Slick Rick Nixon: Woodrow Wilson- The Third Party Speech, 1912

Source: Slick Rick Nixon– Governor Woodrow Wilson, for President in 1912

“This is a speech from Democrat Governor (future president) Woodrow Wilson along the campaign trail in 1912. Woodrow Wilson talks about the new Progressive Party, criticizing Theodore Roosevelt and his methods of supporting the small business man. This is the AUDIO RESTORED version, so most of the static is totally gone and it should be pretty easy to hear.

Fun Fact: T. Woodrow Wilson served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910 and was Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913. As President, he led the United States through World War I and sought the creation of a League of Nations.

For historical authenticity, here is the original:Historical Voices.”

From Slick Rick Nixon

On domestic policy and perhaps even foreign policy, Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt, were very similar. They were both Progressives ( in the classic and real sense ) but Teddy Roosevelt wanted to be President again after declining not to run for reelection in 1908 and perhaps not regretting that and after not getting the Republican nomination for President in 1912 created the Progressive Party and ran third-party for President in 1912.

Source: Slide Player– Teddy Roosevelt’s Progressive Party

Woodrow Wilson was a Democrat and back in 1912 the Democratic Party wasn’t seen and wasn’t a progressive party. A party that was dominated by right-wing Southerners who were basically Neo-Confederates and Nationalists. Wilson wasn’t those things, but he was to the right of Teddy Roosevelt. And in the Republican Party you had a conservative party led by President William H. Taft.

Source: Slide Share– A new Progressive Party

So in 1912 America was still a fairly conservative country, but there was an opening on the Left and perhaps even Far-Left with Eugene Debbs and his Socialist Party to take on the Conservative Republicans led by President Taft, with the Wilson progressive wing in the Democratic Party and the Roosevelt progressive wing in the Republican fleeing to the Progressive Party. Leaving President Taft without enough voters to get reelected.

I don’t see how Woodrow Wilson becomes President of the United States in 1912 or in the distant future if it’s just Democrats vs Republicans. Because the Republican Party had the Conservatives and the Progressives and the Democratic Party was a Dixie party controlled by Southern Neo-Confederates.

Which is one thing that makes the 1912 presidential election so interesting and such a great election, because it really was liberal democracy with so much choice for American voters to choose from for President. A real Conservative in William Taft. A real Progressive in Theodore Roosevelt. And a moderate Progressive in Woodrow Wilson. As well as a hard-core Socialist in Eugene Debbs.

Hip Hughes: Keith Hughes- ‘The Election of 1912 Explained’

Source:Keith Hughes– Perhaps the last competitive 3-way American presidential election.

“HipHughes covers the basics about one of the weirdest election the U.S. ever had. Four candidates, a lazy incumbent, a relative newcomer, an old Socialist and a pissed off Teddy Roosevelt. And for the record TAFT was not Teddy’s Vice President, he was his Secretary of War (Thanks Hayden Gordon)”

From Keith Hughes

As I’ve blogged before the 1912 presidential election is a very important and interesting election for many reasons. I mean if you’re a political junky such as myself the 1912 election is not the Super Bowl of American politics, but its the best Super Bowl of all-time. It’s the Super Bowls of Super Bowls and not like the modern Super Bowl or NFL where the last Super Bowl is automatically pumped up and sold as the greatest Super Bowl of all-time by the media and even the NFL, until the next Super Bowl. But this election was really the best ever I believe because of the clear choices that the American voters had.

1912 wasn’t about Democrat versus Republican and perhaps a charming entertaining third-party candidate who has hopes of getting 5% of the vote and sneak into the presidential debates. If there was TV back in 1912 at least 3-4 presidential candidates would’ve been invited to the debates and in the debates. Perhaps even all four with Socialist candidate Eugene Debs who got about 6% of the vote getting into the debates as well. Because the old progressive faction of the Republican Party thanks to Theodore Roosevelt, broke away from the Republican Party in 1912 and formed their Progressive Party.

The only thing that could’ve made the 1912 presidential elections better, perhaps along with TV, but instead of having two Conservatives in that election ( not to take a shot at Conservatives ) but have one Conservative being President William Taft. One Liberal whoever the Democratic candidate is. Along with the Progressive being Teddy Roosevelt and the Socialist being Gene Debs.

But instead there were two Conservatives ( again, not to take a shot at Conservatives ) with President Taft and Governor Woodrow Wilson, and a Progressive, as well as a Socialist. Taft and Wilson, differed a little on economic policy, but tended to agree on the other issues. TR and Debs, differed a lot from Taft and Wilson and also differed a lot from each other. TR was truly a Progressive and Debs was truly a pacifist-isolationist Democratic Socialist. Similar to Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party today.

