Archie Roosevelt, with Presidential pet badger Josiah, who bit visitors.
WOO-HOO! It’s OVER! Those suffering from arrested development will continue to whine for a bit if their man or woman didn’t win, but the wisest will progress to more important matters. Like raking leaves, cleaning the gutters, and throwing out those stupid lawn signs. Time to lighten up, people! Here’s your quiz. You’ll find the answers listed as the first comment:
1.) What political party did George Washington, the only candidate for President to win every Electoral College vote, run under?
2.) The most hotly contested US Presidential election was not the 2000 “stopped recount” battle between Bush and Gore, nor the Nixon / JFK contest of 1960. This election was the only year in which one candidate got an absolute majority (over 50%) of the popular vote, and still lost.
3.) What famous candidate said this in a debate:
“I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races. I am not, nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.”
4.) These days Presidential candidates in the US get to choose their Vice Presidential nominee, but that wasn’t always true. How were Vice Presidents originally chosen?
5.) This candidate campaigned from his prison cell, and won nearly a million votes – 3.4% of the popular vote. His name and party?
6.) Zachary Taylor won the election of 1848 with 1,361,394 votes. He would have had one more, except?
7.) Since 1948, there is a physical attribute that correlates to the winner of a US Presidential election 3 out of 4 times. What is it?
8.) When was the last time a third-party candidate won Electoral College votes, and who was that candidate?
9.) There’s a lot of talk about the difficulty governing a winning Presidential candidate who gets less than 50% of the popular vote will have, but one time the winner only garnered a piddly 8%. How was that possible?
10.) The US has had its share of bizarre political parties, but we aren’t alone. In 1994 Jacob Haugaard won a seat in Parliament. His party was the Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements. They promised “better weather, better Christmas presents, and the right to impotence.” What country?
Invisible Mikey 
ANSWERS: 1.) NO PARTY. They hadn’t been invented yet. 2.) In the election of 1876, Democrat Samuel Tilden won the popular vote and was 19 Electoral votes ahead of eventual winner Rutherford B Hayes. However, amid charges of voter fraud and intimidation 20 Electoral votes, from three states, were in dispute. When they were granted to Hayes in a back room deal (which also ended Reconstruction and ceded the South to the Democrats), he became President by one Electoral vote, the narrowest margin in our history. 3.) This insensitive rhetoric was spoken by Abraham Lincoln, during his debates with Stephen Douglas in the 1858 Illinois Senatorial campaign. 4.) In the earliest years of US elections, only the office of President was voted on. Whoever got the second most votes became Vice President. But after the contentious election of 1800 took 36 ballots in the House to resolve, the 12th Amendment, creating separate Electors to vote for VP, was written and passed in 1804. 5.) Eugene V. Debs. Socialist Party. Election of 1920. 6.) It can be assumed that he probably would have voted for himself, IF ONLY HE HAD BEEN REGISTERED TO VOTE. 7.) 75% of the time, the TALLER candidate has won. 8.) George Wallace (American Independent Party) won five Southern states in the election of 1968. 9.) The election of 1824 featured four fairly strong candidates who split the vote, leaving none with an Electoral majority. Andrew Jackson got the most votes, 41%, however it was estimated less than 30% of those eligible had even cast a vote. When the election passed to the House for resolution, well, they just liked John Quincy Adams better than Jackson, so they blithely overthrew the will of the people and decided the election in his favor. 10,) Haugaard served one term in DENMARK and retired. He wasn’t able to fulfill the party’s main campaign promises, but he did successfully sponsor a bill to increase the bread for the ducks at a pond in his home district. You didn’t think I would become a fan of the Danish political drama series BORGEN, and then just quit learning about Denmark, did you?
AND IN LATE-BREAKING NEWS: My review of Borgen has been reprinted over at TV WRITER, Larry Brody’s site where he can teach you how to write for the medium everyone hates! (http://tvwriter.net/?p=7795)
Apt that a politician campaigning on a work-shy platform was unable to fulfill his election promises
Isn’t it? I hadn’t thought of that! Thanks, Anthony.
As usual, you leave us with some fascinating facts. This is much better than the wall to wall coverage we have of the current presidential election, here in Blighty. The video clips were great too. Oh, and congrats on getting your review published. I never did get round to watching Borgen, though I was a great fan of The Killing (series three, soon to start on BBC).
Since facts are one of the things political candidates try to run away from, it made it easier for me to pick up some abandoned ones. I’m glad you were entertained!
Despite my interest in politics and my semi-satisfaction with the final result, I AM SO GLAD IT IS OVER, GAH. And I like the fun history facts. 🙂
I agree with every word. Thanks, and I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I’m also glad it’s over and IMHO the correct decision was made I was fascinated by your questions and bereft of answers. Thanks for both posing them and providing the answers too.
History’s so full of fun and wacky events. It’s too bad they mostly teach the dull version in school, the history of wars and money-making inventions. Politics is supremely, entertainingly insane. The more you read about it, the crazier it gets. Always happy to have you visit, TT.
Great round-up. I wish I’d caught it when you first posted.
Better late than never! And thanks.
You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed the game, and thanks for stopping by.