Would Abraham Lincoln be a liberal Democrat today? (Reagan, accuse, radical)

[kevinm]

Abe Lincoln was a RAILROAD LOBBYIST before he came to Washington. The only reason people supported him in DC was because they knew he was GOOD for the railroads and their interests. Many of his law cases involved railroad issues.

[taytrav]

I think he would be a Republican today because he did things that to me, did not seem Liberal but Conservative. He loved this country and the only reason why he disobeyed some constitutional rules like "states rights" is because he did not want the Union to fall and the constitution says that you can only have the right to leave if it is a good reason. Now, not certainly said in those exact word but thats what it means and leaving the Union because of slavery is not a good reason!

[Stoddard]

Of course, Lincoln was a totalitarian tyrant who wanted the government to have all the power.

[mackinac81]

Yes. Not a far out liberal, but center left, just like you'd find in the midwest.

I do find it interesting that the South, which hated Lincoln, now embraces his party. Just shows how Civil Rights changed the South in more ways than one.

[OhioIstheBest]

Originally Posted by xavierob82

I find it extrememely hard to believe that Abe Lincoln would be a Republican today since the Republican Party of the 1860s was a completeley different animal than today's conservative GOP.
Abe Lincoln first made a name of himself by speaking out against the Mexican-American War in the Illinois legistlature, as a war that was only meant to expand slavery westward (can you say "ANTI-WAR LIBERAL")

My question is this: if Abe Lincoln were alive today, what contemporary politician is he most like? I'm guessing a rather mainstream liberal from the Midwest like Russ Feingold....or perphaps even Barack Obama

The republican party of 1860s was a completeley different animal than today's communist democratic party. So, if Lincoln were alive today, I doubt he would be a member of the communist democratic party.

Who said liberals were anti-war?
WWI
WWII
Korea
Vietnam
Iraq I
Somalia
Bosnia
Kosovo
Iraq II
Afghanistan

All started or strongly supported by liberals. Liberals are pro-war. That's a fact.

And who said being anti-slavery was a liberal idea? LOLs. I love the way people just go back and rewrite history. Just like 1984.

[NHartphotog]

Yes, he'd be a liberal Democrat today. He destroyed state's rights and put every American on the path of slavery to Big Government, while using the issue of African-American slavery to get the liberals in support of his Federalist takeover.

Think about it: when a group of states get together voluntarily, then see State's Rights being eroded by a voracious Federal movement (as the Founding Fathers warned would inevitably happen), and half of them choose to secede to preserve state's rights in their portion, how can you possibly defend the other side waging war on them? People of the time should have seen the danger of a militaristic Federal power when the idea of Civil War first arose, and because they failed we all serve as slaves to an all-powerful Federal Government that confiscates huge amounts of our wages and wastes them in endless wars halfway across the world, and give-aways to every Special Interest under the sun.

Everyone should read Lincoln's biographies. He believed God talked to him directly and told him to preserve "The Union" (not exactly a thoughtful approach to Federalism versus State's Rights). He is a classic manic-depressive, now known as bipolar disorder (a severe mental illness). This disorder leads to thought distortions as well as major mood problems, and those with it will have delusions of grandeur and narcissism (which is not the same thing as healthy self-esteem). In other words, they cannot even entertain any thought they might be wrong, and compromise or negotiation is not an option.

Lincoln's bipolar diagnosis has been confirmed by many sources, including the US Department of Health and Human Services: LINCOLN WAS MANIC DEPRESSIVE, FEDERAL AGENCY SAYS.(News) - Seattle Post-Intelligencer | HighBeam Research - FREE trial This disorder, while producing interesting artists, does not make for good decision-making: "Meta-analyses have indicated, by averaging the variable findings of many studies, cognitive deficits on some measures of sustained attention, executive function and verbal memory.." Bipolar disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Note that executive function is defined as "a loosely defined collection of brain processes that are responsible for planning, cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking, rule acquisition, initiating appropriate actions and inhibiting inappropriate actions, and selecting relevant sensory information." Furthermore, "There is growing evidence that individuals with bipolar affective disorder have cognitive impairments, even during periods of symptom remission....75% of asymptomatic patients scored more than one standard deviation below healthy controls on at least 4 cognitive measures." Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Bipolar Disorder: Effect on Psychosocial Functioning - Psychiatric Times

[california-jewel]

Take a dang good look at both current parties. Really think Lincoln would pick one, i think that he would be horrified by today's politics.

I think that our Founding Fathers, are shaking their heads in disgust, and asking themselves what the hek went wrong!

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by OhioIstheBest

Who said liberals were anti-war?
WWI
WWII
Korea
Vietnam
Iraq I
Somalia
Bosnia
Kosovo
Iraq II
Afghanistan

All started or strongly supported by liberals. Liberals are pro-war. That's a fact.

Silly me, I thought:

World War I, began in 1914 with the U.S. not entering until 3 years, 7 sunken ships and a letter encouraging Mexico to declare war on the U.S.

WWII, same problem. The war began in 1939 and the U.S. didn't enter until we were BOMBED by the Japanese.

Korea, occupied by the U.S. after the defeat of Japanese forces, the war didn't begin until the invasion of the South by North Korean troops.

Vietnam? the war in Vietnam started in 1945, the U.S. involvement in earnest didn't begin until 10 years after hostilities had begun.

The Gulf War??? Surely you jest!

Somalia, Bosnia, and Kosovo were not wars, but hey whose counting.

Iraq II, please give me some of what you are smoking.

[desertdetroiter]

Not Lincoln, but Eisenhower would defninitely be a liberal Democrat today...something that i find absolutely astounding. He wasn't all that great on Civil Rights, but otherwise, he couldn't win office as streetsweeper in a Repub primary today.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by desertdetroiter

Not Lincoln, but Eisenhower would defninitely be a liberal Democrat today...something that i find absolutely astounding. He wasn't all that great on Civil Rights, but otherwise, he couldn't win office as streetsweeper in a Repub primary today.

Ike could win a statewide office in the Northeast today as a Repub.