Pick Me Someone Else
How hard is it to pick a presidential candidate?
There have been several elections in which a national party has decided to run out a candidate who either lost the previous election or was on the losing ticket from the last election. There are even examples where a family name is the only reason you can run.
The country has always had talented, gifted people capable of running the country. How difficult is it for rich white guys to rule over a developing country with vast resources and oppressed populations where your biggest threat can only get to you by boat?
You would think that if you lost an election, something I don’t have first-hand knowledge of, you would ride off into the sunset.
Richard Nixon lost the 1960 election and declared we wouldn’t have him to kick around. But he came back and won the White House eight years later.
There aren’t a lot of examples of leaders who ran for office, gained the nomination of a party, ran, and lost, only to come back and win. I can think of two off the top of my head - Andrew Jackson and Grover Cleveland.
However, the landscape features many gentlemen who tried running multiple times and lost numerous times. I’m not sure this is something you want to be consistently good at.
The country kept running the same losers, especially in the beginning. I have no idea why.
This brings us to the following elections featuring James Madison, who didn’t have the stiffest competition.
Let's dive in.
35: The Presidential Election of 1808
Election Date: November 4 – December 7, 1808
The Candidates:
Thomas Jefferson decided to continue George Washington’s precedent and not run a third time, which was a good idea considering the country was tired of him by 1808. The Democratic-Republican Party decided on Secretary of State James Madison, another Framer, another Virginian. They also kept Vice President George Clinton on the ticket because why not?
I’m not sure if the Federalists forgot about the assignment and rushed to turn something in because they ran back Charles Pickney and Rufus King from the 1804 election. They figured that if people were sick of Jefferson, they might vote for the guys they passed on. That’s an interesting strategy.
Major Issue of the Day:
We couldn’t shake the issues surrounding Great Britain and France. The British Navy decided to capture and conscript American sailors to fight the French. So President Jefferson signed into law the Embargo Act, which prevented anyone in the US from trading with anyone in Europe.
It wasn’t a good idea because the country needed to trade goods with Europe, which messed up the economy.
The Winner:
Virginia.
Madison was the next son of the presidential dynasty that brought the country leaders such as Washington and Jefferson. Virginians would go on to be elected president another five times.
The States in the Electoral College:
17. No new states entered the Union since the last election, and Washington, DC, was still figuring itself out.
The Electoral College had 176 members, and the winner needed 89 votes.
Pickney fared better than he did four years earlier. He flipped three states, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, to go along with those that voted for him in 1804: Delaware and Connecticut.
As a reminder, Pickney was from South Carolina. If you can figure out how this works, you can be a guest writer.
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
Madison is a second-tier president at number 16. He did all the things he did well before he became president, and like me, the best thing he did was marry well.
Why Did I Rank it Here:
Everyone forgets about Madison and Monroe, so here we are. At least I didn’t get into the teens, go all Federalist, and throw this election in somewhere because I forgot the assignment.
Madison’s reelection bid was hilarious because of how his opponent was chosen. You can’t believe it.
Let’s dive in.
34: The Presidential Election of 1812
Election Date: October 30 – December 2, 1812
The Candidates:
Madison secured his nomination primarily because the country declared war on Great Britain in June 1812.
The Federalists decided that enough was enough with these Virginians and their wars and embargoes. So they searched for someone other than Charles Pickney and landed on DeWitt Clinton.
Where did we see the name Clinton before? Oh yeah, the former Vice President George Clinton.
Are DeWitt and George related? Absolutely! George is DeWitt’s uncle.
Madison’s opponent was the nephew of his vice president. I have this picture in my head of a confused Madison trying to make sense of this when told who he was running against.
Major Issue of the Day:
Madison benefited from Jefferson's decision to repeal the Embargo Act.
However, Madison replaced it with another act that prevented trade with only Britain and France, which didn’t please anyone.
The country was in another war with their former Overlords. One that would end with no clear victors.
The Winner:
Staying the course.
The United States doesn’t replace its leader during a war.
1812 was the first election in the middle of the war and set the precedent that we would keep the guy in place who started it.
The States in the Electoral College:
18. Louisiana entered the Union in April 1812. You’ll be shocked to learn that it voted for Madison.
The Electoral College had 217 members, and the winner needed 109 votes.
Madison lost two states in his reelection and went from winning 64% of the vote in 1808 to just 50%. But he wasn’t in danger of losing to Candidate Nephew, who only won 89 electoral votes.
The 2021 OKH Presidential Ranking:
Did you read my review of the book I read on James Madison while I was on my honeymoon? It was okay. The book - my honeymoon was fantastic.
Why Did I Rank it Here:
This is probably too high for this stupid election. DeWitt Clinton? The Federalist Party offered good ideas that have stuck, like the Federal Reserve and having an army, to name two. But this party was destined to end because it couldn’t recruit and nominate candidates worth a dang.
We are barreling through May, aren’t we? Are you enjoying these rankings? Are there elections you think need to be ranked by now? Let me know!
We have a busy weekend coming up. I hope you all have a fun one, and I’ll see you on Monday.
Thanks for supporting Okay History. I love you all.
Okay,
Chris
The honeymoon was fantastic!