As we mark President's Day, our podcast, Settle In, asks a simple question. What would Abraham Lincoln do?

A substack by historian Matthew Pinsker uses that question as a framework to explore modern politics.

He spoke recently with Jeff Bennett about that and his new book, Boss Lincoln, which examines how Lincoln still shapes our country today.

If he were watching politics today, what do you think would surprise him most about our political

parties? And what do you think wouldn't surprise him at all? I don't know if he would be surprised,

but I think he would be depressed that people seem to be losing faith in democracy.

After 250 years, after recovering from the trauma of the Civil War, I think he would expect

people to have more faith in their creed. That's part of the reason why I think in my substack, I focus on what would Lincoln

do? In my classroom, in my public speeches in the book, in everything I'm doing, I'm trying

to remind people the reason why Lincoln called this the last best hope of earth. I mean,

democracy is not the Greek word for perfect, okay, But it might as well be the Greek word for disagreement.

And people should not be demoralized by disagreements, even ones that have high stakes,

even ones that feel angry.

People in America have always been angry.

And that doesn't have to mean the end of the republic.

And if everyone would just kind of remember that, we would all be in a better place.

That's good advice.

The idea that's straight from Lincoln.

Yeah.

Well, that was my next question.

I was going to ask this idea of what would Lincoln do?

What's the framework you use to determine what, in fact, he would do?

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