# The Lincoln Project **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 10, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550 "2020-05-10T20:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/161 "2020-08-12T22:15:21Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Could it mean that more Americans have died in the last 3 months than any prior 3 month period? I might believe that. I would assume that’s what’s meant. The comparison is with other three-month periods–including during wars or during other epidemics. It’s _not_ a claim about all Americans who have died since America was founded. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/162 "2020-08-12T22:26:44Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > They are perfectly aware of that. Those trump-or-death folks (although now it is trump- _and_ -death) are not the target. They want to sway trump voters who are ambivalent now. There are plenty of those. In the swing states we only need say 5% of those folks to vote Dem or stay home. No, I feel Trump voters can also be the target for these ads. Nobody became a Trump voter by using their brain. By voting for Trump they demonstrated they’re motivated by people shouting slogans at them. So they’re the kind of people who will change what they believe based on what a twenty second ad tells them. You could probably cut well into Trump’s base by telling them Biden’s got electrolytes. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/163 "2020-08-12T22:31:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You could probably cut well into Trump’s base by telling them Biden’s got electrolytes. - Wouldn’t work. Even a Trumpist knows he doesn’t want to be electrocuted. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/164 "2020-08-12T22:49:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, I feel Trump voters can also be the target for these ads. > > Nobody became a Trump voter by using their brain. By voting for Trump they demonstrated they’re motivated by people shouting slogans at them. So they’re the kind of people who will change what they believe based on what a twenty second ad tells them. You could probably cut well into Trump’s base by telling them Biden’s got electrolytes. I think any zero-information voters they snag are gravy. But who knows? They’re Republicans, whom I assume know a lot more about Republicans than I do. I come from an era in which Republicans were the boring party, not the fascist party. So I’m kinda clueless. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/165 "2020-08-12T23:17:11Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > The comparison is with other three-month periods–including during wars or during other epidemics. It’s _not_ a claim about all Americans who have died since America was founded But that doesn’t allow the juveniles to go “har har, what a maroon!” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/166 "2020-08-12T23:19:12Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > But who knows? They’re Republicans, whom I assume know a lot more about Republicans than I do. That’s what I’ve been thinking about some of the ads. They don’t appeal to me at all, having no information and seeming to only vaguely imply something I can’t put my finger on, so they don’t appeal to me. But then I saw an ad Trump put out for himself, and it did the same thing. It was just negative sounding music with pictures of Biden, with the only ones that had any sort of message near the end. Yet the context I saw them was someone saying “Finally, an effective Trump ad!” in all sincerity. It seems they do get those ads. They’re throwing in the same dogwhistles I may not even notice. I think the Dems should study their tactics for next time (assuming they’re effective). Apparently something as simple as negative music and black and white images can be effective for them. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/167 "2020-08-12T23:53:21Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > The comparison is with other three-month periods–including during wars or during other epidemics. It’s _not_ a claim about all Americans who have died since America was founded > > But that doesn’t allow the juveniles to go “har har, what a maroon!” Admittedly the Lincoln Project ad’s language was ambiguous; the sentence could have used a bit of polishing. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/168 "2020-08-13T04:45:49Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > The comparison is with other three-month periods–including during wars or during other epidemics. It’s _not_ a claim about all Americans who have died since America was founded > > But that doesn’t allow the juveniles to go “har har, what a maroon!” If somebody actually says this, look them in the eye and tell them with a straight face that it’s true; more Americans have died in the last three months than have died in all of our nation’s history prior to that. Tell them they can look it up and verify it’s true. It’s not true of course. But these guys are dumb. Odds are they have a history of getting caught not knowing basic facts. If you look certain they’ll start having doubts. A strong bluff and they’ll crumble. