The GOP may or may not be the party of Lincoln, to answer your question best I can. Lincoln was a brilliant, tortured, lying opportunist who found himself in a quandary. He really was a man of two minds and there is no doubt he was a patriot in his own heart. The GOP, similarly, is an opportunistic enterprise, and because it is a commune it is generally devoid of all but viral influence. The differentiating factor for the GOP is the “Constitution,” our rock in these days if we will see it. It has “lived and breathed” so long, though - is it enforceable and valid? Does it matter to men who can no longer read? This is maybe the question of our time.
It’s not that I haven’t noticed your reply but rather that it’s still trickling through my consideration.