Top Ten Failed Candidates

[President Mitt]

What are your Top Ten Failed Presidential Candidates (Primary and General will work)?

Mine:
1. Jerry Brown, 1976 Surprising, I know, but the 1970's Jerry Brown was actually Fiscally Conservative, and Socially Libertarian, today he's just a Neo-Pelosi (What a shame)

2. Howard Baker, 1980 I still like Ronnie, but Baker probably would have been our best President ever had he won.

3. Henry Clay, 1824, 1832, or 1848, A bastard, but a smart bastard.

4. John Q. Adams, 1828, That damn Andrew Jackson never let Adams get any of his agenda out, which would have helped in the long run.

5. John Bell, 1860, I think this guy could have held off the Civil War. I mean the only philosophy he had was to "compromise".

6. William H. Taft, 1912, TR went off the hook on this one. Taft busted more trusts than Teddy himself, and Wilson is still an asshole.

7. Robert Dole, 1996, I still supported Clinton, but I think Dole would have been a decent President.

8. John McCain, 2000, This was the John McCain who hadn't sold himself out to the Religious Right.

9. Nelson Rockefeller, 1964, 1968, Goldwater brought those bible thumpers into the GOP, Rocky definitely wouldn't have done that.

10. Richard Nixon, 1960, He would have been a third term for Eisenhower, Sounds good to me.

[President Mitt]

And you are mistaken Gio...

Goldwater was very much opposed to the Religious Right.  And I think if Reagan had any clue was the Religious Right would become, he woudl have stayed away from them too.

You are correct that Goldwater was opposed to them, but whether unintentionally, or intentionally, he started the process where they came in and slowly took control.

[President Mitt]

1) George McGovern in 1972
2) Jimmy Carter in 1980- No Reagan!
3) Walter Mondale in 1984- No [more] Reagan!
4) Mike Dukakis in 1988- No Dubya, most likely.
5) Adlai Stevenson in 1952- Ike wasn't bad, but Stevenson was just as moderate and more progressive on Civil Rights.
6) Adlai Stevenson in 1956- Same reason.
7) Al Gore in 2000, for the obvious reason.
Jerry Brown in 1976- If only 'cause I'm writing an alternative history on another site with the premise, and I'd love to see how it turned out in real life.

In the interests of bipartisanship, a few token Republicans:

9) The non-crazy 2000 version of John McCain
10) Thomas Dewey. I like Truman, but Dewey was a good guy.

Yes, ive seen it, and demand you post it here. .....................................