# Bob Dole is 97 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 17, 2020, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549 "2020-07-17T04:40:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/21 "2020-07-17T21:44:09Z")
I can think of an “excuse”. Remember how they used to talk about whether or not Trump would “pivot” during the campaign, especially after he got the nomination, and essentially stop campaigning like an asshole? Of course he did not, and that should have been a clue, but I can still see conservatives believing that once Trump got in office, he could settle in and become, for lack of a better term, a “regular” president. Again, this did not happen, but I don’t think it was an unreasonable hope. If Trump had done that, then undoubtedly in the minds of conservatives he would have been a much better president that Clinton. So to me, the real tragedy is not that Republicans chose Trump in the first place, but that they have been essentially supportive of him throughout the last 3 1/2 years, and have been silent on all the atrocities he has committed in office. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/22 "2020-07-17T22:32:30Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I can still see conservatives believing that once Trump got in office, he could settle in and become, for lack of a better term, a “regular” president. Or if not that, he would be an easily malleable rubber stamp for the Republican party without an agenda of his own. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/23 "2021-02-19T00:56:07Z")
He announced today that he has stage 4 lung cancer, and will “start treatment” on Monday. Most likely, that treatment will be palliative at the most. I did vote for him in 1996, and wish him the best in his final days. > **[Bob Dole diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bob-dole-diagnosed-stage-4-lung-cancer-n1258241)** > > Dole, 97, said he'd begin treatment next week. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/24 "2021-02-19T02:58:19Z")
Huh. If Carter, Mondale, and Dukakis all survive him, there will be nine living people who have been Democratic presidential nominees and only three who have been Republican nominees. (Seriously MPSIMS, but it struck me as an interesting historical oddity. I wonder if the gap has ever been that big before?) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/25 "2021-02-19T03:24:31Z")
Dole is unique in that he is the only living person who has lost two presidential elections. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/26 "2021-02-19T03:34:33Z")
And the dead ones? Adlai Stevenson, . . . ? Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/27 "2021-02-19T03:37:09Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Dole is unique in that he is the only living person who has lost two presidential elections. 1996 and ? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/28 "2021-02-19T03:42:17Z")
In 1976 he was Ford’s VP candidate, but never held the office. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/29 "2021-02-19T03:44:31Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Anyone else? Thomas Dewey, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/30 "2021-02-19T03:54:05Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Dole is unique in that he is the only living person who has lost two presidential elections. If you are counting vice-presidential races, Walter Mondale, who is still alive, lost as vice president in 1980 and president in 1984. > [@eschereal](#): > > Thomas Dewey, I think. Yes, 1944 and 1948. William Jennings Bryan lost 3 presidential elections in 1896, 1900, and 1908. Henry Clay also lost 3 times. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/31 "2021-02-19T03:54:08Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > In 1976 he was Ford’s VP candidate, but never held the office. Walter Mondale won in 1976 as the VP candidate, but lost in 1980 as the VP, and lost in 1984 as the presidential candidate. So he’s 1-2. ninja’ed by @Colibri ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/32 "2021-02-19T04:00:55Z")
Yes, but the reason I do not count Mondale is that he was VP for 4 years, even though he lost twice – I was only counting those who had never been PotUS or VP. It also seems that the most frustrated candidate may have been William Jennings Bryan, who made 3 failed attempts at the WH. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/33 "2021-02-19T04:30:49Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > It also seems that the most frustrated candidate may have been William Jennings Bryan, who made 3 failed attempts at the WH. ? Only counting major party candidates? Because, e.g., Eugene Debs and Ralph Nader both had more failed presidential campaigns than that. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/34 "2021-02-19T05:46:14Z")
Well, I guess one could count Ross Perot, except, he never even got one EV (and he is gone). If our system provided realistic third-party access, I would consider it, but the last person not D or R to acquire significant electoral votes was George Wallace in 1968. (It looks like Strom Thurmond earned EVs in 1948 and some more as VP to Byrd in 1960, but not very many). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/35 "2021-02-19T06:46:38Z")
And it absolutely boggles my mind how few people ever heard of Geraldine Ferraro. If you don’t know: > **[Geraldine Ferraro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_Ferraro)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > > Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 – March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in the 1984 presidential election, running alongside Walter Mondale; this made her the first female vice-presidential nominee representing a major American political party.\[nb 1\] She was also a journalist... ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/36 "2021-02-19T06:47:10Z")
Anyone know if he was a heavy smoker? His opinion on the subject: [1996] “Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole bulled his way back into the debate over smoking Tuesday, insisting once again that tobacco may not be addictive and that criticism of his position by C. Everett Koop came about because the former Reagan administration surgeon general was “probably a little bit” brainwashed by “the liberal media.”” > **[Dole Revives Issue of Smoking's Effects](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-03-mn-20803-story.html)** > > Politics: The GOP presidential hopeful again questions tobacco's addictive propensity. He attributes Koop criticism to media "brainwashing." ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/37 "2021-02-19T17:01:03Z")
I don’t know if he ever smoked, but I did just learn that he’s got lung cancer, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lantern2/32/3010_2.png) [@Lantern2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern2)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/38 "2021-02-19T17:52:31Z")
How many WW2 vets who later became major US political figures are still alive? With the passing of George Shultz I think we are down to Dole and Kissinger. It’s remarkable to think that they are in the same generation as JFK who was only 6 years older. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/39 "2021-02-19T18:26:05Z")
It all depends on who you consider a major US political figure. For example Ramsey Clark, LBJ’s Attorney General: dropped out at the age of 17 in order to join the [United States Marine Corps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps), seeing action in Western Europe in the final months of [World War II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II);[[7]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsey_Clark#cite_note-landsbio-7) he served until 1946. > **[Ramsey Clark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsey_Clark)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > William Ramsey Clark (December 18, 1927 – April 9, 2021) was an American lawyer, activist, and federal government official. A progressive, New Frontier liberal, he occupied senior positions in the United States Department of Justice under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, serving as United States Attorney General from 1967 to 1969; previously, he was Deputy Attorney General from 1965 to 1967 and Assistant Attorney General from 19... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549/40 "2021-02-19T18:33:47Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Anyone know if he was a heavy smoker? From the LA Times article: > [@](#): > > Instead, their candidate [ie Dole] revived it–a move that is all the more unusual because, as he pointed out to Couric, he quit smoking himself and “lost my brother because he was a heavy smoker. He died of emphysema and the complication of a lot of other things. Cigarettes aren’t good for you.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-dole-is-97/915549.md?page=3)