Women Presidential Candidates

Gracie Allen and The Surprise Party

I think it highly likely that we all need a little humour during this U.S.election season and here is some that relates to the current situation in which we find a female fighting for the job. It happened before, in 1940. You may not have heard of Gracie Allen since she died in 1964, but you likely have of her husband George who passed away in 1996, a reversal of the usual actuarial scenario. They were a comedy team and she was the candidate for the “Surprise Party” which  had as a mascot a kangaroo and whose motto was “It’s In the Bag.” She left many funny lines along the campaign trail including  "Everybody knows a woman is better than a man when it comes to introducing bills into the house." There is a book about that campaign - Gracie Allen for President 1940: Vote With the Surprise Party, by William Carroll - but, the cheapest copy I can locate costs $60.00. There is always Wikipedia or visit this blog for a good account.