Adlai was the 27th Veep, under Grover Cleveland.
Read more about this political cartoon here.
Historic Richard Mentor Johnson Political Cartoon
Background Info: VP Richard Mentor Johnson is shown sitting down with his hands covering his eyes, turning his head away from the illegitimate daughters he fathered. Johnson was a Kentucky slaveholder who was not exactly “discreet” about his dealings with the slave women. He had two daughters — Imogene and Adeline — with his mulatto ex-slave housekeeper, Julia Chinn. After she died, he shacked up with another half-African woman and had two more daughters out-of-wedlock. After his election in 1836, there were rumors he had an affair with an 18-year-old mulatto woman, which annoyed his coworkers in Congress who thought he devoted too much time to these concubines.
Romney VP Auditions In Full Swing
If you blink over the next few weeks, you might miss a LOT of VP try-outs! Now that Romney is pretty much a done deal for the Republican nomination, he’s stopped going it alone and started bringing his rag-tag bunch of hobos along with him everywhere. They’re not just there to put mustard on his sandwich, though. They’re looking to patch up any holes they have in their robes and step into the spotlight to talk about everything from Obama’s weaknesses to foreign policy. These merry men (and women) are pledging their loyalty to Romney and showing him that they have what it takes to get out and speak in front of the American people. In the back of his mind, Romney’s trying to stay grounded and ask himself: “Who do I trust most? Who appears most Presidential? Who can I delegate some of my most important tasks to? Who do the voters love best of all? Who can help me beat the Democrats?”
Marco Rubio
At the end of last month, Romney swung through Pennsylvania with Florida Senator Marco Rubio. In fact, Rubio was Romney’s #1 pick to stump with him once the others dropped out of the race, making Mitt the presumptive nominee. While on tour, Romney defended Marco Rubio’s plan to address immigration, saying that — unlike the DREAM Act — it “does not create a new category of citizenship for certain individuals.”
According to Julie Hirschfield at Bloomberg Business Week, “Rubio received a rousing reception from hundreds of voters in the warehouse of Mustang Expediting, a transport company, who cheered loudly as he spoke about Romney, his own experience growing up in an immigrant family in the U.S., and his belief in U.S. ideals of self-sufficiency and upward mobility.”
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/The New York Times via Redux
Kelly Ayotte
In New Hampshire, Kelly Ayotte went on a tour of fishing boats with Mitt Romney last week. According to Bloomberg News, this was Ayotte’s “second audition” in just a few short weeks. In the past, Mitt enjoyed working with women, as we’ve mentioned. The 43-year-old told reporters, “The governor will do a thorough vetting process and pick who he thinks is best, and I just want to do whatever I can to make sure that he gets elected president of the United States.” Like a good understudy, Ayotte stood by Mitt’s side as he spoke with local fisherman and interjected to ask poignant questions or back Mitt’s message. She joined in the cheering squad for him and left with parting words borrowed from Mitt’s own trove of campaign slogans: “I just have one message for our fisherman and to every small business owner in this country, who struggles every day to earn success and fights for the American dream: Help is on the way!”
Photo by AP, Jim Cole
Bob McDonnell
Romney spent May 3rd with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. Michele Bachmann came along for the ride too. When introducing Romney, Bob declared, “For those of you not from here, welcome to the most business-friendly state in America, the Commonwealth of Virginia, welcome to the state with the lowest unemployment rate in the Southeast. Now as good as that is, imagine how much better off we’re going to be with President Mitt Romney?” Romney rebutted by saying McDonnell was “one of the greatest governors in the history of this great Commonwealth. What a phenomenal leader he is.” Sound like Presidential material? Trustworthy? It appears Romney thinks so! When asked if he’d be VP, McDonnell coyly replies, “Look, I’m not even thinking about that. You know, I’ve got Thomas Jefferson’s job, I’m not looking for another one.”
And So… The Awkward Dating Phase Continues…
We’ll be keeping our ears low to the ground and our eyes peeled to see who is in the news stumping with Romney in the weeks and months to come. Perhaps you’re wondering, “When will Mitt Romney announce a running mate???” We can anticipate a running mate announcement likely a week or so before the start of the Republican National Convention on August 27th.
