New York Times Quotes


If this is the first attempt at the primary system, we sincerely hope it’s the last.


Context

The editorial was commenting on the Republican National Convention in 1912. After serving two terms as President, and being out of office for 4 years, Roosevelt decided to challenge the sitting Republican President Taft for the Republican nomination, He had urged and obtained Republican primary elections in a number of states and had won almost all. This was the first time primaries were used in a presidential party nomination. However at the convention, many of the delegates from the state which voted for Roosevelt in the Primary elections voted for Taft nonetheless. There was incredible bitterness. The Republican party slit and TR formed a new Party—the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party and he got more votes than Taft did, However the two split the Republican vote adn Woodrow Wilson, the Democrat, won with a plurality. For the Republicans, the first Presidential Primary attempt was a disaster.


Citations

New York Times Editorial on the Republican National Convention 1912

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

Linked Quotes

Slogan that Theodore Roosevelt developed to go with this attempt to nominate Presidents with Primary Elections. Prior to his 1912 run for the Presidency, presidential nominees were selected by the delegates to the party national convention. Since then the parties have used various combinations of delegates that were bound by primary election results in their state and other delegates who could use their judgment. No combination has been totally satisfactory and both major American political parties tinker with the combination every four years.


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New York Times
New York Times
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The New York Times (NYT or NY Times) is an American daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership. Founded in 1851, the Times has since won 130 Pulitzer Prizes (the most of any newspaper), and has long been regarded within the industry as a national "newspaper of record". It is ranked 18th in the world by circulation and 3rd in the U.S.