The Reputation of Presidents Takes a Hit in Their Second Term

[Rob Wick]

(08-23-2022 09:12 PM)AussieMick Wrote:  Rob,
You write that " four more years of politics would have taken its toll". I suggest we cannot be certain. I'd argue that , based upon what we know of Lincoln and how he progressed in his later years (like me .... LOL) I think he may well have succeeded in dealing with Reconstruction.

As you say, he was supreme in knowing how to deal with people. He could assess the abilities of people and delegate and knew which people he could trust. Sure, he made a few mistakes ... some Generals wernt too flash ... but he learnt from his mistakes and rarely held a grudge ( anyone know when he did hold a grudge?).

I suggest that following re-election he'd had a huge mandate to enforce his ideas about Reconstruction. Southern Governors would no doubt have tried to impede those ideas, but my money would have been on Lincoln to force/coerce/persuade them to come to terms with his ideals. Arguing with a President who had just won a war and an election wouldnt be too clever . Especially if Lincoln played one State off another, giving special favours to some and promising freebies to another ... and maybe making sure the recalcitrant states knew what would happen if they failed to make changes.

Mike,

The problem with speculating is that no matter how well one may know Lincoln's mind (and even that is hard to wrap one's head about), there are far too many unknowns to do more than offer a guess, and I would say it would be a weak guess at that. Even if Lincoln faced a similar situation before, that offers only a limited map into how it might resolve itself in the future. We simply don't know what issues or conditions Lincoln would have faced in a second term.

I would also caution against using the term "mandate." Lincoln won the election only after the Union's fortunes brightened when Sherman captured Atlanta. Several months elapsed until the North finally won the war and there was still a great deal of bloodshed that happened in Lincoln's name.

Even though I do believe Lincoln was a master at handling men, those men were still individuals who had no special allegiance to Lincoln. Look at how Lincoln was bothered by the Committee on the Conduct of the War. Don't you think such a committee led by many of the same people who would have to vote on Reconstruction measures would have held Lincoln to the fire?

Bill, please let us know when your article is published. I would love to read it.

Best
Rob