We desperately need another Nelson Mandela

This blog may seem rambling, because it is.  My belief is that everything is connected.  Unfortunately the weaknesses of mankind has a strangling influence.  Some of those in power cling to it with little regard to long term consequences.  Power has been centralized.  The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.  If something is not done (and soon) mankind seems destined for disaster.

Power is like a magnet for some individuals.  They visualize what they can accomplish with it.  Bigger house, nicer car, better clothes, more sexual choice.  Some enjoy obedience from everyone, even creating the fear of disobeying a whim.  Others fancy getting important things done ranging from lowering taxes to reducing crime to purifying the air.  Being important is a goal in itself.  Being above the law is intoxicating.  Controlling others allows one to indulge in fantasies.  To get power it sometimes is necessary to take advantage of prejudice and ignorance   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/dying-of-whiteness.html

The Epstein Files, such as we know them, reveal that the very rich can indulge in sexual fantasies.  For some that means having sex with younger females or inflicting pain.  One man seems willing to use hurtful diversions to maintain his innocence.

Nelson Mandela, after suffering unfair imprisonment was so courageous and principled that he was eventually given power.  He was admired by enough people that he gained even more power.  He could easily have sought revenge or sought to enjoy all sorts of luxuries that he had been denied until he was almost too old to enjoy them.   He wanted the white South Africans to stay and developed the concept of truth and reconciliation and attracted the World Rugby Championship.  After his death I wrote a blog about Nelson Mandela.http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/12/nelson-mandela.html    A decade later I realized it took two men to change South Africa.   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/09/we-need-another-nelson-mandela-and-fw.html

 There are still a lot of capable individuals who are honest and caring.  Unfortunately most of them lack sufficient power.  The people below are some examples of leaders who have demonstrated leadership.

Barrack Obama used Abraham Lincoln as a sort of model.  Both men prefer a team of advisors that would challenge them.  Doris Kearns Goodwin noted that Abraham Lincoln deliberately developed a team of rivals.   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/11/team-of-rivals-has-lessons-for-today.html

It was pretty nervy for Pete Buttigieg, a small town mayor who was openly gay to run in a presidential leadership contest.  Somehow he proved to be well tempered, remaining calm while using logic to determine root causes and options.  He strikes me as a logical choice to make decisions on a global scale, but is handicapped by prejudice and ignorance.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a comic actor whose politics was expressed in satire, struck a nerve.  His election surprised many, even more so when Russians invaded he did not flee.  He displayed courage and organizing.  His first language is Russian and at some point he may be able to demonstrate forgiveness.   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/06/servant-of-people-final-episodes.html

A woman who crossed my path is Chrystia Freeland.  She has a long run view and understands the lure of power.  She played second fiddle to the Prime Minister and made a bold move that forced him out. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/01/plutocrats-by-chrystia-freeland.html

Yuval Noah Harari  has caught my attention for his understanding of human nature, where we came from and where we are headed.  He explains AI.  Does not subscribe to the idea of Jews being God's chosen people.  He is also openly gay and lives in Israel which may be a bonus, or a deterrent. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/10/nexus.html

Mark Carney has recently come to global recognition.  Handling Trump is a real test, but Carney has done a fair balancing act.  He has drawn a few lines and diversified trade and defence

Of course others could have been mentioned, and there is no perfect choice.  Is the final decision maker the only leader?  Part of Trump's downfall will be attributed to his choice of advisors selected for loyalty, not expertise or level headedness.  That should have been a clue before the election.

In pre history leaders were chosen informally by followers recognizing competence first hand.  Expertise was acknowledged and different group members would lead different tasks.  Then we got civilized?  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/07/selected.html

Since recorded history we have endured many monarchs or dictators and have developed concepts of democracy, but in general powerful people were able to use money, connections and sophistication to manipulate.  As my regular readers know, I advocate proportional representation, but even that only works with educated voters (but PR generally is more conducive to education).   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/10/your-vote-neednt-be-wasted.html

There have been many dominant powers, but they all eventually are diminished.  Fareed Zakaria refers to the British Empire whose power was global didn't collapse from outside attack, but did get spread too thin to manage.

