by Whitney Levon

Created on: October 13, 2009   Last Updated: October 21, 2009

Getting politicians to reveal their superstitions and rituals is a bit more difficult than it is for other celebrities. We like to think of our politicians as strong, ideal humans; almost as superheroes. That is not to say that politicians don't have their own superstitions, however it does take more work to figure them out.

Presidential candidates seem to have more bizarre superstitions than other politicians. This may just be due to the fact that there is more on the line in a presidential election. They are running for leader of the free world after all. In the last election, both candidates had their own extra bit of luck working for them. John McCain carried around a lucky penny, nickel, quarter, compass and feather. McCain is known for having lot of superstitious beliefs. Barack Obama on the other hand, had a ritual of playing basketball on election day, which seems slightly dull in comparison.

Franklin Roosevelt carried many superstitions about numbers. He had a fear of the number 13. He would not travel on the 13th of any month, opting instead to rearrange travel for the 12th of 14th. Oddly, he also believed that it was bad luck to light three cigarettes with one match.

Harry S. Truman subscribed to the popular practice of hanging a horse shoe over his door. Horse shoes have long been a symbol of good luck, and hanging one on the entrance to a home has been said to ward off evil and bring all of those inside good luck and prosperity. When he became president, Truman hung his horse shoe over the door to the presidential office.

Some superstitions surrounding the presidency have little to do with the president himself, but more with some unsettling circumstances. Between 1840 and 1960, the sitting president at the beginning of the even-numbered decade died in office. This all started with William Henry Harrison. In 1860, Lincoln was assassinated, James Garfield passed away in 1880. William McKinley, known to always wear a carnation for good luck, died in 1900. The next two, Warren G. Harding and Franklin Roosevelt died of natural causes. In 1963, John F. Kennedy was killed. This curse, or coincidence, ended in 1980 with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan successfully living through the year.

Up until the most recent election, the candidate who won the presidency was the one whose wife won the Family Circle baking contest. This tradition started with Gerald Ford, whose wife Betty submitted a double chocolate chip cookie. After Betty Ford, Rosalyn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hilary Clinton, and Laura Bush have all won. Although Michelle Obama lost the cookie contest, this prediction may still hold true as there has been some doubt as to whether or not Cindy McCain's recipe was her own. Interestingly, Bill Clinton submitted a recipe during the last election while his wife was still in the race. If you would like to try these cookies out for yourself, you can visit http://presidentialcookies.blogspot.com.

Political superstitions do exist, not just for the individual, but for the entire political process. These may serve as indicators for who will win an election, or simply exist to help our leaders feel as though luck is on their side. They aren't signs of weakness; they are indicators that our leaders sincerely want to succeed and lead our nation to greatness.

Sources: The Atlantic

The Encyclopedia of Superstitions, (Webster, Robert)

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