Does it bother anyone else that Republicans routinely, even obsessively, refer to themselves as "the party of Lincoln"? This became especially popular when Trent Lott made his
famous remark at Strom Thurmond's birthday party in December 2002, but it's making a comeback in recent days as the RNC "bounce" narrows and RNC strategists start trying to scare up some support.
David Brooks did it yesterday. It's interesting that he just sort of drops it in there, like "the party of Lincoln" is synonymous with Republicans. Like it means the same thing it did in 1862. Like it doesn't throw into stark relief the difference between that one crucial act and how far the GOP has come since, to the point where blacks were offered money to go to the RNC convention in New York because they are so poorly represented by the party.
And just to stir things up even more here, Lincoln was not actually a true abolitionist:
Lincoln, who may have been somewhat more conservative than the core of his party, declared himself against equal rights in voting and officeholding, and he advocated the colonization of blacks to lands outside the United States, an idea that was anathema to abolitionists....
.... The Republican party's opposition to the expansion of slavery...contained, at least for many Republicans, a racial concern that the territories be reserved primarily for free white people.
Now, who wants to be the party of "President who wanted to send black Americans to reservations"? Not surprisingly, the details of Lincoln's exact position are never mentioned. Oh, I forgot: this President doesn't "do" nuance. Good thing.
However, this constant refrain is offensive for more fundamental reasons. The reminder that Lincoln was a Republican is obviously meant to suggest that today's Republicans are -- hold on to your chair -- against the institution of slavery. Not only is this a basic, and base, assumption, it also offends by suggesting that those who are not Republicans, are not necessarily against slavery. And even if the listener realizes that slavery is no longer an issue in modern politics, why does this meme persist? The Republicans and their commentators seems to think that it makes them look better, as if they're saying, "How bad can we be? Our first Republican president was against slavery! Just forget about all that stuff in the middle!" It makes me sick to see the Republicans cherry-picking from the history books their greatest hits from the 1860s without acknowledging the mistakes in the 1960s onwards.
Oops, forgot again: the party of Lincoln doesn't admit mistakes.
***
Other commentary on the changing Republican platform:
An excerpt from Garrison Keilor's new book, Homegrown Democrat
USA Today, 9/7/04
The New York Observer, 3/10/03
Buzzflash , 12/02
