Barack Obama: 21st Century Abraham Lincoln
Debunking the Presidential "Experience" Canard by examining the commonalities between Barack Obama and one of our greatest Presidents ever - Abraham Lincoln.
- Both came from obscurity and very humble socio-economic backgrounds.
- Both physically thin and very tall.
- Both met and married their respective Illinoian wives, in Illinois.
- Both vocally opposed existing Wars and alleged deliberate deception by the Presidents who started them. Lincoln, the Mexican War. Obama, the Iraq War. And both did so at a time when public sentiments were strongly in favor of the respective Wars.
- Both advocated paradigm shifts in race relations.
- Both practiced law in Illinois.
- Both demonstrated knowledge of and competence in Constitutional law. Lincoln by being admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Obama by teaching Contitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years.
- Both served multiple terms in the Illinois state legislature.
- Both served a single term in the U.S. Congress before running for President. Lincoln in the House and Obama in the Senate.
- Both nominated to run for U.S. President with nearly identical elective resumes consisting of multiple terms in the Illinois state lege and a single term in Congress.
- Both younger than the average age of the elected first-term Presidents who preceeded them. Lincoln by 5 years, Obama by 8 years. Although both were preceeded by several Presidents who had been even younger when inaugurated.
- Both faced significantly older General Election opponents. McCain is at 72 years old the oldest non-incumbent Presidential candidate in our nation's history. Well, unless you want to include perennial spoiler wannabe Ralph Nader who is 74.
- Both significantly younger at nomination than the sitting President. Lincoln by 18 years, Obama by 14 years.
Abraham Lincoln went on to unparalleled greatness, literally preserving and reshaping our nation's premise and promise of freedom and justice for all so the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence no longer rang hollow in proclaiming that "all men are created equal. "
Time will tell what a President Barack Obama will bring us. But it is clear that the naysayers in the Republican Party are playing Americans for idiots by challenging Obama's "experience" to lead when Lincoln led magnificantly with nearly identical "experience" and a vastly inferior education.
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August 31, 2008 |
Kevin Kamberg | Comments (25 so far)
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Comments
Posted by: Trifecta in Play | Aug 31, 2008 6:31:12 PM
First the left was claiming he was the next JFK, now he's the next Abe Lincoln. If anybody trots out James Garfield, I'm afraid Obama may not survive his first term.
Posted by: Steve | Aug 31, 2008 6:43:14 PM
Spike Lee said history would be setting a new reference.
"BB Before Barak
and
AB After Barak"
Like BC and AD and making Obama equal to the coming of Jesus?
Posted by: glen HD28 | Aug 31, 2008 7:14:45 PM
TiP, just because one blogger points out interesting historical similarities, does not mean everyone on "the Left" is comparing Obama to Lincoln or suggesting he is a reincarnation of some sort. A typical right-wing tactic, take anything said by a single person and inflate and conflate it with the entire related population.
Try showing a little integrity for once, oh that's right a few republicans are slimy jerks, so I guess you all are.
Hey, I can see why you guys do this, it really feels good to make crap up about your opponent!
Posted by: Harry | Aug 31, 2008 7:57:43 PM
Rasmussen Reports:
"There have been significant changes in perception of John McCain in the two days of polling since he named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Since then, 49% of Republicans voice a Very Favorable opinion of McCain. That’s up six percentage points from 43% just before the announcement. Also, 64% of unaffiliated voters now give positive reviews to McCain, up ten points since naming his running mate.
There has been little change in perceptions of Obama since his Thursday night speech and the Palin announcement ..."
====
What about AbeObama and his bounce? I heard the average bounce was 10-12 points, post convention? For a Messianic Abraham Obama, that should be 15 points. For a Messianic Abraham Obama running against a dismal, worthless, no-nothing, BushMcSame 8 years of torture, you would think AbeObama would be up 15-20 points.
Who stole AbeObama's bounce? When will AbeObama get his Mojo back? What Mofo stole AbeObama's Mojo?
Posted by: Trifecta in Play | Aug 31, 2008 9:04:26 PM
GlenHD28,
Lincoln was a Republican whose wife suffered from mental illness. So perhaps McCain is the next Abe Lincoln?
It's just silly to compare the great achievers of American History to either Obama or McCain. Everything they have accomplished prior to inauguration day is mere prologue to their tenure as POTUS.
How they got there will be of minor importance compared to what they do during the next 4-8 years. And let us not forget that JFK, Lincoln, and Garfield all died from an assassin's bullet.
