1. Two presidential inaugurations have had planned train trips significantly altered because of threats of violence: Lincoln in 1861 and Biden in 2021. 
2. To be clear: a reprise of the American Civil War is impossible. Geographical distribution of polarization is different, there is no overriding issue comparable to slavery cutting to heart of real power, and (as Louisiana governor Earl Long used to say) the Feds have the bomb.
2. Still, political violence far short of a Civil War could easily become the norm: an intermittent cycle of white nationalist violence and law enforcement crackdowns, combined with a tightening internal security state.
3. Some of the symptoms are worth paying attention like violence in halls of congress. In 1856 South Carolina congressman Preston Brooks assaulted Senator Charles Sumner with a cane. Compare to some GOP congresspeople helping the rioters in 2021
4. Or compare this week's heavily militarized inauguration with 1861, where one sharpshooters manned the roofs. As one Washington resident complained about "entering the Capitol through hedges of Marines armed to the teeth.”
5. Politically, Biden faces the same balancing act as Lincoln, of presenting himself as a leader who can unite the nation even as a significant chunk of the population is rejecting his legitimacy. More thoughts here: thenation.com/article/politi…
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