Anything for a Vote

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History does repeat itself. You'd think they'd know better by now!

Think this has been a wild election year? Well, it hasn't been the first. Funny how history repeats itself.

Too tough, too soft, too smart, too dumb, too old (John McCain isn't the first to have heard it), or just downright crazy. Those are some of the kinder things presidential candidates have been accused of.

From George Washington to George Bush and on to Barack Obama, presidents and their campaigns have virtually all come with baggage, some real, some invented by the other side. The author has done a great job of putting together anecdotes for every presidential election in American history up to the current one (which may need a volume all to itself, but I digress).

Take a break from the current crazy election year politics. Read this book. Laugh a little - or a lot. It'll help take the edge off the next few months leading up to November 4th.

Have You Read this Book?

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Anything for a Vote

by Joseph Cummins

Anything for a Vote

About the book: Full of sleazy anecdotes from every presidential election in United States history, Anything for a Vote is a valuable reminder that history does repeat itself, that lessons can be learned from the past (though they usually aren't), and that our most famous presidents are not above reproach when it comes to the dirtiest game of all - political campaigning.

Do you think "politics" and "dirty tricks" go hand in hand?

Is there any such thing as a "clean" election?

Tell the world what you think of this year's candidates for president.

Is your favorite presidential candidate running a clean campaign?

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My favorite candidate does not resort to dirty tricks!

skiesgreen says:

Nice to meet you so I joined your fan club. Have a wonderful, safe, joy filled and loving holiday season and extra special 2011 to follow. Norma

Margo_Arrowsmith says:

Yes, Obama did. But if you want dirty you should see what Liddy Dole did for the NC Senate. The dirtiest I have ever seen, but even though she was an incumbent, she lost.

JaguarJulie says:

Yes, I would say that my favorite presidential candidateS ran a clean campaign -- Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. Now, that is an interesting pair! You know, this book title would be a great subject for another lens about what people will do for a vote. ;) ;)

mulberry says:

I prefer a clean campaign, but I think it is hard as so many people are involved (including media) which dredges up even insignificant stuff that candidates are pressured into responding to off the cuff.

A clean campaign? You're kidding, right?

YayasHome says:

I'm not sure any of 'em would know a clean campaign if it hit 'em in the face. In fact, it's been so long since we've seen a clean campaign that I'm not sure I would recognize one, either. *sigh

Einsteinium says:

I wish it were possible to win while running a clean campaign.

JaguarJulie says:

Ah, did you happen to catch Blago on The Today Show today talking about the celebrity reality show -- about eating bugs in Costa Rica? Thankfully he will NEVER be a presidential candidate!!!

Cari_Kay says:

I did not care for either of the major candidates. I think, like others, both had dirty hands. I've said time and again, if Senator McCain had not running against President-elect Obama, he could easily have been the VP choice (and vice versa). Time for this country to seriously consider voting in a third party and after the next four years, I think that might happen (hopefully!).

vickiec says:

Due to my cynicism and the state of our country these days, I feel that if the candidates had anything worthwhile to say about themselves or the type of job they would do if elected, they wouldn't need to resort to "dirty" campaigning. Not to mention if they did run a clean campaign, it would probably get less than an acceptable amount of news coverage.

Media drives our society and sadly, doesn't seem to care all that much about people doing or saying the "right" things. Now let some nobody that you rarely hear from spout off something "politically incorrect" and MSNBC, Fox and CNN will trip over each other to get the story aired first.

 

Candidates Really Will Say Anything for a Vote!

A few quotations from the book, and some from the candidates.

1828: Andrew Jackson vs. John Quincy Adams - "Bible-thumping Republicans described Andrew Jackson's wife as a 'dirty black wench' and worse."

1912: Woodrow Wilson vs. Theodore Roosevelt vs. William Howard Taft - "Taft is a fathead . . . with the brains of a guinea pig." - Theodore Roosevelt

1928: Herbert Hoover vs. Al Smith - "How bad were the anti-Catholic slurs? Consider the following: At the time of the election, New York's Holland Tunnel was just being completed. Republicans circulated pictures of Al Smith at the mouth of the tunnel, declaring that it really led 3,500 miles under the Atlantic Ocean to Rome - to the basement of the Vatican."

