Never-Trumpism in Historical Perspective:

Sure, we revere Lincoln today, but in his lifetime the bile poured on him from every quarter makes today’s Internet vitriol seem dainty...He was called a coward, “an idiot,” and “the original gorilla” by none other than the commanding general of his armies, George McClellan.

...As for the Gettysburg Address...A London Times correspondent wrote, “Anything more dull and commonplace it wouldn’t be easy to produce.”

While re-reading Shelby Foote's three-volume "narrative" on the US Civil War, I was fascinated by the similarity of 19th century attacks on Abraham Lincoln and the 21st century "never-Trump" attacks on President Donald Trump.

I came across this four-year-old article from a notoriously leftist magazine, which unknowingly provided historical precedent for the inaccurate appraisal of President Trump.

I was thinking today about Erick Erickson. I used to listen to his radio show on the way to work but I tuned him out completely when he dis-invited DJT from the Red State Gathering. Does he still have his show and does anyone go to his new website? Ironically enough the last time I remember seeing him on tv was when Megyn Kelly was slamming him over some remarks he made about women.

We’ve gone back to the highly partisan charged atmosphere that existed from the early days of the Republic until the mid-20th. Century.

The Cold War, and the existential threat it represented, tempered Left and Right into a mode of relative civility for a time. But that lid is off, and it’s back to “normal”.

From August 7th, 2016:

What inspires Donald J. Trump? Wealth? Celebrity? Power? Beautiful women? Certainly all of these motivated him in the past. But having achieved these goals, just what persuades a seventy year old to take on the rigors of the Presidency? The big clue is within his goal to “Make America great again.” The man who makes America great again can count on the eternal gratitude of history. This is fame.

Donald Trump's Quest for Fame.

The Cold War, and the existential threat it represented, tempered Left and Right into a mode of relative civility for a time. But that lid is off, and it’s back to “normal”.

True. The country had to remain united to stand up the the Soviets. And back in the 50s people had been through so much that they wanted a quiet life and opportunity to live their own lives.

Also, the two parties were more internally divided back in those days. There were still Southern Democrats who were more conservative than many Republicans and Eastern Republicans who were more liberal than the average Democrat. So while the country was very divided 45 years ago, the divide didn't always follow party lines.

Liberal Democrats might hate Nixon, but a lot of their fellow party members preferred him to McGovern, and Republicans must have been shocked when they realized that the left hated LBJ more than they did. Now all that's been sorted out and cultural divides follow partisan lines pretty closely and are that much more bitter.

Also it may be counterintuitive, but a country that's divided 50-50 where two parties alternate in office may be more polarized than one where politics is more lopsided. If a party's out of power for 20 years, it figures it got something wrong and tries to moderate its message. If it figures it can win the White House in 8 years, the temptation is to double down and wait for the jackpot.

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