As the election gets closer, the choice facing Americans is clear--will we choose the lefty or the righty to be the next president of the United States. If history is any guide, we'll choose the lefty--again.

Today is one of those dumb little unofficial holidays--left-handedness day--and I'd let it go unnoticed except for one weird coincidence. While only about 10% of the population is left-handed, five of the last seven presidents have been, including President Obama.

He joins Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan (sort of--he was ambidextrous, apparently), and Gerald Ford as the list of southpaw presidents since 1974. 

Lefties also dominate in baseball, but at least there's a reason for that. Left-handed hitters are a couple of steps closer to first base and when they swing that's where their momentum carries them. Most batting title winners hit from the left side of the plate. First basemen are almost always left handed because the bag is to their left--to field a throw, righties have to cross right foot over their left to step on it, costing precious tenths of seconds. And, since most pitchers are righthanded, lefties see the ball better as it crosses the plate from an angle. If you're a left handed pitcher, you can pitch until your 50 if you want to, just to neutralize that effect.

Why are lefties so special when it comes to politics? One study concluded that lefties use parts of their brain differently and are capable of complex reasoning. Let it be knownw that George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter were the only righty heads of state in the last thirty years (I'll pause for bipartisan laughs). 

Other say that because it's a right-handed world, lefties are challenged and must overcome those challenges by being stronger, better, and more creative. Where there is adversity, there is strength. Other than sheer coincidence, this explanation rings the most true for me. It's a lesson that can be applied elsewhere in life and in politics.