Would George Washington be a Democrat or a Republican?

[A18]

Here's another interesting question about a historical figure, and that isn't trollish.

I vote Republican, because the modern GOP is pretty Federalist-esque.

[J-Mann]

I vote neither for Washington as well.  He had a distaste for political parties and didn't claim one himself (yes, I know, he's listed as a Federalist, but that label was applied to him, not by him).  I think if Washington saw today's America, he would be quite apathetic about politics.

[Cashcow]

I think he'd be pretty disgusted with both.

[A18]

What in particular would Washington be disgusted with?

[Cashcow]

Our divided country and political corruption.

[J-Mann]

What in particular would Washington be disgusted with?

If you're wanting everyone to answer that Washington would be in love with the GOP, sorry; he wouldn't be.

[A18]

No, I wanted the one guy I asked to answer the question I asked him.

Anyway, the country isn't any more divided now than it was in Washington's time, or any more corrupt.

[Lunar]

I asked a similar question with a bunch of historical figures a while back, and it was quire impossible to determine.

It's like asking what Julias Ceasar would have been - the issues aren't the same.  Federalism is an entirely different creature from 1776.

He was a member of the aristrocracy though, and his views on everything probably line up with the traditionalist GOP more than anything else.

[Cashcow]

No, I wanted the one guy I asked to answer the question I asked him.

Anyway, the country isn't any more divided now than it was in Washington's time, or any more corrupt.

He would expect us to be above that by now.

[Richard]

He wouldn't support murdering babies, he wouldn't support paying people money because of wrongs committed to them 100s of years ago, he wouldn't support flag burnings like Democrats like to do, he wouldn't support raising taxes even more...

[Cashcow]

Yeah, because you talk to him in your head, and he tells you this.

There's medication for that kind of stuff.

And I suppose you think Antonin Scalia is a Democrat then.

[they don't love you like i love you]

He hated political parties and didn't want them to form. He'd no doubt be an independent.

[A18]

He hated political parties and didn't want them to form. He'd no doubt be an independent.

Who would he have voted for? George W. Bush, John Kerry, Michael Badnarik, Michael Peroutka, Ralph Nader?

[Alcon]

The thing is that it's hard to compare those that lived so long ago, because being liberal back then would make one a total conservative these days - society has progressed that far. Not being for black rights was, in those days, a position even a leftist could hold, and these days would be considered far-right.

[Richard]

Yeah, because you talk to him in your head, and he tells you this.

There's medication for that kind of stuff.

And I suppose you think Antonin Scalia is a Democrat then.

Well, he is awfully liberal...

[John Dibble]

He hated political parties and didn't want them to form. He'd no doubt be an independent.

Who would he have voted for? George W. Bush, John Kerry, Michael Badnarik, Michael Peroutka, Ralph Nader?

Badnarik, maybe Peroutka.

[Gabu]

George Washington didn't like political parties when he was alive and I'm very sure that he would like them even less now, so I would say he'd be an independent.  Probably an unelectable one, at that.

I'm not going to bother speculating on who he would have voted for, because who I'd like to think he'd vote for is obviously going to cloud my judgement at least somewhat.

[J. J.]

I think he'd probably be a RINO and probably a lot like Eisenhower.

[J-Mann]

I think he'd probably be a RINO and probably a lot like Eisenhower.

Political Scientist James David Barber puts Washington and Eisenhower in the Active-Negative personality profile, meaning that they really didn't like the job of president and didn't try very hard at it, but they did it out of a sense of duty.  You could be correct.