At some future date it seems possible that mankind could galvanize over climate change.  At the moment it seems not enough powerful people are suffering, but it seems likely the suffering will steadily increase. The Iran war is steering more nations and people to seek alternatives to fossil fuel.  We are still headed for climate disaster, but sufficient people do not yet realize that.

To survive the world needs more long term thinking and more respect for science.  And above all we need to co-operate for everyone's best interest.  Hate hurts everyone and has all too often been used as a tool to benefit a small number of people.

Nelson Mandela presented what we need.  A collaborator with a vision.

Thank you Fabrice for getting me on this track. 

JOE BIDEN DEMONSTRATES LEADERSHIP

A confession to start.  I thought Kamala Harris should have been the presidential nominee so being picked as the Vice President candidate almost seems like a consolation prize.  On the other hand Joe Biden proved himself to be above personal vindictiveness, a quality that should be appreciated more than usual in contrast to the current president.

What to like about Kamala Harris?  Barely heard of her before the judicial hearings, but I loved the way she systematically handled William Barr and Brett Kavanagh.  She certainly earned Trump's dismissive characterization of "nasty."  But she has a lot more going for her when you dig deeper.  As a prosecutor she tackled large corporations.  She officiated at an historical gay marriage.  She was tough on crime. There will be criticisms from some quarters that she wasn't tough enough or too tough, but it should be pointed out she was pragmatic and pushed as far as she thought prudent.

Somewhere along the way, Biden realized that there were a few women who were qualified to be president and their time was overdue.  He also realized that black lives really do matter and he needed to cater to that, although he seriously considered a few women including Amy Klobuchar before she recognized the party would benefit from a black leader.  Joe is known to like Elizabeth Warren who had done him a big favor in one debate and lately Governor Gretchen Witmer.  So the process narrowed the decision, but Kamala Harris still stood out.

Kamala's confrontation with Biden at a primary debate was said to be a mark against her.  Personally she seemed the better prepared and bold candidate.  However she apparently offended a number of established Democrats and her support dried up.  She was realistic and decided to drop out in the interest of both herself and the party.  Biden is said to value loyalty and to want someone he can work with and recalled how Kamala had worked with his son Beau on some efforts he supported.

Contrast that with Trump who seemed to pick foxes to guard the henhouse.  One of his early strategic supporters was Jeff Sessions.  Sessions is not someone I admire, but he had enough sense to know, ethically (and politically) he had to recuse himself from the Russian query.  Trump thinking of only protecting himself found a way to fire Sessions and has continued to do everything he could to humiliate the man who played an important role in his rise to power.

Trump knows how to manipulate prejudice to serve his goals, but continuously demonstrates he has little empathy for his rabid supporters.  Instead of pushing a healthy agenda as best he could, he prefers to continuously stoke prejudice against blacks, Mexicans, Iranians, Chinese, etc.  Trump  while insecure has an enormous ego that drives him to take advantage of ignorance for his own selfish benefit.

Abraham Lincoln is revered for his wisdom.  Choosing his cabinet he selected some of his rivals, partly to keep them under control, but also he recognized they were capable.  Barrack Obama in choosing his Vice President, did not have a close relationship, but recognized that Biden would balance the voters' perceptions of himself.  They came to mutual respect and it was actually Biden who successfully pushed for same sex marriage.  Check out a review of Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/11/team-of-rivals-has-lessons-for-today.html

Mike Pence was a clever choice for Trump, although he didn't particularly think so.  Paul Manafort realized Trump was not going to be easily accepted by evangelicals although his policies favored their needs.  Pence gave Trump credibility with evangelicals and other religious conservatives. With his own presidential aspirations thwarted Pence has decided his best path to influence and future office prospects is to suck up to Trump, no matter how ridiculous (and even detrimental to Americans).

Trump has made it easy for the Democrats to position themselves as the party of rational thinkers.  Inevitably they have to cater to special interests, financial and others, but they are doing so by trying to please a wide variety of Americans.  Whereas the Republican primary contenders back in 2015-2016 often seemed to try to one up on their toughness, the Democrats tried to prove they were the more rational candidate.   Dropping climate change agreements, and the Iranian agreement were indications that long term thinking was for sissies.  Their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic shows a willingness to kowtow to an ignorant man.  In all fairness many Republicans know better, but kept quiet in their own quest for power.

