Why do senators rarely become president?

[skipos]

Kennedy was the last sitting senator to become president in the election of 1960. Before that was Harding in 1920. Before that was Harrison in 1888. None of them defeated sitting presidents. Kennedy won the popular vote by about 100,000, Harrision lost the popular vote. Only Harding won easily.

In comparison, governors or former governors have defeated sitting presidents a lot in recent years (Clinton, Reagan, Carter).

So the question is: why is it so hard to go from the senate directly to the oval office?

[valerief]

1. They make plenty of buckos as senators. Who needs the presidency?

Besides they can be senators for life, if they play the campaigning game right.

[Auggie]

5. Yep. Good perks too.

[havocmom]

2. Until there is a law forcing only ONE issue on any given piece of legislation,

it will ALWAYS be possible to take votes out of context to show Senators X, Y, and Z voted FOR horrible ideas and against great ones. Senators have to vote for stuff with bad riders and against good bills with poison pills in them.

Too easy to take items out of context of a total bill and show ANYONE has made votes which will be unpopular.

[stuartrida]

3. My feelings exactly.

And there are too many voters who don't take the time to find out the truth about votes.

[jobycom]

4. I think there is a personality factor going on.

People who choose to run for Senate are often the legislative types, who think in terms of being part of a group. People who run for governor have a more executive mentality--they see things in terms of making absolute decisions, getting things done on their own. Senators see things in terms of forming a consensus, of following the rules to get things done.

I think it's a different mentality, and it affects the way a person campaigns, and it affects the record of achievement that person acquires. Voters pick this up. THey say things like "I trust this person more," or "He seems more like a president."

There are clear exceptions to this, but I think that's a general trend.

[alfredo]

8. There's also a rhetorical style among Senators that puts them at

a disadvantage. They are not flame-throwers like you see in the House. They are too reserved, too nice, too proper. They come off patrician. It's hard to switch to the bare knuckle style of campaigning you need to win the Presidency.

[loyalsister]

14. Inaccessible language

They are used to a culture where people understand trade in nuance.
The real world does not operate that way. There are too many different people in a national campaign to use language that requires explanation.

[alfredo]

19. I've had to be careful in some situations because people would

get angry at me for using words they don't understand. bush's limited vocabulary may have been the secret to his success.

[loyalsister]

20. Same here

I am subject to coming across as uppity because I am more educated than many of my peers.
To earn their respect, I have to speak in ways that do not make them have to question my words.
One writer said that Bush ran a campaign "that would make a Louisiana Sheriff blush."
I could see how people might respond to the candidate who doesn't put them in the position of either faking that they know what is being said or having to ask their husband, wife, etc.

[alfredo]

21. Faux populism

[blm]

6. Historic electoral analysis was thrown out the window the day GOP gained control of broadcast media

You think they wouldn't have pushed Bush2 through if he had been a senator instead of a governor?

Weakest governorship in the country, yet they sold him as if he singlehandedly built Texas from scratch.

There are no rules anymore regarding resumes with the corporate media.

You think any president would be impeached for having a girlfriend if the MEDIA didn't make sure it happened?

[savemefromdumbya]

28. yes the media has a big impact

[MADem]

7. A perceived lack of EXECUTIVE experience.

It's not necessarily true, for if you are an influential Senator, you have a good sized staff and a lot of plates in the air, but the PERCEPTION is that a governor has to manage everything, from schools to snowplows, from police to parks, and that their focus is broader. In reality, the governor does what the president does--gets some other sumbitch to do that down in the weeds work.

In actual fact, you look at committee assignments, and you can find Senators who have a lot of experience CRITICAL to a successful presidency, and much of it in the all-important areas of national defense and foreign policy, which are weak spots for the governors.

These times are RIPE for a Senator with that sort of skillset, and any one of several could be very competitive in the next race due to that kind of experience, frankly.

We need someone who knows where the hell North Korea is on a map and who the leader is in Pakistan...!!! For a change!!

[demokatgurrl]

9. And yet another trigger for the question....

How the FUCK did people ever think W was qualified to be president??????No senator, just a do-nothing governor and a fuck-up loser business failure.

[skipos]

10. Millions of Americans vote for the guy they'd like to have a beer with

Our Dem candidates need to be able to appeal to thoughtful voters as well as unthoughtful voters.

[bemildred]

11. Other: Senator is a better job than President. nt

[slackmaster]

18. Yes, much better

The pay is almost as good, the risk of getting killed is much lower, and you can actually have a private life when you retire.

[FrenchieCat]

12. They have no executive experience.......

and tend to speak in Senate Speak.

[PeaceProgProsp]

13. They actually do well in open races, but not well against sitting presidents

[hijinx87]

15. I don't think they necessarily make BAD candidates

vice presidents and governors just make better candidates. but I think the
numbers change if you count senators that became president (either by election
or death of the president) after being elected vice president.

was a member of the house ever elected president?

[Hippo_Tron]

16. Because parties nominate the wrong Senators

Goldwater: Batshit insane

McGovern: Political amateur, especially displayed by his choice for a running mate

Dole: Old and boring

Kerry: Perhaps the only example of whose loss can be largely attributed to their Senate voting record.


Bobby Kennedy and Gary Hart are examples of Senators that could've easily been elected President but never made it to the nomination. I'd also say that Frank Church, Tom Harkin, and possibly Bob Kerrey could've had a very good shot as well.

Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Carter, and Clinton didn't win because they held office outside of the US Senate. They won because they were better politicians than their opponents and certain factors favored them in that election. Chimpy wasn't a better politician than Gore but he was also never elected, the SCOTUS appointed him.

It's no coincidence that the one Senator in recent history that was elected, happened to possess all of the qualities that we are looking for in a presidential nominee. The point is that we need to nominate people like John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy that are charismatic, inspiring, and have good political skills. We need to avoid nominating people like Goldwater who are crazy, people like McGovern who simply lack the political skills to effectively campaign nationally, and people like Dole who are old and boring. If we do this, it won't matter whether our nominee is a Senator or a Governor.

[NJ Democrats]

17. I think it is the voting records

Take a look at the HOuse. The last House member to be Prez was Ford who was appointed VP then Prez, s that doesn't count. Before that the last was Garfield I think.

[skipos]

25. Lincoln was another congressman that became president

I am not sure if there are any others.

[Thrill]

22. Long voting records that are easily

distorted

[Radical Activist]

23. they become infected with the Washington virus.

They become victim of groupthink and believe their poop doesn't stink. It makes them disconnected from the public. This is why Obama should run now rather than wait.

[Radical Activist]

24. Why doesn't anyone rarely become President?

Becoming President is such a rare thing. You can't read too much into trends. Its silly to claim a Senator can't become President. It will be repeated until it happens again, which it will.

[skipos]

27. No one claimed a senator *can't* become president

it is just obvious that it has been historically harder than a governor becoming president. If you think it is a fluke, you are in the minority (at least in this thread). I never heard anyone claim that a black person can't be elected to the senate in the south, it is just obvious that is a bit more challenging than a white person being elected, no?

Just curious, is your 08 favorite a senator?

[Lasthorseman]

26. Manchurians

At that level they are already Manchurian candidates.