Thread:ML4E/@comment-35176527-20181224193040/@comment-130447-20181228202542

Okay, that sounds more like what happened with the Bloc. Mulroney wooed moderate Quebec separatists to run for the PCs federally with the promise of constitutional reform. When that failed (Meech Lake Accord), Lucien Bouchard led the separatists to caucus as the Bloc Québécois and run as such (but only in Quebec, not nationally) in subsequent federal elections. Bouchard eventually switched to the provincial Party Québécois and became Premier of the province.

From what you say, it sounds like the Southern Democrats (for lack of a better term) were running to subvert the Union to lead the way to succession. Bouchard, I think, was genuinely seeking to amend Confederation to give the provinces more autonomy. When that failed, he created the Bloc and later left for provincial politics and eventually held a second independence referendum (which failed by a whisker).

It all depends on how likely succession looked in the lead-up to the 1860 election. My original comparison to the Reform was based on the idea that it was viewed unlikely until Lincoln became president and then things fell apart. My thought was the Southern Dems were anticipating a failed Republican and/or Democratic admin and would sweep in with their views as an alternative. If, instead, succession looked inevitable, then they are more like the Bloc, greasing the skids for separation / succession.

Not that any of this is really relevant for the template. ML4E (talk) 20:25, December 28, 2018 (UTC)