Abraham Lincoln: Flip Flopper

[iamjoy]

early in the 1858 Senate race against Stephen Douglas
"Let us discard all this quibbling about this man an the other man-this race and that race and the other race being inferior, and therefore they must be placed in an inferior position...Who shall say 'I am the superior and you are the inferior?'"

SO - Abraham Lincoln believes all races to be equal.

Later in the campaign:
"I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of white and black races...there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will ever forbid the tow races living together on terms of social and political equality...while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior..."

SO - Abraham Lincoln does not believe the races to be equal.

Well, Mr. Lincoln, which is it? Are the races equal or aren't they. Oh, now your going to try to clarify your "nuanced" position and tell us just because you don't want a black woman as slave means you want her as a wife.

Geesh, what a flip flopper!

[pretzel4gore]

1. Mr Lincoln is a heroic figure

no matter what anyone says...he guided the country through a civil war and limited the damage...he did free the slaves and had he lived history would have been different (better) but the busheviks killed him, just like they killed JFK, RFK, ML King and MalcolmX....now they've killed Senetors Carnahan, Wellstone and finally the US as a free democratic country

[iamjoy]

3. That's My Point

Sometimes the most visionary heroes appear to "waffle" on critical issues.

Lincoln's position on Negro equality was very unclear (I mean, he wanted to stop the spread of slavery, but not interfere where it already existed; he'd also given the famous "house divided" speach in which he said he thought the country would become either all slave or all free). And yet, he was considered one of (if not the) greatest POTUS ever.

But nobody talks about this. Sometimes, great leaders do waiver.

[liberalpragmatist]

2. I've made the exact same point many, many times

Politicians sometimes have to straddle, especially when they're dealing with a divided base.

It's not pretty, but it's a reality of politics, and I don't see such a problem with it unless it becomes chronic and becomes clear that the person doesn't have convictions or morals.