History is a step-function---TRPynchon, jr.: "Tippecanoe...and Tyler too"

[Mark Kohut]

> 
> Through A Cracked Mirror
> 
> Humor site Cracked.com has a list devoted to the historical
> origins of
> negative ads in presidential campaigns of yore. They're
> all
> interesting, but the one that has been the most reliable
> through the
> ages is #3 on the list -- the attack on
> "elitism."
> 
> " Whenever a presidential candidate speaks well or
> seems particularly
> clean, the immediate strategy of that candidate's
> opponent is to trash
> them as elitist, someone who thinks he's better than
> the hardworking,
> God-fearing general public. "
> 
> " In 1840, this was taken to an awesome, hilarious
> extreme. The
> nominee for the Whig party, the old-as-shit William Henry
> Harrison,
> gave himself the label of the "Log Cabin and Hard
> Cider candidate."
> Basically Joe Six Pack. The plan of course was to make the
> opposing
> Democrats and Martin Van Buren look like a bunch of elitist
> aristocrats. "
> 
> The truth was that Harrison was from a wealthy and
> politically
> connected family. Rather than being born in a log cabin, he
> was born
> on a plantation and lived in a mansion. None of that
> stopped him from
> claiming to be the champion of the common man.
> Harrison was also a war hero. He was the
> "Tippecanoe" in the "...and
> Tyler too" slogan.  Tippecanoe was a battle that
> Harrison led against
> the Shawnee where, despite having a large advantage in
> forces, his
> troops still took more casualties. But he later invaded
> Canada, and
> everyone thought that was pretty cool.
> 
> So we have a wealthy aging war hero who runs as the
> hard-drinkin'
> friend of the little folk. And it worked. Harrison won in a
> blow out.
> There was just one little problem for team Whig: the
> "aging" part.
> Harrison was the oldest president elected pre-Ronald
> Reagan, and just
> weeks after settling into the White House, Harrison died.
> That left
> "Tyler too" in charge of the place.
> 
> " John Tyler (described as a "poor, miserable,
> despised imbecile" and
> given the nickname "His Accidency") took over the
> White House. Tyler
> was one of the most hated presidents of all time and was
> nearly
> impeached.
> Why did we bring that up?  No reason at all.  Really.
> "
> 
> And what was going on in the US at the time? That would be
> a collapse
> of the financial system due to a speculative bubble.
> It's unknown how Tyler felt about moose.