Why You Gotta Be So Mean?
Why You Gotta Be So Mean?
Why are presidential candidates so mean?
If you want to be successful in politics, you need to be a little mean. I don’t think there is a way around that.
Power doesn’t bring out the best of us. It’s hard to convince people to give you power simply because you are a good person and want the best for everyone.
When running for office, you face someone who desires that same power. They will resort to meanness to achieve this goal because it will never be a competition about how nicer you are.
But why does it have to be this way?
American conscience Taylor Swift raised this question with her hit song “Mean” in 2011.
The first few lyrics cut straight to the point:
You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
This leads to the repeated question:
Why you gotta be so mean?
Good question, TSwift.
This brings us to the next presidential elections, where two candidates laid into two friendly people by switching sides, telling wildfire lies and humiliating the other, and pointing out their opponent's flaws again as if they didn’t already know them.
Let's dive in.
25: The Presidential Election of 1868
Election Date: November 3, 1868
The Candidates:
The country was ready to move beyond Andrew Johnson’s disastrous presidency. The Republicans turned to Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant to carry the banner of freedom-loving Americans.
The Democratic party held their nominating convention on July 4 in New York City, where, after numerous ballots, settled on convention chairman and New York Governor Horatio Seymour.
Seymour tried to give his best impression of General Sherman and later President Lydon B. Johnson by refusing the nomination. He even said he meant it when trying to decline. It didn’t work, which is sorta mean.
Major Issue of the Day:
The country was in the middle of putting itself back together while at the same time integrating newly freed enslaved people.
Constitution Amendments were passed, and a Civil Rights Act had to overcome Johnson’s veto, so there was plenty of work to be done.
The Winner:
Cruelty.
Scars from the Civil War were not healed by 1868. Democrats were now associated with the Confederacy and used racial slurs against Grant, which is super mean.
In turn, the Republicans continued to call the Democrats rebels, where all you had to do was scratch their skin and discover their sinister motives.
Scratching people is really mean.
The States in the Electoral College:
34. Nebraska entered the Union in March 1867, but three states had to sit this election out because they hadn’t passed Constitutions that satisfied their reentry.
The Electoral College had 294 members, and the winner needed 148 votes.
This election was surprisingly close, with Grant winning by fewer than 300,000 votes. He did take 26 states and won the Electoral College 214-80.
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
Grant is ranked 17. I think I mentioned this before, but I’m confident I will rank him higher the next time I get around.
Why Did I Rank it Here:
I feel like one Grant election needs to be on the good half of this list. But he was pretty mean to a guy who didn’t do much to fight back.
Growing up, I loved following presidential elections because they were so dramatic. This next election showed me how mean people can be to land the job.
Let’s dive in.
24: The Presidential Election of 1988
Election Date: November 8, 1988
The Candidates:
George Bush was the sitting vice president, seeking to become the first VP since Martin Van Buren won in 1836 to ascend to the presidency. Bush had minimal opposition within the GOP and the support of Reagan, who, despite being wrapped up in the Iran/Contra affair, was still wildly popular.
The Democrats wanted to show they were of the people, so they nominated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, whose cousin was a famous actress.
Dukakis built a reputation for improving the Bay State’s government programs. He won the nomination because a few politicians decided not to run. Also, Colorado Senator Gary decided to run into an affair outside of his marriage, which was something we cared about in 1988.
Major Issue of the Day:
The economy was going well, and the Cold War was ending.
This was also the time when I was a peak athlete.
The Winner:
Condescending.
During the Vice President debate, Republican candidate Dan Quayle compared himself to President John F. Kennedy because they were roughly around the same age and served about the same time in Congress.
Quayle figured he would put people at ease because of his youthfulness compared to his opponent, Llyod Bentsen, who was about 400 years old.
Bentsen was so mean to Quayle, saying that he knew JFK, that he was his friend, and that Quayle was not JFK.
Despite winning the job, Quayle’s political career was effectively ended.
The States in the Electoral College:
50.
The Electoral College had 538 members, and the winner needed 270 votes.
Dukakis picked up nine states that Walter Mondale didn’t win in that blowout loss to Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Bush ran away with this election, beating Dukakis by almost seven million votes. Despite losing those nine states his boss won, Bush commanded the electoral college tally 426 – 111.
It’s also telling that this election is the last time the Republicans won the majority of women voters.
Which is interesting when you consider who Bush ran against four years later.
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
Bush is ranked 20. I think his biggest legacy was getting his son elected 12 years later. He certainly can’t be ahead of John Quincy Adams, now that I have read more about the sixth president.
Why Did I Rank it Here:
This election featured some really nasty stuff from the Republican side. Bush’s campaign manager, Lee Atwater, demonstrated his unique ability to use fear to motivate the electorate to vote for his guy.
The biggest example of this was the Willie Horton affair. Willie Horton was a prisoner in Massachusetts who was sentenced to life in prison but furloughed in a program designed to increase rehabilitation. Horton decided not to return to prison and instead drove down to Maryland, where he killed someone.
Atwater pounced on this opportunity, painting Dukakis as soft on crime. He added his special touch by naming Horton “Willie,” a name he never went by because it sounded more sinister.
The official start of summer is here. Does anyone have any exciting vacations planned? We are going to the beach in a few weeks, so I’m compiling my books to read. Do you have any suggestions?
I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks for supporting Okay History. Stay cool, and try not to be mean.
Okay,
Chris
