob Dole? When one of the current candidates enters the White House, he will actually share this feature with most of his recent presidential predecessors – and the chances of most of the recent Presidents having this feature are calculated at 10,000 to one.
Mention of Gerald Ford prompts a supplementary question: what is it that Barack Obama and John McCain have in common and which they share with Gerald Ford and his 1976 running-mate Bob Dole? When one of the current candidates enters the White House, he will actually share this feature with most of his recent presidential predecessors – and the chances of most of the recent Presidents having this feature are calculated at 10,000 to one.
I believe it is that they are both sinistral.
Left-handed
Matt Korris and RRGLeason: Correct. Both Barack Obama and John McCain are left-handed. Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Snr and Bill Clinton were also left-handed. Given that only about 10-12% of the population are left-handed, this is a remarkable feature of recent holders of presidential office.
Which to me strongly suggests a causal correlation between left-handers and the kinds of people that succeed in US Presidential politics. No?
Chris Dornan: There may be a wider correlation between politicians and left-handedness. I have noticed in some Lords’ committees that there is a disproportionate number of left-handers. It strikes me as interesting and merits some further reflection, though I wasn’t planning to apply for a research grant to pursue it!
In fact, in 1992 all three potential presidents were left handed- Clinton, Bush and Perot.
Bush Jr was first right handed president since Carter.
Clearly left handed people are brilliant 🙂
Jiggles: There has been research (since contested) showing a correlation between left-handedness and intelligence.
The victory of Barack Obama in the presidential election means that 1928 remains the last time the Republicans won a presidential election without the name of Nixon or Bush on the ticket!
“There has been research (since contested) showing a correlation between left-handedness and intelligence.”
I have a vague recollection from a tutorial long long ago that certain peers around here are left handed 😉
Was Bob Dole actually left handed from birth, or did he learn by necessity to be left handed?
Anthony Wells: Well remembered. Regarding Bob Dole, he is left-handed by force of circumstance; his war injury to his right arm meant that he had to learn to write with his left.