Could History Repeat Itself? Harrison vs. McCain
There are quite a few similarities between our Ninth President Harrison, and McCain. The author of the article Lee Culpepper states;
"voters can look beyond McCain’s blemishes – the man has not crawfished on fighting the terrorists in their war against America. Assuming he receives the GOP Presidential nomination, voters should now seriously be considering whom he selects as his Vice President candidate. A strong conservative VP could inspire the conservative base. A Washington outsider with strong business experience that assuages McCain’s shortcomings would be ideal.
Something else to consider is that McCain would be the oldest President ever elected. He has already defied the odds. The average man’s life expectancy is 70 something. For pilots, it is lower than that. And for POWs it even lower. No one is wishing McCain harm. However, ignoring his age and health is just not smart. Enduring the level of stress he will encounter at his age, McCain simply faces a higher probability of not being able to serve a full term.
Coincidentally, America’s ninth President (William Henry Harrison) also ran on his military-hero reputation. There are a number of similarities. Some considered Harrison egotistical and ambitious. John Quincy Adams called Harrison “the most troublesome of all the office seekers during my administration.” Senator John Calhoun said of Harrison, “…he seems to enjoy his election as a mere affair of personal vanity.” And Andrew Jackson said, “The Republic…may suffer under the present imbecile chief, but the sober second thought of the people will restore it at our next presidential election.”
Harrison was, at the time, the oldest President ever elected. He was also the first to pass away in office. None of us know what the future holds. Could Vice President Romney be America’s “sober second thought”?
This is a very good example of what may likely happen. It is also a matter of history that President Harrison died only one month into his presidency according to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Henry_Harrison. I don't imagine a one month presidency could ever happen again, or could it? This risk certainly would be worth considering when looking at the running mates. America desprately needs to choose someone with presidential qualities should such an event happen.
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