Joe Biden Stirs The Pot With Gay Marriage Remarks
It’s a historic moment for the LGBF community. First, the Vice President appears on national television to say he’s “completely comfortable” with the idea of men marrying men and women wedding women. Then, the POTUS gives a speech on national television to say that he’s come around on his position — and he agrees! Surely, this will be a point of distinction between Republicans and Democrats this election cycle. What’s neat about Joe Biden is that he initiates progressive conversations like this… and he sets the precedent. Courage? Leadership? I think so.
Historic John C. Calhoun Political Cartoon
Description Courtesy of TeachAmericanHistory.org:
Foreseeing political death for the Democrats in the election, the artist imagines a funeral of the
party’s standard-bearers with a procession of the faithful. Democratic senators (left to right) Sam Houston
of Texas, Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri, (obscured unidentified man), and South Carolina’s John
Calhoun carry a litter bearing the bodies of Van Buren, as a fox, and Lewis Cass, as a gas balloon (an
unflattering play on his last name). Cass expels clouds of gas from his mouth. Benton carries a slip of
paper with the words, “Last of the Family Reign.” Calhoun carries an iron collar or manacle labeled
“Slavery.” They are followed by a second group of pallbearers: Ohio Senator William Allen, former Van
Buren advisor Amos Kendall, New Hampshire Democratic leader Levi Woodbury, and former general
William Worth, who carry a stretcher bearing retiring President Polk (with cloven hoofs and a devil’s
tail). Kendall also carries a document labeled “Latest Despatch” while Worth holds his “Military Comi—
[Commission?],” possibly alluding to his role in the Scott-Pillow controversy. (See “Self-Inflating
Pillow,” no. 1848-2.) An empty “Sub Treasury” box lies open next to Polk on the stretcher. The
Independent or “Sub Treasury” bill was a widely criticized measure passed by the Polk administration in
August 1846. All of the mourners wear clerical robes. A tombstone for the newspaper “Washington
Union” is at left and a monument “To the Memory of Democracy” at right.
Who Doesn’t Want To Be #2 This Week
Every week, prospective VP contenders appear in the national spotlight on news programs. Every week, journalists ask if they’d like to be the Vice President — probably hoping to catch another Freudian slip like the one Marco Rubio recently made! Yet, it’s all part of the song and dance to act like you don’t want it and take the job when it’s offered to you. Otherwise, you risk appearing ungrateful for the job you have and your popularity points plummet. Worse yet, you appear desperate — like you’re pining to be a runner-up, a side-kick, a #2. Here’s an update for this week…
Look Who Doesn’t Want To Be VP This Week:
- Jeb Bush: He told reporters: ”I’m not going to be vice president. I’m an active supporter of Gov. Romney. I humbly suggest he seriously consider Marco Rubio.”
- Marco Rubio: He told Chris Wallace: “There are multiple ways that someone can help our nominee and I look forward to doing that.” Yet, his jab at VP Biden a moment later shows that he’s testing out the debate waters. He added, “Joe Biden’s record on foreign policy is one of being wrong on virtually everything he’s ever advised or anything he’s ever asked for. He’s a very nice person, but Vice President Biden has a tendency to say some interesting things, to say the least.”
- Newt Gingrich: He told Bob Schieffer on Face The Nation: “Would you pick me? I am so much my own agent, it would be—it’s inconceivable. Romney is going to pick someone who is younger.”
So… Is That A Maybe?
Then there was New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte who told NBC’s Meet The Press that the VP should be someone who could also serve as President. She took the bait when asked whether she was qualified to be President and argued: ”I have—some would say—better experience than Barack Obama had when he was a senator and ran, having been the chief law enforcement officer of my state. I serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee.” She quickly added, “But again, what it comes down to for me, it’s serving New Hampshire.” She recommended Rubio and Portman for VEEP.
You Want What Job?!
Last week, during a stop at a Plainsboro, New Jersey high school, Chris Christie spoke off-the-cuff and said he might be persuaded to join the Republican presidential ticket. ”He might be able to convince me… He’s a convincing guy,” Christie said. Moments later, he assured the crowd he “wasn’t going anywhere”… but it’s clear he wouldn’t mind a one-way-ticket to DC.
