Southern Political Report of November 16 has a story about divisions in the present-day Democratic Party over health care. The article starts by saying, “Most folks don’t know that Democrats won more votes than Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election. But given that those popular votes were split between Stephen Douglas and John C. Breckinridge, Lincoln was able to take advantage of the division and win the Electoral College even though he had less than 40% of the popular vote.”
That second sentence is not true; Lincoln’s victory did not depend on the fact that the Democrats were split. Even if all the popular votes for both Douglas and Breckinridge had been cast for a single Democratic presidential candidate, Abraham Lincoln still would have won a majority in the electoral college. Lincoln got a majority of the popular vote in all the states that he carried, except for California and Oregon, which only had 7 electoral votes between them. Back in 1860, a majority in the Electoral College was 152 electoral votes, and Lincoln won 180 electoral votes.
The Democrats in 1860 had been aware that their chances were injured by having two presidential candidates, and they had formed “fusion” slates of presidential elector candidates in some states to counter the effects of their division. There were fusion slates in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island (some of these fusion slates also includes some electors for the Constitutional Union Party candidate, the fourth strong candidate in the race). There was also a Constitutional Union-southern Democratic fusion slate in Texas. None of the fusion anti-Lincoln slates won any electors, except three in New Jersey, all of which went to Douglas. Here is a link to the Southern Political Report story.
40 percent = minority rule
1861-1865 result –
about 620,000 DEAD Americans — and the nonstop EVIL party hacks in nonstop gerrymander minority rule elections for Prez and in all sorts of gerrymander minority rule rigged elections for legislative bodies.
P.R. and Nonpartisan A.V.
Otherwise — What day will Civil WAR II start ???
Stephen Douglas (1813-1861) was a U. S. senator from Illinois, having defeated Abraham Lincoln in 1858. John C. Breckinridge, a Kentuckian and the incumbent vice president, later served as secretary of war for the Confederacy. John Bell of Tennessee was the candidate of the Constitutional Union Party.
Breckinridge finished second in electoral votes, Bell third, and Douglas fourth.
The 4 Lincoln electors in New Jersey were due to the fusion ticket not being executed completely, with the 3 Douglas electors outpolling the Lincoln electors. But because the 2 Breckinridge and 2 Bell electors being different in different counties, the Lincoln electors were appointed.
There is nothing magical about 50% plus 1, Demo Rep.
What is remarkable is, even considering the American Civil War, how relatively peaceful, stable, prosperous, and free this nation has been over the course of 220 years. The Civil War happened when political passions overcame the healthy incentives of the Electoral College.
#4: Demo Rep is one of those who considers the voice of the majority to be the Voice of God.
I suppose if we had an election, Demo Rep would favor repealing the First Amendment if 50% plus one voted that way.
An economic passion– the protective tariff– was the main cause of the War of Northern Aggression.
I hope you’ll join in the discussion more on this site, #4, as lots of pro-NPV stuff is posted here.