Nixon was never Governor. In 1962, Nixon lost a race for Governor of California. Thirteen Chief Executives (John Adams, Jefferson, Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Arthur, Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Nixon, and Ford) had served as Vice Presidents. Nine were Cabinet members, Monroe holding two posts: six secretaries of State (Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Van Buren, and Buchanan); three Secretaries of War (Monroe, Grant, and Taft); and one Secretary of Commerce (Hoover). Other Presidents also held various sub-Cabinet posts and lesser U.S. Government positions. Seven served as Ambassadors or Ministers: both Adamses, Jefferson, Monroe, Van Buren, Harrison, and Buchanan—all before the Civil War. Taft held the position of Governor General of the Philippines; and, after his Presidency, the Chief Justiceship of the United States, the only President who ever held a seat on the Supreme Court. Except for 12, the rest enjoyed congressional experience, all before their incumbencies except for John Quincy Adams who held a seat in the House of Representatives afterward, as did also Andrew Johnson in the Senate. The first five Presidents had served in the Continental Congress. The last two of these, Madison and Monroe, also sat in Congress, the former in the House and the latter in the Senate. Ten served in both Houses (John Quincy Adams, Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Tyler, Pierce, Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Nixon); five in the Senate only (Monroe, Van Buren, Benjamin Harrison, Harding, and Truman); and eight in the House (Madison, Polk, Fillmore, Lincoln, Hayes, Garfield, McKinley, and Ford). Polk was the only Speaker of the House to become Chief Executive. Tyler held the office of President pro tem of the Senate for one session. Lyndon B. Johnson served as both Minority and Majority Leader of the Senate. Garfield and Ford were House Minority Leaders. Garfield was the only Chief Executive elected while serving as a Member of the House, though he was also a Senator-elect. Ford was appointed as Vice President while in the House, and then assumed the Presidency upon Nixon's resignation. Harding and Kennedy were elected while sitting in the Senate. Sixteen individuals had earlier served as Governors of States or Territories: Jefferson, Monroe, Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Van Buren, Tyler, Polk, Andrew Johnson, Hayes, Cleveland, McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson, Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Carter. Four were Governors when they became President (Hayes, Cleveland, Wilson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt), and McKinley had left office earlier in the year that he ran for the Presidency. Many White House occupants also served in State legislatures or held such State posts as attorney general, Lieutenant Governor, and comptroller, as well as various county and city positions. Despite the prominence of large cities in U.S. history, only one mayor of a major city (Buffalo), Cleveland, ever occupied the highest office in the land. More than two-thirds of the Presidents received training in the law, many in the days before formal school training when they "read the law." Most of the overall group were admitted to the bar. Some curtailed or abandoned law practice during long periods in public office and never returned to it actively. Wilson, for one, stopped practicing after a short time, to begin graduate studies in political science. link: http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/presidents/bio.htm
I won't bring up John Kennedy. I guess that's ancient history. edit: I guess Mulder beat me to it. Keep D&D Civil.
My bad. I had thought he was governor prior to being VP. Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush is still an impressive run governors turned President. My guess is that governors have a way of sounding more like a leader of the executive branch than say a member of Congress.
Don't feel bad. Nixon was convinced that he should have been governor. In my opinion, that whole episode just contributed to the paranoia leading to Watergate. Keep D&D Civil.
Let them. Two of them are dead, and the rest aren't running for President. I hope Obama does. All of these "truisms" in politics exist until someone comes along and busts them into a million pieces. Then you have a whole new set of "truisms." Barack Obama, in my opinion, would make an outstanding President, and I hope he runs. If he does, I think he can win. Keep D&D Civil.
John Corzine left the Senate to be NJ governor implicitly for this reason. I think Spitzer has executive aspirations as well. However I don't think it makes much difference - IMO, it just a silly piece of "conventional" wisdom that people have latched on to that governors = better presidents.
Not to turn this Racial but . . in a BLACK PRESIDENT. . yes People don't want to think the BLACK PRESIDENT is looking for a lil PAY BACK That he will go all out on Affirmative Action That he will make a bunch of laws tha will only benefit Black people etc While no one will ever say that is why they not voting for the guy it is in alot of people mind Rocket River I think some other minority group will ge the presidency before a black person hell . .. I think they trying to see if they can somehow get Arnold in as Pres
There's no question that it's a help. FDR, of course, was a governor. The list is very long. I just don't think it is essential, or ever was. I think the convergence of factors at play, today, make it less important for Obama to have been a governor. "He's not a Republican and, damn it, I like him." That is going to be huge. Bush has dug the GOP, in my opinion, an enormous hole to climb out of. I look forward to a better GOP when they shake the dirt off, and shake things things out. Obama can articulate things in a way the average American can understand. He has charisma. He can give a good stump speech. He's good looking. He's extremely intelligent. Barack Obama is better qualified than the current occupant of the Oval Office. Easily. That's my opinion, too. I hope he runs. Keep D&D Civil.
First of all, I really like Barrack O'Bama. The best chance of him being President is for him to be governor first. Showing executive leadership at the state level will make him more electable. Not to be offensive, but we need to see a *perfect storm* in order to get the first black elected President. Having charisma, experience in the Senate (ie knows how DC works), experience in the state house (ie knows how federal laws affect states) and a weak Republican candidate may be what it takes to break that barrier. The only downside is that he will sit out 2008, while looking like the best candidate now. Something that would change my mind is if he took more of a leadership position now and used his charisma to sway Senate vote. Ripped from today's headlines: Sen. Feingold said the following to Fox News’ Trish Turner: I’m amazed at Democrats, cowering with this president’s numbers so low. The administration just has to raise the specter of the war and the Democrats run and hide. … Too many Democrats are going to do the same thing they did in 2000 and 2004. In the face of this, they’ll say we’d better just focus on domestic issues. … [Democrats shouldn’t] cower to the argument, that whatever you do, if you question the administration, you’re helping the terrorists. Feingold is leading and making a name for himself.
Sen. Feingold is the only progressive in DC with any balls. I don't consider Hillary a progressive, just Republican Lite.
didn't we have a black president in '92 and '96? maybe hillary will be the first black lesbian president.
maybe if 9/11 had not occurred under her watch and/or if she had been more candid about her lapse in judgment and mis-guided priority ...
I guess I'm color blind. I think Feingold could be elected, as well. Hell, put the two of them on the ticket together, and I'd be ecstatic!! Keep D&D Civil.
