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Obama in Iowa Gives Shout-Out to His GOP 'Homeboy,' Abe Lincoln

Lance Mack, an Abraham Lincoln impersonator from Marion, made an appearance to Barack Obama's speech in Cedar Rapids.

Marion, IA - What would you do if you got to meet Abe Lincoln? If you are President Obama, you give a shout-out to your "homeboy" and add him to your roster of endorsements.

At least, that's what the president did during his otherwise routine to Cedar Rapids today when he spotted the distinguished guest in the crowd.

"Abraham Lincoln is in the house. My homeboy from Illinois and an outstanding Republican endorsee," Obama called to him from the stage when he first arrived.

Abe welcomed the greeting and waved to the president and crowd in very statesmanly fashion.

It didn't take our 44th president long to spot our 16th president. The man stood out among the 1,600 in attendance, dressed in circa 1800s apparel complete with a black top hat and Abraham Lincoln-esque beard.

The impersonator was in fact Lance Mack. Mack is a Marion man known for his dedication to the role and was fairly recently seen speaking at a Civil War exhibit at the . He even delivered the morning prayer to the Iowa Legislature last year.

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JD July 11, 2012 at 11:38 am
Lincoln was the republican president that turned the entire south into democrats with the emancipation proclaimation. It took 100 years and LBJ's Civil Rights Act to turn them ALL into republicans again!
Don July 11, 2012 at 11:50 am
Obama is NOT normal.
Jess Bry July 11, 2012 at 11:57 am
Rob Anderson,
I would love nothing more than for O-BUM-a to be kicked out of office. However, I have LOTS of African American friends, and I can assure you that race has nothing to do with my feelings.
Gerry July 11, 2012 at 12:02 pm
I don't like Obama, but I think it's a stretch to accuse him of "equating himself with Lincoln." Accuse him of a lot of things--wreaking havoc on the economy, creating further divisiveness in the country, hindering growth, costing millions of jobs, etc., but this one may not stick! :)
Mia Opinyon July 11, 2012 at 12:17 pm
LOL!!!!LOL!!!!!hahahahaha....wait, wait.....OMG!!!...LOL!!LOL!!! OK, we didn't all see that racist, slanderous comment. I can't think of anything more disrespectful to Abraham Lincoln than having him compared to Barwreck Obomba. I'm sure if a white president had made such a racial comment against let's say, Powell, it would have been all over the news for weeks and he would have to make a public apology for offending an entire black nation. But in reverse.........no double standard there. YOU, my friend, ARE FRIGGIN NUTS!!!
NOBAMA 2012 July 11, 2012 at 12:28 pm
What an idiot we have for a president!
Scott Raynor (Editor) July 11, 2012 at 01:00 pm
Please refrain from personal attacks.
Scott Raynor (Editor) July 11, 2012 at 01:02 pm
Please refrain from swearing on our comment board. Thanks.
BillM July 11, 2012 at 01:08 pm
I never realized how racist Iowans are but after reading all these comments I am now a believer
Stephen Schmidt (Editor) July 11, 2012 at 01:14 pm
FYI, this story was linked on Huffington Post. Most of these commenters probably are not Iowans.
Tracie Smith July 11, 2012 at 01:27 pm
WOW!!! I KNEW Obama thought he was a god...but I didn't realize his people actually thought of him that way. God DOES have a Son...his name is Jesus Christ, NOT Barack Hussein Obama...UMM...UMM...UMM!!!!
Mazie July 11, 2012 at 02:13 pm
If those ignorant and uneducated comments came from Iowa I would be eternally ashamed. Apparently these wise contributors paid very little attention to the very nature of Lincoln's policies. Despite all of that, IT WAS A JOKE. God forbid humor is used in response to someone playing dress-up. Get. Over. Yourselves.
Stephen Schmidt (Editor) July 11, 2012 at 03:07 pm
Here's a great documentary on Lance Mack, Abraham Lincoln impersonator. http://boccecreative.com/2010/09/lincoln/
Jeff Klinzman July 11, 2012 at 03:15 pm
Lincoln was the only great Republican president. He ended slavery, was loved by blacks, and greatly expanded federal power in order to preserve the union and break the power of men who preferred states' rights over being Americans.
Lincoln wouldn't stand a chance in today's GOP...
Jeff Klinzman July 11, 2012 at 03:17 pm
Obama seems "arrogant" only to folks who are intimidated by his intellect...
Lorna Dune July 11, 2012 at 03:19 pm
My God people, get over yourselves. It was a joke, plain and simple and I am sure it got some laughs. What has happened to people in is country. Oh wait, I know. We have watched politics become hateful, conniving and bitter and it seems to have trickled down to the average Joe and Jane in the country. Never before in the history of the US has a president been called a liar when speaking to congress as happene to President Obama. He is still our President and deserves some respect. Oh and what about Mitch McConnell say his number 1 goal was to make President Obama a 1 term president as soon as he became minority whip. It's as if the republicans haven't tried to work with the democrats and the president because of that statement. I think they figure that if they don't do anything then the democrats don't do anything and it will go against the president come election time. Well, to quote John Adams when he was writing about the 1776 Continental Congress he said, "There must be decency and respect and veneration introduced for persons of authority of every rank or we are undone. In a popular government this is our only way." It would help if our elected officials, all of them, would read this and take heed, as we are on the road to hell. I believe that if they start showing some respect for one another and working together for the greater cause then the average Joe and Jane would too. They are are leaders and need to act like it.
