Electoral College

Presidential Nominees More Than Twice In American History

Ronald 30 Comments

The history of Presidential Elections shows a total of 13 individuals who have been nominated more than twice for the White House.

Seven of these individuals ended up in the Presidency, and six others never made it to the White House.

This includes four nominees of third or minor parties who were on the ballot more than twice in a Presidential election.

The all time “champion” is Franklin D. Roosevelt, nominated and winning four times–1932, 1936, 1940, 1944–before the 22nd Amendment, ratified by 1951, prevented any future candidate to have more than two terms.

Thomas Jefferson was nominated for President in 1796, when he lost to John Adams but became his combative Vice President, and 1800 and 1804, when he twice won the Presidency.

Andrew Jackson was nominated for President in 1824, when he won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College to John Quincy Adams. Then, he won the Presidency in the next two elections, 1828 and 1832.

Martin Van Buren was nominated for and won the Presidency in 1836, but then lost the Election of 1840, and later ran as the third party Free Soil nominee in 1848.

Grover Cleveland won the Presidency in 1884, but although winning the popular vote in 1888, lost the Electoral College to Benjamin Harrison, but then came back and defeated Harrison in a rematch in 1892, making him the first of two Presidents to have nonconsecutive terms of office.

Richard Nixon lost the Presidential Election of 1960 to John F. Kennedy, but came back and won the Presidency in both 1968 and 1972.

Donald Trump won the Electoral College in 2016, despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, and then was defeated by Joe Biden in 2020. In 2024, although not winning a majority of the popular vote, he finally accomplished winning the popular vote edge over Kamala Harris, and is now serving his second nonconsecutive term, sharing that distinction with Grover Cleveland

Two major party nominees were nominated three times, but lost all those elections—Henry Clay in 1824, 1832, and 1844—and William Jennings Bryan in 1896, 1900, and 1908.

Two Socialist nominees were nominated and ran five and six times—Eugene Debs in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920—and Norman Thomas in
1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, and 1948.

Ralph Nader ran as either the Green Party candidate, or as an Independent, in four consecutive elections—1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008, with his impact being significant in the Presidential Election of 2000, in “throwing” the election in Florida to George W. Bush over Al Gore.

Jill Stein ran as the Green Party nominee three times, in 2012, 2016 and 2024.

Of the seven Presidents who were nominees more than twice, five of these Presidents were elected twice (Jefferson, Jackson, Cleveland, Nixon, and Trump) with Van Buren only winning once, and FDR being the lone exception of four times being elected, which now can never happen again in the future.

“Democratic Socialists Of America” Platform Preposterous And Unachievable!

Ronald 9 Comments

This author and blogger is proud to call himself a “progressive”, and has always admired political leaders who promote “liberal” values and ideas.

At the same time, this author and blogger has never believed in so called “Democratic Socialism” as an agenda, while at times, admiring individuals, such as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, for his humanity and idealism.

But this author and blogger never believed Sanders was the proper person to lead the Democratic Party as a Presidential candidate.

But recently, with the victory of Zohran Mamdani as NYC Mayor, and a few congressional candidates being of the “Democratic Socialist” variety, the thought has been the issue of whether this movement within the Democratic Party was practical and realistic.

We have the possibility of Abdul El Sayed winning the Senate nomination in Michigan, and Francesca Hong winning the Wisconsin Gubernatorial nomination, in the coming few weeks.

But many are concerned that if these two candidates win, the Republicans will gain the edge to win in November, a fear that this author and blogger has.

And when one examines the platform of the DSA, it is clear that it is unrealistic and even dangerous to imagine an America governed by their philosophy.

The DSA is clearly not “Communism’ as Donald Trump and other Republicans are claiming, but their ideas are too extreme and unwise, and if adopted, would lead to massive destruction of the Democratic Party.

The DSA platform supports the following “crazy” ideas:

Abolish the US Senate
Abolish the Supreme Court
Abolish the Presidency as we know it, and the Electoral College
Allow the Congress (House of Representatives only) to govern and control the other branches of government
Defunding the Department of Defense, and withdrawing from all military bases around the world
Amnesty for all immigrants and abolition of ICE
Support For Palestinians and Hostility Toward Israel
32 hour work week, a living minimum wage, and paid family leave
Tuition free public education through college
Publicly Owned Housing and Universal Rent Control
Medicare For All and Universal Healthcare
Public Ownership of Corporations
Aggressive Wealth Taxes on the Rich and Corporations
Promotion of Labor Unions and Worker Rights
Environmental Green New Deal

While movement forward on the work week and labor unions; education; housing; health care; more taxes on the rich and corporations; and environmental reforms, can be promoted, the remainder of the ideas listed above are preposterous and unachievable.

Abolishing the government as we know it is not going to happen, and would require a new Constitutional Convention, that could lead, in theory, to a more right wing extremist government, instead of what is proposed.

