Political Parties, III

The Republicans

are called

the Grand Old Party

mostly because,

as far as I can tell,

due to their origins

under Lincoln

and the winning

of the Civil War,

although being in control

more or less

until Wilson

and the early 20th century,

tended to lump their achievements

under the dubious results

of Reconstruction,

in which politics

got in the way

of achieving things

as much as humanly possible

although you will seldom 

hear it described that way,

and more the litany

of Republican presidents

up to and including Grant

who couldn't get better results,

including the first impeachment,

Johnson, probably mostly because

he was going to try lenience,

which by the way

was also what Lincoln wanted,

but Johnson was in office

and someone had to make a point

and it kept getting made

and it's still being made

today,

and so Republicans

are now known

as the backward people

rather than literally the ones

who fought to make

today's America

possible

despite massive opposition

and not just from the Confederacy.

People forget

that the Democrats existed

in those days,

despising and working against

Lincoln all the way through,

that his election

was mostly because

the Democrats

couldn't find someone

they all agreed on,

but they certainly agreed

to oppose him

in the North as well as in the South,

and today we believe

thanks to Civil Rights

which became a legacy of JFK

that finally almost 

sort of actually happened,

because a few Democrats

became Republicans

during this time

it was believed

that all Republicans

somehow completely swapped places

with all Democrats,

who became the party

of the disenfranchised

so long as they could

get their votes

and keep them messed up

at the same time,

a proud tradition

that continues

to this day!