Every day we see them, quotes from the past that are meant to support current policies, ideologies and candidates for public office. Sometimes they are accurate, and meant exactly the way it reads. Sometimes they are completely inaccurate, sometimes they are almost accurate, and sometimes they are taken completely out of context.
This all works because nobody wants to do research, and confirmation bias means if they agree with it, it seems completely obvious and it must be true. Both sides do it, but one side does it quite a bit more. I guess that makes sense, when your current spokespeople are a woman who babbles more than all the brooks in Alaska, an aging rockstar trying to stay relevant and apparently still trying to prove insanity in case there is another draft, or any of people shoving and pushing to prove they are the furthest on the right- when your best argument seems to be "I'm rubber, you're glue!", then quoting a president who did great things and was a member of your party seems like a much better option.
Except you took it out of context.
http://images.dailykos.com/...
Yes, President Lincoln did say something close to that.
..." The people — the people — are the rightful masters of both Congresses, and courts — not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it —"
The ellipses means there was more to that, right in front of it. It was part of a campaign speech in 1859 when he was running for president. Here's the rest of that quote-
"We must not disturb slavery in the states where it exists, because the Constitution, and the peace of the country both forbid us — We must not withhold an efficient fugitive slave law, because the constitution demands it —
But we must, by a national policy, prevent the spread of slavery into new territories, or free states, because the constitution does not forbid us, and the general welfare does demand such prevention — We must prevent the revival of the African slave trade, because the constitution does not forbid us, and the general welfare does require the prevention — We must prevent these things being done, by either congresses or courts — The people — the people — are the rightful masters of both Congresses, and courts — not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it —"
So he was against allowing slavery in the territories. Getting into history, you might remember that a big sticking point in the Constitutional Congress was slavery. Some states wanted the right to have slaves. So a compromise was struck. Thurgood Marshall pointed out that "We the people" excluded a lot of people.
Before the Civil War, the 10th Amendment was used as constitutional protection to the right to own slaves. Before President Lincoln took office, with a growing movement against slavery in the US, several states seceded. It was a hot button issue that was splitting the nation. Lincoln's speech referred specifically to not allowing slavery in new territories, but also not impinging on state's rights.
We know how that ended. A bloody war was fought to keep the country together over the issue morality with both sides insisting they had the right of it. In the end, the Constitution was changed. We take it for granted now that we are not allowed to own our neighbors, that no matter what color your skin is, if you are an American, you are free.
Now the 10th Amendment is being used again to promote discrimination. To allow some states to say what some consenting adults are allowed to do, and what others are not allowed to do. I imagine a modern Abraham Lincoln would be absolutely appalled at how his words have been taken out of context and to see what has become of his party.