The Department of Defense and ICE will continue, although the policies pursued need to be reformed so that there is the end of abuses now being perpetrated.

Also, the United States will continue to support the safety and survival of the state of Israel, while being able to be critical of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and its policies toward the Palestinians.

The Founding Fathers created a form of government, that while not perfect, has overall done quite well in moving the nation forward “toward a more perfect union”, and the Presidency of Donald Trump is a short term derailment of their goals, but will, with public support, be overcome.

25 Years Since Bush V Gore: What Might Have Been!

Ronald 69 Comments

It has been exactly a quarter century since the US Supreme Court in Bush V Gore awarded the Presidency to George W. Bush over Al Gore, declaring Bush the winner of the popular vote in the state of Florida, governed by his brother, Jeb Bush, by the grand total of 537 votes out of 6 million votes cast in the Sunshine State, but with Gore winning the national popular vote by about 540,000 votes.

Bush won the Electoral College by 271-266, the second closest electoral vote in American history, after the Presidential Election of 1876, where Rutherford B. Hayes won the Electoral College 185-184, despite losing the popular vote by about 250,000 votes to Samuel Tilden.

Imagine the differences that would have occurred if Al Gore had been President, and most observers would think America would have been better off.

The major issue that arises is whether the September 11 Al Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon would have occurred.

Also, how would a President Gore have reacted if such an attack had still taken place, meaning how would we have dealt with the issue of Afghanistan, and what turned out to be a 20 year war?

Also, there would have been an Iraq War which dragged on for years, alongside the Afghanistan War, since the decision to go to war in 2003 was based on false premises?

This is all speculation, a potential novel, as who is in office determines the future in so many ways that one cannot calculate ahead of time, or even for sure, in retrospect!

A Truly Divided Nation With No Sign Of Compromise!

Ronald 61 Comments

As America votes in off year elections in just a few states, the recognition is that America is a truly divided nation with no sign of compromise, as we move toward the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Republic, with every indication of Fascist authoritarianism being dominant under Donald Trump!

At present, there are 25 Trump states and 19 Anti Trump states, with only six states really competitive, both in support or opposition to Trump, and in percentages of seats in the House of Representatives.

In the 25 Trump states, 22 of them have Republican governors, and all of the state legislatures and Senate seats, as well.

Only six states really remain “competitive”—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada, a total of 77 Electoral College votes.

In Electoral Votes, the Democrats have 226 from the 19 Anti Trump states and the District of Columbia. The 25 Trump states have 235 electoral votes.

Also, Nebraska and Maine have divided electoral votes, with the Second District of Nebraska often having one electoral vote going to Democrats and the Second District of Maine often having one electoral vote going to Republicans, so they balance each other.

The states that have strongly gone Republican, while formerly competitive, are Texas, Florida, Ohio, and North Carolina.

With Texas and Florida still gaining population growth, the likelihood is that both states will have more electoral votes after reapportionment in 2032, which makes the Democrats facing a massive challenge in future elections.

And California, Illinois, and New York are likely to lose Electoral votes, necessitating the need for Democrats to win the six “swing states” that have been in play, but won recently by Republicans, as in 2024!

Financial Insecurity And Fear Of Immigrants Exploited By Trump, But America IS A Liberal Nation, As Proved In Public Opinion Surveys!

Ronald 5 Comments

Donald Trump won the Presidential Election of 2024, based on two factors: Financial Insecurity, and Fear of Immigrants.

But that does not mean that America is a right wing nation, a MAGA Republican nation.

When one examines public opinion ratings on a host of issues, America is truly a liberal oriented nation, which can, however, be swayed by Financial Insecurity and Fear of Immigrants.

For instance, 69 percent support legal abortion.

90 percent want more gun control laws.

72 percent believe the Climate Crisis is real.

79 percent want the wealthy to pay more taxes.

71 percent support Labor Unions.

73 percent want student loan debt relief.

72 percent want money out of politics.

69 percent support same sex marriage.

65 percent want to end the Electoral College.

89 percent oppose gerrymandering.

65 percent support term limits for the Supreme Court.

So when one considers the large number of women, young people, and people of color in our population, there is still hope for the future.

Donald Trump’s Victory In 2024 Fifth Lowest Since 1924!

Ronald 1 Comment

Donald Trump and his loyalists continue to declare that he had a “massive” victory in the Presidential Election of 2024, when he most certainly did not, and including the fact that his Republican Party now has the barest margin in the House of Representatives that has occurred since the 72nd Congress in 1931-1932, losing the majority on October 22, 1931 to the Democrats and never regaining the majority again until the 80th Congress in 1947-1948.

Trump has the fifth lowest margin of victory by 1.7 percent, only higher than Richard Nixon in 1968 with 0.7 percent, John F. Kennedy in 1960 with O.2 percent, George W. Bush with MINUS 0.5 percent in 2000, and Trump with MINUS 2.1 percent in 2016, with the last two losing the popular vote, but winning the Electoral College.

