Tag: american-history

Ten Cent Jimmy

by earlthepearl137

There was a clue on “Jeopardy!” today that needs some clarification.

The “answer” was “Who is James Buchanan?”

The nickname is correct, but the context is way wrong, as are many details about President Buchanan that have been widely disseminated.  Here is the full story as told in “President James Buchanan” a biography by Philip Shriver Klein:

Pages 133-134.

The program of attack on Van Buren presupposed attacks on all his lieutenants.  In Pennsylvania there was a very effective propaganda campaign to prove that Buchanan had urged a banking program that would reduce the wages of labor to ten cents a day.  “Ten Cent Jimmy,” the pamphlets were labelled.  Buchanan, in formal debate, always presented as strongly as he could the case of the opposition, and then proceeded to demolish it systematically by his own arguments.  In supporting the Independent Treasury Bill, he had outlined the terrible conditions which would prevail unless banks were reformed and had then gone on to show how much better all would fare under the proposed bill.  Senator John Davis of Massachusetts took the first section of this speech, and offered it as Buchanan’s reasons for supporting the Independent Treasury.  He took the “ten cents a day” phrase and quoted it out of context, asserting that Buchanan supported the Independent Treasury Bill in the hope that it would reduce wages, destroy banks and deflate property values.  Davis’s speeches, when circulated in print, had tremendous political impact.

Forney reported from Pennsylvania:  “I do not know when I have been so much disgusted with the course of any political opponent as with that of this Mr. Davis-…  He must be either a mere catspaw of others, or a weak, addle-brained man, or a malignant and unscrupulous ruffian…  When I see the effect they are making here, by means of his villainous perversion of your intelligible Defence (sic) of the laborer, I cannot but put such a construction upon his unworthy conduct.  Why, Sir, they have flooded this county with his so-called Reply to you….  A copy has been sent to nearly every Democrat….  His whole speech is the assumption of the broad ground that the people are ignorant, and unable to discriminate between right and wrong.”

The human mind has not yet discovered the way of counteracting promptly the effect of the bold lie propagated by the prominent man.  History is full of pertinent illustrations.  If representative government has a nemesis, this is probably it.  The “Ten Cent Jimmy” lie seriously weakened Buchanan in Pennsylvania.

Forney proposed that the Democrats “challenge any responsible member of the opposition here to join in the republication of both yours and Davis’ speeches, both of which are to be published correctly and … bound together, and so circulated… If they do not accept, they are down forever.”  The opposition did not accept, nor was it down forever.  Instead, it proceeded to improve its advantage by reviving the “drop of blood” smear and sending that out with the “Ten Cent Jimmy” pamphlets.  Editor Middleton, of the Lancaster Examiner, did much of the printing.  He had recently distinguished himself by shooting James Cameron when Cameron came in to beat him up for other lies he had published.  Buchanan was for “carrying the war into Carthage,” but his friends advised against it.  “It’s only giving tone to falsehoods by heeding them,” wrote Judge Champneys.

Buchanan made several long defensive speeches in the Senate on the “Ten Cent Jimmy” accusations.  “If the most artful and unfair man in the world had determined to destroy any public measure,” he asked, “in what manner would he most effectually damn it in public estimation?  It would be to enumerate all the terrible consequences which would flow from it, according to the predictions of its enemies, and put them into the mouth of its friends as arguments in its favor.  There could not by possibility be any stronger admission of its evil tendency….  This is the ridiculous attitude in which I am placed by the Senator’s speech.  If these imputations were well founded, I must be one of the most ferocious men in existence.  Destruction must be my delight. No wild agrarian in the country has ever thought of waging such an indiscriminate war against all property, my own among the rest, as that which has been attributed to me by the Senator.”  But Buchanan’s exposure of Davis’s fraud proved a futile effort.  People found it easier to say “Ten Cent Jimmy” than to read a rebuttal, and the nickname stuck.

Today, we have another Presidential candidate, who delights in bold lies and giving horrible nicknames to his opponents.  Nancy Pelosi was called “Crazy Nancy” and “Nervous Nancy.”  Hillary Clinton was called “Crooked Hillary.”  Even fellow Republicans were verbally attacked if they dared to run against Donald Trump in the primaries.  Jeb Bush was “Low Energy Jeb.”  Ted Cruz was “Lyin’ Ted.”  Well, that one was probably well-deserved, though.  Ron DeSantis was “Meatball Ron” or “Ron DeSanctimonious.”  Nikki Haley was “Birdbrain.”  Marco Rubio was “Little Marco.”

Now, Trump has turned his sights on Joe Biden with nicknames like “Basement Biden” or “Sleepy Joe.”  But some people have turned the tables on the orange hate-spewer.  Stormy “Horseface” Daniels was one of the star witnesses against him in the case that found him guilty of 34 Felonies.  The other star witness against him, Michael Cohen also turned the tables with a nickname of his own for Trump, “Donald Von ShitsinPantz.”

How are we supposed to act when our opponents are cruel or act like a bully?  Michelle Obama said, “When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level.  No, our motto is ‘When they go low, we go high.’”

