PODCAST · history
Fail to the Chief
by Thom Woodley
Fail to the Chief is the podcast where comic "historian" Thom Woodley talks about the men who became President... almost. Romp through the losers of presidential history, laugh and marvel at how different life might have been, had America made different choices. FailToTheChief.wordpress.com
Episodes
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FINAL EPISODE: Ranking ALL of the Presidential Losers
We've come to the end. Here I give you the canonical list and ranking of EVERY SINGLE LOSER of all time, including many who never even ran. Listen to find out more. In this episode I talk about the could-have-been Presidents Adams, Adams, Agnew, Anderson, Barkley, Bell, Blaine, Bono…
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The Presidency: HOLLYWOOD EDITION!!!
Why have so many actors and celebrities been considered for the Presidency, despite having almost no experience? WHO CARES, THEY'RE CELEBRITIES YAY OMG Yes, it's not just Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan. Today I talk about all the celebrities who were thought about for Prez (and who were legally...
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The Man Who Would Be President 9 Different Times: Harold Stassen
As we close the corner on our presidential losers, I'd be remiss not to discuss the Governor of Minnesota, friend to Dwight Eisenhower, and NINE-TIME candidate for the Republican nomination, butt of jokes Harold Stassen. Hot take: he'd have been amazing?
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Marshalling the Presidents - John Marshall, George Marshall and Thurgood Marshall
Today I'm taking a look at three very different men with one identical last name - the Marshalls. Each one of them was critical to our nation, and might have become president under different circumstances. I'll investigate and rate each one: John Marshall, Federalist Chief Justice of the Supreme...
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President Kennedy (Robert), President Kennedy (Teddy), and President Kennedy (John Jr)
This time I lightning-round-rank the 3 titans of the Kennedy family... um, not counting 2024's brainworm bearkiller version. How would Bobby, Teddy and John John have been if they had become president?
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Tipping the Sacred Cows of American presidential elections
There are a lot of myths in American elections. "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." "Missouri, the bellwether state." "The taller man wins." Let's explode them all. In this bonus episode, we dive deep and crunch numbers to see what's actually true and what's not. We'll cover: Does the Vice...
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BONUS! President Kingfish Huey Long and the Sharing of the Wealth
He was a Louisiana progressive populist wannabe dictator who wanted to redistribute all the rich folks' money forever and ever. And he might have been president, had he not been gunned down before he even had the chance to run. But what if?
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BONUS! President Butler... SMEDLEY Butler. (WTF?)
Yes, his name was Smedley. No, he didn't let that stand in his way. What would have this Marines Major General and hero of the Bonus Army do if somehow catapulted into the White House on the eve of World War II? Why, he would do what all Smedleys do, of course.
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BONUS! Presidente Generalissimo Douglas MacArthur
Continuing with micro episodes, here's the Hero of the Philippines (and not, as it turned out, the Korean War)... Douglas MacArthur was a true strongman, and closer to the White House than we might think!
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BONUS: What do all the Losers have in COMMON?
There tends to be a certain template that presidential candidates follow - and I don't mean simply getting elected as Senators or Governors first. There are some larger commonalities at play that seem to align most of them, in many cases from an early age. From family background to profession to...
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President YER A DIRTY COMMIE, oh sorry, Joseph McCarthy
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President Roosevelt... ELEANOR, that is.
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President Charles Lindbergh??
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President Ford - Henry Ford???
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President Citizen Kane - William Randolph Hearst
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President (of the USA and the LDS) Joseph Smith
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President John D. Rockefeller, Wealthiest Prez Ever
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: President General William Tecumseh Sherman
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: the "Dredded" President Roger B. Taney
We're continuning to dig into other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even ran, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart. I'll be posting a...
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BONUS: Yee-haw, it's President Sam Houston!
It's the Ides of October, and that got me thinking about other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even run, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore…
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BONUS: Davey Crockett, President of the Wild Frontier!
It's the Ides of October, and that got me thinking about other would-be Julius Caesar presidents of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even run, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore…
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BONUS: What's your name, man?? PRESIDENT Alexander Hamilton!!
It's the Ides of October, and that got me thinking about other would-be Julius Caesars of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even run, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart....