Liberal democratic politics meaning liberal democracy and not the Democratic Party necessarily and American politics in general, should be about choice. And not just one or the other like trying to decide if you want the chicken or fish on an airline flight, but several choices with each candidate looking different from the others. That is what the 1912 presidential election represented and what American politics should be about generally. And if that means having runoffs and reforming the Electoral College so the winner doesn’t win the election with 40% of the vote which is what Woodrow Wilson won with in 1912, then I would be in favor of that.

The Film Archives: Booknotes With Brian Lamb- James Chace: ‘The Election That Changed The Country- How 1912 Was a Defining Moment in American History’

Source:The Film Archives– Theodore Roosevelt: the 1912 Progressive Party nominee for President.

“The United States presidential election of 1912 was the 32nd quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1912. The election was a rare four-way contest. About the book:Amazon .”

From The Film Archives

The 1912 presidential election was very interesting for many reasons in American politics: more than a hundred years later in a country that is now around 320 million people and yet 1912 was one of our last presidential elections with three major politic parties with the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and then Progressive Party, but also with three major presidential candidates. With none of the three candidates getting anywhere near 50% of the popular vote. This was truly a multiple-party presidential election.

1912 was also an election where Woodrow Wilson from the Democratic Party, was the centrist candidate. Even though he is basically the father of liberal internationalism and the foreign policy that was about liberal democracy and defending liberal democracy and fighting authoritarianism around the world. And had a progressive economic policy as far as regulating the economy and a belief in a public safety net.

But President William H. Taft was a Conservative Republican and Theodore Roosevelt was a Progressive and in some cases ran as a Social Democrat in 1912 when he ran for President for the last time. So Americans voters had a real choice for President in 1912 and didn’t have to vote for the candidate they disliked the least, but instead had a real choice for President.

Back in the early 20th Century the Republican Party was a conservative party, but with a Progressive Republican wing in it. That Teddy Roosevelt was the leader of and when he didn’t win the 1912 presidential election and believed the nomination was stolen from his by President William Taft, he decided to create and build his own progressive party.

TR had the name and the ability to get the resources to do that and mange to run a credible third-party presidential campaign in 1912 because of these factors. And even though he lost to the eventual winner Democratic Woodrow Wilson, he beat the President of the United States Republican William Taft.

Progressing America: Theodore Roosevelt- The New Nationalism

Source: IZ Quotes

What Theodore Roosevelt was advocating for in what he called The New Nationalism, was what became The New Deal in the 1930s. Which is what became the American safety net. Progressives don’t believe in blowing up capitalism, they simply want to make it better so it benefits more Americans. Unlike Socialist presidential candidate Eugene Debbs who also ran for President in 1912 and Senator Bernie Sanders and other Socialists (whether they call themselves Socialists or not) today.

Teddy Roosevelt’s New Nationalism was the political platform that he and his Progressive Party ran on in 1912.

Unemployment Insurance for American workers who are unemployed.

A minimum wage for all workers.

A national pension system for all workers that they could collect from when they retire.

A national health care program that would cover both health care and health insurance for Americans.

Most of these proposed programs became part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal agenda in the 1930s. Pre-safety net in America if Americans fell on hard times, they either had to take care of their problems themselves, or get friends or family to help them out, or rely on private charity. If they still couldn’t get their issues taken care of, then they were essentially screwed, or out of luck. (If you want a softer term)

What became the New Deal in the 1930s and then later the Great Society in 1960s, did was to guarantee financial help and assistance for any American who fell on hard times and needed financial assistance in form form. Neither Teddy or Frank Roosevelt, wanted to blow up the American capitalist system and replace it with a socialist system. But instead make American capitalism better and make it work for more Americans.

Source: Progressing America: Theodore Roosevelt- The New Nationalism

 

 

Progressive People’s Coalition: Teddy Roosevelt- Progressive Party Declaration

Source: Wikiwand

Where I agree with Doris Kearns Goodwin and her book about Theodore Roosevelt, is that Teddy Roosevelt was a much better political leader as President of the United States, than when he left the White House and decided to run for President again in 1912. I would disagree with Doris Goodwin that Teddy was a Centrist as President. As President he was an actual Progressive  who not only believed in progress, but believed in using government to help create that progress. But he wasn’t a Socialist and instead put limits to what government should try to do for the people.

But once TR left the White House he moved further left and became more ideological, more idealistic, and more romantic. And started advocating for things that simply were never going to happen. Like making it easier to amend the U.S. Constitution so it kept up with the times. As a lot of Social Democrats in America advocate for instead of guaranteeing a basic set of fundamental constitutional rights that make it almost impossible for us to lose. Socialists would want the majority to rule at all times.

