Juniors

Have you noticed how many movers and shakers have the same names as their fathers? I was going to say "successful people" but we're talking politicians and businessmen, not how I measure success. Does "success" engender naming offspring after yourself or does naming a kid after yourself give them a leg up? Simply imponderable.

Let's go back in time:

2008: Barack Hussein Obama II
Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr

The man who could never become president, John McCain III

2000-2004: George Walker Bush, son of George Herbert Walker Bush, nephew of George Herbert Walker (can you tell where the money really came from?)
Richard Cheney II

The guy who really won the 2000 election, Albert Gore, Jr

How about the guy who really won in 2004, John Kerry? Nope, but maybe if he'd been a junior, he would have had more help in proving election tampering.

1992-1996: William Jefferson Clinton was born William J Blythe, III. Bill's brother was Roger Clinton, Jr

1988-1992: We already mentioned George Bush. How about his VP, John Danforth Quayle III?

1988: Michael Dukakis? Not a junior, but running mate Lloyd Bentson, Jr was.

1984: Walter F Mondale? Nope.

1980: Ronald Reagan? Nope, but he has a son named Ron.

1976: James Earl Carter, Jr
Gerald R Ford, Jr was born Leslie King, Jr. That's gotta be a record in vanity somehow.
Nelson Rockefeller was not a Jr (a Sr, though), but his father (John D, Jr) and brother were (John D III).

1968: Neither Nixon nor Agnew was (and see what happened to them) but Hubert H Humphrey II was. He sired HHH III and HHH IV, plus the Metrodome. Quite the legacy there.

1964: Lyndon Johnson? Nope, but his brother was.

1960: John Kennedy wasn't but his brother was. In case you need reminding, JFK was a Sr.
Nixon's running mate in 1960 was Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.

1952-1956: David Eisenhower II (different middle name)

That's enough for now. That's a lot of Juniors, Seniors, 2nds and 3rds. Myself, I'm an only.