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Ides of October SPECIAL Bonus Episode: President Benjamin Franklin?
It's the Ides of October, and that got me thinking about other would-be Julius Caesars of American history. The men who never were nominated, and maybe never even run, but who could have been either the great Man of the People who'd lead us to glory.... or terrible Imperators who tore us apart....
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BONUS Veepstakes!! Rating the Vice Presidents of American History
We're not just talking about losers anymore! This episode, join amateur historian Thom Woodley on a tour through the vice presidents of history - those mediocre, second-rate men who were a heartbeat away from the presidency. Those who never served as Commander in Chief (or who were nominated as...
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Hillary Clinton - First (Nasty) Woman Candidate
Well, we've come to the end. Fail to the Chief started ten years ago in 2014, and now 50 losers later, we are finally at the big boy (girl), the elephant (donkey) in the room = Hillary Clinton. It took me forever to get here, but thanks for sticking with me. But please still continue to like,...
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Mitt Romney, the first Mormon (and last moderate) candidate
Join amateur historian Thom Woodley as he delves into the losers of presidential history - and today, the man who inspired the podcast in the first place, 2012 loser (to Barack Obama) Governor and Senator Mitt Romney. Why did he lose? Could he have won? What would America be like if so?
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John McCain, War Hero, POW, and big-time Loser.
This episode, amateur historian Thom Woodley digs into the life and politics of John Sidney McCain, Jr. - Arizona Senator and two-time Republican candidate for president, who lost the 2008 race to Barack Obama.
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John Kerry, the First Loser of the 21st Century
Every episode, comic historian Thom Woodley dives deep into a loser of the US presidential elections. This time, it's John Kerry, Senator, Secretary of State, war veteran and protestor, surf rocker, and the only Democrat since 1988 to lose the popular vote (and even THAT's questionable!) What if...
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BONUS! Reviewing the 6th Period of American Politics (1968-2004)
This is the (lightly comedic) history podcast where we talk about the losers of presidential races. In this one, we're discussing ALL your favorite losers of the 6th period of American history (1968-2004), including: Hubert HUMPHREY! George WALLACE! Robert F. KENNEDY! Eugene MCCARTHY! Nelson...
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RE-VISIT: Al Gore, the Loser who Won in 2000
Welcome to FAIL TO THE CHIEF, the podcast where we rate and rank the losers of presidential history. I'm kicking this podcast off again, and starting with the beginning of the 21st century. [If you want to hear about the losers of the 20th century, and the 19th and the 18th, go ahead and listen…
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Biden dropping out - NOT unprecedented!! (Also, hi, we're back!?!)
Hey hey! We're BACK after a 2-year hiatus, to talk about the upcoming 2024 election, and wrap out the remaining losers. And what better occasion than the UNPRECEDENTED DROPPING OUT of our sitting Commander in Chief of the Fall presidential race. Well, actually? It's not that unprecedented. We…
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1984. Walter Mondale, the Loser of 1984.
Comic historian Thom Woodley looks at Walter Mondale, the landslide Ronald Reagan reelection of 1984, and growing up in the 1980s in general.
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BOB DOLE BOB DOLE BOB DOLE
Sad to hear of Bob Dole's passing this week. In honor of the man, here is the Bob Dole chapter from my book Fail to the Chief Vol. 2 (available on Amazon!)
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UPDATE! and 1992: Ross Perot
Fail to the Chief THE BOOK? Yes indeed. Also? Ross Perot. In lo-fi style. Because you've been waiting. Order the book today: https://www.amazon.com/Fail-Chief-1788-1928-Thom-Woodley/dp/1736697706/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=fail+to+the+chief&qid=1631577684&sr=8-1
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1988. Michael Dukakis, a.k.a. Zorba the Clerk.
Thom Woodley takes you on a tour of presidential losers of the past. In this episode, the George Bush vs. Michael Dukakis election of 1988.
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BONUS: 1980. John B. Anderson, the Best Candidate You Never Heard Of,
Thom Woodley digs into the losers of presidential history - in this case, the independent candidacy of former Republican Congressman John B. Anderson (IL-16), who lost to Ronald Reagan but might have been the architect of a much better future.
