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Dateline 1876, Democratic presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden holds a clear and commanding lead in the popular vote over his Republican opponent Rutherford B. Hayes. But what's this? Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Oregon have all submitted two different certified vote counts. One gives the electoral votes to the Republican and the other gives the votes to the Democrat. With the crucial electoral votes necessary to win in the balance what's a country to do?
The Republican-controlled Congress appoints a committee of 7 Democrats and 8 Republicans to investigate. Their findings? The 7 Democrats vote to give the electoral votes to the Democrat and the 8 Republicans vote to give the electoral voters to the Republican. So that's how we ended up with A Republican president come 1977. Oh, the poor Democrats. They got snookered. But wait. There's more. Telegrams came to light proving that the Democrats had tried to buy off some of the Republican delegates, so there's plenty of guilt to go around on both sides of the aisle.
So you think what we're seeing today in partisan politics is something new and unprecedented? Think again. This kind of crap has been going on in American politics since before the Declaration of Independence was even signed.
There are times when, as I read some history, I begin to think that to even be interested in politics is a monumental waste of time. The game is rigged. Always has been, and always will be. We are no more than excited spectators watching a staged public exhibition put on to keep us distracted from what's really going on.
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