Do our deep political animosities in 2020 portend another 1876 debacle? Richard M. Perloff
(WorldNews Politics)

CLEVELAND -- Both sides expected their adversaries would do what they had to do to win the presidential election. The Democrat, New York Gov. Samuel Tilden, had defeated Ohio`s Republican Gov. Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote, but the electoral vote was too close to call. Soon after the polls closed in November 1876, political diehards from both sides pulled out all stops to win, throwing out votes, besmirching ballots with ink, or just paying bribes. Even then, it was still a dead heat. As a constitutional crisis loomed, Congress formed a blue-ribbon electoral commission to resolve the dispute. The group essentially voted 8-7 in favor Hayes, setting the stage for the candidate`s...