Presidential Race Dominated by Lefties

June 1, 2008 — -- Whether a Democrat or a Republican, it is looking like the next president will lean to his left … hand that is. Both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain are left-handed.

Surprisingly, this would not be the first time the presidential race has been dominated by lefties. In 1992, the race for the White House featured three lefties: Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and H. Ross Perot.

Some researchers subscribe to the theory that left ies tend to process multiple tasks simultaneously using visual processing, whereas right-handed individuals generally think in a linear fashion. If this theory is true, perhaps voters are drawn to these nonlinear characteristics as a way of confronting the nation's challenges, including going after reported-lefty Osama Bin Laden.

Researchers have not found any indication that makes lefties more inclined to run for high office or makes them more attractive as candidates , but recent history shows a striking trend. Prior to President George W. Bush, a righty through and through, four out of the previous five presidents were lefties. This figure c ould have been even more staggering had the 2000 election gone another way, former Vice President Al Gore is another southpaw.

An Obama-McCain match up would not be the first time lefties have risen above their peers. According to Professor of Psychology Chris McManus of University College London, lefties, who only comprise about 10% of the general population, have proportionally achieved higher than right-handed people. Some attribute this to the coping and problem solving lefties must learn even at an early age. From cutting with scissors to writing without smudging, lefties have a unique set of obstacles to overcome.

But the obstacle of becoming president has not been as daunting for lefties. In fact, some historians claim seven presidents, or 16% of all U.S. presidents, have been left-handed including James Garfield, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Herbert Hoover (disputed), and Ronald Reagan, who wrote with his right hand as an adult but some reports claim he was a natural lefty as a child who may have been pressured to switch.