# What Would Lincoln Do? Seeking historical insights for today's politicos Page: Feed: --- ## [How would Lincoln advise AOC?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/how-would-lincoln-advise-aoc) _2026-07-28 · Matthew Pinsker_ The other day, Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) announced that she was “about to crack open” Boss Lincoln. She indicated to a reporter that she was most interested in what she called Lincoln’s “lost years” when he was “building a political machine before he ran for the presidency.” You can see why many online commentators speculated that this unusual summer reading recommendation was a sign of… ## [How should we remember at twelve score and ten?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/how-should-remember-at-twelve-score) _2026-07-04 · Matthew Pinsker_ This fall, on November 19, 2026 —the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address— I will be delivering the Fortenbaugh Lecture at Gettysburg College. ## [C-SPAN Appearance on July 4](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/c-span-appearance-on-july-4) _2026-07-03 · Matthew Pinsker_ I will be joining C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” call-in show on Saturday, July 4, 2026 from noon to 1pm ET as part of the America 250 celebrations. ## [What was fusionism and ultraism?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/what-was-fusionism-and-ultraism) _2026-07-01 · Matthew Pinsker_ In his just-published review of Boss Lincoln, noted historian Richard Carwardine emphasizes how the book depicts Lincoln’s “binary” political strategy. ## [Why is the Preamble an "electric cord"?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/why-is-the-preamble-an-electric-cord) _2026-06-29 · Matthew Pinsker_ Abraham Lincoln once described Thomas Jefferson’s famous Preamble as “the electric cord in that Declaration that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together.” We should remember Lincoln’s vivid metaphor today above all days because he was using it to show his support for immigrants. ## [Why did Lincoln call the Declaration "a stumbling block"?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/why-did-lincoln-call-the-declaration) _2026-06-26 · Matthew Pinsker_ For the next week at least, I want to write about Lincoln’s evolving views on the Declaration of Independence. ## [What's the deal with the Lincoln Memorial?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/whats-the-deal-with-the-lincoln-memorial) _2026-06-19 · Matthew Pinsker_ One of the lowest points in my career came in April 2022 when I tried unsuccessfully to organize a resistance movement against proposed changes at the Lincoln Memorial. ## [What was Lincoln's advice about predicting war's end?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/what-was-lincolns-advice-about-predicting) _2026-06-12 · Matthew Pinsker_ “War, at the best, is terrible,” President Lincoln said on June 16, 1864, in one of his rare speeches outside of Washington, “and this war of ours, in its magnitude and in its duration, is one of the most terrible.” You might even call this effort Lincoln’s “Second Pennsylvania Address.” He had spoken at Gettysburg the year before. ## [Did Lincoln's patriotism ever waver?](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/did-lincolns-patriotism-ever-waver) _2026-06-08 · Matthew Pinsker_ No American has ever been more thoughtful or deliberate in his patriotism than Abraham Lincoln. ## [Browse ThreatCrush Modules (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/1G5QSZTrzewr) _2026-06-08 · **Sponsored**_ Install community-built security modules to extend real-time threat intelligence and monitoring ## [VIDEO: Jamelle Bouie on Boss Lincoln](https://matthewpinsker.substack.com/p/video-jamelle-bouie-on-boss-lincoln) _2026-05-28 · Matthew Pinsker_ Jamelle Bouie, a terrific columnist for the New York Times who writes frequently and deeply about American history and its insights for modern politics, has just finished reading Boss Lincoln.