We've Never Elected an Independent

I saw an argument against Michael Bloomberg running for President which included a statement to the effect that the American people have never elected an Independent to be President.

It's a true enough statement as far as it goes. The US has never once had an Independent President (and I'm not even going to make any plays on words featuring the fact that Presidents are frequently not independent in many ways). That's as true as saying that the United States is not a Communism, nor has it ever elected a horse, and it only came narrowly close to electing a Bull Moose.

Now when people say Independent, they don't mean that, really. Since the United States has only two major political parties, anyone who isn't a member of one or the other is automatically Independent (of his or her senses, most likely, since we have a pretty poor track record in the electing of third party candidates recently, but that's getting ahead of myself). But most "Independent" candidates are actually members of some party or other. Actual Independents are few and far between, and I must once again acknowledge that not one of them has ever been elected President.

But we've elected third party candidates before. The political system of the US tends to shove one party out in situations where there are three, but there's nothing saying that that one party can't be one of the major parties, allowing a third party to ascend to the role. It's happened before, and it could very well happen again.

I don't know Michael Bloomberg's political strategy. I can't even spell his last name correctly. But I don't think it's out of the question to believe that his "independence" might morph into a third party of some kind. You need party apparatus to run for President these days. And we've elected third party candidates.

I do not in any way support Michael Bloomberg in his non-campaign; I think he's shaping up to be another Mario Cuomo. But he could win. And even if he doesn't, people should know that the US does occasionally change the two parties it has. Albeit they change into two other parties, but it's something.