Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Nothing New Here

In keeping with the civil war theme started last week, it was just days ago Tom D. and I were discussing the political similarities between the civil war and today's struggle. As Shelby Foote noted, "treason" became a very common word after hostilities commenced in 1861.

Coincidently, Power Line is posting on the Democrat Party's platform for the 1864 presidential race, which pitted General George McClellan against Republican Abraham Lincoln. There are spooky similarities between the platforms of today and yesterday, which Scott Johnson encapsulates thusly:

The Democrats are saying 1) The war is lost; 2) Let's negotiate; 3) The Constitution is trashed; 4) They steal elections; 5) We support the troops.

Interestingly enough, the war would be over within a year of the 1864 election, a smashing victory for the north. In fact, it was all downhill, albeit slowly, for the south after the decisive victories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg in the summer of 1863. The union was restored, slavery abolished, and the Constitution survived quite nicely, thank you very much.

Reading the entire platform though, adds new depth to the phrase "going back to the old playbook."

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