Favorite Third Party Presidential Candidate of all time?

EmperorSolo51 · Post by **EmperorSolo51** » 2004-02-10 10:38pm

Since there is nothing in this forum that pertains to the lovable and hatable third parties, I decided to make this thread a tribute to those people who make us happy or sad on election night. Let's share our favorite spoilers of all-time.

My favorite 3rd Party candidate is Teddy Roosevelt of the now-defunct Progressive party. In 1912, after losing the Republican nomination to William Howard Taft, he and a bunch of Republicans bolted from The Republicans and founded the Progressive Party. On Election night, he managed to keep William Howard Taft's elction wins to only two states. Roosevelt came in second place in the electoral college, insuring Woordrow Wilson's victory to become President of the United state

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-02-10 10:53pm

Hands down, Abraham Lincoln.

Lonestar · Post by **Lonestar** » 2004-02-10 10:55pm

Teddy.

EmperorSolo51 · Post by **EmperorSolo51** » 2004-02-10 10:58pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:Hands down, Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln was not a Third Party Presidential candidate. You could argue that John Bell of the Constutionalist Union Party or John Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats were. But Lincoln was not a Third Party candidate in the election of 1860.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-02-10 11:09pm

Bah, TR's selfish third party run elected a Democrat who set race relations back at least 10 years.

My favorite is Ross Perot, because he was hilarious.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2004-02-10 11:10pm

You summed it up nicely. Teddy Roosevelt. One of the best, most underated US presidents.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-02-10 11:10pm

Joe wrote:Bah, TR's selfish third party run elected a Democrat who set race relations back at least 10 years.

My favorite is Ross Perot, because he was hilarious.

Careful, Ross Perot can hear you!

Hamel · Post by **Hamel** » 2004-02-10 11:12pm

Ross Perot entertained me greatly

Therefore, he;s my favorite 3rd party candidate

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2004-02-10 11:22pm

Perot was before my time. In what way was he funny?

Bah, TR's selfish third party run elected a Democrat who set race relations back at least 10 years.

I keep hearing this, ranging from 10-40 years. How did Wilson fuck it up so badly?

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2004-02-10 11:25pm

EmperorSolo51 wrote:Abraham Lincoln was not a Third Party Presidential candidate. You could argue that John Bell of the Constutionalist Union Party or John Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats were. But Lincoln was not a Third Party candidate in the election of 1860.

Before I answer this, give me your criteria for a third party candidate and we'll go from there.

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2004-02-10 11:25pm

Theodore.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2004-02-10 11:31pm

HemlockGrey wrote:Perot was before my time. In what way was he funny?

Perot had virtually zero experiance in politics, and it was hilariously obvious whenever he spoke.

IIRC, one of his solutions to debt was basically to just print more money. Hello, Ross, that's called "inflation!" You're a business man, you should know that's a bad thing..."

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-02-10 11:32pm

Bah, TR's selfish third party run elected a Democrat who set race relations back at least 10 years.
I keep hearing this, ranging from 10-40 years. How did Wilson fuck it up so badly?

Signed a law making interracial marriage a felony in D.C., removed blacks from the few federal posts they had, segregated the hell out of the federal bureaucracy, and generally speaking upheld and expanded the separate but equal doctrine to the best of his ability.

Things may not have been improving under Roosevelt and Taft, but they regressed quickly and enormously under Wilson.

EmperorSolo51 · Post by **EmperorSolo51** » 2004-02-10 11:32pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:
EmperorSolo51 wrote:Abraham Lincoln was not a Third Party Presidential candidate. You could argue that John Bell of the Constutionalist Union Party or John Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats were. But Lincoln was not a Third Party candidate in the election of 1860.
Before I answer this, give me your criteria for a third party candidate and we'll go from there.

A Third Party Candidate is a candidate that is the nominee of a party that runs aplatform that differs from the 2 main-stream parties.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2004-02-11 05:00pm

EmperorSolo51 wrote:
Wicked Pilot wrote:
EmperorSolo51 wrote:Abraham Lincoln was not a Third Party Presidential candidate. You could argue that John Bell of the Constutionalist Union Party or John Breckinridge of the Southern Democrats were. But Lincoln was not a Third Party candidate in the election of 1860.
Before I answer this, give me your criteria for a third party candidate and we'll go from there.
A Third Party Candidate is a candidate that is the nominee of a party that runs aplatform that differs from the 2 main-stream parties.

The Republican Party was new at the time of Lincoln's election, wasn't it? Maybe he's thinking that the Democrats and the Whigs (or whatever) were the two major parties at the time.

Personally, I gotta go with William Jennings Bryan, who managed to be a mainstream and a third party candidate by being nominated by both the Democratic and Populist Parties.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2004-02-11 07:04pm

The Whigs were gone by 1860.

Anyway, much as I love Teddy, he shouldn't have run in 1912. That son of a bitch Wilson was one of the worst presidents this century.