How Could Lincoln Have Been a Republican???

A friend of mine asked me: "Someone told me that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican. I told him he was full of crap." "But he WAS a Republican," I said. He was stunned. "How is that possible?"

Fair question. To us, everything seems reversed in 1860. Democrats were Pro-Slavery? Republicans were Radicals??

I sit around wondering at how we throw around terms like Democrat and Republican and assume we all know what that means. But if you look at the history, you can see those are just labels.
As a novice amazed by this history, I did an ultra-simplistic summary of the shift in beliefs for the two parties, dropping out a million important points (ie, the Cold War). But to my eye, if this were the year 1870, or even 1904, I probably would have been a staunch Republican. An amazing thing for me to say.

The transition from the Democratic Party being the party of Slavery to being the party of tolerance, etc., was a long process (with a booster shot in the 1960s) but it is quite complete. The same for the Republican shift from (in my mind) enlightenment to darkness of heart.

The point is that labels can be peeled off and put somewhere else. It's BELIEF that counts


I got alot of this info searching the awesome WikiPedia.
I also made some unscientfic plots of the two parties' journies here.


1850s – early 1900s:
Democrats: Essentially the pro-slavery party. After the Civil War, it was essentially linked to the values of the Confederacy. This is why the South used to be so heavily Democratic!
Republicans: Founded anti-slavery. First Republican candidate John Fremont's slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont!" Lincoln first Republican president. After Civil War. "Radical Republicans" pushed the earliest of civil rights laws including the 14th, 15th, and 16th Amendments to the Constitution. For good reason, Black men were almost universally Republicans.
My choice for party at that time: Republican

Early 1900s-1912:
Democrats: Though the South did not dominate the party as much, it remained staunchly Democrat.
Republicans: Under Teddy Roosevelt, while having militaristic properties, still pushed Progressive values: Increased labor regulations, food regulations, environmental regulations, etc.
My Choice: Still Sounds Republican

1912-1920:
Republican: Becoming more conservative and Roosevelt breaks from the Republican Party to found the Progressive Party. He beat the Republican, Taft, handily BUT the split ticket gave the election to the Democrat, Wilson. Roosevelt's departure from the Republican Party took many of his values away from the party as well.
My Choice: Shaky….I figure I would have voted Progressive, maybe stuck with Republican. Hard to say.

1920-1932:
Republican: Back in power after Wilson and World War I. Times were good. "Laissez-faire" economics. Care more for Business, less about individuals. But who cares, America was getting rich. Until 1929. The Great Depression. Now, everything sucks.
Democrats: Basically a weak counter to Republicans.
My Choice: Don't Know. After 1929, don't care. Until 1932.

1932-1950s:
Republican: Staunchly conservative in economics. Utterly opposed the New Deal of FDR. Isolationist. But then, alot of people were.
Democrat: Here Democrat = "Franklin Delano Roosevelt." In many ways Progressive. Progressive Republicans find new home. Government intervention in all things economic. Pro-union, etc. Heck, pro-WORK. In the late 1930s supports military entry into the brewing European War. After Pearl Harbor, gets instant support. Helps defeat Nazi Germany and Japan. Dies in 4th term.
My choice: Heck he WANTS me to have a job and GAVE me a job AND won WWII? Duh, Democrat.

1950s-1970s: The Beginning of the Parties We Know Today
Democrats increasingly supportive of Civil Rights, first under Kennedy and dramatically under Johnson. Does not sit well with the long standing Southern wing of the party, the "Dixiecrats." Slow but sure migration of the South away from the Democrats to the more Welcoming Republicans. Corresponding flood of black Americans from the Republican party to the Democratic Party.

Here was a major shift. Now the Democrats became the party of labor AND freedom. The Republicans suddenly became the party of conservative economics and meaner social values. My choice, as when I was a child: Democrat.

It seems to me that this shift resulted in a Democratic Party with a lot of new "radical" values that needed to be sorted out, leaving the party with a broad set of policy issues but no "anchor." Plus, a lot of these policies were "touchy-feely" – allowing the perception of being "wimpy." Imagine calling Truman or Kennedy "wimpy"!!!
Meanwhile, the Republicans were solidifying "traditional" or "conservative" values on both economic and social issues. While this made them a meaner (that is, uglier) party, it allowed an internal strength, albeit fueled by hatred of any and all change.

Today, it seems that the Democrats, with pressure from both the inside (Progressives, Liberals, Clinton conservatives, etc) and the outside (Duh!) are finally crystallizing a balanced set of values. Meaning I think we are finally going to achieve an overall consensus within the party that will work for us all.

Meanwhile, I honestly feel a real split is brewing in the Republican Party. If the neoconservative wing retains control, they will retain the haters and die-hard traditionalists. But by their decidedly "ultra-LIBERAL" economic policies, along with their relentless drive to the social conservative end zone, they will lose the long-standing economic conservative wing. Splitting the party has ALWAYS spelled doom for a party at a presidential election. I'm wondering if that's happening right now.