See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308764508 #WriteIn16 A Field Guide to the 100 Most Presidential Americans Book · September 2016 CITATIONS READS 0 36 2 authors, including: Geoff Archer Royal Roads University 20 PUBLICATIONS 84 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All content following this page was uploaded by Geoff Archer on 04 January 2019. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. #WriteIn16 A FIELD GUIDE TO THE 100 MOST PRESIDENTIAL AMERICANS 2 3 Copyright © 2016 Geoffrey R. Archer & John P. Wolff #WriteIn16: A Field Guide to The 100 Most Presidential Americans Edited by Rachel M. Bouey Original cover art by Molly Auble All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any other means without written permission of the publisher and the authors. Norseman Books is a registered trademark. Print Edition ISBN: 978-1-988172-12-5 eBook Edition ISBN: 978-1-988172-13-2 Printed in the United States of America Published by Norseman Books www.writein16.us 4 DEDICATION We dedicate this book to John Anderson, Gary Johnson, Robert La Follette, Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, Teddy Roosevelt, Jill Stein, Henry Wallace and George Wallace. They are Americans who had the courage to run for president without the support of the Democratic or Republican parties. By challenging the confines of the two- party system, they ultimately made our political process and our nation more inclusive and stronger. AUTHORS’ NOTE This book documents our opinions and our good-faith effort to present facts, as available to us, concerning certain publicly known figures. In assessing the people featured in our book and their accomplishments, we have taken the liberty of asserting our opinions and research findings as factual points, solely for the purpose of readability and short-hand to avoid the clumsiness of repeating the caveats, “According to us,” or, “according to our research...” We’ve relied on publicly available information to compile this book and acknowledge the possibility of error. If you think you have found mistakes, please let us know. We will check and correct any errors in future editions. Unlike people actively seeking elected office, those featured in this book are mostly private citizens, albeit public figures in their own right. In striving to be accurate and fair, we’ve also tried to respect their privacy. Like this book, voting is about opinions. We ask our readers to draw their own conclusions and we invite them to conduct their own research. We intend this book to be a start. Finally, Democracy is about expression and participation. We invite yours at Facebook.com/WriteIn16 or on Twitter using #WriteIn16 - Geoff Archer & John Wolff 5 PREFACE People died to give us the right to vote. More have died defending it. Will you honor that sacrifice by voting in the 2016 presidential election on November 8th? Or are you among the many millions of Americans deeply troubled by the two major-party nominees and unable to stomach a vote for either candidate? You are definitely not alone. Read on. This book is for you. Every day, media reports suggest that there are millions of disaffected Americans searching for a better choice. Many are lighting up the Twittersphere with the hashtag #WriteIn16. Some are jumping into the race themselves. Presidential elections should be a time to articulate a positive vision for our nation’s future, a sober analysis of the challenges we face, a robust debate over what we should do and why we should do it. Unfortunately, the 2016 campaign has been unworthy of our democratic tradition. It has been a war of outrageous lies, childish taunts, and character assassination fueled by unlimited, secret campaign donations. We’re rendered discouraged and disgusted. Many of us feel forced to choose which candidate we must stop rather than which can best lead. Rather than supporting one side, we feel compelled to save America from the other. But we have a choice, and as voters, we hold the ultimate power. That’s where this book comes in. This is your guide to write-in voting in 2016, the powerful act of rejecting the candidates on the ballot and, instead, writing the name of someone more worthy to hold the nation’s highest office. We wrote this book for you and others like you who refuse to forego your sacred right to vote but who refuse to legitimize candidates unworthy of the awesome power of the Presidency, much less your ballot. We wrote this book because those who feel we deserve a better choice of leaders should still have the right to political expression. 