Jim Hunt Quotes
In creating superdelegates, the Democratic Party recognized the expertise that its top holders of public office have gained by running for office themselves. They are experts at winning. They know the issues. They are in a unique position to evaluate presidential candidates.
Hunt, James B., Jr. "In Defense of Superdelegates." Politico, 20 Feb. 2008.
Although obvious oversimplifications, these were key strategic elements of these Presidential campaigns.
Stimson had been a key member of the Theodore Roosevelt national administration, and Roosevelt, before he became Vice President and then President had been a very popular governor of NY. Stimson, although a brilliant administrator, and statesman was a bit stuffy and aloof and was a terrible campaigner. He thought it immodest to refer to himself in public or to talk about his record. See {589269}. So the Republicans tried to tie him to Roosevelt who was still very popular. See {589268}. It was not enough. Stimson lost.
Referring to the 1988 presidential campaign:
Garner was asked if Franklin Delano Roosevelt's paralysis would preclude his presidential candidacy:
At the time of this statement neither major political party had a base large enough to win a Presidential election. The winner must get independent votes. However, much campaigning is done to motivate the base as without the base winning is also impossible.
Ironically, according to Plato and other political philosophers, one of the important qualifications for a leader is that he doesn’t believe that he is ready at the moment. In that sense Christie burnished his star. However, few politicians ever express any public doubt regarding their experience and qualifications.
At that time the Presidential nominee had influence but could not unilaterally determine who his running mate would be as the Party Conventions—especially the Democratic Party Convention—was wide open. The candidate joked in this quotation, but the party leaders were very unhappy with such an open convention and after the 1972 election which they lost handily, the rules were changed to give party leaders more influence. By the 21st century, the primary elections had all but made the party conventions a quaint celebration and no serious decisions were made by the party leaders or the party delegates.
James Baxter Hunt Jr. is an American politician and retired attorney who was the 69th and 71st Governor of North Carolina (1977–1985, and 1993–2001). He is the longest-serving governor in the state's history. After Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop accused the tobacco industry of directing advertising at children and threatening human lives, Hunt called for his impeachment. Hunt’s master’s thesis was about economic analysis of different tobacco production techniques. Hunt is tied with former Ohio governor Jim Rhodes for the fourth-longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history at 5,838 days.
