Lincoln

Dennis Breslin dbreslin at ctol.net
Mon Jul 29 07:48:30 PDT 2002



>I don't know this nook, but the idea isn't crazy in the abstract. Lincoln
>was, or became, a fan of a big, strong, national govt, and engaged in
fairly
>serious repression, which the Confederacy did not even while at war. That
>doesn't mean Lincoln wasn't right! jks

But this is a delusional nook. You can get the same slant on Lincoln in Vidal. But to make the antebellum south, with its peculiar institutions, its archaic class relations, the humidifying odor of paternalism & patriarchy, as something resembling a positive counterpoint to Lincoln, especially one like llibertarianism is beyond bizarre. Between the constraints of duty and honor - the hallmarks of traditional order and slavery, I don't see a lot of precious room for libertarian choice. People pushing such ideas a more a variant on symbolic racism.

DB



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list