1960: John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon - "'Tricky Dick' Nixon actually ran a far cleaner campaign than Kennedy. Faced with attack ads, such as the glowering picture of Nixon over the headline, 'Would You Buy a Used Car from This Man?' Nixon hammered away at his opponent's 'inexperience' in foreign affairs and his lack of a really viable agenda for the country."

1992: William Jefferson Clinton vs. George H. W. Bush - "All I've been asked about by the press are a woman I didn't sleep with and a draft I didn't dodge." - Bill Clinton

(All of the quotations above are from Anything for a Vote copyright 2007 by Joseph Cummins)

Posters fit for Presidents

. . and presidential candidates

I like the campaign posters that make up the cover of Anything for a Vote. In case you like presidential posters, too, here are a few for your consideration. Note that a portion of any purchase from this page becomes a donation to Donors Choose.org. (See details at the bottom of this page.)

Bill Clinton Poster

Bill Clinton Poster

Bill Clinton poster by Peter Max0 points

Poster - For All - Hillary Clinton

Poster - For All - Hillary Clinton

FREE SHIPPING on this item when you purchase 2 or more...0 points

Obama, Barack - Campaign Poster

Obama, Barack - Campaign Poster

This is a 11" x 17" (approx.) campaign p more...0 points

Poster - Political Differences - John McCain - 18.75 x 27.5

Poster - Political Differences - John McCain - 18.75 x 27.5

FREE SHIPPING on this item when you purchase 2 or more...0 points

Ronald Reagan Election Advertisement 80s Retro Print

Ronald Reagan Election Advertisement 80s Retro Print

Poster Reads: Make My Day!! Elect Me President Ronald more...0 points

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon / TIME Cover: November 12, 1956, Framed Art Print by TIME Magazine

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon / TIME Cover: November 12, 1956, Framed Art Print by TIME Magazine

The most eagerly awaited event in the editorial cy more...0 points

Poster - Hillary Clinton For President

Poster - Hillary Clinton For President

FREE SHIPPING on this item when you purchase 2 or more...0 points

The Author's Blog

Don't miss Joseph Cummins' posts about the current presidential election.

Anything for a Vote - the Blog
"What do men gain by elective goverments, if fools and knaves have the same chance to obtain the highest office, as honest men?" --Noah Webster to Thomas Jefferson, 1801

More Books by Joseph Cummins

Vote for your favorites, or add any I missed.

History's Great Untold Stories: The Larger Than Life Characters and Dramatic Events That Changed the World by Joseph Cummins

History's Great Untold Stories: The Larger Than Life Characters and Dramatic Events That Changed the World by Joseph Cummins

This eye-catching volume combines vivid first-hand more...0 points

The Snow Train by Joseph Cummins

The Snow Train by Joseph Cummins

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Cannibals: Shocking True Tales of the Last Taboo on Land and at Sea

Cannibals: Shocking True Tales of the Last Taboo on Land and at Sea

Twenty collected true accounts of humans eating hu more...0 points

BeerSmarts: Tap Your Knowledge by Joseph Cummins

BeerSmarts: Tap Your Knowledge by Joseph Cummins

Do you know a porter from a stout? Or a lager from more...0 points

BabySmarts by Joseph Cummins

BabySmarts by Joseph Cummins

Overwhelmed by all those baby books? Play BabySmar more...0 points

Dirty Tricks in the News

Live news feed, updated hourly (to keep up with it all!)

Tories ask court to throw out bid to nullify election results over alleged ...
OTTAWA ? The Conservative party has asked a court to toss out a series of legal challenges that are attempting to overturn the results from seven ridings in the last federal election, saying the litigation offers no solid evidence that anyone was ...
NUM leaders decry dirty tricks ahead of elections
The leadership battle in the NUM, the Congress of South African Trade Unions' largest affiliate, is a tightly fought contest, with consequences for elections this year in Cosatu as well as in the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African ...
Democracy at work
Of course, there is no way of knowing if the elections have been fair. There have been enough dirty tricks and behind the scenes deals over the last year to make anyone suspicious of what is really happening. America needed to be pleased, for example, ...

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POSTSCRIPT OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE

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