College of Political Knowledge
Subject: Political Parties
First, it is Veteran’s Day….may I say Job well done! To everyone else…..do NOT allow the government to forget these brave souls…they deserve more than we can ever give them……
Clever title if you know anything about Hip Hop……..
Time for another one of the Professor’s history lesson……let’s get busy!
Have you heard of the Whig Party? Think back to your days of having to take American Government or Civics………The Whigs, an 18th century political party that gave the US two presidents, Harrison and Taylor….both of whom died in office….(now we could take a break here and come up with a conspiracy or two……NAH!)…….
The party was eventually killed by the question of slavery in the expansion west……there were deep fissures within the party over whether to allow or outlaw the practice…..(we could run a parallel here with the division withing the GOP/Tea Party……) 1856 was the last election that the Whigs were a viable political party…..although their beliefs have hung around for decades…..
Speaking of hanging around for decades….there is a modern Whig Party…a resurrection if you will……the modern party was resurrected by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and is a very pragmatic party with beliefs as such…….
- Fiscal responsibility – “The Modern Whig philosophy is to empower the states with the resources to handle their unique affairs.”
- Energy independence – “Reduce dependence on foreign oil by developing practical sources of alternative energy. This will have the simultaneous effect of changing the national security dynamic.”
- Education/Scientific advancement – “Increased public and private emphasis on fields such as space, oceanic, medical and nanotechnology. Also, providing common-sense solutions to enhance our educational system from pre-school to university-level studies.”
- States’ rights – “Each state can determine its course of action based on local values and unique needs.”
- Social progression – “Government should refrain from legislating morality.”
- Veterans’ affairs – “Vigilant advocacy relating to the medical, financial, and overall well-being of our military families and veterans.”
Somewhere in this post I bet you are thinking…where is the Prof. going with this history lesson……glad to oblige an answer…….
(AP) – Voters in Philadelphia have elected a Whig to public office for what the victor believes may be the first time in nearly 160 years. Robert “Heshy” Bucholz, a member of the Modern Whig party, campaigned door-to-door and won 36 votes to his Democratic opponent’s 24 on Tuesday to become an election judge in the city’s Rhawnhurst section. Election judges, who serve four-year terms, receive about $100 annually and are responsible for overseeing equipment and procedures at the polls.
Philadelphia’s last Whig mayor was elected in 1854. It’s hard to verify whether Whigs won any lower offices after that. Previously an independent, Bucholz said he joined the Whigs three years ago because their fiscally conservative but socially liberal views represented a “middle path” between Democrats and Republicans. The government shutdown “pretty much told us we can’t trust either party and the system is broken,” he said. Of course, he probably trusts one Republican: His wife, Dinah, a registered Republican was also elected Tuesday, as an election inspector.
Is this the resurrection of a good third party…..not one of the crap parties that spring up from time to time……..if interested please check into their site and decide if they fit your beliefs better than the two major parties….my bet is…YES THEY DO!
Dream on, my friend. Dream on.
But oh what sweet dream..
I always like to see a good 3rd party….my problem with the Whigs is that damn thing about state’s rights….that has caused way too much trouble…..
On states rights. hope you can see Georgia and California are different and have different views. Is it right for one shoe to fit all. Each State even under the Constitution has rights. Each State has its own legislatures and are self governing. The Whig Party does not tell people in each state they have to fall in line. Each state can develop their path.
Hello gawhig….glad to see someone from the party has stopped by I have been writing about you guys since pretty the beginning……anyway…I realize the fact that you stated and then I ask myself….If each state has its own constitution why do we need to deify the Federal one? It just seems like the redundancy gets in the way most times…..I wish you guys all the success that is possible….keep up the good work…..chuq
The founding fathers made the Constitution as the overall guidance for the nation. As you can see in the Bill of rights as well they seen a need that states have the rights and ability to manage their affairs under the 9th and 10th amendments. AMENDMENT IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.& AMENDMENT X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
I realize wht they say and I am Not saying it is wrong….just thinking about redundancy….that is all…
We’ve forgotten how to achieve proper “balance” in many areas, states V fed is one of them, but the list is huge. How about a balance between the monetarist and Keynesian schools of thought, since both are obviously wrong at times.
Hello Gene and thanx for stopping by and your comment….always a pleasure to see a new face….a balance would be a definite bonus but I do not think that they can talk with each other long enough to find a balance……chuq
Well that is where the Whigs come in. Whigs do not owe anything to a party but the people. Whigs do not owe allegiance to party politics but to the people of the nation. When a elected official or governmental civil servant owes their loyalty to a political party instead of the people they represent they are forgetting the base of our government. A government of the people, by the people, for the people.
You have an uphill battle…..money prevents the people from being engaged beyond a limited basis…..and gerrymandering lets the candidate pick his/her voter…..I wish you guys all the best in your efforts…..we will be watching and listening…..chuq
As a whole we as Whigs have developed the mindset going back to the foundations of our nation. The founding Whigs had a plan to strengthen and unify the nation; the American System was advanced by the Whig Party and a number of leading politicians including Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and John Quincy Adams. The System that included:
• Support for a high tariff to protect American industries and generate revenue for the federal government. The establishment of a protective tariff, a 20%-25% tax on imported goods, would protect a nation’s business from foreign competition.
• Development of a system of internal improvements which would knit the nation together and be financed by the tariff and land sales revenues.
The big selling point today is that the Whig party is the Un-Party, in that loyalty is not to the party but the people. Our strength is because of our acceptance of the differences. Whig Party members understand that we can agree many issues, accept the differences and develop a consensus for the good of the nation.
Whigs do not owe allegiance to any party politics but to the people of the nation. When an elected official or civil servant owes their loyalty to a political party instead of the people they represent, they are forgetting the basics of our government. We should be a “government of the people, by the people and for the people”.
Many may think because we don’t agree 100% on every issue we are undecided. That is because they cannot see that the status quo is not working and driving the country apart. It will take time to show how Whigs focus on joining in the middle or the centrist mindset of the people instead of worrying about the party platform.