Historical reference

Hey, guess how many times since the Civil War we've had a Presidential election where neither of the major party candidates had a previous job title of "President," "Vice President," or "Governor"? That would be one. Yes, one. And I'm sure you all remember the classic campaign of 1880, when Congressman James Garfield beat out General William Hancock.

As far as who's actually won, in the 37 elections since 1860 we've elected 17 guys whose last job was President; 10 governors, two Vice Presidents (the first Bush and Nixon), two generals (Eisenhower and Grant), and one Secretary of Commerce (Hoover) who promptly led the country into the Great Depression. Good thing he wasn't Secretary of Agriculture.

There were also three Senators and two Congressmen elected President in the past 150 years. That's it, just five guys. And four of these guys died in office. Yep, let's please have a moment of silence for Presidents Kennedy, Harding, Garfield, and Lincoln. The fifth one, Benjamin Harrison (who was a grandson of a President who died in office), served just one term and was trounced when he ran for re-election.

So when you decide who you're voting for this year, make sure you research those Vice Presidential candidates. That's all I'm saying.