This election season has proven to be very chaotic and divisive.
Many people hate both major candidates, and are either abstaining from voting or voting for a 3rd party. Others don’t really have much of an opinion and are choosing whomever is the lesser of two evils. And some people actually want to vote for either one of the candidates. Regardless of your personal beliefs, it is quite clear this election season has been chaotic and will only continue to get more so. It is evident that this is not a great time for our country, but we have to make a choice. So away America must choose.
But what about past elections? Many elections have been like that with both candidates being rather lackluster or boring. Others have had better quality candidates. I myself have wondered who I would have voted for in past elections if I could have voted. And so I’ve compiled a list of who I’d vote for in every election since 1896, the first real contest between liberal populism and conservative business-friendly ideology.1896 Election
Candidates: William Bryan-D, William McKinley-R
My choice: Bryan
Why? He was a man of the people who supported a silver standard. He wanted to weaken the power of the industrial and financial monopolies of the time and help farmers and workers be better off as a whole.
1900 Election
Candidates: William Bryan-D, William McKinley-R
My choice: Bryan
Why? He still had more concern for the people. He was also an anti-imperialist and wanted to avoid a war with Spain.
1904 Election
Candidates: Theodore Roosevelt-R, Alton Parker-D
My choice: Roosevelt
Why? Because Theodore Roosevelt was a badass, busting trusts and making America influential in foreign affairs. And who the hell is Alton Parker?
1908 Election
Candidates: William Taft-R, William Bryan-D
My choice: Taft
Why? Because third time isn’t the charm Bryan. His shtick was getting old at this point.
1912 Election
Candidates: Woodrow Wilson-D, Taft-R, Theodore Roosevelt- Progressive
My choice: Roosevelt
Why? Because the Bull Moose simply is the best choice. He supported universal health care in 1912, a time when the country was only just starting to pass laws against child labor and long-ass working hours. He also wanted rights for labor unions and workers compensations. He even supported women’s suffrage. What a liberal huh?
1916 Election
Candidates: Woodrow Wilson-D, Charles Hughes-R
My choice: Wilson
Why? Because he wanted to keep America out of war and maybe even campaign for peace if necessary.
1920 Election
Candidates: Warren G Harding-R, James Cox-D, Eugene Debs- Socialist
My choice: Debs
Why? Because Harding was not smart enough and Cox was……… boring. Plus Debs was in jail at the time for opposing the war.
1924 Election
Candidates: Calvin Coolidge-R, John Davis-D, Robert La Follette- P
My choice: La Follette
Why? The other two were very conservative and laissez-faire. La Follette actually cared about people.
1928 Election
Candidates: Herbert Hoover-R, Al Smith-D
My choice: Al Smith
Why? He was similar to FDR in that he was a progressive. He also was a Catholic, which led him to face discrimination due to his background.
1932 Election
Candidates: FDR-D, Hoover-R
My choice: FDR
Why? Because FDR’s New Deal saved America from an even worse economic crisis and political problems
1936 Election
Candidates: FDR-D, Alf Landon-R
My choice: FDR
Why? Because FDR
1940 Election
Candidates: FDR-D, Wendell Wilkie-R
My choice: FDR
Why? Because FDR
1944 Election
Candidates: FDR-D, Thomas Dewey-R
My choice: Dewey
Why? Because FDR was in rather poor health and needs a rest from the stresses of the Presidency.
1948 Election
Candidates: Harry Truman-D, Thomas Dewey-R
My choice: Truman
Why? Because Truman had done a damn good job of managing the post-war transition, the reconstruction efforts of Europe and Japan, and containing the Soviets.
1952 Election
Candidates: Adlai Stevenson-D, Dwight Eisenhower-R
My choice: Eisenhower
Why? The Democrats have been in power too long and Eisenhower was a great choice for President and ending the Korean War.
1956 Election
Candidates: Adlai Stevenson-D, Dwight Eisenhower-R
My choice: Stevenson
Why? Because he wanted to end conscription, expand government programs, and make peace with the Soviet Union.
1960 Election
Candidates: Richard Nixon-R, John Kennedy-D
My choice: Kennedy
Why? Because Kennedy is a badass and wants to fight for civil rights; Nixon is just power-hungry and is gonna become a crook.
