Much talk about the political Establishment focuses on the “Deep State” or unelected portion of the federal government: its power and entrenched nature. That’s quite a legitimate focus of concern. But there’s another area that deserves attention: the dominance of particular families in elections for the highest offices, win or lose.
Here’s a tidbit to ponder: From 1952 through 2004 there were fourteen presidential elections. Below are the Republican tickets in those elections:
- 1952: Eisenhower / Nixon
- 1956: Eisenhower / Nixon
- 1960: Nixon / Lodge
- 1964: Goldwater / Miller
- 1968: Nixon / Agnew
- 1972: Nixon / Agnew
- 1976: Ford / Dole
- 1980: Reagan / Bush
- 1984: Reagan / Bush
- 1988: Bush / Quayle
- 1992: Bush / Quayle
- 1996: Dole / Kemp
- 2000: Bush / Cheney
- 2004: Bush / Cheney
As we can see:
- There was a Nixon on five tickets;
- There was a Bush on six tickets;
- There was a Dole on two tickets.
Three families dominated Republican presidential politics through that fifty-two-year period – and the exception, 1964, saw the most stunning defeat of a Republican presidential ticket in more than a century.
Perhaps conservatives should pay more attention to family associations and the tendency for particular families to predominate in Republican politics.