6 #WriteIn16 A FIELD GUIDE TO THE 100 MOST PRESIDENTIAL AMERICANS TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 5 PART ONE: INTRODUCTION 7 About this Book 9 PART TWO: 100 MOST PRESIDENTIAL AMERICANS 11 The G.R.E.A.T.© Framework 12 Alvarado – Wu 18 Entertaining Names & Big Name Entertainers 118 PART THREE: HONORABLE MENTIONS 120 The 50 Fit-to-Serve in The Future 120 The Ancient 8 127 The Sour 16 128 Ineligible Excellence 130 PART FOUR: WRITE-INS & THIRD-PARTY VOTING 132 Can a Write-In Candidate Actually Win? 133 PART FIVE: STATE-BY-STATE RULES 139 Red States, Blue States, and Red Tape 140 State-by-State Map of Write-In Rules 145 Epilogue – What If?... 154 APPENDIX: CREDITS 155 7 PART ONE INTRODUCTION 8 INTRODUCTION: YOUR VOTE IS SACRED This is the year of the unpopular vote. The presidential candidate currently winning is ahead because they are less hated, not because they are more popular. Given the unprecedented shortcomings of both candidates, voters are left in a quandary with few options. Plug your nose and cast your vote for the lesser of two evils, go third-party, or stay home. Or -- as we now suggest -- cast a write-in ballot. You deserve to have your vote counted, regardless of whether or not your candidate wins. It’s about ensuring your voice is heard, since your vote is your voice. That vote will be counted many times and in many ways, well beyond Election Day, and with more impact than you imagine. Countless political and policy decisions are made every day by Congress, the Executive branch, lobbyists, governmental associations, the Courts, the media, and their staffs. Their conversations and how they even think about issues are all based, in part, on the political calculus of “who votes and who doesn’t.” They pay attention and listen only to voters. If you don't vote, you don't count. Stand up and be counted. Your vote acts as a key feedback mechanism. The vote you wield is the power which directs the machinery of government to act in your interest, and in the interest of people like you. It is a muscle that grows stronger the more you use it. But fail to use it, your power will atrophy. Others will step into the vacuum and gladly have your share. In writing this guide, we have endeavored to provide a service to those genuinely interested in casting a write-in vote for president in 2016. It is not our intention to convince you to do so, nor are we endorsing or promoting any given individual. Vote for whomever you think is right. In the end, we hope this serves as an uplifting reminder that somewhere out there, perhaps away from the public eye, a number of fascinating, truly amazing people are going about the business of making America great, each and every day with what they do. 9 ABOUT THIS BOOK We are proud to present THE 100 MOST PRESIDENTIAL AMERICANS, those we believe demonstrate the best of what our nation has to offer. They are each accomplished leaders in diverse fields, men and women from many walks of life. Please read about each of them, then research them on your own. Then choose someone to write in, if you like. We made our selections by considering each person through the lens of our G.R.E.A.T. © criteria, a framework we devised to reflect the five key traits of being presidential. Who are we to decide? What right do we have to choose who is or who is not presidential? Well, we’re nobody. We’re no better or smarter than anyone else. We’re just two average patriotic Americans who are aware that our country has challenges, optimistic that choosing good leaders makes a difference, and willing to say and commit to what we think. To be transparent, we do not claim to be right about our selections or our ratings. What do you think? We invite you to debate the list and offer suggestions on our web site, WriteIn16.US. Democracy functions best when there is robust, honest debate in a good-faith effort to find the right answer. You must participate, too. Under the moniker, “THE FIFTY FIT-TO-SERVE IN THE FUTURE,” we include a list of HONORABLE MENTIONS. Here, we chronicle the up-and-coming leaders who almost made our list. We think they will be among the ones to watch in four years and thought they should be on your radar. You may even wish to engage them in a conversation. Gather round the virtual water cooler and discuss at Facebook.com/WriteIn16 or on Twitter using #WriteIn16. We also acknowledge THE SOUR 16, the would-be- candidates who unsuccessfully sought their party’s 2016 presidential nomination. From Jeb Bush to Bernie Sanders, none make our list. This is not because we are sour on them but because voting laws in some states nullify write-in votes for people who have already been in a major-party primary.