You know who didn't vote for Abe Lincoln?

[Marthe48]

Last edited Sat Sep 17, 2022, 12:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Women didn't
Slaves didn't
Native Americans didn't
Anyone under 21 didn't
Slave owners didn't

Why? Because 4 of the 5 groups of human beings I listed weren't allowed to vote when Lincoln ran for president, and the 5th group didn't want to vote for him.

If we don't want to return to an age where the majority of American citizens had no franchise, GOTV, GOTV for Democratic candidates, and vote like our democracy depends on it!

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Correct

Republican party was set up by monied interests, mostly northern manufacturers who supported tariffs and railroad interests. Lincoln melded his homespun common man background and beliefs with his backers' interests. And at least one source I read stated Lincoln was also a lawyer for railroads and bought land in Council Bluffs IA because he knew it would be a hub for railroads, and he made some money there. He was a perfect, and probably unwitting front man. When he said "freedom" cowboys heard "land" and railroad barons heard "unfettered capitalism".

Interesting point you make - so many groups didn't elect him, yet his election established the abusive party that we can't seem to get rid of today.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. The first four groups didn't vote for the Democratic candidate, either

The fifth presumably did, but Lincoln won despite them.

All of this irrelevant in today's politics, given how the parties have switched sides since then.

[Marthe48]

3. How irrelevant is it

when those same groups are on the edge of losing their voting rights (we can exclude those white males who got the right t vote at age 18, who would probably keep their franchise)

I get, very much, how the parties have traded places on the political pendulum. Looking forward to a time when the pendulum isn't swinging to extremes-one side from hate, the other to compensate for that hate.