[awm]

Several of the supposed top candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are currently working in the private sector, either employed by Fox News (i.e. Huckabee, Palin) or by their own political non-profits (Gingrich, and I think Romney).

Have we ever had a president who wasn't working for the government (either in some political office or for the US military) immediately before their election? Has there ever even been a major party nominee who wasn't working for the government at the time?

[Bbradley62]

Reagan and Carter were former governors; Nixon (in 1968) was a former VP.

Mondale was a former VP. Dole resigned his Senate seat one month before officially becoming his party's nominee at the 1996 convention.

So, yes, a lot. A couple of decades ago it was said that the position it was best to have when running for president was "unemployed millionaire".

[hrothgar]

awm, on 2010-November-07, 16:49, said:

Several of the supposed top candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are currently working in the private sector, either employed by Fox News (i.e. Huckabee, Palin) or by their own political non-profits (Gingrich, and I think Romney).

Have we ever had a president who wasn't working for the government (either in some political office or for the US military) immediately before their election? Has there ever even been a major party nominee who wasn't working for the government at the time?

Grover Cleveland is (probably) the answer you're looking for...
(He was Governor of New York before his first election; however, he was working as a lawyer prior to his second victory)

Andrew Jackson left the Senate a couple years before winning the Presidency (note sure if this counts)

[Bbradley62]

hrothgar, on 2010-November-07, 17:56, said:

Grover Cleveland is (probably) the answer you're looking for...
(He was Governor of New York before his first election; however, he was working as a lawyer prior to his second victory)

Andrew Jackson left the Senate a couple years before winning the Presidency (note sure if this counts)

So, what makes your two answers different from a multitude of others who weren't "working for the government (either in some political office or for the US military) immediately before their" presidential campaign?

[hrothgar]

Bbradley62, on 2010-November-07, 18:52, said:

So, what makes your two answers different from a multitude of others who weren't "working for the government (either in some political office or for the US military) immediately before their" presidential campaign?

they weren't employed by the government during their campaign.
I can't think of other examples when this wasn't true...

[blackshoe]

Lincoln ran for the US Senate twice in the years before he was elected President. He failed both times. Aside from running for those offices, he was, I believe, a practicing lawyer during the years before the 1860 election. He was elected to the House for one term (1846-1848).

[hrothgar]

blackshoe, on 2010-November-07, 19:21, said:

Lincoln ran for the US Senate twice in the years before he was elected President. He failed both times. Aside from running for those offices, he was, I believe, a practicing lawyer during the years before the 1860 election. He was elected to the House for one term (1846-1848).

good one

[Bbradley62]

hrothgar, on 2010-November-07, 18:57, said:

they weren't employed by the government during their campaign.
I can't think of other examples when this wasn't true...

Neither were the people I mentioned nor several/many others.

[y66]

Has there ever even been a major party nominee who wasn't working for the government at the time?

Wendell Wilkie

[awm]

Seems like there were a bunch who satisfy this requirement when it's stated strictly... but often the "in between" time is pretty short (like in the case of Jimmy Carter and Bob Dole, both of whom served in elected office roughly a year before the presidential election).

It still seems like it would be unusual to have someone who was out of office for roughly four years prior to the election to win, although it sounds like there are examples of that too (Nixon is a good one). Certainly I can't think of any who worked for the news media just prior to an election (rather than as a lawyer for example), but I guess the proliferation of very ideological TV and radio hosts is a recent thing.

Of course, it's quite possible that the Republicans don't nominate any of these people; their candidacy seems mostly promoted by Fox News to keep ratings up. One could easily see a current Republican governor ending up with the nomination for example.

[mike777]

awm, on 2010-November-08, 15:45, said:

Seems like there were a bunch who satisfy this requirement when it's stated strictly... but often the "in between" time is pretty short (like in the case of Jimmy Carter and Bob Dole, both of whom served in elected office roughly a year before the presidential election).

It still seems like it would be unusual to have someone who was out of office for roughly four years prior to the election to win, although it sounds like there are examples of that too (Nixon is a good one). Certainly I can't think of any who worked for the news media just prior to an election (rather than as a lawyer for example), but I guess the proliferation of very ideological TV and radio hosts is a recent thing.

Of course, it's quite possible that the Republicans don't nominate any of these people; their candidacy seems mostly promoted by Fox News to keep ratings up. One could easily see a current Republican governor ending up with the nomination for example.

Reagan was out of office more than 4 years.

As for 2012....Jed Bush and Romney will have been out of office more than 4 years.

On the Democratic side I cant think of one who might run in 2012.

[pooltuna]

awm, on 2010-November-07, 16:49, said:

Several of the supposed top candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are currently working in the private sector, either employed by Fox News (i.e. Huckabee, Palin) or by their own political non-profits (Gingrich, and I think Romney).

Have we ever had a president who wasn't working for the government (either in some political office or for the US military) immediately before their election? Has there ever even been a major party nominee who wasn't working for the government at the time?

Well we can start with Washington

[mike777]

pooltuna, on 2010-November-08, 16:27, said:

Well we can start with Washington

Washington elected in 1789 but he was in govt in 1787


"Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787 because of his dissatisfaction with the weaknesses of Articles of Confederation that had time and again impeded the war effort. Washington became President of the United States in 1789."

http://en.wikipedia....orge_Washington

[Bbradley62]

awm, on 2010-November-08, 15:45, said:

One could easily see a current Republican governor ending up with the nomination for example.

It might also be interesting to keep track of the retiring or term-limited Republican governors who are now leaving office: Bob Riley (AL), Jodi Rell (CT), Sonny Perdue (GA), Linda Lingle (HI), Tim Pawlenty (MN), Donald Carcieri (RI), Mike Rounds (SD) and Jim Douglas (VT). Only Pawlenty has any kind of national profile, but ex-governors have a way of promoting themselves when they're interested.

[Bbradley62]

I actually think sitting governor Haley Barbour is the one to watch, and that scares the crap out of me.

[hrothgar]

Four years ago, everyone "knew" that Hillary Clinton was going to be the Democratic nominee for the 2008 Presidential election.
I think that its far too early to make any kind of reasonable prediction about the Republicans in 2012.

[Bbradley62]

Yeah, but Democrats and Republicans are different in that way... Democratic presidential nominees frequently come from out of nowhere, but Republican nominees seldom do.

[gwnn]

doesn't Obama still have a huge approval rate?

[Bbradley62]

gwnn, on 2010-November-09, 10:01, said:

doesn't Obama still have a huge approval rate?

No. His "personal approval" rating is high among Democrats, meaning they still like him as a person, but his "performance approval" is very low.

[USViking]

I have not read anything here past the opening post; apologies
to those who answered before me.

Quote

Have we ever had a president who wasn't working for the government (either in some political office or for the US military) immediately before their election?

Without looking anything up, here are those I am quite sure of:

1980 Reagan
1968 Nixon
1952 Eisenhower
1860 Lincoln
1788 Washington

I also believe Carter 1976 was no longer a governor. I want to say
Clinton 1992 was not either, and it is embarrasing to be uncertain
about such a relatively recent candidate.

I also think it is likely several who had become famous as generals
besides Washington (farmer) and Eisenhower (President of Columbia
University) had retired from the military before their election.

Quote

Has there ever even been a major party nominee who wasn't working for the government at the time?

I am quite sure of these:

Mondale 1984
T. Roosevelt 1912 (3rd party Progressive, but 2nd in popular vote)
McClellan 1864

And there are bound to be others.