Topic: Stephen Douglas

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4 great political books you've never heard of

Historians weigh in on the best books about elections that make 2012 look tame.

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Deals that changed history

A look back at three major pieces of historical federal legislation, started and finished by small groups of men intent on statesmanship.
Chapter & Verse Romney's loss: How he compares to other presidential also-rans

Writer Scott Farris, author of 'Almost President,' discusses how the former presidential nominee stacks up against other men who lost their bid for the highest office in the land.
Opinion: R.I.P. town-hall presidential debates

In Tuesday’s presidential debate moderated by Candy Crowley, both candidates focused more on delivering their prepared quips and the equality of timekeeping than directly answering voters' questions. The town-hall debate has not lived up to its promise. It is time to try a fresh format.
Opinion: Can Paul Ryan educate voters about Medicare reform?

Paul Ryan and his Republican supporters see the presidential election as a chance to educate voters about Medicare reform. Some claim that campaigns are not for educating, but for winning. That's only partially true. Campaigns still have great teaching value.
America's Great Debate

Fergus M. Bordewich has penned a perceptive and tremendously witty book about the compromise that held the US together in the decade before the Civil War.
4 great political books you've never heard of

Historians weigh in on the best books about elections that make 2012 look tame.
Almost President

Why some of the candidates who lost the race for president ultimately had a bigger impact than many of those who won.
Year of Meteors

The 1860 race for the US presidency was a wild tangle of political strategy and skullduggery.
Third parties leave a mark

A timeline of third party showings.
Obama: Abraham Lincoln would have no place in today's GOP

In a California campaign stop Obama says Abraham Lincoln would not have fit in among this year's GOP candidates. Perhaps. But would Thomas Jefferson have made a good modern Democrat?
Opinion: Ultimate battle for gay marriage supporters: their fellow Americans

Supporters of gay marriage must recognize that the American people themselves, not the Supreme Court, are the ultimate arbiters of law. That’s why their most important work is in the court of public opinion.
Classic review: A. Lincoln

Biographer Ronald C. White traces the spiritual and intellectual evolution of Abraham Lincoln.
A. Lincoln

Biographer Ronald C. White traces the spiritual and intellectual evolution of Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln at the intersection of principle and politics

Abraham Lincoln’s difficult passage through the politics of race
Abraham Lincoln at the intersection of principle and politics

Two new books document Lincoln's difficult passage through the politics of race.
Opinion: And the winner is ... the funnier candidate

Lincoln used humor. So did JFK. Today's contenders should follow suit.