Quite simple. I'm asking how you would have voted in past elections of the United States, from the birth of our nation up to the present time. For example, would you have voted Jefferson or Adams? Lincoln or Douglass? Tilden or Hayes? Roosevelt, Taft, or Coolidge? Hoover or FDR? Nixon or Kennedy? Bush snr. or Clinton?

I'd have voted against FDR for sure. I'd have voted for Regan twice.

Sitting in 1992 with 1992 information, I'd have voted for Bush Senior. Sitting in 1995 though, I'd have voted for Clinton as much and as often as possible. I'd have voted for Clinton in 1996 and Gore in 2000. I voted for Kerry in 2004. I'd have voted against Jefferson in the election of 1800 I think. Don't know about the rest.

Well, I had a choice between sleep and this topic. Since it is a Saturday, I suppose sleep shall have to wait. I will also limit myself merely to Presidential elections.

I will go through each election under the assumption that I hold the same political ideals that I hold now, and that I am a eligible voter, etc. I will also assume that I know only what I would have known on the date of the election: that I will be completely ignorant of everything the winning candidate would do as President. I believe that is the only way this exercise should be approached. Anyway, here goes. The format goes "Year: Candidate", with an explaination beneath.

1788: Washington
I mean, there aren't really any other options here.

1792: Washington
See above.

1796: Adams
Jeffersonian agrarianism and anti-federalism does not sit well with my Hamiltonian tendencies.

1800: Adams
See above.

1804: Jefferson
The Lousiana Purchase shows that Jefferson has a practical side to him. Plus, Federalism is pretty much dead.

1808: Pinckney
With his embargoes, Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans lose this convert.

1812: Madison
Any President that starts a war can't be that bad.

1816: Monroe
Federalism is dead. Meh.

1820: Monroe
See above. At least Secretary of War Calhoun is doing a decent job.

1824: Adams
Huzzah for internal improvements! (and Adams's achivements as SecState)

1828: Adams
The rising Jacksonian tide would have opposed much of what I stand for: internal improvements, the national bank, etc.

1832: Clay
Save the bank!

1836: Harrison
If Van Buren wins, I'm moving to British North America.

1840: Harrison
Finally, the Whigs have learned how to campaign.

1844: Clay
Polk may be firm on expansion, but he is weak on tariffs and internal improvements.

1848: Cass
After the triumph over Mexico, let's take Canada with Cass.

1852: Scott
He may be a terrible pubic speaker, but he is a good Whig.

1856: Fillmore
Buchanan and Fremont both repulse me in their own special ways. Ol' Millard will put the country back on its feet (again).

1860: Bell
Lincoln was firm on old Whig economic issues, but the Fillmore admirer in me would have thrown me to the compromise candidate.

1864: Lincoln
At this point, the inner Fillmore admirer is supressed. Down with the secessionists!

1868: Grant
Oh man, the south is going to love this...

1872: Grant
Still my man. Done a fine job so far.

1876: Hayes
Democrats are still anathema to me at this point. No selling out to the South.

1880: Garfield
I would have prefered Grant to win the Republican nomination, but a Half-Breed is better than a Democrat.

1884: Blaine
Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion: Just say no.

1888: Harrison
Grandfather's hat fits Ben.

1892: Harrison
Hey, at least he lived more than a month.

1896: McKinley
A Democrat firm on the tariff. Plus, populists are scary.

1900: McKinley
See 1812.

1904: Theodore Rosevelt
Finally, a candidate who represents all of my views.

1908: Taft
Hey, Teddy likes him, he can't be that bad.

1912: Rosevelt
Ugh. Taft was that bad.

1916: Wilson
His foreign policy is wimpy, but he is firm on domestic issues.

1920: Cox
If this is abnormalcy, give me more.

After this point, my modern tendencies kick in and I just vote for the straight Democratic ticket.

Note that I voted against some of my present-day heroes, including Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk. As much as I admire them now, I would have found them repulsive at the time because of some of their economic policies or simply because I would not have expected what I now know I would get from them.