True. I have been reading the Civil War Almanac by Commager. The politics during the time of that war and Lincoln were unbelievable, worse that modern day. All the same issues, all the same political parties and players, all the same shit. (Interestingly, of course, was that the Democrats at the time were pro-Slavery.)
These things we gripe about have been around for at least 150 years, if not from the very birth of this nation.
The Democratic Party at that time was the "white man's party". The Republicans had split from the Whig party and were the movers and the shakers. History class sucks. History books rock--you'll get addicted to them.