Political Platform Quotes
He is credited with the origin of this statement by many sources but a primary quotation has eluded us.
Stimson had been a key member of the Theodore Roosevelt national administration, and Roosevelt, before he became Vice President and then President had been a very popular governor of NY. Stimson, although a brilliant administrator, and statesman was a bit stuffy and aloof and was a terrible campaigner. He thought it immodest to refer to himself in public or to talk about his record. See {589269}. So the Republicans tried to tie him to Roosevelt who was still very popular. See {589268}. It was not enough. Stimson lost.
The minister's remarks had major repercussions. They were made at a rally for and in the presence of James Blaine, then a U. S. Senator and the Rupublican presidential nominee. Blaine refused to disavow Buchard's remark. That refusal became a major campaign issue, and "Rum, Romanism, and rebellion" became a negative campaign slogan. Blaine lost to Grover Cleveland. The difference turned out to be a 1,000 vote loss of New York State whose large Irish Catholic population went against Blaine.
When Disraeli first entered politics and tried to run for Parliament the notion that he would ever become Prime Minister was very unrealistic to everyone except Disraeli. In addition to no political experience at the time, he came from a Jewish background at a time when anti-Semitism was very common and acceptable to England. Even if he were not inexperienced and Jewish, he was not part of the British aristocracy and was not socially connected. He also had no large business and industrial connections and no important family connections. However, he was a marvelous writer and speaker, a very fast learner, and turned out to be a political natural. Most historians rate him as one of the two or three greatest British Prime Ministers.
Romney was known for changing political positions and postures depending on the particular office he was running for and the time.
The Republican platform was extremely conservative and an embarrassment to the progressive Republicans of the day:
