On January 1 , the nation will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation , which legally freed slaves in the secessionist Southern states . Wade Henderson : January 1 is 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation . He says GOP should look to Lincoln , a canny politician who led moral battles on civil rights . He says GOP has history of civil rights support that it has largely abandoned in recent years . Henderson : In 2012 , with minority voters unimpressed ; GOP should return to Lincoln .
Wade Henderson : January 1 is 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation . He says GOP should look to Lincoln , a canny politician who led moral battles on civil rights . He says GOP has history of civil rights support that it has largely abandoned in recent years . Henderson : In 2012 , with minority voters unimpressed ; GOP should return to Lincoln .