Losers in Brief: Murder and Viagra

(part 11 of 12)

Since 1789, 112 men have won at least one electoral vote. Of that group, 65 never became President or Vice President. Of them, 30 were a bunch of ambitious losers who tried for the most powerful office in the country and failed. The other 35, you’ll have to read to find out. These are their stories.

Michael Stanley Dukakis (Governor, Democrat-MA) Lost to H.W. Bush-1988

Dukakis presided over an unlikely boom in MA’s economy. He beat out Democratic heavy hitters like Jesse Jackson, Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, and Joe Biden for the nomination. His campaign capitalized on Bush’s greatest weakness, Dan Quayle. Dukakis’s running mate Lloyd Bentsen slammed Quayle with the now classic, “You’re no Jack Kennedy” line.

So why’d he lose? People will say it was Dukakis’s soulless answer in the debate when asked if he would seek the death penalty for a man who hypothetically raped and murdered his wife. In hindsight, it’s pretty clear the country still loved Reagan and Bush was his heir apparent. Maybe if Dukakis had a soul, he’d have won more than a handful of states.

Robert Joseph “Bob” Dole (Senate Majority Leader, Republican-KS) Lost to Clinton-1996

Newt Gingrich was leading Republicans on a crusade against Clinton, and Dole was ready to take him down. Having tried since the ‘70s to run for president, Dole was finally in a strong enough position to take down the lagging president.

So why’d he lose? This may be the first election I remember. I remember Dole falling off a stage. I remember Clinton’s winning smile. Bob Dole never had a chance. You younger folk might remember Bob Dole from his super creepy Viagra commercial, but to me, he was a guy trying to seem strong and presidential, while falling on his face.

ONE MORE BIG LOSER:

Vice Presidential Candidate Lloyd Bentsen (1 vote-1988)- In order to protest the entire idea of the electoral college, a WV elector gave her vote to Dukakis’s running mate. This is the kind of high-minded political protest we've come to expect from the people of West Virginia.