View From a Height

Electoral History

Hugh today on the Kennedy "dynasty":

The Washington Post has a funny headline: "The Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Now the Bushes." Let's review the history. TR and FDR were on a total of seven national tickets, and they served 20 years as president. The Bushes --to date-- have been on six national tickets, with eight years as president completed and four more beginning this week, as well as eight years for 41 in the vice-presidency. The Kennedys have been on a total of one national tickets (sic), with JFK's term as president lasting under three years, Bobby's campaign for the presidency uncertain of the nomination when he was murdered, and Teddy's 1980 campaign a failure as was his surrogate's John Kerry's.

In fact, it's even worse than that.

First of all, the Roosevelts were on eight national tickets. Teddy ran as McKinley's veep in 1900, as President in 1904, and for President in 1912. (No fair not counting this one. While he didn't make the ballot in Oklahoma, Taft - a sitting President - missed making it in both South Dakota and California, and finished fourth or worse in at least 5 states I counted. Teddy & Hiram Johnson finished second in both popular and electoral votes.)

But for all the Post's wishful thinking, one could make the case that even the Adlai Stevensons were a more successful political dynasty. The original won as Grover Cleveland's veep in 1892, ran as Bryan's veep in 1900 and lost, in addition to the two Presidential losses by II. In addition, II was Governor of Illinois for one term, and III senator for two terms, a state more populous, more consequential, and more mainstream than Massachusetts for most of the 20th century.

The point is that the country is full of great local political families: the Byrds of Virginia (not West Virginia), the Tafts of Ohio, the Lees of Virginia. For that matter, the Kennedys don't even rank first in their own state. Does the name "Adams" ring a bell?

In the meantime, Teddy could take a hint from another long-serving self-styled Progressive Senator, Hiram Johnson of California. Johnson bitterly opposed FDR's build-up in advance of WWII, but when war came, he recognized the stakes and supported it.