Comments on: Surprising News Of The Day http://belowthebeltway.com/2008/06/01/surprising-news-of-the-day/ I believe in the free speech that liberals used to believe in, the economic freedom that conservatives used to believe in, and the personal freedom that America used to believe in. Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:00:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Getting Whiggy with it « Upturned Earth || John Schwenkler http://belowthebeltway.com/2008/06/01/surprising-news-of-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-220864 Getting Whiggy with it « Upturned Earth || John Schwenkler Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:51:35 +0000 http://belowthebeltway.com/2008/06/01/surprising-news-of-the-day/#comment-220864 [...] under: politics | Tags: 2008 presidential elections, Bob Barr, Millard Filmore, Whig Party Via BTB via TPW, I see that the party of Millard Filmore - which has got the niftiest Web site this side of [...] [...] under: politics | Tags: 2008 presidential elections, Bob Barr, Millard Filmore, Whig Party Via BTB via TPW, I see that the party of Millard Filmore – which has got the niftiest Web site this side of [...]

]]> By: NOVA history buff http://belowthebeltway.com/2008/06/01/surprising-news-of-the-day/comment-page-1/#comment-220475 NOVA history buff Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:17:42 +0000 http://belowthebeltway.com/2008/06/01/surprising-news-of-the-day/#comment-220475 One thing to keep in mind with the Whig Party was the reason for the name, which was a reference to British politics. The British whigs were opposed to the monarchy, which controlled everything. Similarly, those who stood in opposition to Andrew Jackson and the dominant Democratic Party he created began calling themselves the Whig Party. It was an organizational tool, but it also was an underhanded shot against Jackson -- a way to continue the King Andrew narrative that opponents were trying to sell. In our modern politics, there is no current force as powerful as the Jacksonian Democrats. The argument could have been made in 2004 that Bush Republicans held such a dominant role. But that power structure has obviously fallen apart since then. One thing to keep in mind with the Whig Party was the reason for the name, which was a reference to British politics. The British whigs were opposed to the monarchy, which controlled everything. Similarly, those who stood in opposition to Andrew Jackson and the dominant Democratic Party he created began calling themselves the Whig Party. It was an organizational tool, but it also was an underhanded shot against Jackson — a way to continue the King Andrew narrative that opponents were trying to sell.

In our modern politics, there is no current force as powerful as the Jacksonian Democrats. The argument could have been made in 2004 that Bush Republicans held such a dominant role. But that power structure has obviously fallen apart since then.

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