Retrospective US Presidential Election: 1796

[Nerdlinger]

I plan to run through every US presidential election, two per week. The 28 elections from 1789-1896 will be run simultaneously with the 28 elections from 1900-2008. Be sure to vote in each election!

For 1789-1800, I will include in the poll everyone who received at least 5% of the electoral vote. From 1804-2008, I will include everyone who received at least 0.05% of the popular vote. Results for each election will be posted on the dedicated Retrospective US Presidential Election Results Thread (here) and compared to the actual results. The thread for general project discussion is here.

Here's the link to the 1908 election.

 

[scholar]

Jefferson. He should win almost universally.

 

[ColeMercury]

I actually like Burr. (I know he ended up shooting Hamilton, but not yet at this point...)

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

Aaron Burr.

 

[Tim Thomason]

I voted for Samuel Adams. He sounds like a guy I can sit and have a beer with.

 

[Lyly]

It was a hard choice, but I ultimately went with Aaron Burr. Though I would have preferred Hamilton.

 

[ColeMercury]

It was a hard choice, but I ultimately went with Aaron Burr. Though I would have preferred Hamilton.

Aren't they political polar opposites?

 

[OAM47]

Aren't they political polar opposites?

Aaron Burr was more of a "go where the power is" type, and as such he had connections in both camps. He considered defecting to the Federalists at one time.

 

[Lyly]

Aren't they political polar opposites?

Not really. Burr isn't really much of a Jeffersonian and, hailing from New York, is far more likely to take in Federalist ideas. Meanwhile John Adams is a dangerous proto-nationalist more fit to be a constitutional scholar and statesman than President.

 

[Fabilius]

I voted for Samuel Adams. He sounds like a guy I can sit and have a beer with.

I see what you did there.

I voted for Burr.

 

[Trotsky]

My man John Adams. And I almost voted for my other man, Sam Adams, because he does the beer.

 

[Spike Torch]

I voted for George Clinton, I would prefer Bootsy Collins; but I'm hoping George would make him Secretary of Bass.

 

[False Dmitri]

I actually like Burr. (I know he ended up shooting Hamilton, but not yet at this point...)

That and... freaking conspiring to take over the West like some kind of supervillain.

 

[Talkie Toaster]

Is there something good about Adams that I haven't heard? Because whenever I hear about his presidency it is always the terrible authoritarian things he did...

 

[Anaxagoras]

Is there something good about Adams that I haven't heard? Because whenever I hear about his presidency it is always the terrible authoritarian things he did...

Adams avoided an unnecessary war with France. But it should be said that he failed to prevent the circumstances which nearly lead to war in the first place.

I voted Jefferson.

 

[TNF]

Oliver Ellsworth. Anti-slavery, nationalist, and protectionist. Also, pro-bank.

 

[blindgoose]

None of the other guys have a beer named after them, so, Sam Adams.

 

[Tripwire]

Adams avoided an unnecessary war with France. But it should be said that he failed to prevent the circumstances which nearly lead to war in the first place.

I voted Jefferson.

And an unnecessary war with Great Britain, which came very, very close to happening. But I voted for Sam Adams. Strong anti-slavery beliefs, a little more radical than his cousin John. I like that.

I remember Aaron Burr has some surprisingly modern beliefs, especially on rights for women. But I still wouldn't vote for someone so powerhungry, at least not while the republic is still fragile.

 

[Nerdlinger]

Bumpity-bump-bump bump-bump!

(To the tune of "Shave and haircut, two bits")

 

[Nerdlinger]

I'm having a real tough time deciding between Adams and Jefferson here, perhaps because I know so little of the politics during that era. As a Federalist, Adams did kind of suck up to the British, though he did try to remain neutral in Anglo-French affairs. I think the national bank was a good thing, but Federalists were rather aristocratic and didn't think much of the peasants. On the other hand, Jefferson was biased toward the French, which wouldn't have been so bad except that he also wanted another war with the British. The Democratic-Republicans favored states' rights over a federal government, something which I'm not so keen on, given that it's more destructive to national unity than constructive (see Civil War). However, they did appeal more to the common man and condemned aristocracy as undemocratic, which is a fair point.

Of course, this is just my current interpretation of the political positions of the two candidates and their parties -- I could be and probably am wrong on some accounts. So I'm leaning toward Adams, but I really don't like his party's apparent preference toward the rich. If anyone could enlighten me as to whether or not I'm correctly reading the situation at the time, I'd be much obliged.