What makes progressivism at its best and makes it work well when its practiced in its classical form, instead of people who are much further left and more ideological and prefer to be called Progressives because of the social popularity of that term, or don’t want to be labeled as lets say Socialists and even Democratic Socialists, because of the negative stereotypes of those terms, is what progressivism effective is the pragmatism of it and that Progressives believe in the United States, our Constitution, and form of government. Progressives aren’t interested in breaking up our form of government and governmental system. They don’t believe individual freedom and individualism, are dangerous selfish things, but that instead they want to use government to expand individual freedom so more people can benefit from those things. Not just the wealthy and people born to wealth.

I and Doris Goodwin, believe that Teddy Roosevelt moved away from those progressive pragmatic mainstream principles of his time as President from 1901-09 and by the time he decided to run for President again in 1912 and was no longer in the White House, he became more of a left-wing social democratic activist. That perhaps would have been comfortable running as part of the Socialist Party with Eugene Debbs back in 1912. What made both Roosevelt’s (TR & FDR) great President’s, was their knowledge, intelligence, progressive values, but also their pragmatism. And didn’t say that government had to do this or that, but instead looked for the best solution to all problems. Whether that meant expanding government or not.

Source: Progressive People’s Coalition: Teddy Roosevelt- 1912 Progressive Party Declaration

Library of Congress: Michelle Krowl Interviewing Doris Kearns Goodwin- Roosevelt & Taft

Source: Tomato Bubble– WW, TR & WHT

We’ve had other presidential elections where you’ve had an actual Progressive, against an actual Conservative. Instead of the media labeling one a Conservative and the other a Progressive, or the top presidential candidates self-proclaiming themselves as the Conservative and as the Progressive. Even though one candidate might have anti-conservative views and be against the free press and who doesn’t support civil liberties, like with Richard Nixon. Who did have real conservative views as it related to foreign policy and economic policy. But was a big government authoritarian especially when he could get away with it as it related to the press, checks and balances, and Americans civil liberties and individual rights. Or with the Democratic Party with George McGovern who was labeled as the Liberal candidate in 1972, but who actually was a big government Socialist and didn’t put many if any limits on governmental power.

1932 with President Herbert Hoover versus Governor Franklin Roosevelt, is an example of a real Conservative in President Hoover and a real Progressive in FDR. 1964 with President Lyndon Johnson and Senator Barry Goldwater, is an example of a real Progressive in LBJ and a real Conservative in Senator Goldwater. 1984 with President Ronald Reagan and former Vice President Walter Mondale, another example of a real Conservative in President Reagan and a real Progressive in Vice President Mondale.

But 1912 I believe is the first real example of where America had a real choice between a Conservative and a Progressive and perhaps a Conservative against two Progressives, if you label Woodrow Wilson also as a Progressive. If there was ever a Libertarian Utopia and pre-Progressive Era America is the only point in this country where you even try to make a case that America was a Libertarian Society, it was pre-Roosevelt Administration in the 1900s. Meaning (The first ten years of the 20th Century) And the election of 1912 was an election where you had a Conservative President in William H. Taft, who wanted to conserve that Libertarian Ayn Rand Society, where there was basically no Federal government at least involvement in the economy. And Teddy Roosevelt who wanted to build off of his Square Deal from his time as President and create what was later labeled as the New Deal and the American safety net that was created in the 1930s under FDR.

The presidential election of 1912 represents the conservative establishment of where America had been up to that point economically and where we were as far as how we dealt with the rest of the world, represented by President William Taft. Against the anti-establishment Progressive presidential candidate in Theodore Roosevelt. America had a real choice between a real hard-core Conservative in Taft. Who saw his job as to conserve and protect the status-quo and keep America as it was.

Against a real hard-core Progressive in Teddy Roosevelt who wanted to blow up the establishment. Build off of what made America great and worked well for the country. But use government especially the Federal Government build a society where more Americans could succeed, where all Americans would have a good opportunity to succeed. Where not all of the power in the country was centralized with the wealthy and their businesses. And was a choice that American voters deserved to have and be able to decide for them was the current America good enough, or do we need to do something else and bring progress and move quicker as a country.

Source: Library of Congress: Michelle Krowl Interviewing Doris Kearns Goodwin- Roosevelt & Taft

Slick Rick Nixon: Theodore Roosevelt- ‘Why The Bosses Oppose The Progressive Party’

Source:The Daily View– Theodore Roosevelt: on bosses and leaders.

“This is a speech from former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt (also known as Teddy or simply TR for short) along the campaign trail in 1912. This time, however, he is running under the Progressive Bullmoose Party ticket. Roosevelt compares the Republican and Democratic parties to the Progressive party. He administers the Abyssinian Treatment to the Standard Oil Company and defends his policies. This is the AUDIO RESTORED version, so most of the static is totally gone and it should be pretty easy to hear. There are a few faint pings at the end, I did my best to remove them and overall I think I did a good job of that.

