As has often been noted (in reference to the candidacy of Hillary Clinton), 1976 was the last Presidential election without a Bush or a Clinton on a party’s ticket. That means you have to be at least FIFTY years old to have had a choice that doesn’t include one of those two families. 1976 was also the zenith of the popularity of that great American cultural and sports icon, Bruce Jenner. In the late 70’s, he was a hero, “The World’s Greatest Athlete.” But as the Bush/Clinton rivalry swelled, Jenner’s fortunes waned . Now both political houses are vanquished and Bruce is back on TV and in America’s hearts. This led me to wonder: is the cultural relevance of Bruce Jenner inversely related to the number of Bushes and Clintons running for President?

A Brief History

The Bush/Clinton-free election wasn’t the only important event of 1976. It was also the year that Bruce Jenner won the Decathlon at the Olympics (runners-up for importance: the Bicentennial, my first steps). With his gold medal and leading-man good looks, Jenner became an instant household name and one of the most recognizable celebrities in America. He did commercials, TV shows, guest-spots, and sold everything from cereal to shampoo. He was (at least) the Lance Armstrong of his day.

But somewhere along the line, we lost our Bruce. Time passed. Bush got re-elected, then promoted. Jenner managed to stretch his celebrity out for almost a decade and then slipped, unnoticed, into the cultural ether. Bill Clinton won, then won again. Bush II rose from his tipsy middle-aged slumber to two terms in the White House. All the while Bruce bided his time. An entire generation grew to adult hood, voting for Bushes and Clintons unaware that we had any other choice, or that Bruce Jenner ever existed.

Then came the election of 2008. It looked for some time like the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton chain would pay out another link, but along came Barack Obama. And who was on his heels? None other than our Bruce. I was flipping past E! a few months ago and an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians was on. Something caught my eye, just beyond the cartoonishly-curvaceous Kim. Sitting there on the couch, pretending to dole out cantankerous parental wisdom was my old hero, Bruce Jenner. Reduced now, older, uncomfortably androgynous with his umpteen plastic surgeries and trademark bob, but it was still Bruce.

I tried to explain the shock of this revelation to a couple of coworkers in their early-20’s, but they were non-plused; neither one knew Bruce as anything other than Kim Kardashian’s step-father. Two thoughts thundered in my head: 1) Bruce Jenner is Kim Kardashian’s step-father? That’s like seeing a reality show twenty years from now about Tiger Woods’ marriage to Paris Hilton; and 2) I’m f’in old.

These Gen-Yers knew nothing of Bruce Jenner and nothing of a dynasty-free politic. That’s when the Bush-Clinton-Jenner connection hit me. I decided to go election-by-election and track the fates of the two great houses and our once-great icon.

BUSH-CLINTON-JENNER through the years:

1976 – Neither a Bush nor a Clinton on the ticket. George Bush is director of the CIA. Bill Clinton elected Arkansas Attorney General. Bruce Jenner wins the gold in the Olympic Decathlon, carries American flag around track on victory lap and becomes a cultural phenomenon. Appears on Wheaties boxes in breakfast nooks everywhere. Ties with Dorothy Hamill for “cutest bob haircut” at 1976 Olympic ceremonies.

1980 – George Bush runs as Reagan’s VP. Bill Clinton is the youngest governor in Arkansas history. Jenner appears in film Can’t Stop the Music about the Village People. It flops. The dark downhill slide for Bruce has begun.

1984 – George Bush re-elected as VP. Jenner fills in for Erik Estrada on a couple of episodes of CHiPs.

1988 – Governor Clinton addresses the Democratic National Convention. Bush I elected President. Jenner’s agent’s phone stops ringing.

1992 – Only election of Bush vs. Clinton run coincides with hype of “Dan & Dave” competition for Decathlon in 1992 Olympics. Not-coincidentally, Bruce Jenner’s cultural relevance at an all-time low.

1996 – Bill Clinton re-elected. Bush jr. now governor of Texas due to pact with devil. Bruce appears on infomercials for exercise machines, prompting older Americans (the ones up late enough to watch infomercials) to exclaim, “What the hell happened to Bruce Jenner’s face?”

2000 – Bush jr. becomes Bush II through non-violent coup. Common sense weeps. Hillary Clinton storms into the Senate, setting the stage for the Clinton Revival. The advent of popular internet search engines creates a brief boomlet for Bruce as people search Lycos for “bruce jenner + plastic surgery.”

2004 – Bush II re-elected. Somehow doesn’t get the message when more Americans vote against him than against any sitting war time President in history. Unclear what Bruce Jenner thinks about all this, because no one asks him.

2008 – American democracy is rescued by Barack Obama (and the W-sized weight around Jeb Bush’s ankle). Bruce is famous again, confirming that the next best thing to being the world’s greatest athlete is parenting the world’s most downloaded badonkadonk.

There you have it. The connection is clear, and I think the evidence I have laid out, while circumstantial, is convincing. Here’s the test: if E! cancels Keeping up with the Kardashians in the next four years, watch for Hillary or Jeb to be nominated in 2012.