Jeff Klinzman July 11, 2012 at 03:24 pm
As a native Iowan, I take exception to the folks who make hasty generalizations about us based on the ravings of a few hotheads online. After Vietnam, Republican (back when the party had a sense of decency!) governor Robert Ray opened our state to Vietnamese refugees. We have a growing, vibrant Hispanic community here. Cedar Rapids has a growing community of Somali refugees, and is a haven for many Chicagoans who want to start new lives.
Yeah, we have our share of naysayers and resentniks: they are well represented by today's Iowa GOP! Most of us just want to work, pay our share, earn an honest living, get to know our neighbors, build our communities, and raise our kids. Obama appeals to that kind of American and Iowan; Romney and the GOP don't.
Scott Raynor (Editor) July 11, 2012 at 03:32 pm
Also, for a little added context, I must point out that this particular Lincoln impersonator lives in Marion Iowa, which, for those of you that aren't familiar with the area, is miles away from where the speech took place. It's highly doubtful that there was any collaboration with the Obama campaign. You can also see him here with Michelle Obama, http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-250_162-10009132-2.html
dan crabtree July 11, 2012 at 03:45 pm
Lincoln did not..repeat.. did not free the slaves at allHlincoln freed the slaves in rebellion in the armyof the confederates..
Brad Potter July 11, 2012 at 04:06 pm
Lincoln will always be known as "Honest Abe". In the future, when Hussein's false identity is finally revealed, he will be known as the biggest liar in American history. To tell a huge lie will be known as telling an "Obama".
OhYou'reSoRight July 11, 2012 at 04:35 pm
That's exactly the problem...not that the folks who voted him in office are trolls, but, they sure do love his freebies and food stamps!
OhYou'reSoRight July 11, 2012 at 04:36 pm
You're being facetious, right?
Brad Potter July 11, 2012 at 04:47 pm
How could Lincoln possibly be Obongo's "home boy" when BO was born in Kenya and spent his childhood in Indonesia at Muslim schools?
Jeff Klinzman July 11, 2012 at 05:30 pm
You've gotta be kidding me. Absolute birther nonsense: Barack Obama is an American citizen, he never attended a madrassa in Indonesia, and you have no evidence for any of your contentions.
So that's what this country has come to: its well of political debate is being poisoned by people who, out of hatred for anything or anyone who doesn't pass their narrow ideological litmus tests, and who have no commitment to this country as a shared community, are willing to destroy America, to advance the corporate agenda. Be deeply ashamed.
Bernie Bennick July 11, 2012 at 05:31 pm
Lincoln was not from Illinois. He was born in Kentucky and later grew up in Indiana. Get your facts right Mr. President.
jjkrjw July 11, 2012 at 09:42 pm
And he would whip obama's bee-hind in a debate and expose obama as the communist fool that he is.
jjkrjw July 11, 2012 at 09:45 pm
And Lincoln would whup obama's bee-hind in a debate and expose obama for the communist fool that he is.
jjkrjw July 11, 2012 at 09:49 pm
obama has likened himself to Lincoln, a most absurd comparison I must say.
John Giles July 16, 2012 at 09:11 pm
Obama is apparently not aware that Lincoln's dream until the day he died, because he believed that blacks and whites should not live together, was to "colonize" or forcibly remove all blacks from the US. This racism was common at the time. The Emancipation Proclamation was merely a negotiating tool and it served to free slaves only in Confederate-held states where it would have virtually no effect. It did not apply to the border or northern states; New York City slaves continued to be held in bondage. Ulysses Grant freed his slaves only upon enactment of the 13th Amendment and then remarked, "Good help is so hard to find these days."
Dan Va Haften July 22, 2012 at 08:28 pm
Abraham Lincoln had a system for structuring his speeches based on studying Euclid. Lincoln's system was first documented in our book, "Abraham Lincoln and the Structure of Reason", published by Savas Beatie in 2010. President Obama is using Abraham Lincoln's system. "Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln, and the Structure of Reason" shows hows this is done. Both Lincoln's and Obama's speeches can be demarcated into the six elements of a proposition. We should be reading complete speeches for all our presidents (and politicians). Dan Van Haften
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