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Former longtime Illinois Rep. John Anderson, who ran for president as an independent in 1980, has died at age 95.
The World War II veteran and former prosecutor died Sunday night in Washington, his daughter, Diane Anderson, told The Associated Press. The 10-term GOP congressman originally sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, but he later waged an independent campaign against Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican challenger Ronald Reagan. Anderson received 7 percent of the national vote.
He was my first presidential vote. Looking back, I can't really say it was a bad one.
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Ombligo wrote:
He was my first presidential vote. Looking back, I can't really say it was a bad one.
Me too.
What's more, I went to see him speak on the UW Madison campus. (I wasn't a student there, but I was visiting a friend who was.) He spoke outside on the steps of some campus building. We were right up front, up against the barricade. I chatted with the Secret Service agent on the other side while waiting for Anderson to speak.
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I voted for him too. Seemed like a rational guy with rational ideas (which of course, would never have flown in today's world or then). But I was young and optimistic.
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pdq wrote:
I voted for him too. Seemed like a rational guy with rational ideas (which of course, would never have flown in today's world or then). But I was young and optimistic.
Pretty much exactly my experience.
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RIP. Mr Anderson. You inspired many like me as well.
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Was too young to vote then. I really wish we had a viable third party in this country.
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rz wrote:
Was too young to vote then. I really wish we had a viable third party in this country.
That's essentially what parliamentary systems get you. Don't want to move this to the other side, but sometimes that can get you what you don't want. Two parties on the left could split the vote and give wins to a party on the right, or two parties on the right could to the same for the left. It can also make it hard to govern - see places like Italy. But it can be argued that it allows for more voices to be represented.
While we aren't there now, one of the strengths of the American system has traditionally been that it pushes people toward the center.