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1972. George McGovern's McGovernment.
Thom Woodley takes you through the history of the disastrous 1972 presidential campaign of liberal icon and Nixon opponent, George McGovern.
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1968. Hubert Horatio Humphrey, the Happy Handshaker.
Thom Woodley discusses the losers of presidential history - this year, the big Democratic loser of the chaotic year of 1968, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, who lost to Richard Nixon in the midst of the Vietnam War.
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1968. George Wallace, Segregator-in-Chief
Rerelease of a 2015 Episode. Just in time for MLK Day, it's our episode on George Wallace, the 3rd party candidate in the 1968 election. Why wasn't he elected president? And how would he have been in office?
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BONUS! The 5th Era of American Politics Review
In this episode, we explore ALL of the losers of the 5th Period in American Politics (1932-1968), Alf Landon, Wendell Willkie, Thomas Dewey, Adlai Stevenson, Strom Thurmond, Henry Wallace and Barry Goldwater, and find out where they rank among the losers of all American history. We also talk…
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1964. In your heart, you know Barry Goldwater's right.
Amateur historian host Thom Woodley re-releases his 2016 episode on Barry Goldwater, the very conservative-libertarian Republican losing candidate of the 1964 Lyndon Johnson presidential election.
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NEW: 1952/1956. Adlai Stevenson, the Thinking Man's President.
This is a repost as there was an error the first time I posted! Comic historian Thom Woodley digs into the record of Adlai Stevenson II, Governor of Illinois and two-time nominee of the Democratic party, who lost big to Dwight Eisenhower.
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1948. Henry Wallace, the Secret Soviet Spy candidate?
Join comic historian Thom Woodley as we talk about Henry Wallace, former Vice President and the 1948 candidate of the Progressive Party... and also maybe, just maybe, a secret Soviet asset.
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1848. Lewis Cass, our first Ugly-American President
Comic historian Thom Woodley (@thomwoodley) takes you on a tour through the rogues gallery of presidential candidates who didn't quite make it. This episode, Lewis Cass (Democrat, 1848), who lost to Zachary Taylor.
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1948. Strom Thurmond, Dixiecrat.
Thom Woodley takes you on a tour of the 1948 presidential election, in which 3rd party Democrat Strom Thurmond runs on a platform of segregationist views - and later goes on to rebuild the Republican party in his image.
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1844. Henry Clay (Part 2) [RE-RELEASE]
Re-release of this 2015 episode; comic historian Thom Woodley takes you through the 1844 election where historical great Henry Clay was defeated by dark horse James K. Polk.
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1944/48. DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN (not so much)!
Comic historian Thom Woodley investigates the losers of presidential history - this time Thomas E. Dewey, two time Republican nominee, the gangbusting man on the wedding cake who lost to FDR and Harry Truman.
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1836. The Devil in Daniel Webster (re-release)
Thom rereleases his episode on presidential loser Daniel Webster, the only man to turn down two separate vice-presidential offers (either of which would have led to his becoming president).
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1940. What if Wendell Willkie Won the World War?
Every episode, comic historian Thom Woodley dissects one of the losers of presidential elections. This time, the discussion is on Wendell Willkie, a proto-Trump figure: businessman who never served in office, former Democrat, famous for speaking on a controversial issue. What would have happened...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Fail to the Chief is the podcast where comic "historian" Thom Woodley talks about the men who became President... almost. Romp through the losers of presidential history, laugh and marvel at how different life might have been, had America made different choices. FailToTheChief.wordpress.com
HOSTED BY
Thom Woodley
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Fail to the Chief have?
Fail to the Chief currently has 102 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Fail to the Chief about?
Fail to the Chief is the podcast where comic "historian" Thom Woodley talks about the men who became President... almost. Romp through the losers of presidential history, laugh and marvel at how different life might have been, had America made different choices. FailToTheChief.wordpress.com
How often does Fail to the Chief release new episodes?
Fail to the Chief publishes regularly with 102 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Fail to the Chief?
You can listen to Fail to the Chief on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Fail to the Chief?
Fail to the Chief is created and hosted by Thom Woodley.
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