Fears & Myths of Miscegenation: Anti-Lincoln Cartoons in the Election of 1864

 

With his political fortunes dwindling, President Abraham Lincoln approached the election of 1864 as unpopular as ever and on the verge of losing the Civil War. Facing opposition from within the Republican Party, pushback to the Emancipation Proclamation and backlash in the press, he had a tough road to reelection. Furthermore, Maj. General George McClellan, whom Lincoln had fired for subordination, was challenging him as the Democratic Party Nominee on a "peace" platform that called for negotiations and potential recognition of the Confederacy. 

 

While Lincoln's prosecution of the war dominated the political debate, slavery was the ultimate wedge issue in the campaign against the president -- and the newspaper, the New York World, had a field day with the delecate subject of race relations. Taking Lincoln's abolitionist sentiments to the extreme, the World claimed that what the president really wished was, "perfect social equality of black and white," even advocating intermarrying so as to become, "the finest race on earth". World editors David Croly and George Wakeman distributed a pamphlet called, "Miscegenation: The Theory of the Blending of the Races, Applied to the American White Man and the Negro," and also illustrations by Bromley & Co that were designed to arouse the fears of whites, showing inane depictions of the ramifications of racial equality. 

 

While the World's campaign was scurrilous, the miscegenational rumors spread. Click the below image to see an example of Lincoln's so-called "vision" of racial harmony and see just how far these depictions pushed the envelope of racial politics:

 

Little known fact: the Republican's 1864 slogan "don't swap horses in the middle of the stream" would later be used in the film Wag the Dog. 

Winning New Hampshire, by Write-In Vote

It's hard to imagine it happening now, but the winner of the the 1964 New Hampshire Republican Primary wasn't a declared candidate, nor was his name even on the ballot. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., who was previously on the losing ticket as Nixon's Vice Presidential candidate in 1960, was the ambassador to Vietnam and had not set foot in the influential first primary state -- he wasn't even in the country at the time. Yet his popularity in the Granite State was undeniable, as he trounced declared candidates Goldwater and Rockefeller by double digits, at 35.5% to Barry M. Goldwater's 22.3% Nelson A. Rockefeller's 21.0%. See LIFE Magazine's original report here, on pages 32-38 and the newsreel report below:

"I Am Paying For This Microphone!"

Ronald Reagan's oft-quoted 1980 debate zinger, "I am paying for this microphone," became almost as instantly quotable as Charlie Sheen's "winning" rant last week. However, few remember what that declaration actually meant in the context of that Republican Primary Debate. 

 

After Reagan's then-rival George Herbert Walker Bush edged him out by 2% in the Iowa caucuses, many pols saw the nomination battle as a two man race. A month later, the Nashua Telegraph newspaper set up a debate between Reagan and Bush exclusively, the only one that would exclude four of the six candidates, and it would be held only three days before the New Hampshire Primary. The Telegraph's plans almost fell through when the FEC cited that the format was unfair and declined to pay for the event, but the Reagan campaign volunteered to pick up the cost. 

 

Reagan and Bush had the most to gain from a two-man debate, since a strong performance could propel either of them to a New Hampshire Victory. Reagan especially needed the edge, as he was down 4%, at 33% to Bush's 37%. However the morning of the debate, Reagan unexpectedly began to lobby the Nashua Telegraph and George Bush on behalf of the excluded candidates, insisting that they be allowed to participate. When his 11th hour effort was rebuffed, Reagan pulled a stunt that would go down in history. 

 

Appearing on set with the excluded candidates in tow (Bob Dole, Howard Baker, John Anderson and Philip Crane), Reagan angrily insisted that the other candidates be included and proceeded to create a spectacle of his indignation. When the moderator refused to give in to his request and tried to proceed as originally planned, Reagan only acted out more. The moderator, having had enough, then asked to have Reagan's microphone cut off, at which point the candidate famously responded, "I am paying for this microphone Mr. Green!" 

 

Another little known fact: the line Reagan used was actually borrowed from the movie The State of the Union with Spencer Tracy -- despite being criticized for his age, the former actor had the ability to quickly recall famous movie quotes, always in asset in any field or occupation. 

 

Whether Reagan was feigning indignation or not, the tactic clearly paid off as the debate was largely overshadowed by the confrontation. Reagan showed leadership ability and a willingness to help the underdog and Bush was one-upped, appearing petty for supporting two-man-only contest. Bush later claimed to have been "set up" by Reagan's campaign. Probably so, but that's politics...

 

Donald Trump on Citizen Kane

Now that Donald Trump is getting so much media attention as a potential republican presidential candidate for the 2012 nomination, it's worth taking a look at this little-known project that Errol Morris aborted several years ago. The subject? Orson Welles' groundbreaking 1941 film Citizen Kane, which was a thinly veiled portrayal of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst.

The film painted an bitterly unsympathetic portrait of Kane and was received unfavorably by Hearst. In turn, this documentary short provides some insights about Mr. Trump, who admits that wealth isolates the wealthy from regular people -- but is it a positive or negative portrayal of the Donald?