Lincoln Discusses the Possibility of an Assassination, 1862

In the fall of 1862, an aide to Maj. Gen. Henry Halleck arrived at the White House with papers for President Abraham Lincoln to sign. The aide, Charles Graham Halpine, had enjoyed a pre-war career as a journalist at top newspapers in the United States, and a series of Civil War articles under the pseudonym Pvt. Miles O'Reilly. Halpine recalled his meeting with the President in his 1866 memoirs, "Baked Meats of the Funeral, 1866." Here's the passage.
Check out Halpine's book: archive.org/de...
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[@davide9658]

Thank you Ron for bringing us this amazing exchange indeed between Lincoln and Halpine. What a unique concept that Lincoln sought to stay in touch with the sentiments of the people, and even knowingly putting himself at risk to do so. It reminds me of a present-day politician from his party doing much the same thing.

[@NiteMoves2010]

Your comparison is pure nonsense. Get a grip.

[@debbiegipson4512]

I agree with your statement in its entirety...including your comparison.

[@-sunstar9778]

👍👍👍

[@brianmeek5236]

After one or two terms most politicians have an open door to the big donors and little time for the rest

[@directionallycorrect2027]

Thanks Ron. Another great episode

[@peterblum613]

Fascinating. Our politicians nowadays could use “public opinion baths.” We shouldn’t underestimate how out of touch our politicians have become by screening out all but monied interests and carefully vetted segments of an increasingly atomized populace.

[@BrickDaniels-qu7bz]

There's a lot of interesting stuff out there. I wonder what is the right way to be.

[@keithsilverang7906]

How very prescient. How very tragic. Such a sad, fatalistic and yet poignant way of thinking.

[@H.G.Wells-ishWells-ish]

It's amazing how the concept of an accessible President became such a guarded office. Surely, the Presidential history stemming from the rash of incidents in and around the late 19th century (Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) changed this Presidential approach. Nevertheless, the drastic nature from "all-accessible" to almost "inaccessible" is not a subtle shift in the least.

[@CrossTrain]

And it is largely responsible (one would imagine) for the near total disconnect between your average 21st century politician and those of long ago that still remembered that they were simply representative of the citizenry...

[@robbrown4621]

@@CrossTrain Respectfully, I disagree with you since the average 21st century politician (accepting the president) is still easily accessible if you want to go to their office when they are there. This includes congresspeople and senators too. Have you ever spent a day inside the Capital building? But, I would argue that the disconnect is more a product of lobbying and the huge amounts of money that politicians are given for their re-election campaigns by corporate entities. To quote an old song, money changes everything.

[@CrossTrain]

@@robbrown4621 - That's fair. You are free to disagree. The federal level politician is significantly less accessible than even our state level politicos are. At least to the non-monied masses. However, the longer these folks serve in DC, the more out of touch with real world problems of little people they seem to become. Peace.

[@cht2162]

@@robbrown4621 Capitol

[@donhooper6439]

fantastic piece, and very timely! Thank you!

[@kennethswain6313]

How the same and yet so different from these days are we now! Very timely

[@delstanley1349]

Booth may have had an easier time at The Whitehouse than he did at Ford's Theater! Imagine-"Mr. President, your place or mine, sir?"

[@markmaki4460]

The craziest person Abraham Lincoln probably ever knew was Mary Todd Lincoln, so perhaps he was a little less impressed by craziness in other people.

[@chrispowell5879]

Thanks much for this one -- great insight into Lincoln's personality and humanity.

[@davide9658]

Now, now let's be civil my Dem friend. No need to be rude even if you have a different perspective. Have a blessed day.

[@michaelsnow5229]

Morning Donnie, what a spine tingling story. America's settlers owe so much to Daniel Boone. I need to visit Cumberland Gap N.P. Just 2 hrs from my Hampton, TN home. God bless you Donnie

[@andywindes4968]

When I was young, it was commonly believed that Richard Nixon chose Spiro Agnew to be his VP as a sort of "insurance policy," How funny to learn that Lincoln entertained the same sorts of thoughts about his own VP.

[@John1911]

A timeless description of the motivations of crazy people for sure!