Only 5 Presidents, Warren G. Harding, John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon Johnson were Senators before they were elected President. Of those Harding never held another elected position, and Truman only held a judgeship and the Vice-Presidency. Why?
Perhaps the reason lies in what makes a successful Senator: a diplomat. Unfortunately, “diplomat” and “leader” don’t make good bedfellows. Rare is the Senator that can a) strike the populous as a leader of the country, and b) can execute once they get there. History has not been kind to Harding or Lyndon Johnson, and the jury is out on Nixon and in some circles on Kennedy.
The point? John Kerry. He seems to have the makeup of a successful Senator: flexible, nuanced, a horse trader of sorts. Yet he doesn’t have what appears to be the makings of a good President: decisiveness and direction.
The Liberal Colorado Friend lamented a few days ago about the Democratic Party. “What happened to standing up for the little guy? That’s what the Democrats were always about. Instead, I have this eastern, blueblood, upper-crust pansy who seems to have absolutely no connection to the common man, and the guy that is connecting with them is another East Coast blueblood upper-crust pansy. One opted out of service, and the other took film of everything he did.”
Alas, I couldn’t agree more. Bush in a nose-holding landslide. Ahhh…shades of Nixon…the ex-Senator.
(Note to self: this one sounds like a true “blog” as opposed to an editorial. Must consult with the Conservative Wife.)
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5 comments:
Centrist Dude,
I must correct the record here. There have actually been 15 U.S. Presidents who were U.S. Senators before they were elected to the presidency: James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Benjamin Harrison, Warren G. Harding, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon.
Reading and commenting on a 3-year old blog, eh? ;-)
Actually that isn't correct either. John Quincy Adams, for instance, never was a senator.
But I certainly wasn't as clear as I should have been in explaining what I was getting at, which is that those 5 came directly from the Senate, or went from the Senate to the VP slot to the presidency.
As examples, Martin Van Buren was Secretary of State before he became Jackson's VP. Jackson had been out of politics for 3 years before making his run. (He also resigned his Senate seat after 1 year and went back to Tennessee to be a judge.) William Henry Harrison served one term (after reviously being a congressman and a governor) and then became an ambassador to Columbia before returning to life as a private citizen 10 years before seeking the presidency.
Yes. i am reading a 4 year old blog, Was curious to see if anyone out there realized that both choices this year are senators, and that they have a history of making luke warm presidents...
LOL
didn't want to be a lurker...
The web does not age.
John Quincy Adams was the senator from Massachusetts, 1803-08. Why people make weird, totally wrong pronouncements on the web, when they could look up the facts on the web they are already on, is beyond me.
You are correct, Chance, that John Quincy Adams was a senator. Actually, I did use the web to research who had been a senator before I posted this, and also replied to someone else. Of course, this was (at this point in time) 4 years ago, but I'll take the blame.
Regardless, my point has little to do with John Quincy Adams, who doesn't exactly throw a wrench into my posting.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
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