There's a word that, in the lyrics of a musical jingle from a TV commercial for cigarettes (back in the bad old days when there were such ads) means "different things to different people". Similar to "progressive", as I noted here.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich embraced the "populist" label in an interview published in The Daily Beast.
Gingrich has maintained a higher profile recently, apparently aiming to fill the leadership gap in his Republican Party, now that the leaders of the executive and legislative branches are Democrats. Among other activities, he maintains a website with a sort of latter-day Contract with America.
I don't know whether he intends to run for office again, or will be content with offering ideas from the sidelines. Count me as one Republican vote for the latter.
The word "populist" has been applied to politicians of both the right and the left. Here is Merriam-Webster's definition, which emphasizes identification with the "common people", which, of course, begs the question, who are they?
Members of the People's Party were called Populist with a capital "P". That party was gaining force in the midwest in the 1890s. But, in what in retrospect was probably a strategic blunder, in 1896 they nominated William Jennings Bryan for president. Bryan was the Democratic nominee and, by taking this "me too" step, the Populists raised questions about their viability as a separate entity.
But, while that formal party structure did not last, the "populist" label was a staple of 20th century political rhetoric. One politician with whom that word was strongly associated was Huey Long, governor of, and senator from, Louisiana.
With the Republican Party currently at low ebb (at least, we hope things go no lower), the question becomes: What platform should the party adopt going forward, in order to return to power?
If the answer is to be some variation on the populist concept, that would probably bode well for Sarah Palin, who has espoused a right-wing version of the populist approach. Not my first choice, but the tea leaves currently indicate that the party might be heading further in that direction. Perhaps Joe the Plumber gets more than 15 minutes of fame.
Showing posts with label Bryan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bryan. Show all posts
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Monday, August 25, 2008
Rocky Mountain High
I've written a fair amount about how this year's Republican convention is the second such event to be held in Minnesota. There is a similar situation for the other party, in that this is the second time Denver has hosted a Democratic convention.
Both parties are returning to their convention sites after a long absence. This is the 100th anniversary of the last Democratic convention in Denver. The Republicans last met in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area 116 years ago.
From July 7 to July 10, 1908, the Democratic National Convention was held in Denver. William Jennings Bryan was nominated for the third time (and the third time was not a charm) for president by the Democrats. I wrote about Bryan here, and about the 1908 election here.
Back in May, the Denver Post published this article about the 1908 convention. According to that report, the city put up $100,000 to secure the convention that year. That translates to over $2,000,000 when adjusted for inflation, but is still a far cry from the $100,000,000 that the article indicates Denver needs to raise this year.
The article details some of the diversions planned for the 1908 delegates, including transporting snow down from the mountains for a midsummer snowball fight!
That was necessary, in part, because there was little drama within the convention hall. In a result that was unusual during the era when the Democrats maintained their two-thirds rule for presidential nominations, Bryan easily won the nomination on the first ballot.
Even though he was nominated for the third time in 1908, Bryan was still only 48 years old. That is only one year older than Barack Obama is now.
Both parties are returning to their convention sites after a long absence. This is the 100th anniversary of the last Democratic convention in Denver. The Republicans last met in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area 116 years ago.
From July 7 to July 10, 1908, the Democratic National Convention was held in Denver. William Jennings Bryan was nominated for the third time (and the third time was not a charm) for president by the Democrats. I wrote about Bryan here, and about the 1908 election here.
Back in May, the Denver Post published this article about the 1908 convention. According to that report, the city put up $100,000 to secure the convention that year. That translates to over $2,000,000 when adjusted for inflation, but is still a far cry from the $100,000,000 that the article indicates Denver needs to raise this year.
The article details some of the diversions planned for the 1908 delegates, including transporting snow down from the mountains for a midsummer snowball fight!
That was necessary, in part, because there was little drama within the convention hall. In a result that was unusual during the era when the Democrats maintained their two-thirds rule for presidential nominations, Bryan easily won the nomination on the first ballot.
Even though he was nominated for the third time in 1908, Bryan was still only 48 years old. That is only one year older than Barack Obama is now.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Cross of Gold
The answer to the question in the previous post regarding a three-time loser in general elections is: William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska.
Bryan is perhaps best known for a speech he made at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, which ended:
He was advocating a more-inflationary monetary policy, which was favored by agrarian interests. You can read more about that, via this link.
That convention nominated Bryan, but he was defeated in the 1896 general election by William McKinley. Bryan lost a rematch to McKinley four years later, and lost again, this time to William Howard Taft, in 1908.
In the next Democratic administration, that of Woodrow Wilson, Bryan was appointed secretary of state, in 1913. He resigned in 1915, believing that Wilson, although he had not yet brought America into the World War, had been too belligerent in his protests against German attacks on shipping in the Atlantic.
A minor part of Bryan's fame is tied into his participation, shortly before his death in 1925, in the prosecution of teacher John Scopes in the so-called "Monkey Trial" in Dayton, Tennessee. Scopes was convicted of teaching evolution in a public school.
Bryan is perhaps best known for a speech he made at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, which ended:
... we shall answer their demands for a gold standard by saying to them, you shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.
He was advocating a more-inflationary monetary policy, which was favored by agrarian interests. You can read more about that, via this link.
That convention nominated Bryan, but he was defeated in the 1896 general election by William McKinley. Bryan lost a rematch to McKinley four years later, and lost again, this time to William Howard Taft, in 1908.
In the next Democratic administration, that of Woodrow Wilson, Bryan was appointed secretary of state, in 1913. He resigned in 1915, believing that Wilson, although he had not yet brought America into the World War, had been too belligerent in his protests against German attacks on shipping in the Atlantic.
A minor part of Bryan's fame is tied into his participation, shortly before his death in 1925, in the prosecution of teacher John Scopes in the so-called "Monkey Trial" in Dayton, Tennessee. Scopes was convicted of teaching evolution in a public school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