1964 Election
Candidates: Barry Goldwater-R, Lyndon Johnson-D
My choice: Johnson
Why? Because Goldwater is a staunch conservative who wants to cut government spending and provoke the Soviet Union into attacking the USA with nuclear weapons. The choice here is obvious.
1968 Election
Candidates: Richard Nixon-R, Hubert Humphrey-D, George Wallace
My choice: Humphrey
Why? Humphrey is anti-war and wants to end the Vietnam War while continuing Johnson’s Great Society. And Nixon is a crook.
1972 Election
Candidates: Richard Nixon-R, George McGovern-D
My choice: McGovern
Why? McGovern is a liberal who supports more government spending on welfare and education. He also wants to end the Vietnam War, the same war Nixon hasn’t ended yet. And Nixon is at the peak of his crookiness.
1976 Election
Candidates: Gerald Ford-R, Jimmy Carter-D
My choice: Carter
Why? Ford pardoned Nixon and let him get away with his crimes. Jimmy Carter is vague but also a smart, nice guy; he also went to Georgia Tech.
1980 Election
Candidates: Ronald Reagan-R, Jimmy Carter-D, John Anderson
My choice: Carter
Why? Reagan is too conservative and is going to lead to a massive surge of support for the conservative movement. Carter was merely stuck in a bad situation at the time, but things were slowly getting better with Iran and the economy.
1984 Election
Candidates: Ronald Reagan-R, Walter Mondale-D
My choice: Mondale
Why? Mondale is a liberal and is committed to stopping Reagan’s trickle-down economics, making the economy more equitable and better for the middle and working class.
1988 Election
Candidates: Michael Dukakis-D, George HW Bush- R
My choice: Dukakis
Why? Bush is too much of a conservative and a hawk. His running mate, Dan Quayle, was also an idiot. Dukakis was clearly the better choice.
1992 Election
Candidates: George HW Bush-R, Bill Clinton-D, Ross Perot
My choice: Perot
Why? Perot was a moderate independent who wanted to balance the budget and make the government more efficient. It would have been an interesting, novel choice for President to vote for him. Also Bush was out of touch with the economic reality.
1996 Election
Candidates: Bill Clinton-D, Bob Dole-R, Ross Perot
My choice: Clinton
Why? Perot is no longer as relevant and Bill Clinton has done a good job as President, albeit his affair with an intern. Bob Dole is also old and lacking in charisma.
2000 Election
Candidates: Al Gore-D, George Bush-R, Ralph Nader
My choice: Gore
Why? Nader is too liberal, and George Bush isn’t really qualified enough, plus he’s bringing Dick Cheney on board in his administration. Al Gore wants to make the environment better and continue Clinton’s successful presidency.
2004 Election
Candidates: George Bush-R, John Kerry-D
My choice: Kerry
Why? Because Kerry wants to end the Iraq War and reduce the extent of national security measures in the War on Terrorism. He also has a plan to fix the healthcare system.
2008 Election
Candidates: John McCain-R, Barack Obama-D
My choice: Obama
Why? Because Obama has a vision for change and hope. Because its change we can believe in.
2012 Election
Candidates: Barack Obama-D, Mitt Romney-R
My choice: Obama
Why? Mitt Romney is trying to pander to conservatives by flip-flopping on key issues and denying the healthcare system he created in Massachusetts as governor, which is the same model Obamacare is based on. Obama is also still as cool as ever.
2016 Election
Candidates: Hillary Clinton-D, Donald Trump-R, Gary Johnson, Jill Stein
My choice: Clinton
Why? While this season is still in progress, Trump is clearly a disaster waiting to happen. Jill Stein is a crazy environmentalist and doesn’t know anything about economics(she thinks quantitative easing could help erase all the student loan debt by getting the Fed to buy it up and forgive it). Gary Johnson is a cool, experienced guy, but he is also a little weak on foreign policy and too conservative on economic issues for me. Clinton is thus the only choice left; guess I’ll choose her then.
So yeah, each election cycle has had its ups and downs, candidates who had very different strengths and appeals.
