Is Donald Trump the Zachary Taylor of 2016? Republicans better hope not.

Zachary Taylor, the Donald Trump of 1848?
(Image credit: Public domain)

The 2016 Democratic presidential race has been compared with 2008, 2000, 1980, and 1968. But on the Republican side, "many have called Donald Trump's unexpected takeover of a major political party unprecedented," says McGill University history professor Gil Troy at Politico Magazine. "It's not." Troy finds eerie similarities in the 1848 election of Zachary Taylor, whom he describes as "an inexperienced, unqualified, loutish, wealthy outsider with ambiguous party loyalties."

A war hero, Taylor was wooed by the Whigs, and while "some party luminaries thought he would help them win the general election," Troy says, "many of the faithful were furious and mystified: How could their party compromise its ideals to such a degree?" Here's Troy's thesis on the relevance of 1848:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.