The American Dark Age (2016-2020) An archived history of the worst President ever

[CraigM]

@Gordon_Cameron

I don’t know much about Taylor (except that he was a successful general in the Mexican War and died early in office) but was he really ‘Trump-esque’ beyond having populist appeal?

I got this.

So the short answer is: basically yes. The longer answer I plot out here

The Election of 1836...

So what would it look like when a major political party nominates a political outsider and neophyte, with no experience? An individual who made his fortune from land holding, with a racially discriminatory bent, who had made their fame in recent years attacking Mexicans? A man whose crude temperament was not well suited to the office? One whom considered himself an outsider who resented party politics, calling out the “trading politicians… on both sides”? A man whom was ineffective at repairi…

The Election of 1836...

So the stage is set. Taylor gets the nod, largely backed by southern support. The growing abolitionist sense of the party never could coalesce due to the need to court southern support, but in early ballots Taylor was largely opposed by northern states. Eventually he did outlast his rivals, including the antislavery war hero Winfield Scott. Picking a decorated soldier was a political calculation. The Whigs, opposed to the war, had been confronted with a problem. The Democratic leadership w…

and the source where I cribbed parts of my writeup from:

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/06/history-campaign-politics-zachary-taylor-killed-whigs-political-party-213935

It’s long, but very good.