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American Party

Fake Ad: March 2021

by Jay Forstner

From the April, 2021 issue

A total of 285 Fake Adders spotted last month's Fake Ad for the American Party. We'd like to think that was because the ad was so frightfully clever, but it could also be because readers didn't have to look far to find it.

"The March Fake Ad is on page 58--boldly placed right across from the Back Page," wrote Ann Whiting. "It has true facts about Millard Fillmore, even! Good job using a somewhat unusual set of letters."

The "true facts" part, though, seems to be in dispute. "As I'm sure you know, and as many other historical pedants like myself will point out, the details in the ad are completely wrong," wrote county clerk and electoral historian Larry Kestenbaum. "The Whigs did not nominate Franklin Pierce, rather, he was the 1852 Democratic nominee, in opposition to the Whig Winfield Scott. Fillmore was nominated by the American Party for president in 1856, but he kept his distance from the Know-'Nothing movement."

Our winner was John Silberholz. He's taking his gift certificate to Zingerman's.

To enter this month's contest, find the Fake Ad in the April issue and enter using the address at the bottom of the Back Page. The ad always contains the name of the previous month's winner in some form.    

[Originally published in April, 2021.]