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Monday, November 7, 2016

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS STARTED DIRTY


AND HAS STAYED THAT WAY ...





BY PROCEDURE established in the new Constitution, 

the first President was to be chosen by “electors” named by the state legislatures. 

Each elector was to cast one ballot with the names of two choices for President. 

The person with the most votes in the final tally was to become President, the runner-up, Vice President. 

In the event of a tie, the decision would go to the House of Representatives, a prospect so disturbing to Alexander Hamilton 

that he “deemed [it] an essential point of caution” to see that John Adams 

did not wind up with such a strong showing in the electoral count as to embarrass Washington. 

He was not against Adams, Hamilton explained privately. 

“Mr. A, to a sound understanding, has always appeared to me to add an ardent love for the public good.” 

But Hamilton was taking no chances. 

Working quietly through the winter, he did what he could to convince leading politicians 

in several states to withhold votes from Adams. 

The scheme succeeded. 

When the electors met in February 1789, Washington was chosen President unanimously with 69 votes, 

while Adams, though well ahead of ten others, had 34 votes, or less than half. 

Adams was humiliated by the news, his pride deeply hurt, but of Hamilton’s part, he knew nothing.




On October 19, 1796, a mysterious editorial from a writer named Phocion appeared in the Gazette of the United States, 

 a popular Federalist newspaper in Philadelphia.

At the time, Vice President John Adams was pitted against another Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson, 

in a race to succeed George Washington as president.

 Phocion’s letter was what we would today call an “attack ad.”

 The letter in the Gazette written by Phocion said, in terms understood by most readers, 

that presidential candidate Jefferson was having an affair with one of his female slaves.

The identity of Phocion?  Alexander Hamilton.

Jefferson lost.



While Adams knew nothing of Hamilton's machinations, 

(Who was hoping to become America's Napoleon)

Jefferson vowed he would be the third president ...

even if it meant treason.

Jefferson in his four years as Vice President 

had so effectively separated himself from Adams and the administration 

that he could not be held accountable for anything that had disappointed, displeased, or infuriated anyone,

While America was at war with France, 


Jefferson sent secret federal documents to the French Foreign Minister, Charles Gravier, Count of Vergennes

to  undermine Adams' attempts at peace in order to promote himself as the Champion of Peace with France 

and so win the Presidency ... which he did.



And Presidential Campaigns have only gotten dirtier.



I am afraid that no matter which candidate 
wins this year, 
America will lose.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Roland ... thanks for the post - I understand politics is power-grabbing and always has been ... it'd be nice if we could get something else - the people we vote in actually worked for us. Good luck today ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Sadly, I feel that no matter who wins, America loses. :-(

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  2. As it started, so it will end......

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  3. The whole political world is rubbish at the moment. Sad times.

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  4. Hi, dear friend. I have no idea why I'm not in your follower section. Is that here or on Facebook? Social media is really confusing me lately. I'm really not doing it anymore even though I did go back to blogspot. But I will always keep in touch with you, Hilary, and Denise, so never fear that! And thanks for the audio gift of Dragons of the Barbary Coast, though the last time I tried to download the audio app to my computer, my computer crashed. I'm just going to buy the ebook :) ((( )))
    As for your post here....yes, what a mess. But I do believe there was a reason this country was established...and that men and women are allowed i.e. given free agency...to make their own decisions. All of us are flawed human beings, and what mistakes (to put it mildly) we so often make. The world and its institutions are only as good as the people who are in them. So....seems like it's up to us as individuals. Just some random thoughts on the subject....
    Back to my beginning....I'm actually now back to reading, as I was before I started the WordPress experiment. So I should be reading your latest novels soon, and promise I'll write a review. I just never specify a timeframe ... lots of :)

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    1. I noticed your face gone here in my sidebar here on my blog, and I was afraid that I had somehow offended my good friend!

      This country has been blessed despite its many flaws, for I feel that the world needs a beacon of hope. It is up to each of us to be that beacon for those in our small piece of it. :-)

      DRAGONS is short at least. I hate that you will not be able to hear Robert Rossmann's great deep voice.

      I, too, am back to reading as some of my favorite L'Amour books are not in audio. And no rush on the reviews, my friend. I get so few these days, I quite forget how it feels to get one!! :-)

      Have a blessed Holiday Season and give my love to Jen. :-)

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  5. Back room politics - isn't that what they called this sort of manipulation of voters or those with popular appeal? But I've never seen such a carnival type election as this one. If anyone was going to rig the election, I'd suspect the male counterpart not the female in this one. I'm looking forward to this election cycle ending. Fare thee well, Obama.

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    1. I fear both would rig the election if they could. I trust neither one of them. I can only pray that this Nation of Law can keep afloat no matter what hand guides the rudder. :-)

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