Which is a polite way of saying any comparison of Obama to JFK, or Lincoln, or even Jimmy Carter is a bit premature. Personally, I think President Obama is going to look more like President Kerry in about 9 weeks time.
Posted by: johnnie | Aug 31, 2008 10:07:54 PM
Trifecta - nicely put.
If Hillary would have not forgone the caucus-states, or if the DNC didn't have superdelegates, Obama would have been the next Howard Dean.
Posted by: Jenni Simonis | Aug 31, 2008 10:54:44 PM
Man, what's with all the anti-Obama trolls lately? Guess they're so worried about their chances that they have to come and spend all their time on progressive blogs?
If... if... if... I could play the same game to show that McCain could have lost the nomination as well.
I think every time these trolls come on here, we should all donate to the Obama campaign.
Posted by: Glen HD28 | Aug 31, 2008 11:07:49 PM
We'll see how much bounce the R's get after the debates. Unless McCain has the questions beforehand again, he will be hard-pressed to keep up with Sen Obama, who will baffle him with something we like to call 'facts' and link him with Bush's catastrophiic reign at every turn. If the debate is past 8:30PM, McCain's bedtime, it will be downright embarrassing for him.
And if Sen Biden plays hardball as he should, he'll probably leave Gov Pahlin in tears.
I'd pay good money to see that!
"I think every time these trolls come on here, we should all donate to the Obama campaign."
Done!
Posted by: Rejoice | Sep 1, 2008 7:13:54 AM
""BB Before Barak
and
AB After Barak"
Like BC and AD and making Obama equal to the coming of Jesus?"
+++
Yes, Obama is God, to his followers.
Obama is called The One, the Messiah. By the rational Demos. The more irrationals ones (like those reading this post) rave that Obama is better than Abe Lincoln.
AbeObamaMessiah is the answer to all of our hopes and dreams. We thought Al Gore was the chosen one, but that was 2000. Then we thought that John Kerry was the new JFK, but that was 2004. Now (in 2008) we have our new messiah, Abraham Brarack Hussein Obama, Esq.
Posted by: Bob B | Sep 1, 2008 7:44:31 AM
There are a few differences. Lincoln quit Congress and made his name in private practice. He also did not campaign or give speeches during the general election. He became popular for his honesty and his support of "free labor" whereby a poor man can make himself better by his own efforts.
Posted by: Alexander | Sep 1, 2008 8:36:28 AM
Some similarities but many big differences: Abe ran under a 3rd party banner and had it not been for a split by the democrats he would have lost, I believe he won the presidency with the lowest % of the vote in history, at 38%.
Abe, would go in the files and weald a cycle with the precision of the most salted farmers. Abe was actually anti-war through his entire history, Obama has changed his tune since the general election.
Abe Lincoln may have been the smartest man to hold the office of the president since the founding fathers, the sincerity and fortitude needed for the job then does not exist in politicians today.
Posted by: Harry Kershner | Sep 1, 2008 1:17:18 PM
Glen HD28 said, "We'll see how much bounce the R's get after the debates. Unless McCain has the questions beforehand again, he will be hard-pressed to keep up with Sen Obama, who will baffle him with something we like to call 'facts'..."
If Obama had the guts to debate someone other than a psychopathic fool, he would also get bounced. McCain is a candidate unworthy of respect, but Obama has proven to anyone to the left of his mentor, Joe Lieberman, that he is also unworthy.
I'd love to see Obama answer questions from Nader or McKinney about his massive sell-out of democratic principles. About his corporatist connections. About NAFTA and FISA and the US Constitution. About corporate-dominated health insurance vs. single-payer health care. About withdrawal of all corporate and military personnel to home from Iraq. About increasing rather than decreasing the military budget. Etc.
Posted by: Jude | Sep 1, 2008 2:55:32 PM
Glen HD28 said, "We'll see how much bounce the R's get after the debates.
=====
With Oboma's awesome speechification last week, and with Mother Nature doing her thing against the Repugs, and Mc$ame having a brainfart in picking the AlaskanPie, the polls should show BombaBiden 15% up.
====
CNN Poll: Obama 49, McCain 48...
ZOGBY:
McCain/Palin 47%
Obama/Biden 45%...
GALLUP DAILY: OBAMA UP BY 6...
ObomaBiden only get one out of three polls? And that one by only 6 points?
Man, it must suck to be a Oboma fan, now that he picked More-Of-The-Same Biden.
When you heard:
Change That We Can Believe In...
did Sen SlowJoe spring to mind?
=====
And stop blaming everybody who does not agree with everything you say, and calling them a "Troll".
Who do you think you are? Kari?
