“I get my role as a former national chairman. I get it, but I’m an American. I get my role as a former party leader. I’m still an American,” Steele told Wallace, adding, “And these things matter to me more than aligning myself with a party that has clearly decided it would rather be sycophantic than principled.”
It was weird to see that director Jon Turteltaub (“National Treasure”, “Phenomenon”, etc.) was part of the group and involved in some of the video production. I never knew his politics but thought his films were fun.
Steele is Mr. Affability, and as such, a good public face for the group–at least for viewers who are made nervous by anger. Michael Steele, whether through natural gift or studied effort, basically never projects anger.
If the Lincoln Project and the Hilariously named Republicans for Truth want to try to deprogram their fellow cultists I wish them Godspeed, but they need no attention from non-Republicans or the normal-people media to do that job.
The publicity surrounding their efforts is a transparent attempt to rehabilitate their reputations for later, when order is restored.
The ones who will need reputation-repair are those who are still defending and enabling Trump. Those who stopped doing that despite the expectations of “party loyalty,” will have no need of rehabilitation.
Okay, so explain how they could do that without generating any “publicity”. Any such effort, of necessity, needs to be accessible to tens of millions of US citizens. And let’s not forget, those people will not seek it out - it must be pushed on them. How exactly would you accomplish that, without it being seen, and subsequently commented upon, by all the other US citizens?
I agree. The essence of their goal is to be seen to be doing what they’re doing----which is the opposite of “going along to get along.”
Anyone who stands publicly opposed to collaborationists (such as Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell et al), is reasonably “rehabilitated” in my view. It’s always easier to stay quiet and go along with the powers that be, which in this case is Trump and his enablers.
Lincoln Project video from several weeks ago, but I just stumbled upon it today: “Nationalist Geographic”, describing the rare endangered Small-Pawed Trump, Impotus Americanus.
Common name: Trump
Type: Narcissistic Sociopath
Diet: Human Souls (but later in the video, its diet is identified as Fast Food)
These guys are great trolls but that seems all they’re doing. The videos go viral but what’s viral today will be forgotten tomorrow.
I think they get too much credit because they’re so in your face but people working on the ground to drive up voting registration are doing more tangible work to get Democrats elected. Betomania collapsed but even if he is no longer going to be a candidate he’s still doing a lot of important things now in Texas to generate turn out for Biden and down ballot. Win Texas and Trump is done.
They don’t really care very much about who wins, their primary interest in to line their own pockets. The Conservative side of the spectrum is already saturated with scam PACs. So they are going after the relatively untapped Liberal side.
Their ads are really targeted at Liberals who hate Trump, love to see ads about how bad he is, and are willing to open their wallets to people who they think will spread their message. Meanwhile the Lincoln project board members are raking in the dough.
I view the Lincoln ads the same way I view Randy Rainbow, as well done partisan entertainment, but I am skeptical about whether they are really having any significant effect on the election.