[laughter] in the cartoon, john quincy adams is ahead of william crawford, and andrew jackson, dressed in his military uniform, is on their tail and coming up fast. john adams stands at the front of the crowd cheering on his son. while the spectators place wagers on the outcome. this is democracy at its worst. the election campaign is a gamble. the excitement of the race is what matters the most. in 1828, when second president adams lost the election to jackson, he found himself not only running against a national hero, but against a far better organized pro- jackson party machine. the new yorker, martin van buren, with jackson's election nearing guru building on the earlier new yorker, hamilton's, plato. jackson's admirers tried to re- mold him into the air of the noble washington, but the effort failed because jackson was known to be impulsive and blustering, and too many concerned, autocratic. the general was promoted with a lavish campaign biography, the first of its kind. his brash arbitrary behavior was recast as a cardinal virtue. that is, he exhibited frontier boldness. while t