Don't be a Hiram Johnson.
Sometimes, fate dumps an opportunity right into our laps. It may not be everything we want, but it is certainly better than what we have now. Yet in spite of ourselves, we let it pass by because it *isn't* everything we want.
Consider the case of California governor-turned-senator Hiram Warren Johnson. In 1920, the Republican Party offered him the position of vice president under the favored candidate, Senator Philander C. Knox of Pennsylvania. Johnson refused the nomination, saying that he wanted to be President, not Vice President, even though insiders told him that Knox wouldn't likely survive a full term due to his failing heart. Johnson ran his own campaign for the nomination, but lost to the eventual winner, Warren G. Harding.
Fate knocked a second time for Johnson. Following his defeat, he was offered the vice presidential slot under Harding. Again he turned it down, saying he would take the presidency or nothing. The VP nomination went to then-governor of Massachusetts, Calvin Coolidge, instead.
Knox passed away on October 12, 1921, and Harding was assassinated on August 2, 1923. If Hiram Johnson had accepted the position under either candidate, he would have received the position he coveted so badly.
Don't be a Hiram Johnson.
Consider the case of California governor-turned-senator Hiram Warren Johnson. In 1920, the Republican Party offered him the position of vice president under the favored candidate, Senator Philander C. Knox of Pennsylvania. Johnson refused the nomination, saying that he wanted to be President, not Vice President, even though insiders told him that Knox wouldn't likely survive a full term due to his failing heart. Johnson ran his own campaign for the nomination, but lost to the eventual winner, Warren G. Harding.
Fate knocked a second time for Johnson. Following his defeat, he was offered the vice presidential slot under Harding. Again he turned it down, saying he would take the presidency or nothing. The VP nomination went to then-governor of Massachusetts, Calvin Coolidge, instead.
Knox passed away on October 12, 1921, and Harding was assassinated on August 2, 1923. If Hiram Johnson had accepted the position under either candidate, he would have received the position he coveted so badly.
Don't be a Hiram Johnson.