Had he lived, the Republicans might have impeached Lincoln. Remember he was advocating the return of the ex-Confederate States with as little fuss as possible. Had he lived, he would have been seriously bumping heads with the Radical Republicans in the House and Senate. They impeached Johnson for not wanting to punish the South.
“....with as little fuss as possible”. What else should have happened to the Confed states? The cream of their male polulation had been killed off, and they were reduced to eating GRITS! If we didn’t intend for them to remain part of the Union, why conduct such a horrendous war to stop their leaving. To my mind, Lincoln was spot on; Restore those states as soon as practicable and get back to peace and prosperity. Was Grant wrong in providing food for Lee’s troops, and allowing them to keep their arms and their horses and go on home....if home was even there anymore?