And Trump did NOT gain the majority of the popular vote, ending up with 49.9 percent.

So Donald Trump does NOT have the mandate he thinks he has, and if Republicans lose one or two seats in replacement elections for members of the House that are joining the administration from Florida and New York, then the Democrats have the possibility of gaining control of the House of Representatives during the present 119th Congress.

Kamala Harris Being Judged Differently Due To Race And Gender

admin 15 Comments

This entry is being revised from the original entry, which accidentally was deleted by the author, for which I apologize. I will be brief in summarizing my ideas on this entry with the same title, and anyone who had commented on the original entry, I would ask to submit a similar comment, and again, my apologies for the blunder, which has never happened before today, and will not happen again!

John F. Kennedy (Catholic); Barack Obama (African American); and Hillary Clinton (female), all faced discrimination and bias due to their uniqueness as Presidential candidates in 1960, 2008, and 2016, respectively.

In the first two cases, the issue of Catholicism and of race were overcome, while Clinton, although winning the popular vote by 2.85 million, was unable to win the Electoral College.

Now, Kamala Harris who is the second woman to seek the Presidency and has Asian Indian and African-Jamaican heritage, is facing critics who are claiming she is unqualified on intelligence and on abilities and knowledge, to occupy the Oval Office.

Harris has had more government experience than most Presidents, more than all Presidents since 1900, except for Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and Joe Biden.

Harris is also much more intelligent than some Presidents, including Warren G. Harding, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump since 1900; and also more qualified to be President than some Vice Presidents who succeeded to the Oval Office, including Andrew Johnson and Calvin Coolidge.

So the negativism around Harris in some circles should be seen as not worthy of being considered, and hopefully, she will break the barrier as the first woman President in American history!

Why Kamala Harris Is Likely On The Road To Victory

admin 10 Comments

Although the polls are very close in the Presidential Election race of 2024, all signs are good that Kamala Harris is likely on the road to occupying the Oval Office as the 47th President of the United States after the November 5 election date.

Harris is ahead in most polls in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada, which if true, would give her a 287-251 Electoral College victory, also including the Second District in Nebraska.

There is no doubt that Harris will easily win the popular vote, and possibly by more than the 7 plus million vote victory of Joe Biden in 2020.

Additionally, Harris is ahead in the following categories:

Urban voters
Suburban voters
College Educated Voters
Women Voters
African American Voters
Latino Voters
Jewish Voters
Asian American Voters
Voters 18-29 Years of Age
Voters Over Age 50
Labor Union Voters
Gay And Lesbian Voters

Of course, being ahead does not mean that the percentages of each voter category are what they have been in the past, or that one would think they should be, so there is plenty of work ahead in the next 25 days to convince voters in all of the above categories to support Kamala Harris.

Donald Trump will have the edge with:

Rural Voters
Non College Educated Voters
White Male Voters
Wealthy Voters
30-50 Years of Age Voters
Religious Voters

It is clear that there are still those Americans who have not made up their minds, so non stop campaigning is essential, as this election is crucial to the survival of American democracy, the rule of law, and maintaining the US Constitution!

Dangers To American Democracy: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

admin 31 Comments

It is more clear than ever that the major dangers to American democracy are Elon Musk, the owner of X (Twitter); Donald Trump; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Musk is spending massive amounts of money backing Trump’s bid to go back to the White House, and is promoting as much publicity as possible to support a man who tried to overthrow the US government on January 6, 2021.

And it is clear that mentally, both Trump and RFK Jr are unstable figures who would endanger the stability of America domestically and in foreign affairs.

RFK Jr. has only been able to make it to the ballot in 15 states so far, but may end up on most state ballots, and there are people who without rhyme or reason will vote for him. The danger is if RFK Jr. is on the ballot in “battleground” states, that could tip the balance in the Electoral College! And if he is not on other state ballots, those annoyed by that reality might vote for Trump, who would have gone to Kennedy, otherwise.

So these three individuals are “a clear and present danger”, who yet could determine the future of the nation!

Who Could Be Running Mate For Kamala Harris?

admin 8 Comments

If Joe Biden were to decide to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for President in 2024, a heavy favorite to replace him would be Vice President Kamala Harris, although other Democrats might decide to contest her nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.

If Harris is the Presidential nominee, the question is who would be a good choice for Vice President?

It would seem to this author and blogger that either a “swing state” Governor or someone who has proved ability to win office in a “Red” state would make the most sense.

So this author and blogger proposes one of the following two individuals:

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, age 51

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, age 46

Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state with 19 electoral votes, and Shapiro, who is Jewish, has had years of state experience as Attorney General of his state before being elected Governor by a solid margin, and is very popular, and seen as a future Presidential contender.

Kentucky is a “Red” state, but Beshear has been able to win the Governorship twice, and is highly popular, and could, in theory, put Kentucky’s 8 electoral votes in play, which would be a welcome potential addition to the Electoral College total for the Democrats.