P. Is politics worse today?
A: Discussion of our national partisan divisions is usually followed by someone evoking the Founding Fathers and stating how disappointed they would be with our fighting and dissent. While I’m sure some of the Founders wouldn’t like the modern campaign, it’s a bit disingenuous and selfish to suggest that the Founders had no conflicts or contentions.
Indeed, the factional battles early in our nation produced some very difficult situations with the potential to disrupt our experiment in self-governance. When George Washington retired from office, there was fierce competition between Federalists, such as Alexander Hamilton, and Democratic Republicans (Republicans), such as Thomas Jefferson.
In the 1800 election, the Republicans, led by Jefferson and Aaron Burr, received the most electoral votes, defeating Federalist John Adams. Since Republican electors voted for both Jefferson and Burr, the two were even, as there was no separate vote for president and vice president at the time. Since Burr, ever the opportunist, would not stand aside, the Constitution dictated that the race be decided by the House of Representatives, voting by state. However, this was also related to the red states voting for Jefferson and the federalist states blocking Jefferson by voting for Burr.
The deadlock lasted for days with 35 votes and members sleeping in the chamber to avoid missing a vote. There was talk of civil war and the possible mobilization of state militias in Virginia and Pennsylvania. There was even talk of simply rewriting the Constitution so that one side could seize power. The potential disaster was averted by a Federalist named James Baynard. As the sole representative from Vermont, he controlled that state’s vote and chose to abstain, allowing Jefferson to achieve a majority and the presidency.
Baynard’s decision was the one that put the nation ahead of his politics. He said at the time: “[i]They all conceded that we must risk the Constitution and civil war or take Mr. Jefferson.” Aaron Burr got the consolation prize of being vice president, but his long-term ambition of being president was never achieved. There are, it seems, more important principles to win, and it was and is a dedication to those principles that make our nation and our democracy possible.
America is unique in many ways, but what has helped make us a stable democracy is being willing to accept a loss and root for the winner, even when we’re sorely disappointed in the outcome. This is a standard that has often been difficult for other nations to comprehend. President Ronald Reagan put it best when he said, “In the eyes of many around the world, this four-year ceremony that we accept as normal is nothing short of a miracle.” Similarly, conceding a very close and astonishingly close election in 2000, then-Vice President Al Gore said: “This is America. Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and unite when the competition is over.”
American campaigns can be tough and divisions can be sharp. The danger we face as a nation is not losing an election. Every party will lose sometimes. It is in rejecting democratic principles for immediate political gain. We have prospered as a Democracy by recognizing that in an election, sometimes you lose.
Kevin Wagner is a leading constitutional scholar and professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University. The answers provided do not necessarily represent the views of the university. If you have any questions about how American government and politics work, please email him at kwagne15@fau.edu or reach out to him on Twitter. @kevinwagnerphd. You can read the previous columns here: Kevin Wagner’s Civic Project Columns.
