PLURALITY

AS THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES HEAT UP IT BECOMES NECESSARY TO THINK BACK TO LESSONS THAT PREVIOUS ELECTIONS HAVE TAUGHT US SPECIFICALLY IN THE MATTER OF PLURALITY.

WHEN EVER SOMEONE WINS AN ELECTION WITH LESS THAN 50% OF THE VOTE THIS IS KNOWN AS WINNING BY A PLURALITY.

THIS IS THE CONSEQUENCE WHEN A SUBSTANTIAL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION GETS FED UP WITH THE TWO PARTY SYSTEM

THE REASON I'M BRINGING THIS UP IS THAT DURING THE LAST TWO PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS THE CONSERVATIVE VOTE HAS BEEN SPLIT BY A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE WITH THE MAN HAVING THE MOST VOTES WINNING NOT BY A MAJORITY BUT BY A PLURALITY.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY INTERESTING RESULTS OVER THE LAST 225 YEARS WHEN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE DETERMINED WHO WOULD WEAR PRESIDENTIAL PANTS SO TO SPEAK.

AMERICANS SEE POLITICIANS AS OPPORTUNISTIC SCOUNDRELS, HUMBUGS IF YOU WILL.

THIS IS NOT NEW. EVENTUALLY WE AS A NATION GET SO FED UP THAT EVERY THIRTY YEARS OR SO THE POLITICAL CLIMATE BECOMES RIGHT FOR A THIRD PARTY TO EMERGE FROM THE CACOPHONY TO MAKE A TRY FOR THE OVAL OFFICE.

WHEN THIS PHENOMENA FIRST TOOK WING IT USUALLY SIGNALED THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF ONE OF THE EXISTING PARTIES IN POWER. BACK IN THOSE DAYS POLITICAL CORRUPTION SOMETIMES BROUGHT DOWN AN ENTIRE POLITICAL DYNASTY

PARTIES SUCH AS THE FEDERALISTS AND THE WHIGS ARE PRIME EXAMPLES.

THE LAST TIME HISTORY WAS AFFECTED BY A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE TO SUCH A DEGREE WAS WHEN STROM THUMOND RAN AS A DIXIECRAT IN 1948

IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR SENATOR THURMOND TAKING THE SOUTH THOMAS DEWEY WOULD HAVE BEEN THE THIRTY FOURTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

IN 1912 THE RACE WENT TO WOODROW WILSON EVEN THOUGH THE DEMOCRATS HAD FAILED TO TAKE A MAJORITY.

IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR A DARK HORSE CANDIDATE NAMED TEDDY ROOSEVELT A MAN WHO WAS ALREADY AN EX-PRESIDENT, WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT WOULD HAVE BEEN RE-ELECTED TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND WOODROW WILSON WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST A FOOT NOTE IN HISTORY.

BY FAR THE MOST FAMOUS THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE WAS ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIS REPUBLICAN PARTY SO NAMED BECAUSE THEIR SOLE REASON FOR BEING WAS TO THWART WHAT WAS KNOWN AS SECESSIONISTS. THE SECESSIONISTS WANTED TO SEE THE NATION DIVIDED INTO TWO SEPARATE COUNTRIES.

LINCOLN WON THE ELECTION WITH JUST UNDER FORTY PERCENT OF THE POPULAR VOTE

IN 1824 ANDY JACKSON APPARENTLY DEFEATED INCUMBENT JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, WILLIAM CRAWFORD, AND HENRY CLAY TO ASCEND TO THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND HOWEVER SINCE THIS RESULT WAS UNPRECEDENTED THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE TOOK A VOTE AND DETERMINED JOHN QUINCY ADAMS TO BE THE VICTOR. ANDREW JACKSON WENT ON TO WIN THE NEXT ELECTION QUITE HANDILY AND HENRY CLAY BECAME THE NAME OF A VERY FINE BRAND OF CIGAR.