who actively work to defeat Trump?

Last edited Wed Jul 1, 2020, 08:39 PM - Edit history (2)

and not be allowed back in the party and then join with democrats and make the party more moderate or lose their careers or they could be heroes to the reformed republican party that results be it reformed in one way or another. This is a republican writing i think. He has Cotton as one of the leaders of a version of the renewed republican party. Seems this writer is hoping for the option of a populist Republican party that does the same things as Trump but is more sophisticated in how they go about it.

I like the ads, sure, and there is a certain satisfaction in knowing that they are being seen by lots and lots of voters.

But how smart is it to allow republicans, even moderate republicans, to be our mouthpieces?

There's lots of tut-tut-ing here quoting "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", but the biggest frustration here is the outsourcing of hard-hitting messaging to the very people who built the road Trump is drag racing on.

Every second of air time talking with Steve Schmidt or Rick Wilson or Charlie Sykes is time denied to our people to set the narrative. We have people who can do that, but they've been crowded out by the connections and "man bites dog" angle of the NeverTrumpers.

as Schmidt, Wilson or (to a lesser degree) Sykes at consistently ripping Trump apart.

The NeverTrumpers have the connections they've built up over decades of working on Republican campaigns and in conservative media. They can tap into people who don't care for Trump, can see what disaster he can bring to the Republicans, and back them financially.

On our side? I can name a bunch of bloggers who've been on the attack but have been jeered at as "alarmist" and "not pragmatic" to the point they're burned out. Their problem was being right "too early."

And more recently? Well, tell me who these guys are:

and these guys



and these guys



Why don't we know their names?

There are more. People who make ads for candidates (we've seen good, hard-hitting ads over the years), activist videographers (we've seen plenty of them too, over the years), writers who know how to tell a story, a story that unequivocally paints the Republicans as bad guys. People who recognize how conservative media has worked to frame the terms of the debate and are willing to undermine that the way they've done it to us.

We don't know their names because they're off on their own trying to eke out a living, a situation that rarely includes publicists. But you can bet your bottom dollar the NeverTrumpers have people flacking to get their faces on camera, to help them push their own views, at every turn.

...will welcome them back in a hot second.

They form a new party and doom the right wing to irrelevance until one side or the other establishes clear dominance and eliminates the other. I look forward to the "Lincoln Project Wing" vs. the "MAGA Wing" battle for years down the road. (Fingers crossed!)

If the MAGA crowd blame the Lincoln Project people enough for Trump's loss, they could hold a grudge...

The GOP is demographically becoming obsolete and so are there policies and politics.

Something has to give along those lines since their trumpian power grab may not work well for them.

Accept that they will be a sane, minority Party that is ineffectual in public policy. At least for a generation or 2.

The real question is what happens to them if Trump resigns before the GE?

Will the “White Power” red-hat-wearing, confederate-flag-waving, MAGAT let them back in? Especially if trump keeps a megaphone of some sort—AM radio, reality TV, etc. ?

If they blame Lincoln project people for hurting their great leaders fee-fees and causing him to lose in 2020, what shape will their wrath (and votes) take?

If Mitt is the GOP nominee in 2024 (you know he wants it!) will the MAGATS forgive and forget? I feel like they will not...

Lincoln Project is other than some “traitors stirring shit”, and if Trump goes, they will just melt back into society and not care.

I think everyone, Republicans too, can agree Trump is the worst thing to ever happen to America so at least Lincoln Project isn’t just blowing smoke, they are on the correct side of history. That keeps them edgy and legitimate.

As far as 2024, all will be forgotten and the slate will be clean. Democrats have to be sure their agenda is solid and indestructible. I don’t think Republicans memories will let them remember Trump. They will go right back to debt and deficit BS and wanting to cut SS and everything else.

The Lincoln people, I think, are insulted by Trump and know he is killing the GOP and are riding a popular wave against him. I just don’t see them really attacking GOP policies. I don’t trust they will stay in our corner past Trump.

But (and I hope this is true) if trump and his red hats hold a grudge, and if trump maintains some mouthpiece, will he take revenge on people he thinks wronged him? And will the redhats stay trump followers or will they turn to whoever the republicans put up?

The answers to those questions could make 2022/24 very very interesting.

to pick up the tattered and burnt vestiges of their party and re-invent themselves.

The people involved with the Lincoln Project are the intelligent ones. Some of them have been no Trumpers from the beginning. I would also venture to say that the ones who have gone mostly silent, like the Bush family and the Cheney family and many of their supporters know they can’t proceed with the present Republican tactics. They have to go back to supporting candidates like Eisenhower and Lincoln and do some serious Presidenting. The reason I say this is because men like Cheney were leaders in working to make the US the sole Military Superpower in the world. Trump has ruined that possibility because he’s weakened our military standing in NATO and the world.

The Republicans must rebuild or be insignificant for decades. The Republican Party right now is weak and ineffective on every level because of their throwing themselves at Trump’s feet to be trampled on. The red states are the ones who are being the most devastated by the pandemic. It’s going to take a lot longer for them to recover from stupidly trying to open.

The insane thing for them to do would be to continue McConnell’s grim reaper plans. He’s been worse for the Republicans than even Trump. And he’s too mean and vengeful to stop. He’s sold his soul, not to the Republicans, but to money and wealth and the power that it brings to him. He’s like Gollum, lustfully hissing, “My preciousss!!”. Even for a Republican he’s lost his way.

They aren’t going to be welcomed back unless the GOP drastically changes. They are running ads against Senators as well. It will be an odd transition for them.

cleaning up republican messes is a way of life for us. And this one's a doozy. We will prevail and overcome though.

look like: Democratic Party, the TeaParty GOP, and a right-centrist GOP. What would that mean in the future? Would Dems control everything for a period? If so, how long? Or would most of the R-leaning I’s vote for right/center Rs while many Tea Partiers come to their senses at the same time and move toward the center, making the Tea Party element obsolete and returning the GOP to a more collaborative, less partisan right centrist party? What about centrist Dems? Would a growing progressive element motivate some drift toward centrist GOP candidates? Or will we just reboot to 2000-2016 and run the cycle all over again? A lot to think, wonder and speculate about.

I’m concerned more about the average republicans who will vote Democratic got the first time. But not that concerned.

I know the fear is that if lots of republicans join the Democratic Party it will move us right.

I disagree. The ones who can’t change will go right back to being republicans. But people can and do change. I, like many here on DU were republicans when younger. But once the scales fall off our eyes we changed and realized it was all lies. I was a moderate republican. Now I call myself a Social Democrat. The few republicans I know who are not voting for trump also want to see the $600 unemployment benefit extended and also to make healthcare available for everyone. They realize having insurance tied to your job can wipe out a life’s savings. Sure, it took a selfish reason, but it is an improvement. A year ago these people would have never had supported these policies. And of course, none of them are religious nuts.

If trump loses it is going to be entertaining to watch that party especially if they also lose the senate.

I think there is going to be a war.

Yeah, and careful-what-we-wish-for, fine. Just having that even BRIEF period of his being GONE out of our lives will be an enjoyment to be TRIED!1

...from Mr. Toad and his wild ride.

First order of business will to make sure a "Trump" never again gets the nomination.

Then they will have to rebuild. Move to the center and call it the new right. The "old angry white guy" demographic is going to die off, so they don't need them anymore.