Progressive Party Quotes
In 1912 Theodore Roosevelt's followers bolted the Republican party when he failed to capture the presidential nomination. They formed the Progressive party. On the eve of the Progressive convention, Roosevelt was by a reporter asked how he felt. The party thereafter was often referred to as the "Bull Moose Party."
Roosevelt was addressing the famous progressive Pennsylvania Governor, Amos Pinchot, 1873-1944. See {589635} or {61590} for an example of a Pinchot Quotation. This was the first time the phrase "lunatic fringe" was used. It has been popular in politics ever since.
Helen Suzman, 1917–2009 was a white South African member of Parliament representing Capetown. She came from a Jewish English background and was the leader of the Progressive Party which was the opposition to the Nationalist party that had established the Fascist style Aparteid government where the 10% white population dominated and ruled the 90% black and Asian population. When all the other progressive MPs lost their seats, Suzman was the only member of the South African Parliament who totally opposed the racist apartheid of South Africa. She had little power to change or block Apartheid laws being only a single MP, but her eloquence and vigorous verbal demand for freedom and equality for blacks provided a focal point for foreign boycotts to produce change in South Africa. However, she did not publicly advocate revolution and violence. As a result most of the militant blacks did not value or even follow her activities to end apartheid, and many had no idea who she was. However, Mandela, imprisoned on Robin Island at the time, not only followed her activities, but sent frequent compliments and notes of encouragement to white opponents of the government and apartheid even though many did not support the armed violence that had become necessary to produce change. Mandela knew that there would be core of a white leadership that would favor one-man-one-vote which would make South Africa a black-dominated government when the apartheid Nationalists could be defeated. Mandela was like a great chess player playing a current game but thinking 5 and 6 moves in advance even while in prison. Suzman was one of Mandela’s leading white supporters after the regime change.
Describing Republican Senator Robert M. La Follette, 1924 Progressive party candidate for President:
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.
Referring to Theodore Roosevelt's views presented to the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party convention in 1912:
