James Buchanan worst president ever won the electoral college

[Egalitarian Zetetic]

http://userpages.umbc.edu/~cgehrm1/pres_site/presidents/jb.html


So after bush this should be sufficient reason to rid ourselves of this hoary system. So our worst 2 presidents have been put in office thanks to it.





In 1856, Buchanan was finally nominated for the presidency, with John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky as his running mate. The campaign platform was based on the finality of the Compromise of 1850 and the non-intervention of Congress concerning slavery in the territories. Buchanan defeated Fremont in the electoral college, although he failed to get a majority of the popular vote. Buchanan's presidency was a stormy one, filled with controversy and numerous domestic difficulties. By the end of his term, the slavery issue and states' rights problems had caused serious divisions in government circles. The election of Abraham Lincoln added fuel to the fire, and between December 1860 and January 1861, numerous members of Buchanan's cabinet resigned. The attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 not only brought the start of the Civil War, but also seemed to cement the public’s opinion that Buchanan was one of the worst presidents in United States’ history.

[dsc]

1. that is how we got Abe Lincoln as well

It should be noted that Buchanan also would have won the popular vote. He simply didn't get a majority.

[jobycom]

2. Reagan and US Grant were equally as bad

I like the electoral system, personally. It does even out some of the regional tyranny that would happen without it. Candidates would focus on a few urban areas, and make promises and policies that rewarded these areas and punished more rural areas. The electoral college is a good balance, giving rural areas a bit of weight without going too far.

Sure, Bush sucks, but he didn't really win without cheating anyway. The failure wasn't of the electoral college, it was a failure of enforcement of the laws of Florida.

[EndElectoral]

3. Great article on Electoral College Roots

It should have went with slavery during the Civil War.

[FarLeftRage]

4. People always forget about Harding...

Teapot Dome scandal, the veterans scandals and ol' warren cheated on his wife.
Thus, rumour has that his wife poisoned him to death...

[mot78]

5. Between Dread Scott and his shilling for Bleeding Kansas Freeps

Buchanan was THE worst POTUS, but he didn't cause the Civil War, since Lincoln's election caused that.

[UrbScotty]

6. Well, he won the popular vote.

That in itself makes him more credible than Bush.

[coda]

14. Exactly.

Which makes the argument a moot point.

Freemont, the first Republican candidate for President, was no prize either.

[AntiCoup2K4]

7. Buchanan was also America's first (and so far, only ) gay President

http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/2458

[No2W2004]

16. So, there were rumors...

OK

...so he was a bachelor when it was expected of all politicians to be married,

...so he was the first president whose inagural ball consisted of nothing but show tunes,

...so the offical hostess of the White House was someone named Bruce,

...so he thought he looked good in heels,

it was all just rumors.

:spank:

[Gman]

8. When Iraq descends into anarchy, chaos and bloodshed

it will cement Bush's ascension to the title of worst president ever.

[Radical Activist]

9. Don't forget his use of religious bigotry

Buchanan saw how divided the nation was over slavery so he decided to attempt to unite north and south in a common bigotry against Mormons. He launched the so-called "Mormon War" by sending federal troops to remove Brigham Young as territorial Governor.

It is perhaps the most shameful moment of religious bigotry and denial of religious freedom in the nation's history. There was no provocation for the attack on the Mormons, who fled to Utah to escape years of violent persecution, but the Mormons did wage a fairly effective campaign of non-violent passive resistence to the federal troops.

If that wasn't bad enough he had the federal arsenal sent to the South before Lincoln could take office. He is no doubt the worst President ever and should have been hung.

[NinetySix]

10. What about Franklin Pierce?

So bad that he wasn't even renominated by his party--as the INCUMBENT!

Perhaps history is cyclical...

[paulk]

11. an article you might find interesting

from the History News Network, where 415 historians are polled on the success/failure of Bush's presidency, and how it stacks up against previous presidencies.

http://hnn.us/articles/5019.html

an excerpt -

My assessment is that George W. Bush’s record on running up debt to burden our children is the worst since Ronald Reagan; his record on government surveillance of citizens is the worst since Richard Nixon; his record on foreign-military policy has gotten us into the worst foreign mess we’ve been in since Lyndon Johnson sank us into Vietnam; his economic record is the worst since Herbert Hoover; his record of tax favoritism for the rich is the worst since Calvin Coolidge; his record of trampling on civil liberties is the worst since Woodrow Wilson. How far back in our history would we need to go to find a presidency as disastrous for this country as that of George W. Bush has been thus far? My own vote went to the administration of James Buchanan, who warmed the president’s chair while the union disintegrated in 1860-61.

[Radical Activist]

12. Interesting qoute...

You could likewise say that Bush warmed the Presidents chair while he received warnings of the 911 attack.

[dsc]

13. No you couldn't

since Bush spent August in Crawford.

[Radical Activist]

15. Oh yeah, good point

I guess he was warming up the Presidential saddle or golfcart.