If Abraham Lincoln were alive today, do you believe he would be a democrat?

Answer 1

There were a couple questions like this a while ago and I remember being amused by several answers that basically said: "Of course he'd be a democrat because he was a good guy."

Yes, as if it was the Democrats that repulsed the French at Agincourt, and stormed the beaches of Normandy, and cured polio after that...

You must judge for yourself, but consider the contemporary criticisms he faced, not just the good deeds that we all learned in school.

Read about his imprisionment of suspected enemies without trial, and about the charges of political pandering when it came to handing out government war contracts and appointing generals.

Read the scathing diatribes by editors in the North who accused him of being a corrupt, bufoonish warmonger.

Read the reports from generals like George McClellan who heavily criticized Lincoln's military strategies and painted the war as a losing cause all the way up to Appomattox.

Read the reactions to the Emancipation Proclamation that claimed Lincoln had now gone too far by aligning himself with Christian extremists (the Abolitionists).

Read how, up to the day he died a good number of Northerners considered him a greater threat to the nation than the rebels.

When Lincoln died, Sec. of War Edwin Stanton, who had been at times both a Lincoln critic and ally uttered "Now he belongs to the ages..."

How true, for from that moment all the criticism, all the mistakes, all the POLITICS were brushed aside by the legacy. Lincoln the politician and Lincoln the legend became two distinct things.

Personally, if he were alive today I think the state of both parties would baffle him. I cannot say how he'd register, but I suspect that he'd still be a man of character and humanity...as flawed as he is great.

Answer 2

I love The answers so far. Oh how little we know of our 16th President. We didn't fight the Civil War to free the slaves. Lincoln said "if I could preserve the Union by freeing only one slave I would do so". He freed the slaves to stir up the South, cause a fight, and impose the will of the North on the South. By freeing all the slaves he ensured an economic colapse of all the labor intensive agriculture in the Southern States.

I doubt he would be either a Dem or a Rep. He couldn't abide wimps, and he was not as money hungry as some. Perhaps Libertarian or maybe like me and have no declared political affiliation. And I doubt serioulsy he would run for President in today's world.

Answer 3

If he was (and I doubt he would be), he would have been a "cold war" Democrat...

Which means he would have been purged from the party by now... just like Joe Lieberman.

Edit #1:

To a_man_could_stand...

Bravo sir; well done. Very well done indeed...

So well done that, if I we are allowed to vote on it (and I remember to check back here...), I will be voting for your answer over mine.

Really.

Well done again, I say...

Answer 4

Lincoln repealed The 10th amendment made slaves of us all , he made sure a state could not sussed , if you can't walk away from a deal , then you ain't free

Answer 5

Absolutely.

The republican party made some major changes after world war 2.

Answer 6

I doubt it. Back in his day, EVERYONE was so conservative compared to what they are now, he'd probably be turned off being a democrat just because of the culture shock.

Answer 7

Absolutely.
He was a liberal, forward-thinker for his time. He cared about equal rights for everyone--more of a Dem. thought than Rep..

Answer 8

four score and seven years ago.....i dont know....i bet hed have an aversion to theaters

Answer 9

Yes, because he cared about people and Reps. don't. They only care about money.

Answer 10

NOPE!!! He was H-O-N-E-S-T!!! & being as tall as he was he HAD A BACKBONE!!!