Trump is the first president since Lincoln who has received no “honeymoon” period in Washington as is typical for new presidents—and for the same reason as in 1861: Democrats have essentially seceded from the American people, and won’t accept the results of a national election. (snip) You can swap out “resistance” today for “rebellion” in 1861 and capture the Democratic Party mood accurately.It's a reasonable characterization of our present situation. For the ahistorical reader, it was Democrats who rebelled against Republican Abe Lincoln in 1861.
Later ... thinking about Hayward's formulation raises for me three questions: (1) At what point does the "loyal opposition" become the "disloyal opposition" or literal enemy? (2) Have we passed that point? (3) What will this iteration's version of "shelling Fort Sumpter" turn out to have been?
