Nepotism president

A nepotism president is one who was selected by their party mainly on the grounds of their family name, regardless of their actual merit for the job. If they are then appointed to the job while contested ballots are being counted by a Supreme Court loaded with several appointees of their family, friends, and former employers, that seals the case.

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Examples

General and ancient

The United States

In addition, there are several US political dynasties that have produced presidents but are less clear-cut examples, e.g. the TaftsFile:Wikipedia's W.svg (William Howard Taft and Robert A. Taft) and the Roosevelts (Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, distant cousins of each other, and Eleanor RooseveltFile:Wikipedia's W.svg first cousin of the former and distant cousin/wife of the latter).

The rest of the world

  • Canada: The Trudeaus (Justin Trudeau).
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Kabilas (Joseph KabilaFile:Wikipedia's W.svg).
  • Haiti: The Duvaliers (FrançoisFile:Wikipedia's W.svg and Jean-ClaudeFile:Wikipedia's W.svg).
  • India: The Nehru/Gandhi dynastyFile:Wikipedia's W.svg (Indira, Rajiv, and Sonia Gandhi who are all related to Jawaharlal Nehru, an important man himself, being prime-minister of India and all, but not the "real" Gandhi).
  • Indonesia: Founding president and darling of the Non-Aligned Movement SukarnoFile:Wikipedia's W.svg is the father of Indonesia's first woman president Megawati SukarnoputriFile:Wikipedia's W.svg. There was a 34 year gap. As vice-president, she became president after President Abdurrahman Wahid was impeached and only served the remaining term, as she did not win re-election.
  • Malaysia: Former Prime Minister Najib Razak is the son of Malaysia's secondFile:Wikipedia's W.svg and nephew of the thirdFile:Wikipedia's W.svg.
  • Nicaragua: The SomozasFile:Wikipedia's W.svg (Anastasio Somoza García (father), Luis Somoza Debayle (older son) and Anastasio Somoza Debayle (younger son) were all presidents/leaders of the national guard/unelected strongmen and de facto dictators of Nicaragua 1936-1979 and were pretty influential behind the scenes as early as the 1920s).
  • North Korea: The Kims (Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un).
  • Pakistan: The BhuttosFile:Wikipedia's W.svg (Benazir BhuttoFile:Wikipedia's W.svg and her husband Mr Ten Percent Asif Ali ZardariFile:Wikipedia's W.svg).
  • Peru: imprisoned former dictator Alberto Fujimori and almost-president Keiko FujimoriFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, both are "Fujimoristas"File:Wikipedia's W.svg
  • The Philippines: The Aquinos (Corazon AquinoFile:Wikipedia's W.svg).
  • Singapore: Lee Kuan Yew led Singapore forever before his son Lee Hsien Loong took the reins. There was a place holder in between though.
  • Sri Lanka: The first prime minister, Don Stephen Senanayake, was succeeded by his son Dudley Senanayake.
  • Syria: The Assads (Bashar al-Assad).
  • Togo: Faure Gnassingbé, son of Gnassingbé Eyadéma. (Interestingly enough, long-time opposition head Gilchrist Olympio is also the son of first president Sylvanus Olympio.)
  • United Kingdom: Prime Minister Neville ChamberlainFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, whose father Joseph and uncle Austen both held important ministerial roles (ironically, Neville is now considered one of history's greatest villains for his appeasement policy). Hilary BennFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, Stephen KinnockFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, and Winston Churchill's grandson Nicholas SoamesFile:Wikipedia's W.svg are other, more modest examples of hereditary legislators.

Similar concept: Wives and widows

In many parts of the world, particularly the Americas, wives of popular or powerful politicians often run for office in their own right, either to circumvent term limits or as a "substitute" for the dead man himself, if he died. Examples include:

  • Cristina Fernández de[3] Kirchner widow of former President Néstor Kirchner, started her first term while her husband was alive though term limited (Argentina)
  • Alabama: Lurleen Wallace, George Wallace's wife, was governor when her husband ran up against a prohibition on serving consecutive terms as governor.
  • The above mentioned Corazon Aquino was mostly elected as a "replacement" for her murdered husband
  • Violeta Barrios de Chamorro President of Nicaragua, 1990-1996; widow of popular journalist Pedro Joaquín Chamorro who was assassinated[4] in 1978
  • Isabel Martínez de Perón third wife and widow of Juan Perón of Argentina, who was president before the shit really hit the fan
  • Hillary Clinton attempted on several occasions to serve as POTUS, but ultimately could not find the support or cohesive political platform to succeed

Getting it wrong

Our dear friends at Conservapedia, headed by Saint Schlafly,[5] perhaps miffed about Dubya getting slapped with the nepotism label, decided to get back at the lib'ruls by calling Barack Obama an Affirmative action President.

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See also

References

  1. See the Wikipedia article on Commonwealth of England.
  2. He ran for a third after promising not to do so, which got him a close primary and a general election loss against one R Wilson Reagan - a middling actor and union leader past his prime
  3. "de" literally meaning "of" is the usual suffix between maiden name and married name in Latin America, in North American parlance she would be Cristina Kirchner (née Fernández)
  4. Either on Somoza's orders, or by people believing to do him a favor or by agents provocateurs
  5. What? Who said Phyllis?
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