I responded to rustbucket – a well written, well thought out response. Please note that he said that Lincoln’s alleged Constitutional violations occurred after he was elected, so it was after the Confederacy seceded and after Fort Sumter was attacked ...
I'm sorry, but you are misquoting me. I can't let that stand before I disappear for a while. Lincoln violated the Constitution after he took office [March 4, 1861], not after he was elected [November 1860]. There is evidence that he did instigate the war, on purpose I believe, and I disagree with your Article III violation. I'll save all that for when I get back.
Please note that my response was to jeffersondem. He is the one that listed the date of Lincoln’s inauguration, not me. I fully recognized that you said his election, and not his inauguration.
Having said that, however, I will note that, from the time of his election on November 06, 1860, till the time of his inauguration on March 4, 1861, Lincoln had no more powers than any other private citizen. He didn’t even leave Illinois to go to Washington until February 11, 1861, arriving in Washington on February 23, 1861, less than 2 weeks before he became president. How did citizen Lincoln violate the Constitution during this time?