James Buchanan, himself, had advice for settling differences, when he said, “The ballot box is the surest arbiter of disputes among free men.”  Keep that in mind this November, and make sure that Donald Trump will no longer be able to bully the country like he tried to do on January 6th, 2021.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl

If We Turn off the lights, the Party is over.

by earlthepearl137

The two-party system has been a dominant feature of U.S. politics, almost from the beginning.  George Washington, our first President, did not run for President on a Party ticket.  George Washington was not elected by a popular vote in the way modern presidents are chosen. Instead, he was unanimously elected by the Electoral College. He is the only President who ever won with a unanimous vote of the electorate.  Later, when different political parties formed, he was considered a member of the Federalist Party.  The Federalist Party was one of the country’s first political parties. It was led by figures such as Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. The party favored a strong federal government and was supportive of the Constitution. The Federalists declined after the War of 1812 and eventually dissolved.

For as far back as I can remember, the major political parties have been the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.  However, there have been third-party candidates representing other political viewpoints.  In 2020, the Libertarian Party nominee for President was Jo Jorgensen.  The Green Party candidate was Howie Hawkins.  Don Blankenship was the candidate for the Constitution Party.  None of these third-party candidates garnered any electoral votes, and they knew ahead of time that they wouldn’t, but they wanted to have a platform to express their views, and they did.

Many different political parties have come and gone over the years.  The Whig Party emerged in the 1830s as an opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson. The party attracted a coalition of anti-Jackson forces, including former National Republicans and Anti-Masonic Party members. The Whigs were active in the mid-19th century but collapsed due to internal divisions over issues such as slavery.

The Know Nothing Party, also known as the American Party, gained prominence in the 1850s. It was characterized by nativism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and opposition to Catholicism. The Know Nothings were influential for a brief period but faded away due to the national focus shifting to the issue of slavery.

The Progressive Party (Bull Moose Party) formed by former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, was a short-lived third party. Roosevelt ran as its presidential candidate after losing the Republican nomination. The party advocated for progressive reforms, but it ultimately declined after the 1912 election.

The Dixiecrats (States’ Rights Democratic Party) formed in 1948 as a faction of Southern Democrats dissatisfied with the Democratic Party’s civil rights platform.  Led by Strom Thurmond, the party opposed desegregation. While not a long-lasting party, it reflected regional discontent within the Democratic Party.

These parties played significant roles during their respective times but either disbanded or declined due to changing political landscapes, internal conflicts, or shifts in public opinion. The two major parties in the U.S., the Democrats and Republicans, have remained the dominant political forces for many years.  Both parties have evolved over time, adapting to changes in the political and social landscape. The Democratic Party has a longer history, while the Republican Party emerged as a response to the sectional conflicts of the mid-19th century.

The Democratic Party is one of the oldest political parties in the world and has its roots in the Democratic-Republican Party formed in the 1790s in opposition to the Federalist Party.  The Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, advocated for states’ rights, agrarian interests, and strict interpretation of the Constitution. It eventually split into factions, with the followers of Andrew Jackson forming the Democratic Party.  That party embraced the idea of popular democracy and expanded suffrage to a broader segment of the population. Jackson’s election in 1828 marked a turning point in the party’s history.

The Republican Party was founded in the mid-19th century in response to the contentious issues of the time and the expansion of the United States westward.  Opposition to the spread of slavery into new territories was a key factor that led to the formation of the Republican Party. Activists, former Whigs, and anti-slavery Democrats came together to form a new political force.  The Free Soil Party, active in the 1848 and 1852 elections, opposed the extension of slavery into the newly acquired territories, and many Free Soilers later joined the Republican Party.  The Republican Party was officially founded on March 20, 1854, in Ripon, Wisconsin. The party’s first platform focused on opposition to the expansion of slavery and promoting industrialization.

The election of Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, further solidified the Republican Party as a major political force. The election played a role in the secession of Southern states and the onset of the Civil War.

So, while it is difficult for us nowadays to picture any political parties other than the Democrats and the Republicans, there have been many many groups that have formed over the years, and now it seems that there is yet another one forming, the MAGA Party, led by Donald Trump.  He has steadily siphoned off almost half of the Republican party, forming his new party, a party that wants to suspend the Constitution and give the President more power, similar to the authoritarian powers of Vladimir Putin in Russia, Kim Jong Un in North Korea, and Viktor Orban in Hungary.  These powers would also include immunity from prosecution for any and all crimes committed by the President, including the assassination of his political rivals. 

Is this the end of the Republican Party?  Not likely.  The current party leaders lack the guts to stand up to the Trump mob, and even Nikki Haley, who is running against him in the Republican primaries, has stated publicly that she will support him if he is the Republican Party’s nominee for President.  Eventually, new, more courageous leaders will emerge, though, who will take back the ideals of the Grand Old Party, but that will first require a crushing defeat of the MAGA Party in the November election. 

We need two strong political parties in this country.  I feel that the liberal Democratic Party is the gas pedal that propels the country forward, and the conservative Republican Party is the brake pedal that keeps us from skidding out of control and running off the road.  One, without the other, is not good for the country.  So, I call upon all Democrats to help save the Grand Old Republican Party from the MAGA cancer that is killing it from within.  Help restore sanity in government by solidly crushing the MAGA Party in November.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl