Tag: George Wallace

Howard Schultz explains that the reason he’s seriously considering an independent run for the White House is “the two-party system is broken.” And despite historical headwinds and what would be fierce opposition from the political machines of both those parties, analysts suggest the increasingly polarized climate could give the former Starbucks CEO an opening -- however narrow -- to mount a competitive bid in the 2020 cycle. And the deck remains very much stacked against a White House bid by an independent or third-party candidate. George Washington was the first – and last – independent to win the presidency. Alabama’s George Wallace was the last independent or third-party candidate to grab any electoral votes, as he won a bunch of southern states in the 1968 presidential election. Ross Perot illustrated how hard it is for an independent in the modern era to be competitive in the race for the states and their all-important electoral votes. The path for a third party or true independent is incredibly narrow and bordering the non-existent,” political scientist Wayne Lesperance said. Earlier this year, after Schultz announced he was considering an independent White House run, Bloomberg wrote that "the data was very clear and very consistent. But Lesperance, the vice president of academic affairs at New England College, highlighted that with the current unpredictable political climate and a displeasure by many in the middle with both the Democrats and Republicans, “the 2020 election represents one of the best opportunities for the right independent candidate to navigate a very narrow path” toward winning the presidency. “What would be needed is a candidate with virtually unlimited financial resources, a candidate whose position allows for a platform that attracts more centrists voters currently unhappy with the shifts to the right and left of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively, and a candidate that can overcome one of the greatest hurdles of all -- the notion that a vote for a third party candidate is a wasted vote,” he added. Democrats are doing all they can to keep him out of the race, worried he could help throw the election to Trump.

Lately I’ve complained a lot about how frivolous some of the politics in New Mexico have been this year. Lone Star Republicans recently have attacked Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke — who’s trying to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz — for having been in a punk rock band in his younger days, tweeting out old photos of a long-haired O’Rourke with his band, Foss. This cannot stand! The implication is that being a musician somehow makes you less serious, less credible, less mature. Roberto Mondragón, who had just released one of his albums of Spanish-language songs. So when people asked him about his guitar, he’d answer, “It’s down in my truck. Besides his legal career, Daniels is a country-rocker, playing for years in the Albuquerque-based band Lawyers, Guns and Money. A few years ago, I talked to Daniels about this. “Some people play golf, I play guitar.” Nationwide, there have been several politicos involved in music. Who can forget former Arkansas governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee playing bass on his old Fox News show with Ted Nugent’s band?

American politics have become more racialized over the last decade. Over the long term, that trend will probably help the Democrats — the party of the country’s growing demographic groups. First, a little history: The Obama presidency started the new era of racialized politics. But the mere fact that Obama was black made voters think more about race. And when white people are frequently reminded of their racial identity, they tend to become more politically conservative, as Ezra Klein explains in a new Vox piece, “White threat in a browning America.” I think the Democrats are favored to retake the House this year and the White House in 2020, as I wrote yesterday. Yet despite the risks of racialized politics for the Democratic Party, it often finds itself incapable of de-emphasizing the issue. “The Democratic Party will not be able to win elections without an excited, diverse coalition. So what should Democrats do? Manafort trial. The trial of Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, is set to begin this morning in Virginia.

In 1972, George McGovern of South Dakota was the Democratic Party's nominee for president. Both ran campaigns with strong visions for what they wanted America to be. And while Mondale says McGovern's campaign looks good through the lens of history, "It's not the campaign I would have run." Mondale tells me he believes McGovern made a mistake in how he executed the message of his campaign; perhaps too liberal at a time when the country was shifting to more conservative politics. Four years later.....1976.....Mondale is elected vice president on the ticket with former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter. Four years later, in 1980, they are defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan and his running mate George Bush. I think we had to open up the party. But Mondale tells me there were people in his own campaign who questioned his vice presidential choice. Sometimes after that 84 election, Mondale ran into George McGovern. Mondale asked his friend a question; "George, how long did it take you to get over your defeat in running for president?