You will NEVER convince the Free Republic Lincoln Coven that we live in a failed republic and their hero God Abe aka The Illinois Butcher™, is the one that go the destruction ball rolling.
For an alternative scholarly discussion of whether Lincoln was the true father of Big Government, I recommend this article.
To a considerable extent, your argument consists of the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.
Lincoln’s defense of the Union preceded our present descent into government over-reach, therefore it caused that overreach, which would not have happened had Lincoln not fought back against secession.
BTW, I agree we are heading in the direction of a failed republic, although I don’t believe we’ve reached the destination just yet.
That would be because either plain stupidity or denial prevents you from arriving at reality-ville. The republic of 1787 is dead. Get it? It died in April 1865, you may disagree on the date but it is dead, dead, dead.
Lincoln organiced the legal response to illegal rebellion in 1860, just as Washington organized the legal response3 to illegal rebellion in 1789.