President Candidate
The president can't hold power forever.
The office of the President of the United States is quite a beautiful creation. It’s more than just one person, especially nowadays when the United States is arguably the world’s only superpower. One person doesn’t handle the enormity alone.
There is humility about making that one person, the president, become a candidate and run for office again. He needs to put his record out there for the American people to review and decide if they will grant him the privilege of running the country for the next four years.
The brilliant check of executive power is unmatched in scope throughout human history.
This edition of the election rankings spotlights two elections where incumbent presidents buzzsawed their way to reelection simply by running as effective candidates.
Let's dive in.
39: The Presidential Election of 1972
Election Date: November 3, 1972
The Candidates:
Richard Nixon was the President Candidate after winning the White House in 1968.
Nixon was battle-tested by this point after being Eisenhower’s Vice President and running himself in 1960 against Bobby Kennedy’s brother. He swept into office after telling everyone they wouldn’t have him to kick around.
The Democrats nominated George McGovern, a Senator from South Dakota. He looked like your history professor from college. Wait a second. I’ve checked my notes. He was your history professor in college.
McGovern is a perfect example of an ideal candidate and public servant. He took up military service, valued education and civics, and built his way through effective government for the people. So, of course, he would get flattened when up against a seasoned politician.
Major Issue of the Day:
The Vietnam War was in full effect, and much like today, college campuses were hotbeds for protesting.
McGovern’s first choice for running mate was a guy who had electroshock therapy to help with his depression, so that was a major issue. Have to figure the people who vetted Democratic vice presidential candidates in the 1972 election were kindly told to seek other professions.
The Winner:
Deep State.
I’m not sure what the Deep State actually is, but I do think Nixon did a great job creating the infrastructure. The President Candidate decided to keep all his campaign communications in-house rather than hiring an outside firm, which is the standard practice. The November Group was Nixon’s ad agency and was not subjected to people who may have morals or ethics.
The States in the Electoral College:
50. Washington, DC, distinguished itself by voting for McGovern.
The Electoral College had 538 members, and the winner needed 270 votes.
McGovern got smoked like a turkey at Thanksgiving, which couldn’t have been fun after this beatdown. Nixon won 49 states. He only lost Massachusetts. That’s the only way you can look at this outcome – not that George won a state, it was that Dick lost all but one.
Almost 61% of the country voted for Nixon. Isn’t that nuts? He resigned from the office less than two years before because he was concerned about losing to your history professor.
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
Nixon is in the third tier of the rankings, coming in at 34. He would be considered very liberal now, with his focus on the environment and his deep state workings.
Why Did I Rank it Here:
Nixon being reelected seemed inevitable, don’t you think? Faithful subscribers who were alive back then, you felt this way, right?
Why do parties nominate candidates who lost the last election? Is there a reason for this insanity? Like the one we are experiencing right now? Let’s look back on the second election of the 19th century.
Let’s dive in.
38: The Presidential Election of 1804
Election Date: November 2 – December 5, 1804
The Candidates:
Thomas Jefferson played the role of President Candidate. He had just completed a good first term, which included closing a deal with France known as the Louisiana Purchase.
The Federalists were still around, but when one of their dear leaders, Alexander Hamilton, had been killed just months earlier, he was spared the fate of a prolonged death of his political party, which is what happened when you nominate Charles Pickney as your candidate.
Pickney was Walter Mondale before Walter Mondale was Walter Mondale. And we know how that turned out.
Major Issue of the Day:
The economy was booming because trade was trending upward. We stopped warring with France, whom we were secretly fighting. After all, they kept capturing our ships because they thought we were too British.
The Louisiana Purchase also expanded the country, setting the stage for its eventual transformation into a superpower.
The Winner:
Expansion.
In American professional sports, nothing helps franchise owners more than expansion. Expansion teams must pay a huge fee just to enter the exclusive club, where they are guaranteed to become billionaires if they aren’t one yet.
Jefferson’s victory meant the United States would expand even more—in fact, it would be a long time before we stopped—and a lot of people would get rich.
The States in the Electoral College:
17. Washington, DC, was about ten years old at this point. It was a humid, mosquito-infested place—it still is, really.
Ohio entered the Union many, many years later, we discovered that they hadn’t put the proper paperwork. Whatever, BUCKEYE!
The Electoral College had 176 members, and the winner needed 89 votes.
Jefferson cruised to victory by winning 15 states and 73% of the vote.
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
Thomas Jefferson is a top-tier president with a number 4 ranking. It’s interesting to remember that actual historians rank Tom lower than I do. He’s still a top ten, just not a top five. You’ll be shocked to learn that I have a book on Jefferson that I put down many years ago and need to pick back up.
Why Did I Rank it Here:
Jefferson didn’t do anything to screw up the country. His personal life was messed up, and his views on slavery were terrible, but he did bring a balance to the country that at least forced people like Hamilton, Pickney, and others to stop putting so much emphasis on a strong central government. That’s about as nice as you’ll get from me regarding state rights advocacy.
Okay, I’ll see you on Monday. I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for joining me.
Okay,
Chris
Great post!