Lefties for Prez

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Peter5858 · #1 Post by **Peter5858** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:43 am

I know Obama is left-handed, and I happened to see a photo of McCain signing an autograph left-handed. Assuming the photo wasn't printed in reverse, that leads me to believe he is also a lefty. I didn't know that. Which got me thinking. I know the Clinton-Bush I election involved two left-handers, and Clinton-Dole was 2 lefties (although Dole may well be a natural right-hander and is consigned to use his left hand because of his war injury). Are lefties disproportionately represented among presidential candidates overall?

gsabc · #2 Post by **gsabc** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:48 am

Don't know about all the candidates over the years, but lefties are disproportionately represented in our Presidents. There have been seven, soon to be eight:

James A. Garfield 20th
Herbert Hoover 31st
Harry S. Truman 33rd
Gerald Ford 38th
Ronald Reagan 40th
George H.W. Bush 41st
Bill Clinton 42nd

Here's Fanny! · #3 Post by **Here's Fanny!** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:59 am

gsabc wrote:Don't know about all the candidates over the years, but lefties are disproportionately represented in our Presidents. There have been seven, soon to be eight:

James A. Garfield 20th
Herbert Hoover 31st
Harry S. Truman 33rd
Gerald Ford 38th
Ronald Reagan 40th
George H.W. Bush 41st
Bill Clinton 42nd

James Garfield was ambidextrous and one of the more famous examples of cross dominance, he could write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other at the same time.

McCain is lefthanded. Ross Perot was a lefty as well, so any of three in that election would have guaranteed another lefthanded president.

nitrah55 · #4 Post by **nitrah55** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:14 am

gsabc wrote:Don't know about all the candidates over the years, but lefties are disproportionately represented in our Presidents. There have been seven, soon to be eight:

James A. Garfield 20th
Herbert Hoover 31st
Harry S. Truman 33rd
Gerald Ford 38th
Ronald Reagan 40th
George H.W. Bush 41st
Bill Clinton 42nd

Garfiled was ambidextrous. He could write Greek with one hand and Latin with the other- simultaneously.

Ford was task-specific. The right side of his brain handled fine motor stuff, and the left side of his brain handled gross motor stuff. He wrote and ate left-handed; everything else he did righty. He described it as being "left handed when I sit down, right handed when I stand up." It also accounts for his occasional tips and falls, as task specific people sometimes have crossed wires. I know this, because I are one.

nitrah55 · #5 Post by **nitrah55** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:17 am

And another thing.

Reagan was a natural lefty, but his schoolteachers trained him to be righty, as was the custom in those days.

Any joke would be far too easy. Resist.

Here's Fanny! · #6 Post by **Here's Fanny!** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:23 am

nitrah55 wrote:And another thing.

Reagan was a natural lefty, but his schoolteachers trained him to be righty, as was the custom in those days.

Any joke would be far too easy. Resist.

Okay, that explains it. I'm kind of up on lefthanded stuff and I could have sworn that I'd seen Reagan write with his right hand.

But I figured that gs got the list from somewhere that is more credible than my memory.