The Seven Dwarfs - Twenty Years Later

During the 1988 presidential campaign, after Gary Hart quit the race due to a sex scandal, the remaining Democratic candidates for President of the United States were tagged the "Seven Dwarfs" because none of them were known nationally - except Jesse Jackson, who was given no chance of winning because of his liberal populism (and let's face it, because of his skin color). It was typical of the American news media - increasingly under corporate control - to dismiss any Democrat running for President no one had ever heard of as an also-ran before they even started running. George H.W. Bush, by contrast, was seen as having gravitas when his record was in fact very thin.

So what became of these "dwarfs?" Well, as we all know, Michael Dukakis - the one short guy in the race - actually was able to break out of the pack and win the nomination. Although he ultimately failed to connect with the voters, he did lead Bush in the polls that summer, suggesting that the son of Greek immigrants might succeed Ronald Reagan in the White House - but that lead was primarily due to the fact that the American people were giving him a look, and they eventually decided that they didn't like what they saw. The other candidates went on to better things:

Joseph Biden: Forced out of the 1988 presidential campaign for plagiarism charges in his studies at Syracuse University, the Delaware senator gained great respect as a judicial and foreign affairs expert. A presidential candidate once again in 2008, he didn't have to worry about the plagiarism charges coming back to haunt him, as his candidacy failed to get off the ground.

Bruce Babbitt: The former Arizona governor and presidential candidate who promised to raise taxes through the roof and cut spending to the bone to erase the deficit proved to be too honest to get past Iowa and New Hampshire, but he went on to become President Clinton's Secretary of the Interior, a post he served with distinction.

Richard Gephardt: The Missouri congressman became House Democratic leader in 1989 and led the charge in that body for working people. He made a second unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2004 and left the House of Representatives with his head held high - without knowing that, had he stayed a little while longer, he could have been Speaker.

Paul Simon: Simon returned to representing Illinois in the Senate and served two full terms before retiring in 1997. He died in 2003. :-(

Jesse Jackson: He continues to be a passionate voice for civil rights, and - like myself - is a supporter of Barack Obama. His namesake son represents a congressional district in the South Side of Chicago.

Albert Gore: Well, we all know what happened to him. :-)

Nobel laureate, baby!

As for Dukakis, he recently apologized for losing the Presidency to the senior George Bush in 1988 - because had he defeated the father, no one would have heard of the son.