Not since President John Tyler was abandoned by his own party has a major political party abandoned its own president – until now, that is. Back in 1841, Tyler, after the death of President William Henry Harrison, became the first vice president to succeed to the presidency.  Remarkably, because he differed with the Whig Party he represented, the party's congressional leaders actually managed to expel their own president from their party.  This was due in part to Tyler's belief in a strong president – one who sets national policy rather than following Congress's lead. President John Tyler The Whig Party's repudiation of its own president led directly to the demise of the Whig Party and the rise of America's only successful third party, the Republican Party.  Once again, history is repeating itself. Specifically, by abandoning the man who gave them the White House, today's congressional Republicans are repeating the...(Read Full Post)