Historically, there were a lot of liberal Republicans roaming this land. And conservative Democrats, too. Somewhere along the way, maybe between the Hoover and Nixon administrations, the parties started to flip. By the time the 1980s came around, Americans elected a conservative Republican president. Who knew?
The parties may have flipped again, at least when considering the best way to find nominees for president.
Remember when Republicans took turns? Mr. Vice President, it's your turn to run against this Jack Kennedy guy in 1960. And you can go again in 1968.
No, Gov. Reagan, there's a sitting president from your party this cycle. So 1976 isn't your year. Wait your turn--which would be 1980. Mr. Bush, you're next. Now Mr. Majority Leader Bob Dole.
No sitting president or practical ex-veep in the wings in 2000? Then who's the governor of Texas these days? Recruit him.
Once upon a time, there was a whole generation of voters--legal voters, in their 20s--who couldn't remember a presidential election without a Bush or a Dole on the ballot.
The Democrats took a different approach, and lined up behind the fella (and it was always a fella) who won the first couple of primaries. All aboard the Dukakis train! Or maybe that peanut farmer from Georgia. Or that guy from Arkansas, whutzhizname?
Over time, both ways of finding a nominee worked. And didn't. Neither was really an advantage for either party.
Now, however, we hear rumblings: Could the Democrats be looking for somebody to run in turn? Did Hillary Clinton's campaign not teach much?
Still, we see the oddmakers in politics, aka syndicated columnists. And three names keep coming up for the Democrat nomination in 2020:
Biden, Sanders, Clinton.
Given that the Republicans co-opted their way of doing business--who seriously considered Donald Trump three years ago?--maybe the Dems are on to something. They'd better be: They're on a losing streak of one.
Editorial on 07/21/2018