U.S. Presidents - Gilded Age Edition

James Garfield seems to have had the most potential, actually

A superb book on the 1881 race.

are voting based on dopest implementation of the mutton chops

are *we voting, obv

charles guiteau, original teabagger

this is a sorry sorry lot btw

Ulysses 31 > Ulysses S. Grant

http://www.se51.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ulysses31_crew.jpg

This era was so curdled with corruption that it's hard to get up much enthusiasm for any of its products. The republicans were complacent fat-assed laissez faire social darwinist types, and small-town chamber of commerce boosters. The "drys" and prigs found them most congenial.

The democrats were a cobbled together mess, founded on the machine-politics of the immigrant-swollen cities, die-hard klansmen types riding herd on the ex-confederacy, and a gaggle of cheap-money agrarians. The "wets" were welcome, too.

Altogether, as unsavory an era as our own benighted times.

Nice summaries. Henry Adams otherwise OTM.

BUMP

This is worse than any recent Oscars

reluctantly i'll go with grant for busting up the kkk.

i know next to nothing about any of these except grant.

My thesis has several pages devoted to Grant's underrated presidency.

Mark Twain was a big Chester Arthur supporter.

Grover Cleveland, the most conservative Democrat elected until Carter, still shows up in near-great polls for breaking the Pullman strike and growing a great mustache.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

My high school was named for Grover Cleveland. My vote is a lock.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.