Election Returns

November 6th, 1912

Disappointment in in the air here at Taft's election headquarters, we fought a tough fit but still came up short. Woodrow Wilson won the race by a wide margin, claiming 433 electoral votes. Roosevelt was second with 88, and Taft finished third with 8. Our numbers in the House also dropped, the Democrats now have 291 seats against our 127 and the Progressive's 17. Loses were similar in the Senate, the Democrats now have 51 seats against our 44.

Turnout declined dramatically for this election, only 59.8 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots. Surprisingly, six percent of those who voted casted ballots for Debs--evidently his message got across to the voters.

One plus of this election is that the progressives garnered no governorships. I would predict that the Progressive Party will dissipate in the coming years.

Keep up with my blog over the coming years, I'm sure there will be plenty of criticism over Wilson and his policies. Let's just hope our predictions don't come true.

Below is the electoral map for this election.

November 4th

Tomorrow is election day--don't forget to vote!!!

Here is a political cartoon that I found to be pretty clever, I wonder if this how they really feel going into tonight.

Sherman Dead

October 30^th, 1912

President Taft’s vice president James Sherman died in office today. The cause of death is yet to be known. This will dramatically influence this election, one can only hope that a suitable running mate can be found, and SOON. It is predicted that Taft will choose Nicholas Butler, a very suitable candidate.

Sherman was 57.

Roosevelt Shot

October 14^th, 1912

Word has just came in that Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning in Milwaukee, WI. It is thought that a saloon keeper named John F. Schrank pulled the trigger. Lucky for Roosevelt the bullet hit his eyeglass case and his 50 page speech. He should recover in a timely manner.

Many are speculating the Wilson will stop campaigning during this time to make for a more even race. This may be President Taft’s chance to capitalize and make up some lost ground, especially if things turn for the worst for Roosevelt.

The Woman Vote and Racism

August 23rd, 1912

Over the past few years the states of Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Washington, and California have given women the right to vote. Roosevelt has been an ardent supporter of suffrage, I am of the view this is a ploy to capture a few extra votes. The other candidates have not really solidified their position, which they do not have to if they want to stay safe since it seems inevitable that women will have the right to vote nationally before too long.

As for race, the candidates have very diverse views. Woodrow Wilson’s treatment of African Americans at Princeton was dismal by not allowing them into the school. He also has a very negative few of Eastern Europeans, especially the Polish. This is something that will prevent many in the mid-west for voting for them. Wilson is pro-Asian immigration which may scare away many laborers.

W.E.B. Du Bois had dinner with Roosevelt and his family a few years ago, but today it looks like he is jumping ship. Many blacks have been left to question the views of Roosevelt. Oddly enough, the south questions his view on race.

Debs has a favorable few of blacks, obvious because of his socialist views. What is odd is his feel towards Asian immigrants, who he is opposed to. How can a socialist have such a negative view of such a disparate group of people?

Many blacks are wary of our great president because of his racist southerner Secretary of War. If I was to make a prediction, the blacks will split their vote between Roosevelt and Taft.

Judicial Recall

August 16th, 1912

Judicial recall is the idea that people hold the right to determine whether the judge has the right to hold the office. There are too many activist judges out there, and a few people have the view that a vote should be held to oust the candidate from office. Others have the few that the people can hold a referendum on individual decisions. President Taft disagrees with these tendencies because recall will violate the sanctity of the judiciary, this blog sides with him on this decision.

Roosevelt is the champion of judicial recall. We must be wary of voting for him for this reason. The same is true for Wilson; while he is not in favor of the tariff, he is in favor of referendum.

Look out for next post, it is in regards to women and their ability to vote.

The Tariff

August 8^th, 1912

We all know that the tariff has provides social cohesion, patriotism, and a bright economic future. Just look at America’s GDP. Between 1897 and 1901 the average GDP was $1.3 billion; projections for 1912-1916 show the GDP at $40.3 billion. This of course could not be possible without the Republican leadership that we have had over the past few years, and the tariff. President Taft is obviously in favor of the tariff, and will do little to reduce it if he is reelected. A recent issue of Harpers shows our president dodging the tariff issue, I think the last four years should go to prove this notion false.

I’m uncertain as to whether or not Roosevelt knows what his view is on the tariff. During his nomination speech Roosevelt was asked about his view on the tariff and ducked it. This is going to be an issue for him for the rest of the election, he better solidify his position.

Woodrow Wilson is a free-trader. He wants to lower the tariff. This is going to destroy our economy, just look at Great Britain and Germany. Great Britain’s free-trade policy has devastated their economy because of labor unrest while Germany is thriving because of their protectionist ways. Sure it would be great if the world was free of tariffs, but the US cannot be the first to do away with them. If Wilson is elected we will be doomed, mark my words.