Posted by: Jenni Simonis | Sep 1, 2008 3:41:22 PM
I don't call everyone I disagree with a troll. But the ones who just want to come in here and repeat the same thing over and over again, never actually adding to the conversation, etc. - they're trolls. The ones who just want to come in and cause trouble - they're trolls.
I know I certainly can't wait until Blue Oregon 2.0 is up and running.
Posted by: Bob B | Sep 1, 2008 6:49:14 PM
But the ones who just want to come in here and repeat the same thing over and over again, never actually adding to the conversation, etc. - they're trolls.
Have you ever called a person with liberal ideas a "troll" when they repeat and add nothing?
And "causing trouble" could be interpreted as offering a difficult argument.
Posted by: johnnie | Sep 1, 2008 9:36:03 PM
Jenni - here is the Real Abe:
"All the talk of experience in a VP misses the point; the whole concept of checks and balances implies our founding fathers knew we would be flying by the seat of our pants half the time. So?
Rather than experience we should look towards the concept of mastery. Lincoln is a good example. He spent a fair number of years as a suffling lawyer but he mastered the one great civic-political issue of his day (aside form the moral issue of slavery) - the power and develpment of rail transport in American life. He knew everything there was to know about railroads and land and financing and legal ins and outs concerning the power of rail in the 1850s.
Remember that when you hear Ms. Palin going on about energy. She has mastered the land, legal, technical concepts relating to the oil industry; even more she knows the power politics of big oil as it relates to the biggest state in the union and all the other states as well. Just for fun of it some reporter should ask her: "can you describe what the oil companies are doing to protect their rigs from Hurricane Gustav?" Watch jaws drop as she describes to a "T" what you need to do to protect off-shore rigs from harsh weather."
__
Bob B. By that definition ever progressive would be considered a troll. Obama is great, Obama is classy, Obama is a leader, I am beginning to sound like the journalists across this country...
__
Jenni - here is something to add (and trumps all this fun today):
http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/09/i_know_this_isnt_as_important.php
Now you can continue bashing those who disagree with the progressive "movement".
Posted by: Evan Manvel | Sep 2, 2008 9:13:14 AM
As someone who's 6'5", let me tell you: Barack's tall, but not that tall. He's 6 feet 1 1/2 inches -- shorter than Bill Clinton, George HW Bush, Franklin Roosevelt (all 6ft 2), etc. He looks tall because of his build.
Abe, well, he was 6 ft 4.
Posted by: Barack Obama - NOW! | Sep 20, 2008 12:09:18 AM
This article is acknowledged as a source at:
http://www.barack-obama-now.com/blog/?p=279
Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Michelle | Oct 22, 2008 7:16:32 AM
Barack Obama is by no means comparable to "Honest Abe".
Abraham Lincoln had morals and values and was a "true" man of Faith, a man of God. Obama has no clue what it means to be a Christian or man of Faith, if he did he would not "justify" abortion and gay rights. This would go against God's laws and commands. Anyone can call themselves a Christian, it does not make them a Christian unless they follow God faithfully and morally. Lincoln was an honorable man who put others above himself. He did not strive for recognition for his own gain. It is a disgrace to even begin to suggest that Barack could be a 21st Century Lincoln.
Posted by: alexus | Jan 14, 2009 10:27:55 AM
this is great i needed this 4 skool now i got it i can do my skool work n get a 2 n social studies
Posted by: K | Jan 20, 2009 3:52:37 PM
Inspiring. After 8 years of divisive politics and "bushisms," it really is great to have a well read, well spoken president who brings people together. I love it. But just so you know Nader was not a spoiler- in so many elections he was the only candidate to bring up the problem of lobbyists, the environment, civil rights, labor, and health care. Glad those ideas are not marginal anymore. Woo hoo!
Posted by: tower defense | Apr 30, 2009 2:35:15 AM
Palin going on about energy. She has mastered the land, legal, technical concepts relating to the oil industry; even more she knows the power politics of big oil as it relates to the biggest state in the union and all the other states as well.
Posted by: denisha | Jul 26, 2009 2:14:17 PM
Michelle...has a good argument saying that obama shouldn't be for abortions or gay rights. but in the bible it says don't judge people. so there for obama and Lincoln have more similarities then people think.
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Posted by: Kevin | Aug 31, 2008 6:29:57 PM
The subtitle here probably should be: What you research when you have waaaaaaay too much time on your hands.
I've actually been toying with writing this for a couple weeks now. But I didn't have the time to really dig in and crunch the numbers and all that until this aptly named holiday weekend.