Andrew Yang, Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren all brought good ideas to the party.  Bernie Sanders was perhaps the most rational of all, but was too scary for some.  I hope if and when the Democrats get to power they treat those brave enough to declare their candidacy to help push an agenda that really serves the people.  Trump supporters seem oblivious to rational thinking even when it is in their best interest, so unless the Democrats have an overwhelming victory they will encounter stubborn resistance while the entrenched wealthy manipulate the ignorant.

BOOKS REMEMBERED FROM 2014

You'll never be able to read all the good books, but for some people a good book is priceless.  Some of my favorite treasures come from lists and hopefully some of my readers will find something precious to read from my list.  Matching a book's contents with a reader's readiness can be a difficult task, but can be part of the fun.

"The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton,  won the Booker prize and with the topic of New Zealand was a must read for me.  It deserves its recognition even as a first novel.  Layered with flashbacks towards solving a mystery.  Interesting characters.  I learned of another New Zealand author on vacation, Charity Norman and loved her "Second Chances"  as well.

"419" by Will Ferguson won the 2012 Scotiabank Giller award.  Most of us have received an email from Nigeria and wondered how anyone could be so dumb.  A lot depends on your background and emotional situation.  The author explored both sides of the con game.  Nigeria is a major country, but obviously with the majority living in poverty.

Herman Koch, a Dutchman was known in North America for "The Dinner" which was a well constructed book.. "Summer Home with Swimming Pool"  Same technique, anchored by an imperfect narrator gradually uncovering different layers.

"The Terminal Experiment" by Robert J Sawyer is most amazing when you realize it was written in 1993 projecting to 2011.   It was revised in 2009.  When first written in 1993, the internet was very new and the world wide net not yet invented.  He decided to keep the dates so that we could read what someone thought of the future in 1993 impressing me. A good mystery, but also full of philosophical questions.  At one reading a student told the crowd that she chose to major in philosophy because of Robert J Sawyer.

"May Day" by Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block--suspenseful and now I view as one of my favourite DeMille novels.  Recommended by Christian Tanguard.  More on Nelson De Mille:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/05/tribute-to-nelson-demille-real-writer-i.html

Terry Fallis always makes me laugh.  Early in the year I read "The High Road' finishing off a two book series with a Canadian political framework and later in the year read "Up and Down" that worked in a public relations background and both were hilarious.

"Still Alice" suggested by Mary Ito who had author Lisa Genova on Fresh Air as a guest.  Helps get inside the head of someone grappling with early onset Alzheimer's.  Also how it affects the family. As happens with hypochondriacs I find myself identifying with the symptoms.  One of my motivations for blogging is simply to preserve memories which you don't realize how important they are until they are gone.

Hamilton Reads selection from the library  "The Redemption of Oscar Wolf"  by James Bartleman was a very good choice.  James Bartleman, grew up partially on Indian reserve and rose to become Lieutenant-General of Ontario.  The book reflects his background.  Also enjoyed an interview as part of the book.   Sorry I missed the meeting with the author.

"The Book Thief" recommended by Facebook friend Vijakumar mk Nair   Read the book before seeing the movie.  Set in Nazi Germany, depicting that not everyone was brainwashed.  Very good

In truth I read a lot of books with a business perspective, others with a political perspective tied together with a social perspective.  To make a living it is important to understand how money flows and how it is likely to flow in the future.  Still there can be practical personal wisdom.

"Capital in the Twenty -First Century" by Thomas Piketty spelled out in almost scientific terms how inequality is virtually inevitable and also too much is harmful.  Naturally, established wealthy people denigrate it, but I see a lot of truth.  Inequality is not all bad, after all it helps provides incentives, but at one point it creates barriers.  Finding that balance is critical for human survival. Not the easiest book to read, but perhaps one of the most detailed and important constructions of the way the world works.  Should be required. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/10/capital-in-twenty-first-century.html

"Absolute Value"  another game changer book.  It comes down to how much knowledge consumers now have access to which gives them leverage they never had before.  Marketing can no longer depend just on brand strategies.  Learn more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/05/absolute-value.html

