>> The co-founders of The Lincoln Project, also known as one of the biggest grifs in
politics right now made a media appearance on 60 minutes and they talked about the Republican
party as a whole. The party that they were once a part of may still be a public part
of, but they now talk about how Trump is so horrible when he's just mean and implements
standard Republican policies that have been a part of the GOP for a really long time.
So this is what bugged me about that appearance when Steve Schmidt who used to work for John
McCain's campaign, he said that he was asked about racism in the party and if he feels
like the Republicans and the party he was a part of helped create Donald Trump.
So Lesley Stahl on 60 minutes asked him do you bear any responsibility you personally
for bringing the country to where it is? And Steve Schmidt said, when I look at the party
and I see what it's become, I think I was naive about how deeply embedded the racism
issue was in the party.
Now if you'll recall when he worked on John McCain's campaign Sarah Palin was the vice
presidential nominee Sarah Palin was Trump before Trump was Trump. She was going in making
outrageous racist statements on the regular now Schmidt wasn't a fan of Pailin after he
picked her, he wrote a book about it.
I think it was game change, and then he grifted that way and now he's on MSNBC and he grifted
that way. And so I really don't like this. I don't like the normalization of people like
the Lincoln project one now that they're all over cable, they are building currency to
help influence the Biden administration.
And this over focus on never Trump Republicans is giving this false sense that this is actually
helping things when there have been studies done that positive messaging is actually what
influence voters when bind lays out his agenda and moves the needle on the very few people
are undecided at this.
This point, and negative anti-Trump messaging, just preaches to the choir appeals to people
who already don't like him and yeah, I get it gets clicks. Stop giving your money to
the Lincoln project, Boomer, MSNBC viewers. They are part of the problem, and all they
don't like about Donald Trump is his decorum and the fact that he's mean.
They love his tax post for the rich, they probably love Amy Coney deep down. I think
George Conway was a part of this anti-Trump Republican grit, tweeted positive things about
her. They love all of the wars and the racism. One of these Lincoln Project guys, Rick Wilson
tweeted horrific things about Muslims.
They're all in the same team, this is just a new way for them to make money. So normalizing
them just because they piss off Trump a little bit. It doesn't help electorally, it just
trolls him, and it's not worth it. I think those things happening in politics right now.
>> Yeah, so after say post election, what is now becomes their positioning? It seems
like this group popped up for the sake of angering Trump to a degree that he takes part
in a lot of stuff ownage, which he kind of does on his own. But someone nudges him a
little bit and it gives them the opportunity to punch myself in the face a little bit harder
or give himself a three piece combo to his face rather than just a simple jab.
So that could be seen as one aspect of it. Maybe not looking to change the the narrative
for changing anyone's minds because how many people really speaking to the choir?. Honestly,
there is a huge I love that you point out the MSNBC establishment Democratic voter a
fan base or at least that constituency because I do think that group gets overlooked a lot.
As they find themselves not really into progressive policies anti-Bernie type of rhetoric or saying,
look, we're coming. We wanna be Democratic, but we don't wanna be Progressive because
progressive starts leaning towards socialism and socialism leads, and they buy into all
of those narratives. So honestly, I don't know if they have the opportunity to get shoved
too far to the right.
And then somehow Lincoln Project gives them a reason to not find anything that's nice
or fun or, honestly human about Donald Trump. I wonder what role they play after this happens
cuz honestly, I think in this election cycle they're kind of an entity of their own. And
as you point out, they're not changing anything mind.
So, is it really hurting or is it just kind of a nice, it's almost like a commercial break
every once in a while. I'll look at this ad. That's funny. Trump's gonna really get mad
at that. >> Yeah, and they've been looked into their
finances and they have like 90% overhead where they just kinda hang out and go to hotels.
I mean, it is a grift. And I also don't like this brand of liberalism. That is basically
personified by the elitism of the MSNBC crowd that you talk about, right? Where it's just
about feeling superior without really standing for anything. And that's what neoliberal centrism
is. It's just about an intellectually superior.
I know better, but wait, I lost the election to that buffoon. That clown that did appeal
to people. While I felt superior when that doesn't mean anything, electorial and it will
hurt the party in the long run when you go down that road of constantly dunking on people
for while being stupid and failing and now Trump failed.
He farted all over himself or whatever he does, right? He's got to make your case and
allowing people like this into the room and giving DC the perception that they're making
a difference when they aren't making a difference means that they think now that this is the
right way to go to win over people when it's not doing anything.
Because people in DC don't understand voters, not just the Lincoln Project, but now there's
this aura, the Lincoln projects really helping. This must be a real thing. It's not making
your case progressive policies, having a vision for the future. That's what makes a difference.
And Biden is currently winning by default because Trump is so horrible.
That's an anomaly. It's not what's gonna be a good game plan going forward.
>> As long as they kind of disappear after it happens I'm honestly I'm kind of okay with
them angering Trump because, look, the Biden campaign isn't doing much because they don't
have to, as you pointed out earlier during the main show.
It's kind of like winning by default because of the degree of incompetence that the Trump
administration has carried out ot get. Not for three and a half, almost four years worth
of disaster that anybody can run against. It's what the Hillary campaign thought they
were getting to so they thought they'd have to do anything.
>> Right. >> Because it's such seemingly, maybe they're
just to be there to create a little bit of buzz and anger around this guy's head for
him to respond to because really, they can't mess it up. So can they really?
>> My point is, I think they are trying to curry favor with a Biden administration that
is already likely to want to work with Republicans.
That's been Biden's entire career. And I do think, normalizing moderate Republicanism
to the average liberal voter when in reality it's all the same thing. It's just a different
packaging, right? >> Well, I guess. So we'll see how much the
party embraces them If they do win and also what kind of policies be injected cuz progressives
like us are always talking about.
Yeah, in the meantime, we didn't get the right nominee in place. But if we get someone in
place where there's some level of influence that can be exerted on the test, the best
we got right now, and still, we're not gonna end the fight on getting actual progressives
in office.
But until then, so I mean now the battle lines might be drawn between Lincoln Project Republicans
who have influence on the bottom ministration and And then progressives like us. We're trying
to have an influence on the Biden ministration. So we'll see. That's where the fight lies
next.