Those that should Have been President

[TGHusker]

I was talking wt @Guy Chamberlin on the 2020 election thread about Hubert Humphrey and it got me thinking of all of the "ifs and buts' of history.  Specifically how some really good quality people did not become president but who probably should have been president within their time setting in history.

 

Hubert Humphrey was one of those people.  HHH had the stigma of being LBJ's VP during the terrible civil riots of the 60s and the Vietnam war.  A part from the stain of Vietnam, he probably would have won the 1968 election.   Of course, one could argue, that if not for Vietnam, LBJ may have run and won a 2nd term and HHH's turn would have come in 1972.   At his core, HHH was a progressive, even to the left of FDR.  But he was no far left socialist as he was staunchly anti-communistic in his politics. His progressive policies came from his faith and political philosophy that believed we were put on earth to help our fellow man and that govt served this purpose in the public sector like church does in the private sector.  He was one of those 'nice guys' in politics - liked by all because he treated all with respect.  HHH tried again in 72 and 76 - only to loose to his good friend Sen George McGovern of SD in the 1972 Dem primaries.  By the way, McGovern was also a very high quality man of faith and progressive values.  My first vote ever was for his re-election to the US Senate. HHH then lost to Carter in the primaries in 76. 

 

Others I thought of - In that same 1968 election there was - Robert Kennedy. Outside of an assassin's bullet, he most likely would have won the Dem nomination and the presidency.  He like HHH was a  progressive - perhaps HHH much more so.   Channeling John Lennon, can you imagine a world wt one of them as president instead of Nixon.  What a difference that  would have been.

 

John McCain:  Not in 2008. It was clearly Obama's time in 2008.  But in 2000.  But the Bush machine rolled him over.  McCain had proven his place in history and the honor given to him and he was deserving of and capable of fulfilling the role of president. 

 

A more recent situation:  Mitt Romney :  Here me out on this one - more of a reach and more controversial perhaps: .   I think Mitt had the election of 2012 within his grasp after the first debate with Obama.  Then the 2nd debate occurred and the infamous help the moderator gave to Obama in the questioning.   Mitt lost all momentum at that point.   But think of the consequences:  I don't aim these comments at Obama - we made it though his final 4 years ok. He isn't the issue. The current occupant of the WH is.

If Mitt had been elected, there would be no Trump in the WH today.  We'd have a much more compassionate person as president.  Mitt wasn't afraid to work with Dems.  He would have handled foreign affairs much better and been a much better leader for this current crisis (yes that is a relatively low standard mind you). 

 

 

 

I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU-- IS THERE A PERSON WHO RAN FOR PRESIDENT THAT HISTORY WASN'T KIND TO - QUALIFIED AND IMPACTFUL BUT IT WASN'T THEIR TIME AND THAT THEIR TIME NEVER DID COME OR HASN'T COME YET?

[knapplc]

I really think Bob Dole was misunderstood in 1996. A lot of that had to do with his stiff campaign style, though. I remember him going on Letterman after he lost the election and he was gregarious and fun and I about shouted at the TV, "WHERE WAS THIS DURING THE CAMPAIGN?!?!?"  That fun, funny guy could have beaten Clinton.

 

But times were good in the mid-90s, people were generally happy, and Clinton gave off this fun-loving hip style that a lot of people liked. Especially women - he was considered cute by a lot of women back then. Weird to think that now.

[NUance]

 

Al Gore.  He raised our awareness of Manbearpig AND he invented the Internet.  He's practically a Marvel superhero.  

 

(In all seriousness, I voted for Gore.  Bummed out that he didn't win.)

 

[TGHusker]

6 minutes ago, knapplc said:

I really think Bob Dole was misunderstood in 1996. A lot of that had to do with his stiff campaign style, though. I remember him going on Letterman after he lost the election and he was gregarious and fun and I about shouted at the TV, "WHERE WAS THIS DURING THE CAMPAIGN?!?!?"  That fun, funny guy could have beaten Clinton.

 

But times were good in the mid-90s, people were generally happy, and Clinton gave off this fun-loving hip style that a lot of people liked. Especially women - he was considered cute by a lot of women back then. Weird to think that now.

Knapp this is so true.  Who ever managed his campaign really blew it.  He seemed to always have that stiffness about him - he was John Kerry like. But in real life he was a pretty funny guy.  I believe the campaign managers thought they couldn't compete wt Clinton's 'coolness' so they made Dole to be the intellectual heavy thinker instead for contrast.  Wrong decision.  Clinton was beatable outside of a poorly run campaign by the GOP.  Clinton had taken a big hit in the 1994 congressional races - Contract wt America by the GOP was a big deal then.  But Clinton got the best of Newt on the govt shutdown issue in 1995/96 (GOP was going to starve school kids) and that set the table for Clinton in 96.  Newt won the actual legislative battle but Clinton won the PR side and that is all that matters in politics. Image is everything - Clinton knew how to master image and Dole's team didn't in 96. 

[TGHusker]

You know I think Mondale would have made a very good president. Like HHH  a good Minnesota Senator and capable former VP. 

But then again, it was the  wrong time in history for him.  In the 1980s we needed Reagan- to help us overcome the cold war, overcome the Carter economic mess and set the table for the liberation of Europe from Soviet style communism which came a couple of years later under his former VP, GHWB.  Reagan was the right guy for that time in history. Like FDR was for his.  They, I believe, are the two most consequential presidents of last the century. Not perfect by any means - flaws and mistakes but they knew how to change the moral of the country when it was needed which is perhaps 90% of leadership.  Unlike our current narcissistic president who will go down as one of the worst ever.

[TGHusker]

 With 30+ people combined running in the 2016 GOP and the 2020 Dem primaries, we probably have a couple of people that history will mark as 'missed opportunities' when the best we could come up with was Trump in 2016 and Biden today.

[BigRedBuster]

1 hour ago, knapplc said:

I really think Bob Dole was misunderstood in 1996. A lot of that had to do with his stiff campaign style, though. I remember him going on Letterman after he lost the election and he was gregarious and fun and I about shouted at the TV, "WHERE WAS THIS DURING THE CAMPAIGN?!?!?"  That fun, funny guy could have beaten Clinton.

 

But times were good in the mid-90s, people were generally happy, and Clinton gave off this fun-loving hip style that a lot of people liked. Especially women - he was considered cute by a lot of women back then. Weird to think that now.

I really wanted Dole back then.  You're right.  It was a weird kind of sex appeal that got Clinton elected.