Steve Sloan wrote:
>
> "Baardwijk, J. van DTO/SLBD/BGM/SVM/SGM" wrote:
>
> > First Daddy Bush became president, and later his son. I am
> > honestly surprised that the US does not have a law against
> > several generations of the same family occupying the White
> > House.
>
> So far, there hasn't been a need. Besides the Bushes, the US
> has only elected a father and son to the presidency one other
> time, when they elected John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and
> that was almost 200 years ago. So, it doesn't happen often
> enough for a law to be necessary.
>
> (Somebody please smack me up-side the head if I've forgotten
> any other father-son presidents.)
No, that's it for father-son, but I believe Benjamin Harrison was
William Henry Harrison's grandson. Seeing as the elder Harrison died
about 6 weeks after his inauguration, I don't think he had much
influence over his grandson's presidency.
> > I mean, that does give an awful lot of power to just one
> > family. What if later on one of his daughters would become
> > president? That way, the Bush family would be on its way
> > to become something similar to the Royal Families we have
> > in Europe. (I know there is a word for one family running
> > the country for generations, I just cannot remember it
> > right now. Oligarchy?)
>
> Oh, you mean like the Kennedys? ;-)
Ouch. ;)
An oligarchy doesn't necessarily mean that it's all in the hands of one
family, just a small group that may or may not be a family. But a
family running the country for generations would fit into the
definition.
> > On the positive side, we will know *one* thing for sure
> > when one of GWB's girls becomes president: she won't
> > repeat history, and place a ban on alcohol... <grin>
>
> <groan>
> :-)
Well, I hope that if Jenna becomes president, she's careful not to do it
while she has kids in college, lest one of them break down crying about
how he isn't getting to be a normal college student like all his
classmates. (I kinda feel sorry for her, but if she doesn't have the
sense to figure out how to get alcohol before she's legal without
getting busted for it, there's a limit as to how much sympathy I'll give
her.)
Julia
who never got caught, partly because she was never dumb enough to try to
buy drinks at a bar when she was underage
