Current Politics
« Previous EntriesObama More Maligned than Lincoln?
Thursday, August 25th, 2011While President Obama certainly has his critics and I don’t doubt that their criticism stings, especially when it seems as if it is leveled unfairly, he is not in Lincoln’s league when it comes to being maligned. No president was attacked in the popular press more often or more harshly than Lincoln, but I would also wager than no president had a better perspective on dealing with the criticism. Thick skin seems to be a prerequisite for presidential greatness.
The Votes are in…Where Does Lincoln Rank?
Wednesday, February 18th, 2009We do strange things to the past. Consider what happens to our former presidents. We carved four of their portraits onto the side of a mountain in 1927. Though we seem to have given up such gigantic tributes, today we reduce many of them to mere caricatures of their former selves. Take, for example, this strange collection of presidential bobbleheads (pictured [...]
Winner of the 2009 Lincoln Prize Sees Lincoln in Obama
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009The OUP Blog, from the folks at Oxford University Press, has been busy lately. The Bicentennial appears to have inspired a number of Lincoln-related posts. I look forward to pointing out a few of them to you. The first post of note was written by Craig L. Symonds. You may have heard Symonds’ name in the news. His [...]
Another Note From the Road on the Bicentennial
Thursday, February 12th, 2009I made it back to a hotel room. What a day! My talks at the College of Saint Rose went quite well. The campus, situated in the heart of Albany, is fantastic. Another enthusiastic crowd was on hand, as well as a television crew! The folks in New York have been eager to discuss the Lincoln Legacy. I can’t thank [...]
Blagojevich vs. Lincoln
Saturday, January 31st, 2009This is from the cartoonist Chris Britt, who works for the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Illinois. He has a unique take on the recent impeachment of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Give it a look.
Lincoln & Obama, Part ????
Monday, January 19th, 2009Hans Nichols from Bloomberg.com has noticed that President-Elect Barack Obama has been conjuring the Lincoln legacy. Though LincolnStudies.com has been keeping tabs on this one throughout the presidential campaign, Nichols’ observations are worth taking a look at. Happy Martin Luther King Day!
Two Million Yen for Lincoln’s Wedding Ring
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008I’m sure you have heard about the latest scandal involving foul-mouthed Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. LincolnStudies.com has been reporting on his unfortunate cuts to state historic sites since February 2007. New Salem was among the first to feel the crunch, then a number of other sites took a hit. Protests didn’t even seem to bother [...]
Reaching Across the Aisle
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008The election has finally come to a close. Barack Obama and the Democratic Party have emerged victorious. Congratulations goes to them, as well as the country that elected them. As I listened to the speeches last night, I waited for a seemingly inevitable reference to Abraham Lincoln. After all, both parties had evoked the sixteenth president consistently throughout [...]
Douglas Goes Negative in 1860
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008With less than a week to go before the 2008 presidential election, you may have noticed the political ads have gotten increasingly more negative. Several commentators have spoken out against the negative tone. Story Here, Here, and an example Here. All of this got me thinking about “negative ads” in the nineteenth century. I came [...]
Lincoln Hits the Campaign Trail Yet Again
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008Abraham Lincoln made yet another appearance in the 2008 Presidential Election. Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden invoked the sixteenth president’s name yesterday while on the stump in Greenville, North Carolina. According to Biden, Barack Obama is hardly the first presidential candidate to endure harsh personal attacks. Biden cited a number of examples, which included attacks on Thomas Jefferson’s Christianity, Abraham Lincoln’s [...]
« Previous Entries