My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

Charles Evans Hughes was called the 'Tuesday President' after he was first declared the winner over President Woodrow Wilson and then, by just 3,400 votes in California including war-weary westerners, upset TR voters and women voters who hadn't yet earned the right to vote in other states, America barely endorsed its President. When word reached the President of his miracle win, he was not as excited about being the first Democrat re-elected in consecutive terms since Andrew Jackson as you might expect. We look at that election and the ONE thing about this election that makes it different from all the rest; something that might have consequences for 2012.

An incumbent running in a tough time. Attention focuses on a key swing state. Views are mixed on the President's performance. A challenger emerges. The President's partisans attack the character of the Republican challenger, who himself is having a tough time with his own party. Who will win?

are among the many things discussed in this hodgepodcast. What's better, a service or a manufacturing economy, The role of data now, in 1880 and 1790, The changing mind of judges, and the history of Cinco de Mayo.

The creation of a 'Bank of The United States' was a large undertaking of the new Federal Government. It was done by reading into the Constitution, and no judge could stop it. We look at the debate over the bank, the career of Alexander Hamilton, and what its history might add to the debate over large programs such as healthcare reform.

A look at the so-called 'swing' justices of the Supreme Court Owen J. Roberts and especially Anthony Kennedy. As all eyes are on the latter justice in so many cases, but especially in the recent healthcare case. Kennedy is famously hard to read in oral argument as to how he'll go in a case; here we do our best job a an admittedly risky prediction of how he might go in the healthcare reform case based on past oral arguments.

..was of course the same President, the only one to have two Presidencies. We will talk quite a bit about Grover Cleveland especially now that candidate Ron Paul has invoked his name as his favorite President. And how, after all this time, rightly or wrongly, today's politicians maybe coming back to his foreign policy philosophy.

The history of Medicare and what happened afterwards, with a bit of comparison to the space program for context. I think this is appropriate given the debate in the Supreme Court. so we'll re-run. It's got a LOT of commentary on the politics of 'Today' where today was 2010, and I was wrong about the midterm not being about healthcare repeal, and more opinion than I'm used to doing these days. Who doesn't like a little LBJ?

The dark horse nomination of James Garfield, and James Polk, the last attempt to open an American political convention, and the possibility, however slight, of one in 2012.

..if you were using it solely to determine who to vote for in 1972. We illustrate how election landslide with little concern about a minor break in in D.C. turned to Presidential downfall for Richard Nixon. and we'll talk about presidential scandals, the role of Watergate, whether Nixon did more or less than others, if the coverup is really worse than the crime, why Reagan didn't get tripped up as Nixon did and why Carter's small scandal might have hurt as much as a big one for other Presidents. And what it means for Obama in 2012.

John Anderson's independent run for the Presidency is largely forgotten, and certainly given his popular vote score that's not surprising. Could such a run happen in this election? and could an Anderson-like person ever win the White House? Does it hurt or help the incumbent? We look at these questions.

How does today's partisanship and polarization stack up to the early days? In this hodge-podcast we look at attacks on early American politicians. Based on listener's questions, we also look at slavery in Delaware and approval rating movements.

From Grover Cleveland to Barack Obama e discuss that concept of 'coattails' - the impact of a Presidential win on his party's hopes for Congress. Each Presidential election it is asked, can downticket races grab on to the President's 'coat'? - this one goes back to the days you might see the POTUS in a coat - can they get in on his win. What if he doesn't win? Will the Presdient have them? It's a complex subject as its only in modern times that all states conduct congressional and Presidential elections at the same time. Will the President even win and if he doesn't win - can his party take the House anyway, can the parties 'switcheroo?' Or: Can you have coattails with no one in the coat?

Should Hawaii and Vermont choose a GOP nominee? Should Alabama and South Carolina pick the Democratic nominee? Can a candidate like Romney rack up delegates from states likely to vote for President Obama to get a primary win over his new arch rival? It might be a question today. It's been on the minds of partisan since at least the 1860 convention.

How a plan to help then Governor Ronald Reagan led to the creation ofthe Firewall, the First in the South primary in South Carolina. It's joined the early states of IA, NH in the role of nomination decider. We look at its origins and a couple of other times South Carolina has changed the politics of the nation.

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. we look why the war started at all, especially where there were many reasons why it did not need to happen. And as strange as it sounds, the anniversary of the breakup of the Beatles may actually shed some light.