What would Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill think about competing against the likes of Richard Nixon and Franklin Roosevelt? We’ll never know, but only one of the unlikely trio will be inducted into The Fix’s new Political Hall of Fame representing the greats of “the last 100 or so years of American politics” as nominated by readers of the The Washington Post’s politics blog.
The Fix is presided over by Chris Cillizza who covers the White House for the newspaper and washingtonpost.com. Cillizza makes arguments both for and against the Cambridge native’s inclusion.
The case for O’Neill: “Though the product of the Boston machine political system, O’Neill was able to see beyond his own nose to what the future of politics would be — a more transparent process in which merit, not just seniority, led to advancement.”
The case against him: “O’Neill was a mighty personality, inarguably, but from a policy perspective his footprint is faint.”
If O’Neill wins, he’ll join Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson, and Ronald Reagan who were selected as members of the inaugural class.
To vote, go to The Fix beginning next week.
