Why Not?!

[Argabarga]

I already knew who it was, I'm good at Presidential trivia.

A short list of non-bad-ass Presidents would probably include:

Martin Van Buren: Was criticized during his time as being a foppish "dandy" and for serving "unmanly" fare like fruit and celery to guests at the White House in lieu of hard liquor. Served one term before he got bounced out due to a weak economy, with his detractors calling him "Martin Van Ruin"

William Harrison: As mentioned, he was already elderly when elected, and croaked within the month. Even today, only one President was older than him when taking office. (Ronald Reagan). When your most remembered act as President, is dying of sickness, quickly, well, it don't get much unmanlier than that.

Franklin Pierce: "Handsome Frank" was said to have won election on his looks and charm and had little political skill or credentials. Was also apparently something of a lush, a confederate sympathizer, and after the assassination of Lincoln, an angry mob showed up on his lawn because he wasn't flying a flag in mourning.

James Buchanan: The only President from my home state. Sheesh, way to make us proud there, buddy. The Civil War was imminent at this point and he basically kept the seat warm until Lincoln took over so he could vacate and heap the blame on someone else. Historians were not fooled, he's consistently rated at the bottom. Guess we Keystone Staters should stay outta' politics and stick to what were good at, dodging potholes.

Chester Arthur: Like Pierce, another dapper/charmer President with little going for him. Was installed as Vice President under James Garfield due to notoriously corrupt New York City "machine" politics, and then gained the presidency when Garfield was assassinated by a whackjob who THOUGHT he was a member of said machine and that he was owed a government job. He shot Garfield for stalling to appoint him.......... A tragic case of tinfoil not being invented soon enough.

Gerald Ford: Fun Trivia: The only President to hold the office who was neither elected by popular vote nor assumed the office from the VP position. Basically, the only non-corrupt guy left standing after Nixon's impeachment/implosion who's most famous act as President was falling down the steps of Air Force One, thereby assuring Chevy Chase would have a comedy career. Basically kept the seat warm until the next election, where campaign buttons implored voters to "TRADE IN YOUR FORD"

[otakuneko]

"I'm a Ford, not a Lincoln!"

[Jester]

A short list of non-bad-ass Presidents would probably include:

Seriously, how would this list NOT include Benjamin Harrison. The grandson of William H., by all accounts he was completely ineffectual in everything he did. Some speculate that William H. actually died from utter embarrassment of his grandson.

Gerald Ford: Fun Trivia: The only President to hold the office who was neither elected by popular vote nor assumed the office from the VP position.

You've got it partly right. He was neither elected to the office of President nor Vice President by popular vote, but he did assume the office of President from the office of the VP, having been appointed by Nixon to be his VP after Spiro Agnew resigned from a scandal.

[Argabarga]

I should have added the caveat that he was appointed to VP, and not elected on the original ticket.

It's funny, how conspiracy kooks utterly ignore him, despite the fact that he's really their worst nightmare about Da Guvment (tm) run amok.... A man who became the legitimate President, despite never running for the office or collecting a single citizen's vote.... yet nobody seems to even remember his tenure, much less think it odd outside of a worth-20-on-trivia-night way.

[wolfie]

having been appointed by Nixon to be his VP after Spiro Agnew resigned from a scandal.

May not be accurate, since the place I read about it was a work of fiction set in the Vietnam war, but Spiro Agnew is the only veep whose name (when uttered as a comment) was a dismissive remark aimed at a particular group (in this case, feminists).

[Jester]

A man who became the legitimate President, despite never running for the office or collecting a single citizen's vote....

For clarification for people not familiar with US history, Ford did run for Congress, and did receive votes, as he was elected to Congress, multiple times. He did not, however, run for nor receive votes for federal office.

Yes, yes, Congress is federal office. But it is an office for which one only can receive votes from those in the seat's particular district, as opposed to President or Vice President, which can receive votes from the entire nation. So I guess I mean to say "national office" rather than "federal office."

It's 5:00 am. Sue me.

May not be accurate, since the place I read about it was a work of fiction set in the Vietnam war, but Spiro Agnew is the only veep whose name (when uttered as a comment) was a dismissive remark aimed at a particular group (in this case, feminists).

First I've ever heard if it. And while I have an excellent command of the English language, I have no idea how his name is dismissive remark to any group, let alone that particular group.

[Ironclad Alibi]

The text below is from a 1975 editorial cartoon by Mike Peters.

Man: Pardon me… I’ve just returned from Africa after 3 years in the Peace Corps and I’d like to work here in the Justice Department for Attorney General Mitchell…

Woman: Oh, I’m sorry but Mr. Mitchell resigned and was replace by Richard Kleindienst.

Man: Kleindienst!! Attorney General? No kidding… OK. Well can he give me an interview?

Woman: Oh no. You see Mr. Kleindienst quit and was replaced by Attorney General Elliot Richardson.

Man: Elliot Richardson! Swell! We went to the same college. Can you tell him I’m here?

Woman: Oh, I’m sorry no… You see Mr. Richardson was fired and was replaced by acting Attorney General Bork.

Man: Attorney General Bork?

Woman: Yes, but then he resigned and Bill Saxbe took over, but then he left for India and was replaced by Edward Levi…

Man: Levi? Bork?... Has this place gone mad?... Why doesn’t President Nixon do something?

Woman: But sir, President Nixon resigned also…

Man: GOOD GOD, YOU MEAN AGNEW’S PRESIDENT?

Woman: No, you see…

[wolfie]

May not be accurate, since the place I read about it was a work of fiction set in the Vietnam war, but Spiro Agnew is the only veep whose name (when uttered as a comment) was a dismissive remark aimed at a particular group (in this case, feminists).

First I've ever heard if it. And while I have an excellent command of the English language, I have no idea how his name is dismissive remark to any group, let alone that particular group.

It's an anagram. The numbers give the letters' positions in the re-ordering.

Spiro Agnew
10000 00000
06923 51874

[Jester]

Ooooohhhhh.....okay.

Seems like a bit of a stretch, though. Pun fully intended.