Party of Lincoln
Where can you find an heir of Lincoln in today’s Republican Party?
January 2, 2020
They don't like him, they know he is a scoundrel
Once Midwest Republicans proudly proclaimed to be the party of Lincoln, now Trump boasts of being more popular than Lincoln. Midwestern Republicans are extinct. Many have died, some claim independence but still vote for Republicans, and others have transformed into populist racists because Trump insists on fealty. Fiscal conservatism, social moderation, allegiance to tradition, and service to country were the hallmarks of the now extinct species. Trumperism is the new political religion. It is the repudiation of everything Abraham Lincoln sacrificed and fought to preserve. In 1864 Lincoln looked like a sure loser. He made his cabinet sign “The Blind Memorandum,” but refused to backtrack from the Emancipation Proclamation. Nothing mattered more than restoring the Union and his promise to African Americans, who were now filling the ranks of the Union cause. Lincoln would accept his own defeat but would not compromise his oath to his country and its people. Where can you find an heir of Lincoln in today’s Republican Party? There is no one, no one in the House or Senate.
Lincoln studied books, listened to advisers, insisted on Union
There is “Gym” Jordan being a wrestler, Lincoln boasts a wrestling legacy, there are no other connections to Lincoln in today’s GOP. Now Trump has propelled us towards war without even a nod to Congress. It is possible being from Illinois I am more aware of Lincoln than many Americans. Yet, Lincoln is one of the most studied and written about of all men. There are numerous examples of Lincoln leading as our president in a crisis. I will not retell them, but just envision President Lincoln during the Civil War then President Trump our leader by whim and tweet. Pause a moment to recover from the pain and anguish. If you live in a state with a Republican, email or call demand a real trial. Here is a link with helpful info -- Contact Info Democracy Iniative
Progressives used to be in GOP -- but Corporate power always carried the day
Midwestern Republicanism reached its apex of political power after the Civil War. It lasted as a dominant part of the party until the Great Depression and FDR. Lincoln was the second nominee of the newly formed party. The party of abolition evolved to support social justice but didn’t push too hard against the prevalent racism of this nation. The party always influenced by wealth and business interests did support social progress and conservation measures, at times. The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a period of economic growth in the Great Lakes region. Southern people both black and white came to work in the expanding economy. Neither group was welcomed with open arms but both groups were tolerated as necessary evils. Political power grew as well for the region and the politics of moderation. Eisenhower Republicans still had that Party of Lincoln patina, but Eisenhower’s time marked the end of an era. As growth in the Midwest peaked the new Republican Party headed west and then south. Old white Midwesterners seeking warm winters added Republicans to Southern states. The Great Inversion added white voters in the states of the former confederacy. White flight to the Republican Party tipped the scales. Barry Goldwater, Wallace, and then Nixon turned the Party of Lincoln into flag wavers of secession and preachers to honor R. E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. Reagan left Illinois a FDR Democrat, but was seduced by corporate money to usher in a new Republican Party. The party of the Neo-confederates.
Many of you think war is all glory, but it is all hell -- Gen. W. T. Sherman
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