# I want to shake the president's hand. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029 "2010-09-08T06:52:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/21 "2010-09-08T22:32:39Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I was leaving my office building to go get a coffee and ran straight into Prime Minister Chrétien, shaking hands with anyone on the street within range. Before I realised what was happening, I’d shaken hands with him. It was a bit odd, but I guess that’s how experienced politicians do it. Did he give you a [Shawinigan Handshake](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawinigan_Handshake)? ---
**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:** [September 10, 2010, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/22 "2010-09-10T15:04:29Z")
Naah. I had the good sense not to heckle him. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/23 "2010-09-11T05:00:49Z")
Go to Iowa or New Hampshire during a campaign season. My cousin and her husband say you have to make an effort to avoid meeting candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/24 "2010-09-11T13:45:01Z")
I shook hands with Jimmy Carter during the 1976 campaign. It was fun. I was glad when he was elected. Later on my opinion of him politically and personally changed about 100% but it was still cool. ---
**Author:** ![tclouie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@tclouie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tclouie)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/25 "2010-09-12T03:17:15Z")
Hm, lots of posts by Clinton handshakers. Didn’t he have an unusually high handshaking count? I heard once that he used to drive the Secret Service crazy by plunging into crowds. And then he was the last pre-9/11 prez. For that reason alone, I bet there’s not as many GWB handshakers as Clinton handshakers. True? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/26 "2010-09-12T03:30:37Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Work in the kitchen of a place hosting an event attended by a President; they always come in through the kitchen. That’s how my wife shook Bill Clinton’s hand. Or a candidate, as Sirhan B. Sirhan figured out. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/27 "2010-09-12T03:38:45Z")
> [@Plan\_B](#): > > I shook hands with Jimmy Carter during the 1976 campaign. Same here. In Austin, the day before the Texas primary. Then I was an election judge in Colorado for the 1980 primary, and they wouldn’t let me wear my John Anderson badge. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029/28 "2010-09-12T06:47:36Z")
> [@tclouie](#): > > Hm, lots of posts by Clinton handshakers. Didn’t he have an unusually high handshaking count? I heard once that he used to drive the Secret Service crazy by plunging into crowds. Oh, yeah - Bubba was a rock star. He’d crowd-surf if he could get away with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-shake-the-presidents-hand/553029.md?page=1)