"The Age of Oversupply" was very thought provoking.  Best explanation I have read about how interest rates remain low and unemployment is a problem in the West. Has much more insight than conservative remedies for our current financial woes  Learn more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/the-age-of-oversupply.html

"Second Machine Age" points out that the future will require far fewer traditional workers.  What will we do?  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/07/the-second-machine-age.html

"The Art of Engagement."  Why do many good ideas never become reality?  In big companies it is often because there is a big gap between what a leader thinks and how it is translated to those who have to execute.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/12/the-art-of-engagement.html

"The Retail Revival" points out that changes offer opportunities for those who understand.   More information could work for consumer benefit.   Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/09/the-retail-revival-as-seen-by-doug.html

Non fiction not business oriented, but impact how you make a living.

"The Power of the Herd" points out that humans could learn a lot from horses, a prey animal.  Some examples of those who have included George Washington and Alexander the Great.

"The Social Conquest of Earth" asks existential questions.  Explores evolution, particularly as groups.   Read also "Anthill," a fictional novel by the same author that.--illustrates his contention that fiction can uncover truths.  Big shock is that ants have a lot in common with humans.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/11/the-social-conquest-of-earth.html

"Talking to the Enemy".  A lot of attention is paid to how we should deal with terrorists, but very little applied to understanding how they came to be.  You can only understand the "enemy" when you make an effort at two way communication.  Red more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/11/talking-to-enemy-how-else-can-you.html

"The End of Power" reports on a shift of power.  There are still powerful people and we need some of them to get good things done, but power has dispersed and often to our disadvantage.  Lot of different trends in the modern world that may seem contradictory, but are important to understand.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/08/the-end-of-power.html

"Triple Package by Amy Chua is an interesting study of ethnic groups and upward mobility.  Learn more: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/03/triple-package-useful-study-in-group.html

"Overbooked" about the travel industry is one of my popular book blogs.  Learn more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/02/overbooked-and-thoughts-on-tourism.html

"Reign of Error" by Diane Ravitch is a provocative book on American education.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/02/reign-of-error-what-direction-should.html

Biographies have been inspiring.  How did someone overcome obstacles to achieve higher status and accomplish important deeds?  Doris Kearns Goodwin had previously written "Team of Rivals" describing Abraham Lincoln's rise to power and how he turned his rivals to help accomplish important goals.  This past year I read "The Bully Pulpit" about a character I knew more about in caricature, but in fact had made decisions that led to significant historical changes (most of them positive).  Learn more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/the-bully-pulpit-by-doris-kearns-goodwin.html

Finding the right book for your mood and circumstances can sometimes be daunting.  The books listed have proved worth the effort for me, maybe for you.

to read about my favourite books of 2013:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/12/books-that-impacted-me-in-2013.html

The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Theodore Roosevelt is not remembered by many today, but a study of him would open eyes.  His personality lent itself to caricature and many were merciless.  Many faults and mistakes are uncovered, but he had a driving force that overcame a lot of obstacles, many of which are prominent  today.

As with her book on Abraham Lincoln, Doris sets the context.  We are individuals moulded by our context and it makes more sense when trying to understand an historical person that their historical context be part of the story.  The Bully Pulpit pairs Theodore Roosevelt with William Howard Taft, two different personalities, but with a common political philosophy. Of course their families were important to their success, but Doris identifies another important part of the situation--journalists.

Journalists were a key part of Roosevelt's success.  There is quite a contrast with today's politics.  Roosevelt courted journalists not only to promote himself, but to get their opinions on society and the economy.  Roosevelt encouraged journalists to do exposures  of corporate abuses and felt often that was the only way for the public to overcome corrupt politicians.  Sam McClure who is covered in great depth as publisher encouraged his reporters to expose abuses in America.

How Roosevelt got to be president was unconventional.  The party bosses found him annoying because he was not sympathetic to big business abuses and kept putting him places where they felt he could do no harm.  He was police commissioner in New York and found all sorts of abuses (often by masquerading his identity and taking a reporter to check on patrolling police or slum landlords).  He became a young Governor of New York and antagonized party powers so that they arranged for him to be nominated as Vice President for the 1900 election.  In those days it was not fashionable for presidents to campaign the way they do today so Theodore did most of that and was instrumental in getting President McKinley re-elected.  As vice president he was not consulted very much nor given very much to do, but an assassin's bullet ushered Roosevelt to be the youngest President.

