“unusual height seemed to save his image from some of the usually negative attributes of caricature” (p. 129). Because Lincoln had throughout his political career consistently mocked himself, his reputation did not lose any prestige when caricatured; in fact, Thompson insightfully demonstrates, Lincoln benefited politically when made fun of in visual media, for caricatures ironically only strengthened his bond with the common man. Many Americans today lament the fact that presidential campaigns seem to be more about image than substance, that politicians spend too much energy cultivating their image, and that the press spends too much time on the trivial and superficial nature of the candidates, ignoring their message. The extensive television advertisements and debates only accentuate this problem, they add, focusing too much on the appearance of candidates. If only we could return to a simpler time, they cry, when the process was purer and based more on substance. Thompson reminds us that such sentiments are based purely on myth. As a skilled politician, Lincoln would have found political success today. And, in some respects, his political skills, especially his physical humor, were perfectly made for television, the Internet, and the debate stage. (One gem: to mock the pomp of a political opponent’s over-the-top entourage that accompanied him wherever he went, including a carriage drawn by horses and loud cannon fire, all backed up by musicians, Lincoln toyed with his harmonica alone, telling the crowd that this was his own personal band (p. 60).) Thompson’s terrific study reminds us that, long before Ronald Reagan, politicians viewed their profession as a form of theater, one that demanded stagecraft; that long before George W. Bush and Barack Obama, much political opposition was fueled by intense hatred; and that long before Donald Trump, politics was viewed as entertainment. Thompson’s astute analysis reminds us that politics is often performance art. Above all, this fine book demonstrates that there is still much to be learned about how Lincoln achieved such remarkable political success.

中文翻译：

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林肯的幽默感

“不寻常的身高似乎使他的形象免受漫画的一些通常负面的影响”（第 129 页）。因为林肯在整个政治生涯中一直在嘲笑自己，所以被讽刺时，他的名声并没有失去任何威信；事实上，汤普森深刻地表明，林肯在被视觉媒体取笑时在政治上受益，因为讽刺漫画只会加强他与普通人的联系。今天，许多美国人感到遗憾的是，总统竞选似乎更注重形象而非实质，政客们在塑造形象上花费了太多精力，媒体在候选人的琐碎和肤浅本质上花费了太多时间，而忽视了他们的信息。他们补充说，大量的电视广告和辩论只会加剧这个问题，过分关注候选人的外表。如果我们能回到一个更简单的时代，他们哭了，当时这个过程更纯粹，更多地基于实质。汤普森提醒我们，这种情绪纯粹是基于神话。作为一名技术娴熟的政治家，林肯本可以在今天取得政治上的成功。而且，在某些方面，他的政治技巧，尤其是他的肢体幽默，非常适合电视、互联网和辩论舞台。（一个宝石：为了嘲笑一个政治对手随他所到之处的顶级随行人员的盛况，包括一辆由马牵引的马车和响亮的炮火，所有这些都由音乐家提供支持，林肯独自玩弄他的口琴，告诉人们认为这是他自己的个人乐队（第 60 页）。汤普森的出色研究提醒我们，早在罗纳德·里根 (Ronald Reagan) 之前，政治家将他们的职业视为一种戏剧形式，一种需要舞台艺术的表演；早在乔治·W·布什（George W. Bush）和巴拉克·奥巴马（Barack Obama）之前，强烈的仇恨就引发了许多政治反对派；早在唐纳德特朗普之前，政治就被视为娱乐。汤普森敏锐的分析提醒我们，政治往往是行为艺术。最重要的是，这本好书表明，关于林肯如何取得如此显着的政治成功，还有很多需要学习的地方。