Posted on 08/14/2008 11:02:40 AM PDT by Zakeet
When it comes to vice presidential picks, there have been some good ones and some not so good ones.
CNN asked conservative historian Lee Edwards to rank the VP choices since the 1950s.
[Snip]
Coming in at No. 4 is Richard Nixon. He was Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower's running mate. Nixon brought with him youth -- and California. The former senator also had other assets that became huge liabilities when he later ended up in the White House.
"Richard Nixon was known as the man who would cut and slash the opposition, and so that kind of dirty politics work would be done by Nixon," Edwards said.
Next on the list -- Al Gore. Bill Clinton's right-hand man comes in at No. 3 because, as the senator from Tennessee, he brought Washington experience to a ticket featuring a little-known governor from Arkansas.
Edwards puts George H.W. Bush in the No. 2 spot. After running against Ronald Reagan in the 1980 primaries, Bush joined him on the ticket and helped unite the Republican Party.
Edwards' award for best vice presidential pick goes to Lyndon B. Johnson. He was selected by Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was a Northerner who needed someone to balance him out in the South in 1960.
"Lyndon Johnson was the man and he delivered Texas, which helped John Kennedy in a very close race," Edwards said.
[Snip]
Edwards' award for the worst VP pick goes to Sen. Thomas Eagleton.
The Democrat from Missouri was Sen. George McGovern's pick for VP in 1972. Eagleton got dumped for Sargent Shriver after reports he'd been hospitalized for "nervous exhaustion" and had received electroshock treatments. Those reports raised questions about Eagleton's fitness to serve, and the concerns about his health were disastrous for McGovern's campaign against Nixon.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Landslide Lyndon, who stole the 1960 election for Kennedy, was clearly the
VP candidate that most helped his ticket.
Thomas Eagleton was an accurate reflection on George's judgment and
therefore help sink the Rat nominee.
With respect to the rest of the choices, I expect a lively Freeper debate.
John Edwards?
The worst pick has yet to come........
Yeah, I know he's dead, but he's still better than anybody that's in this race..
LBJ may have been a good choice to help won the election in 1960 (even though it was stolen election), but he was a disaster as president. Definitely the second worst president ever (FDR being the worst, as far as destroying the country). His Great Society schemes were only second to FDR’s New Deal in driving our country to financial ruin.
The Lefties may hate him, but they were never going to vote for Dubya, anyway!
So why is it that Hank Hill, presumably a conservative, names his dog after Lady Bird? Just curious - could never understand why a Texan would like LBJ.
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