The year was 1912 and William Howard Taft was the incumbent in the Oval Office, running against Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt, who had previously said he would not run for a second full term, was not pleased with the job Taft had done as president and decided to start the Progressive Party - also called the Bull Moose Party - and run for president. That decision split the Republican vote and handed the election to Wilson.
Now we face a very similar threat to the 2016 election. Many Americans are upset that President Obama has been very weak when it comes to matters of nationally security, preferring to push his gun control and environmental agendas while having a soft foreign policy.
Last week’s shooting in San Bernardino by two ISIS supporters further stoked Americans’ fears of terrorist attacks and frustration with the president’s weak position on ISIS. In fact, many thought that would give the Republicans a strategic edge in the general election.
And then The Donald happened.
On Monday he proposed banning all Muslims, temporarily, from entering the country. His comments drew harsh condemnation from the White House, the Democratic presidential candidates, the Pentagon, Republican presidential candidates, the Speaker of the House, the Republican National Committee chairman, and foreign leaders.
His comments will not only promote ISIS ideology - as several have pointed out - and give the Democrats excellent talking points about Republicans, but will alienate those of the Islamic faith.
Trump has already suggested deporting millions of illegal immigrants, a move that won’t help the GOP win the Hispanic vote. And now this. No matter how much the GOP condemns Trump’s statement and polling date, it will most likely affect the outcome of the general election even if Trump is not the nominee.
But now that Trump has around 30% support nationally and a new poll says that 65% of likely GOP primary voters support his proposal, the prospect of a third-party run looms heavily. Another poll shows that 65% of Trump backers would vote if he left the GOP.
That might not seem like a lot. But it would certainly hurt any Republican’s chances of winning the White House.
There is no way that Trump will win if he runs as a third-party candidate but he will sure do some damage to the Republican Party. Make no mistake - a third-party run will have a major impact on the election.
If Trump did win the general election - it wouldn’t be good. But if someone like Bernie Sanders wins, ISIS will gain ground and probably carry out a devastating terrorist attack in America, and Russia will continue its aggressions unchecked.
Meanwhile our Arab allies don’t trust us anymore, and our allies in the Pacific are afraid the U.S. will not protect them and are building up their militaries. But don’t worry - we’ll have a fierce campaign against climate change.
We need a strong Republican challenger who can win over supporters of Trump, independents, and maybe even some Democrats weary on a "third term of Obama". Someone who will have sound fiscal policy and protect religious freedom. We need someone who will foster a booming economy where the unemployment rate isn't low because people gave up looking for jobs, or got retail jobs. We need someone who will stand up to Russia and China and someone who will wipe out ISIS.
Then we can worry about climate change.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt, who had previously said he would not run for a second full term, was not pleased with the job Taft had done as president and decided to start the Progressive Party - also called the Bull Moose Party - and run for president. That decision split the Republican vote and handed the election to Wilson.
Now we face a very similar threat to the 2016 election. Many Americans are upset that President Obama has been very weak when it comes to matters of nationally security, preferring to push his gun control and environmental agendas while having a soft foreign policy.
Last week’s shooting in San Bernardino by two ISIS supporters further stoked Americans’ fears of terrorist attacks and frustration with the president’s weak position on ISIS. In fact, many thought that would give the Republicans a strategic edge in the general election.
And then The Donald happened.
On Monday he proposed banning all Muslims, temporarily, from entering the country. His comments drew harsh condemnation from the White House, the Democratic presidential candidates, the Pentagon, Republican presidential candidates, the Speaker of the House, the Republican National Committee chairman, and foreign leaders.
His comments will not only promote ISIS ideology - as several have pointed out - and give the Democrats excellent talking points about Republicans, but will alienate those of the Islamic faith.
Trump has already suggested deporting millions of illegal immigrants, a move that won’t help the GOP win the Hispanic vote. And now this. No matter how much the GOP condemns Trump’s statement and polling date, it will most likely affect the outcome of the general election even if Trump is not the nominee.
But now that Trump has around 30% support nationally and a new poll says that 65% of likely GOP primary voters support his proposal, the prospect of a third-party run looms heavily. Another poll shows that 65% of Trump backers would vote if he left the GOP.
That might not seem like a lot. But it would certainly hurt any Republican’s chances of winning the White House.
There is no way that Trump will win if he runs as a third-party candidate but he will sure do some damage to the Republican Party. Make no mistake - a third-party run will have a major impact on the election.
If Trump did win the general election - it wouldn’t be good. But if someone like Bernie Sanders wins, ISIS will gain ground and probably carry out a devastating terrorist attack in America, and Russia will continue its aggressions unchecked.
Meanwhile our Arab allies don’t trust us anymore, and our allies in the Pacific are afraid the U.S. will not protect them and are building up their militaries. But don’t worry - we’ll have a fierce campaign against climate change.
We need a strong Republican challenger who can win over supporters of Trump, independents, and maybe even some Democrats weary on a "third term of Obama". Someone who will have sound fiscal policy and protect religious freedom. We need someone who will foster a booming economy where the unemployment rate isn't low because people gave up looking for jobs, or got retail jobs. We need someone who will stand up to Russia and China and someone who will wipe out ISIS.
Then we can worry about climate change.