Abraham Lincoln was not very successful in his early political days. He ran for office in 1832, but did not get a seat in the Illinois legislature until 1834. In 1849, Lincoln had held 4 consecutive terms in the Illinois legislature and had a seat in the US Congress. Abe Lincoln didn't run for any political office in 1854, as his interest in politics was deteriorating. In 1856, Lincoln chose to become a Republican in order to keep Buchanan out of office, but was not successful. 1860 was good year for him as he was elected 16th President of the United States.
The main problem Lincoln faced during his 4-year tenure as president was due to the issue of slavery and secession of states from the Union. He strove to preserve and protect the Union.
No matter how bad the situation seemed to Lincoln, he had a vision of a better world, and let that inspire him and others to rebuild. This made people believe in the unity of a nation and freedom for all protected under the Constitution.
The two groups I would be trying to unite is Republicans and Democrats. I would take a very neutral position in order not to offend either side. I would keep in mind what I want to come out of this so I would not get upset about little obstacles, but rather keep in mind my long term goal in order to accomplish bigger and better things. I would feel caught in the middle for trying to please two unlike-minded people at the same time.