Once in power, Roosevelt energetically set about correcting what he saw as faults.  He felt big corporations were very abusive in their treatment of employees and customers.  At the same time he rejected socialists thinking that they would throw out the baby with the bath water.  Instead he felt regulations were the answer.  Big corporations resisted his efforts and were able to buy a lot of support from Congress, but Roosevelt tempered this by encouraging journalists to expose abuses.

Roosevelt was relatively liberal in his views, but  recognized you could only push so far.  He invited Booker T Washington, prominent black leader  to dine at the White House and was criticized for it, none the less he managed to appoint some blacks to positions.  He was an advocate for giving women the vote.

It was amazing what he could accomplish despite the opposition of big money, but he realized compromise was a step on the way to making improvements.  As a hunter and outdoors man he set up conservation areas realizing big business would take over any land they felt they could make a profit on.

He admired and befriended William Howard Taft.  Their wives were opposite in some regards.  Roosevelt's wife avoided the limelight and hated campaigns. Taft's wife discouraged her husband from pursuing what he really wanted which was a judicial appointment and pushed him to politics.  Roosevelt also pushed Taft towards politics, but twice offered him Supreme Court positions.  Taft was Governor of the Philippines and felt duty bound to help set them towards democracy. 

Taft and Roosevelt had a falling out due mainly to Roosevelt if I read Doris correctly.  Teddy, still a young man desired to have power and felt he had demonstrated he could use it to good effect.  Taft was not as charismatic, but a very intelligent ethical man.  In the end the squabble between the former friends allowed Woodrow Wilson to win the 1912 election.

In a short review there are many interesting and important details that are skimmed over.  Doris Kearns Goodwin is excellent at describing the political maneuvers of the time.  She recognized the role of journalists and has given whole chapters to describe their efforts which were inter-twined with the politics. This has been only my second reading of a Doris Kearns Goodwin book, but her writing is something to explore and look forward to.

Books I am Glad I read in 2011

I read a lot, some people would say too much, but I would say not enough.  The books I am listing were discovered by reading other people's lists, hearing about it on radio or tv. or reading in a newspaper or magazine, a personal recommendation or sometimes even just wandering around the library.  If any reader discovers something they end up reading (and enjoying) I feel the whole effort worthwhile.  At least I took someone away from some tv. fluff.  If not, I hope you move onto some other more inspiring list.

I mix up fiction and non fiction. I read non fiction as a sort of self improvement effort. Good fiction is very distracting for me. Many of the books listed have been a blog or a newsletter post.

In my zeal to improve myself I extracted some good stuff from "The Go-Giver" (as opposed to the Go getter);

"Willpower" hit a nerve. Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/10/willpower-and-two-of-my-all-time.html

the combination of "Mindless Eating" and "Mindful Eating" which complemented each other.   Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/mindless-eating-cf-mindful-eating.html

"Tell to Win" had some good models for anyone trying to sell anything (very much including ideas).  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/06/tell-to-win-offers-winning-formula.html

My son came home for the holidays and loaned me a book to read before his flight left.  "23 Things They Usually don't Tell you about capitalism."  A real mind opener.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/06/tell-to-win-offers-winning-formula.html

In my determination to understand the world a little better I would recommend: "The Great Disruption" (a realistic way in which we will be forced to change our ways);   more here;  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/07/great-disruption-is-it-really-on.html

"Why the West Rules for now" analyzes cultural rivalries and predicts some possible future scenarios.  Read more; http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/05/why-west-rules-for-now.html

I only read two biographies this year, which is something I hope to boost in 2012. Both were very good. One was "Team of Rivals" about Lincoln and his challenges getting elected and dealing with slavery and the American Civil War. Really excellent in covering how he dealt with his "rivals" in a very constructive manner.http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/11/team-of-rivals-has-lessons-for-today.html

 Roger Ebert, the film critic who I admire beyond his usually excellent reviews wrote "Life Itself".

