October 31, 2015

Quiz: How Much Do You Know About America’s Sleaziest Presidential Races?

A new book looks at nasty races where Donald Trump would have felt right at home.

Courtesy of Quirk Books

Think the 2016 election is shaping up to be an ugly fight? In historical terms, it might not be so bad.

In his new book, Anything for a Vote, Joseph Cummins looks back at more than two centuries of campaign sleaze and scandal, from twisted words and unfounded rumors to blackmail and burglary. While this grimy lens can be a hilarious way to look at the history of presidential politics, it’s often a sobering one as well—colored by policies of discrimination and assaults on voting rights that are still relevant today. It’s enough to make Donald Trump’s Twitter-bullying look pretty tame.

How much do you know about the dirty tricks and cheap shots of presidential campaigns past? Take this quiz of trivia from Cummins' book:

 

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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