Lincoln Dismissed In Today's Progressive World. My POW.

[RJNorton]

I am not sure what you are asking, Emilie, but I'll take a guess - you are saying Lincoln does not fit the mold of the type of person who would be electable nowadays given current trends and beliefs as to what the ideal candidate should be. In other words, Lincoln does not fit in with today's thinking as to what a "politically correct" candidate is.

Despite the above, I think Lincoln stands the test of time. I think I would go with a benevolent leadership style for Lincoln, as opposed to oppressive (authoritarian), participatory (democratic), or laissez-faire (hands-off). When there was disagreement among advisors and himself, his leadership style often involved telling a story that demonstrated his point. Lots of times this method worked and people admired and respected him for it. Lincoln possessed qualities of kindness and compassion combined with wisdom. Like George Washington, Lincoln demonstrated an extraordinary strength of character, but Lincoln's most unique style of leadership involved telling stories which explained his actions and influenced others to follow his lead.

Many say that Lincoln would not succeed in today's politics. His leadership style would not be considered "cool." He would fail in today's world because people have allegedly changed in what they want in a leader.

I would say I am not so sure. Making predictions in American politics is quite precarious. People can be certain of something, but then the opposite happens. Many, many experts predicted Trump had no chance in 2016, yet he won despite all the prognosticators who said he'd lose. Lincoln would be challenged in today's world, but I cannot say he would automatically lose and write him off. He just might surprise people.