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/169 "2020-08-13T08:25:02Z")
I did indicate that it was a point of pedantry. Political ads are rarely accurate, let alone specific; the sentence is in there to be scary. I mean, what are the Trump campaign going to do - get into a debate about how many people actually died in the last three months? I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/170 "2020-08-13T23:57:11Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@mikecurtis](#): > > > > > [@Sherrerd](#): > > > > > > The comparison is with other three-month periods–including during wars or during other epidemics. It’s _not_ a claim about all Americans who have died since America was founded > > > > But that doesn’t allow the juveniles to go “har har, what a maroon!” > > If somebody actually says this, look them in the eye and tell them with a straight face that it’s true; more Americans have died in the last three months than have died in all of our nation’s history prior to that. Tell them they can look it up and verify it’s true. > > It’s not true of course. But these guys are dumb. Odds are they have a history of getting caught not knowing basic facts. If you look certain they’ll start having doubts. A strong bluff and they’ll crumble. Sure. But then I’d have to be taking showers pretty much continuously, in a vain attempt to wash off the stink of having behaved like a Trump-enabler (by deliberately lying). The water bill would be prohibitive. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/171 "2020-08-18T04:04:53Z")
The Lincoln Project is the best support Biden has. This could be his introductory video for his nomination acceptance speech. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kxBca4eGmcM/maxresdefault.jpg "Dad") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBca4eGmcM) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/172 "2020-08-18T04:33:13Z")
That’s a moving video. I mean, I knew all that about Joe Biden, but to have it starkly presented like that, with pictures, is pretty powerful. I especially like that this video isn’t about Trump. They leave it to the viewer to come up with a Trump story to match Biden’s … and there is none, from a man whose best-known expression of paternal care is to say he’d like to fuck his daughter if she weren’t his offspring. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/173 "2020-08-18T04:46:01Z")
I thought it was an interesting pivot from the ads which seem purely intended to upset Trump. I don’t think it is a coincidence that this came out on the first convention day. It’s just a pure pro-Biden ad. It didn’t tell me anything new but like all of their ads, it’s well done. It does eliminate one of the problems he has overcome, the near fatal cerebral aneurysm and brain bleed he survived but I think that given Trump’s criticism of his mental status, they want to conveniently forget that although it’s also a tribute to Biden that he recovered from that. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/174 "2020-08-18T07:57:05Z")
It’s sad as hell, but Biden kept going. And imagine! The audacity of raising his own family?? Should have six nannies, (one who’s a mistress) and should be suing everyone to make headlines until the cases are dropped. This is fake ne… Oh, wait. I’ve wandered into the Trump house by mistake. Biden, Lewis, Obama, countless others who made a career of politics WITH a successful family life, even in tragedy, is a commitment unknown to any Trump family member or supporter. It’s one quality I’ve always attributed to Joe. Would probably attribute that to John McCain, too. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2020, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/175 "2020-08-18T10:22:35Z")
Not sure about John McCain after how he treated his first wife but he gets a bit of a pass because of the POW thing. However much I respect him, though, I’m not holding him up as an example for family life. Even he admitted that he treated her badly by cheating on her so much. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/176 "2020-08-19T04:12:41Z")
I do think the fact he realized how unfair he was too his first wife is important. He was trying to deal with his POW years and the torture and acted badly. I think later he realized that and it was due to issues he didn’t deal with appropriately. It doesn’t excuse the behavior but it’s something. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2020, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/177 "2020-08-19T04:21:40Z")
And he called his second wife the c-word … in public. Not the greatest guy. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2020, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/178 "2020-08-19T04:30:16Z")
Wow, really? And he never apologized? And there wasn’t some incredibly exonerating reason for it? (Hard to imagine what that might be, but I have a good imagination.) I’d be curious to get context for your claim, as well as an understanding of why his daughter stood by him in light of that rather terrible behavior (assuming of course that it’s true and there are no extenuating circumstances). ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2020, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/179 "2020-08-19T04:35:29Z")
Speaking of context, here is a relatively contemporaneous HuffPost account: > **[When McCain Called His Wife The "C" Word](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/when-mccain-called-his-wi_b_139624?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACLlQa1RpXBRahta5iO0I3VsmABHTPD55Yh5SiozTMDQLZ0srV_jea9MATVMhRRK-jFiiKzXKFxKN3f7_TVFA0QhNbFWm3maPSeYQ4WNfPK17y0eEV9IebeF6DCSa8KqszBRPWBSp3viIQ5p5urVRMtXZ0JkaFUyFtmgfVdngSkb)** > > When McCain Called His Wife The "C" Word ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2020, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550/180 "2020-08-19T11:11:00Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > I thought it was an interesting pivot from the ads which seem purely intended to upset Trump. Oh, this is designed to upset Trump too. And I’d love to be a fly in the room when Don Jr and Eric watch this. We know that Trump has been an appalling father to at least three of his five children - he may be in denial but deep down he knows he doesn’t measure up by this metric either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-lincoln-project/853550.md?page=10)