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Sarah Palin: Running Against History -- and the VP Curse?

1 year ago
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Sarah Palin's fan dance -- will she or won't she run for president in 2012? -- teases money from supporters and seduces the celebrity-centric media. Yet, before too long, the former governor and her devoted followers will face a sobering reality.

Should she seek the Republican nomination, she not only will confront several White House-minded candidates in her own party but also the unalterable facts of American political history. To be tactful about the subject: Voters haven't been particularly kind to losing vice-presidential nominees of either party for nearly a century.

Interestingly, since 1960 every elected incumbent vice president -- with the exception of Dick Cheney -- has won his party's presidential endorsement. Richard Nixon in 1960, Hubert Humphrey in 1968, George H.W. Bush in 1988 and Al Gore in 2000 all used the No. 2 office as a steppingstone to a White House run, with Bush the singular victor.

Sarah Palin, Joe LiebermanHowever, during that half-century, with the vice presidency much more significant than in the past, the running mates who lost had serious difficulties making their mark in subsequent political campaigns. Yes, Walter Mondale rebounded from the 1980 race, when he was Jimmy Carter's veep and re-election running mate, to take the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984, but Ronald Reagan defeated him decisively that year.

Bob Dole ran with Gerald Ford in 1976, and they lost to the Carter-Mondale ticket. Twenty years later, Dole came back as the GOP standard bearer, but was soundly defeated by Bill Clinton.

The 10 other running mates from 1960 until 2004 pretty much faded away, even though several (such as Henry Cabot Lodge in 1964, Ed Muskie in 1972, R. Sargent Shriver in 1976, Dan Quayle in 2000, Joe Lieberman in 2004 and John Edwards in 2008) attempted without success to make presidential bids on their own in subsequent years.

William E. Miller, the New York congressman who ran with Barry Goldwater in 1964, took the most realistic approach to his fleeting national prominence. He was featured in a television commercial for American Express with the theme: "Do you know me?"

Throughout the 20th century, only two losing vice-presidential candidates cast any kind of governmental or political shadow worthy of note. Today we tend to forget that Earl Warren, the popular California governor at the time, was Thomas Dewey's running mate in 1948, the year Harry Truman defied all the pollsters and predictions to win a full term as president. In 1953, Dwight Eisenhower selected him to be chief justice of the Supreme Court, where he served with historic consequence and considerable controversy until his retirement in 1969.

Of course, in 1920 then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt ran with James M. Cox, losing soundly to the Republican ticket of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Twelve years later and as governor of New York, FDR won his first of four presidential elections.

Given their ideological viewpoints, whether Sarah Palin will ever start to draw parallels between herself and Franklin Roosevelt is highly doubtful. But, to be fair, they're kindred spirits in their abilities to communicate with the public through the media and in that unquantifiable personality-based trait called charisma.

Still, making any additional comparisons seems at this point like building a bridge to nowhere. Time -- and history -- will have to settle the matter.

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21 Comments

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jswanlake12

It makes me wonder why so many fans of Sarah Palin think that being average is a quality the country should look for in a President. I would want someone much smarter, better educated and with a ton more experience than Ms. Palin. I certainly do no want the leadership of my country having to settle for an average quality Joe or Jane if that if all that candidate can aspire to.

July 21 2010 at 9:07 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Steven F.Pinello

Sarah Palin is a person that a lot of people can relate to. She is a mother and and a career woman. Her challanges are what mnay go thru everyday.

People who like her understand what she is about and agree with many of her views.

Steve

July 21 2010 at 9:05 AM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
dawntoduskcm

If palin ran and if she won the nomination.I think she would have a chance .whether that would be good i am not sure. She is popular and a celebrety shealso lack,s experiance.And we all know that has not stopped someone from becoming President before.

July 21 2010 at 9:05 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
rd

Read Game Change. She shouldn't even be CONSIDERED as a Presidential candidate.
Articles like this one only perpetuate the myth ...

July 20 2010 at 11:57 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
EndDaze

After Bristol and Levi get their Reality TV show, it will be too big of an embarassment for Palin to run for POTUS

July 20 2010 at 8:57 PM Report abuse -4 rate up rate down Reply
kjw0122

Sarah Palin is a refreshing break from the "Politics as Usual" that occurs in DC. She is an outside of the Beltway common sense conservative who espouses family values, limited federal government, and constitutional liberties for individuals. She has had more experience in executive roles than Obama or even some other Republicans. She tells the truth and is not afraid to take on Dems, other Reps, and sacred cows. She also walks the walk, since she beautifully handled the issue of the teenage unwed pregnancy of her daughter, and she also chose life for her Down's Syndrome baby. Beyond that, she is an energy expert and just might have a few answers for our current energy and oil crisis. Having experience in PTA and local government, she also can understand the crisis of US education that stresses "politically correct" curriculums, rather than excellence in the areas of reading, writing, true history, and math. We desperately need her to clean out all the dead wood in Washington DC and to bring in a new era of freedom for all citizens, who currently are hampered by a top heavy federal government full of regulations on health care and so much more. In short, she is a great family value conservative that can take on "progressives" who do not understand our constitution. Go, Sarah!

July 20 2010 at 8:29 PM Report abuse +3 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to kjw0122's comment
Eric

Well, one thing I could agree with, clearly, if there was one word to describe the kind of sense she has, it would be "common."

July 20 2010 at 8:58 PM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
poaks48

Palin is a Christian. That means she's motivated and led by God, consciously or unconsiously. And God has a way of upsetting traditions, jinxes and apple carts.I say she'll be in the next adminstration one way or another.

July 20 2010 at 6:21 PM Report abuse -17 rate up rate down Reply
copperkettle3

Palin is making too much money and has the notoriety that she desires in her current position of spokesperson for her movement. She will not resume her political career and the scrutiny that she will encounter since she does not have a command of the issues, nor does she have a plan for our country or the ability to explain why she resigned as governor. She is about what is best for Sarah Palin, not for our country.

July 20 2010 at 5:30 PM Report abuse +12 rate up rate down Reply
sappy

Palin cares more about being a celebrity than actually running anything. Her 15 minutes are up!

July 20 2010 at 5:12 PM Report abuse +13 rate up rate down Reply
lucyod

I love Palin and her common sense average American ideals. However, I don't think she is ready for that position. I would like Huchabee or Romney with her in the Administration or as VP. Huckabee is so smart and the flat tax would eliminate the IRS who by the way will control a great deal of the Health Care. They are an agency that we could do without. Just think of all our tax dollars that could be saved. Romney has the business experience to get us back on the right path. Just pray to God that those in power now fall by the wayside or our County is in deep dodo. Our kids will pay the price for generations to come.

July 20 2010 at 5:06 PM Report abuse -8 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to lucyod's comment
Teddy

You want us to pray to God that our govt falls? Wow! Thats not how God works.

July 21 2010 at 9:08 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply

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