Morris the Cat II, ca1978 (Massachusetts) - 1997.
VP candidate for Independent (1988)
Running mate with nominee: Lyle Morris Schlieder (b. 1945)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Lyle Morris Schlieder of Lakewood, Calif. simply thought "Why not me?" while stuck in a traffic jam and decided to run for President and file with the FEC. At the time he was a purchasing agent for the City of Anaheim.
With a slogan of "Lyle has Style," he had this to say in Sept. 1987 when asked if he was seriously running: "As serious as any of the other candidates I've seen. They're probably the reason I decided to run. I've been studying Presidents since Eisenhower, and haven't yet seen anybody do a job that's half worthwhile. America's been going downhill for 20 years and we've sat back and let it happen. It's sad out there. It's sad what we have for government."
Among Schlieder's platform issues:
--A "Western Pentagon" at Lake Tahoe.
--Vehicles that use tofu as fuel.
--Scuffed baseballs.
--"Turbo shredders" to handle government bureaucratic paperwork.
--Sending U.S. garbage to Vietnam.
--Sending Robert Bork to the Contras in Nicaragua.
--Appointing his wife Jan to a newly created Cabinet post, Sec. of Department Stores.
On his qualifications, the candidate said: "I'm just an average guy who wants to do an average job for his country ... I barely made it out of high school. In fact, my life was a blur until I was 35."
Schlieder expressed a desire to have Morris the Cat as his running-mate (perhaps because Schlieder's middle name is "Morris"?) The interviewer falsely informed him Morris was dead. Well, the original Morris was dead, that much was true, but the second Morris was not only alive and well, he was running for President too!
The original Morris died in 1978 and the second Morris was selected from an animal shelter in Massachusetts and began his advertising career in 1979.
In fact 1988 was the first of Morris the Cat's forays into politics. He had his own running-mate-- Sonny the Dog. So Morris the Cat was a Presidential candidate on one team and a VP on another. It is a safe bet the Schlieder ticket would not be officially sanctioned by 9-Lives cat food, Morris the Cat's official sponsor.
Morris II later ran for President in 1992 as well. He retired in 1995. Morris III worked for 9-Lives from 1995-2000. Morris IV started his career in 2000.
Election history:
1988 - US President (Independent) - defeated
1992 - US President (Independent) - defeated
Other occupations: cat, commercial spokesfeline
Buried: ?
Notes:
Washington State trivia alert!!! Schlieder was born in The Evergreen State Sept. 9, 1945!
