We used these table topics at my home club – Chino Creek Toastmasters — and they provided a good challenge.
- Lincoln was the first president to have a beard. Would you vote for a presidential candidate with a beard? Why or why not?
- Lincoln, one week before his death, had a dream of someone crying in the White House, when he found the room; he looked in and asked who had passed away. The man in the room said the President. When he looked in the coffin it was his own face he saw. Do you believe dreams are anything more than random images? Have you ever had a dream that foretold the future?
- Lincoln’s home state was Illinois. Tell us about Illinois.
- Lincoln was an accomplished wrestler, defeated only once in approximately 300 matches. His grappling exploits earned him an “Outstanding American” honor in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Tell us what outstanding athlete nowadays you think would make a good president and why?
- Lincoln was the only president to have obtained a patent. After being aboard a steamboat that ran aground on low shoals and had to unload its cargo, Lincoln designed a method for keeping vessels afloat when traversing shallow waters through the use of empty metal air chambers attached to their sides. For his design, Lincoln obtained Patent No. 6,469 in 1849. What is more desirable in a president: Practical knowledge like Lincoln had, or book smarts like most presidents have had?
- Lincoln once said, “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” What is something about your mother that has stayed with you all your life?
- Lincoln once joked, “If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” In the age of multi-media, do presidential candidates have to physically attractive? Is this good or bad?