Fun Fact: TR gave the best third party showing come election day of any third party candidate in United States history, sealing 88 electoral votes and 27.4% of the popular vote, while splitting the Republican vote with incumbent President Taft. Because of this Republican split, Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson won handily…

Source:Slick Rick Nixon– Theodore Roosevelt: talking about the Progressive Party n 1912.

From Slick Rick Nixon

People who are interested in third-parties and are interested in a new third-party whether its center-left, or center-right, should look at Teddy Roosevelt and his 1912 Progressive Party. TR was the center-left version of Ross Perot.

Ross Perot ran a strong 1992 center-right third-party campaign against President George H.W. Bush and Governor Bill Clinton. Ross Perot had a strong center-right fiscally conservative reform movement, that was designed to shake up Washington and the political system there.

In 1992 Perot and his reform movement, ran against high deficits and a national debt, and an economy that was just starting to come out of recession that still had high unemployment. And had a plan that was designed to lead America back to strong economic and job growth, by first addressing the budget deficit and national debt.

TR was a Progressive and was someone who did believe that America should pay its bills and not run up high deficits and debt, especially when the economy was strong, but he also was a Progressive. And believed that government and even the Federal Government, had a major but not the only role, in seeing that the country moved forward and where everyone could succeed in America. Not just the wealthy and the people who are born to wealth. And believed that the wealthy had too much power and money and the country. While too many Americans struggled just to survive and pay their bills.

Back in 1912 America had a choice between two right-wing parties: the Center-Right Republican Party, that had a progressive Northeastern wing in it that TR was part of, but they were a conservative party. And the Democratic Party that was even to the right of the Republicans, with a Southern Neo-Confederate Nationalist wing in it that accepted the fact that Civil War was over and slavery was now illegal, but still believed that Africans were inferior to Europeans and therefor African-Americans weren’t entitled to the same rights and freedom, as European-Americans.

The Progressive Party under Theodore Roosevelt, was obviously to the left of both the Republican and Democrats. With TR now representing a new and growing progressive movement in the country.

Book TV: Sidney Milkis: ‘Theodore Roosevelt & The Progressive Party’

Source:Amazon– Sidney Millkis’s books about Theodore Roosevelt.

“Led by Theodore Roosevelt, the Progressive Party made the 1912 campaign a passionate contest for the soul of the American people. Promoting an ambitious program of economic, social, and political reform—”New Nationalism”—that posed profound challenges to constitutional government, TR and his Progressive supporters provoked an extraordinary debate about the future of the country. Sidney Milkis revisits this emotionally charged contest to show how a party seemingly consumed by its leader’s ambition dominated the election and left an enduring legacy that set in motion the rise of mass democracy and the expansion of national administrative power…

You can read the rest at Amazon.

“Sidney Milkis, politics professor at the University of Virginia, recounts Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign for the presidency in 1912 and his leadership of the Progressive Party. The author examines the political tenets of Roosevelt and his party’s platform, which included social and political reform. Mr. Milkis’ talk is followed by comments with William Schambra, director of the Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal and Ronald Pestritto, associate political science professor at Hillsdale College. The event is hosted by the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC.”

Source:BookTV– Sidney Millkis, speaking to The Heritage Foundation, about Theodore Roosevelt.

From BookTV

The Progressive Party was created in 1912, basically because the Republican Party denied Theodore Roosevelt their presidential nomination, even though he won more primaries than his main challenger President William Howard Taft.

And the Republican Party was the center-right party in America and if anything the Democratic Party thanks to the Dixiecrats in the party, were even further right than the Republicans.

And because of the Progressive Era and other factors, TR and others believed their was a need and a movement in America to create a Center-Left party that could compete with both Republicans and Democrats in America.

Teddy Roosevelt had already been President of the United States as a Republican from 1901-09 and was a Progressive President. And was  big champion of the Progressive Era and was able to put a lot of his Square Deal into law that created the American regulatory state.

TR was a successful and popular President and served two terms and could have been reelected in 1908 had he simply ran for a third term which was legal back then, but decided not to run for a third term because he saw third terms for the President as dictatorial and wouldn’t be good for democracy.

Post-Roosevelt presidency is where you see the real radical in Teddy Roosevelt. As if being a Progressive in a Center-Right if not further Right country in the first decade of the 20th Century wasn’t radical enough.

TR became less pragmatic and moved from being a Center-Left Progressive, to more of a Social Democrat or Democratic Socialist. Arguing that human welfare was more important than individual freedom, individualism, and property rights.

This is the TR that Socialists like Senator Bernie Sanders and many others in America, love and admire. Where Republicans like Senator John McCain who is a Conservative Republican, as well as Democrats like Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and others, I believe prefer the President Theodore Roosevelt. I prefer the Progressive TR, over the Socialist TR as well.