What is a Mugwump: the mystical, magical, political creature
You’d be forgiven if you thought a Mugwump was the latest mythical creature on television – it sure sounds like it, would you be surprised if we told you it was a political caricature?
A Mugwump is yet another political term. That’s right. Dictionaries define Mugwumps as “a person who is independent (as in politics) or who remains undecided or neutral. Otherwise known as a noncommittal fencesitter or individualist, especially in politics.”
The first political Mugwumps were a group of Republicans who supported GOP nominee James G Blaine and then jumped the fence to support Democratic nominee Grover Cleveland during the 1884 US presidential election.
Media critics denounced the move, calling them … you guessed it, “little mugwumps!”
“Their mug sat one side of the fence, and their wump on the other,” New York Sun Editor Charles Anderson Dana said. That will teach them.
Are all political independents mugwumps?
So, what about modern Mugwumps? As everything in politics, this is up for debate. While Independents appear to fit the bill, an overwhelming majority of independents (81%) continue to “lean” toward either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, according to Pew Research.
While you could classify them as Independents, a bias to a party still remains. And in U.S. political slang, mugwump came to mean any independent voter.
10 ways to know if you’re a Mugwump:
- You voted in favor of both Republican & Democrat candidates and issues in your lifetime.
- You have a general distrust of authority and politicians.
- You agree with some GOP on some issues and the DNC on others.
- You tend to sit on the fence when it comes to politics.
- You vote for the best candidate, as opposed to the best party.
- You change your mind a lot.
- Like George Washington, you view the two-party system as an unfair representation of the population.
- You don’t believe in always following the party line.
- You don’t blindly stand for things just because your team does.
- Your head is on one side of the fence while you’re wump is on the other!
No matter where your mug and wump sits, we’re a nation of great pride and resilience, and to celebrate that, we offer you incredible savings with our US Flagmaker Mugwump Sale.