The most distracting novels included "2030" and "Bliss". Bliss is a book from Turkey and was made into a movie that struck me. Both versions of "Bliss" are very interesting, but with different endings. The author is most amazing. Read more about "2030" here:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/2030-not-that-far-away.html   Read more about "Bliss" here:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/05/turkish-delight-in-book-and-movie-form.html

Science Fiction is a category onto its own, although I acknowledge the best is as satisfying as any regular novel. Come to think of it "2030" qualifies as a vision of the future that we might not like, although it has many good things about it. Under the influence of Barry Finn I got interested in the WWW triology by Robert Sawyer and it captivated me as much as anything all year.  Read more at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/conversion-can-sneak-up-on-you-too.html

One book made me laugh a lot--"one night at the call center." I not only found lots of laughs in the main body of the book, but also how it was framed and the acknowledgements. I will be looking for more laughs in 2012.  Read more:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/10/chetan-bhgat-new-discovery-for-me.html

Often sophisticated consumer websites will tell you if you like this you'll probably like that. It is a good idea, but I also like to do it with real people. I am interested in your lists.

"Team of Rivals" has lessons for today

One of my goals in reading biographies is to seek out models of people who have dealt with life's problems in a more effective way than I have.  Doris Kearns Goodwin has turned her historical analysis on Abraham Lincoln in a comprehensive manner that lets her readers understand the context of his life.  Barack Obama has referred to the mechanics of the Lincoln administration.

Doris gets inside the minds of the people Lincoln had to deal with. She goes into diaries, newspaper accounts and personal correspondence to get a a fuller view of what people thought of Lincoln and how he dealt with it. He was a man of principle, deserving of the moniker "Honest Abe," but more importantly a practical man. He listened very carefully to understand what others thought and was forgiving of their mistakes.  He had a sense of humor that allowed him to deal with the stresses of life. On top of all that he was clever.  He dealt with (as we all do) people who had contrary interests, only he did it better.

The author starts off by giving a lot of background of two of Lincoln's presidential rivals, William Seward and Salmon Chase, both of whom expected to be president and felt entitled to the honor. Other key players included Edward Bates and Edwin Stanton. Lincoln picked these men because of what they were capable of doing for their country in its hour of greatest need. There was rivalry amongst them, but Lincoln was able to harness their efforts to re unify America.

Important events covered in detail include Lincoln's early political efforts, his presidential nomination and campaign, selecting his cabinet and changes over the years and of course the American Civil War and Emancipation. Always there was a reason why something shouldn't be done and usually Abraham was able to understand the people involved better than others, wait for the proper moment and eventually prevail.

Doris Kearns Goodwin dealt with some modern thoughts on Abraham Lincoln.  One was that his wife was very unreasonable, even insane.  When you understand some of the history you can appreciate she was part of his success.  In her own right she was knowledgeable about politics and very literate. She was from a wealthier, connected family, but chose Abraham over richer suitors. She did have stress including the death of a son while in the White House.  She was the butt of much resentment and sometimes over-reacted.

Another twist one hears is that Lincoln was gay or at least bisexual. Doris Kearns Goodwin points out that we make judgments based on our cultural base.  Abraham Lincoln shared his bed with men both in his youth and even at the White House.  He was open about it and we have to understand it was not an unusual event and certainly not necessarily an indication of homosexuality.

Another key point for me was that slavery was inherent in the American Constitution.  There are those who maintain that Americans should makes laws in accordance with the founders' wishes.  It is impossible to avoid internalizing a culture into the law and it is also true that compromise is necessary in a political context.  Nothing humanly framed should bind future generations that inevitably live in a different culture.  True justice is an elusive goal, but each generation deserves an opportunity to work closer to it.  It is true that we do not want popularity to determine the rights of those with less power so sober reflection is necessary to change anything that is critical to modifying the framework we must all live in.

We all know the end.  Lincoln's assassination is one of the better known historical events. The tragedy plays out today.  Lincoln would have been more forgiving and understanding of the defeated southern people.  Because he wasn't there to offset the vengeful efforts of those who picked up the slack, resentment built up that affects American politics today.

Abraham Lincoln is an excellent model to aim for and I am thankful the author identified him for his unique way of dealing with conflicts.   I have watched Doris Kearns Goodwin on tv a few times and always found her insightful for today's politics.  Obviously it flows from a strong historical understanding. My intention is to look for more of her insights.