Who was the last VP pick that really mattered?

[jmaier]

When I look back over past elections, it seems to me that LBJ was the only VP who possibly positively influenced the outcome. Dukakis, who was cast as weak on defense, didn't get any bounce by putting a strong defense southerner on the ticket (Bentsen). Any thoughts?

[poskonig]

1. Lieberman

Helped Gore win Florida.

[Booberdawg]

2. Cheney!

He delighted the neocons!

[TLM]

3. Dan Quayle mattered a lot...

Cost Bush the election in 92. If Bush had a good VP, he would very likely have beat Clinton.

[pmbryant]

11. I don't buy that at all

Quayle mattered in '92, but not in '88? That doesn't make any sense to me.

I don't recall anyone back in 1992 thinking, 'Boy that President Bush. He'd have been good, solved the economy's problems and all, if it weren't for that nincompoop Quayle messing everything up.'

:D

--Peter

[jsw_81]

23. Quayle mattered in '88

Even though Quayle was mocked for his ignorance and stupidity, he did help deliver the whacko midwest/southern fundie vote to Bush. This group had always been leery of Bush (and ultimately abandoned him in '92), but when he chose young Danny in '88 they finally started to get comfortable and turned out in record numbers on election day.

[TexasSissy]

25. I agree. He helpt Papa Bush lose the election.

[vi5]

4. Yeah, as far back as 2000 with Cheney...

I know personally, off the top of my head, at least a dozen people who were iffy on Bush but once he got Cheney at the helm were more than happy to vote for that ticket. He offset any questions or issues a lot of people had with bush.

[auntpattywatty]

6. cheney runs the government and everybody knows that

[JI7]

8. agree

i'm sure there were some who would not have voted for bush at first because of his stupidity but ended up doing so because cheney was put on and there was someone who knew something.

[JI7]

5. not much

i think it helps especially if you expect a very close election such as the kennedy nixon elections were. but i think the top of the ticket is what mostly matters. in cases where a candidate has lost by a large amount i don't think it would have mattered who they picked as vp.

[CMT]

7. Gore

He did help Clinton in the south in '92 by helping to narrowly win Tennessee and also Kentucky.

I think it can be argued that Mondale helped Carter in '76 outside the south.

[JI7]

9. i think clinton did it on his own

because why didn't gore win those states when he himself was at the top ?

[jmaier]

10. I'd agree

I think Gore complemented Clinton ideologically on the ticket and together they looked like two presentable sharp dudes BUT I don't think Gore had much actual effect on bringing in votes.

[CMT]

12. The Gore of '92 was different than the Gore of '00

He was much more identified with the south and Tennessee. He was considered a new democrat just like Clinton. Gore's 8 years away as VP hurt him in the south and in Tennessee.

[Atlant]

13. Lieberman, obviously. (NT)

[yellowcanine]

14. Yep - it was Johnson

Spiro Agnew - No
Walter Mondale - ? maybe insider helped the outsider
George HW Bush - ? doubtful
Al Gore - ? doubtful
Dicky Cheney - He probably helped Bush a little but then again, Bush still actually lost. Tom Ridge would have helped Bush more.
Lieberman - I don't think he actually helped that much. Hillary Clinton would have probably put Gore over the top without Florida and he probably would have won Florida by a large enough margin to keep Jebbie from stealing it.

on edit: Hee hee - I left Quayle out. Guess that means I don't think he helped Bush in either 88 or 92.

[jsw_81]

24. Agnew

Spiro Agnew definitely helped Nixon win in 1968. Agnew, while serving as governor of Maryland, really pissed off the black community by running as a moderate but governing as a "law and order" conservative. When Nixon chose him to be his running mate, it was a clear signal to blue-collar white voters that Nixon was on their side, and it also helped keep many of them from voting for George Wallace.

[rucky]

15. Cheney

Beltway experience & defense.

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. Geraldine Ferrara mattered

But not in any way that helped Mondale in the election.

[BootinUp]

21. Lol, good one!

But then again, isn't it hard to judge her effect when Mondale was at the top?

[Iverson]

17. John Tyler!

No, wait. I've changed my mind. Dan Quayle mattered in the sense that he was a bizzarre life insurance policy for GHWBush.

[FightinNewDem]

18. For better and worse

Lieberman: helped put Florida in play, but more importantly, helped offset some of the lingering concerns created by Bill Clinton's extracurricular activities.

Cheney: Sad to say it, but he gave Bush some gravitas on foreign and defense policy.

Dole: A negative. He actually managed to lose a debate against Fritz Mondale (no small feat) when he tried to blame WWI, WWII and Korea on the Democratic Party. A hatchet man run amok.

Gore: It was an unconventional move, which accented Clinton's positives (young, moderate) while boosting his national security cred. Remember, the Gore choice came out of nowhere; most of the speculation focused on Rust Belt labor-liberals like Harris Wofford and Paul Simon.

Stockdale: "Who am I? Why am I here"? We were left wondering the exact same thing, Admiral!

[beyurslf]

19. When was Dole a VP candidate?

[Iverson]

20. 1976

Ford didn't keep Rockefeller.

[Crunchy Frog]

22. Cheney

I don't think nearly as many people would have voted for the chimp without the perception that there was a grownup on the ticket would actually be running things.