We need spokespeople like this guy. Party, schmarty, he is good!!!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

?

[elleng]

1. EXACTLY!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

4. "Trump makes our allies tremble and our adversaries cheer."

"James Buchanan is smiling down from heaven that he is no longer America's worst president."

[gibraltar72]

2. I certainly hope they don't do one about his batting average.

[smirkymonkey]

3. K&R

[LuckyCharms]

5. I love listening to him.

[BComplex]

6. Holy Crap! Schmidt totally eviscerated trump!! Beautiful to watch!

This needs to be played all over social media until it is the preeminent characterization ever give of donald trump.

Wow. Beautiful.

[Coventina]

7. Here's my issue with these Lincoln guys: Yes, they are good at criticizing Trump, BUT

THEY NEVER, EVER (from anything I've heard or seen) hold the REPUBLICAN PARTY RESPONSIBLE FOR ENABLING HIM!!!!

WHERE IS THE CRITICISM OF MCCONNELL??

WHERE IS THE CRITICISM OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN GENERAL FOR LETTING THIS HAPPEN!?!?!?!?!?

To me, this is like scolding a 2 year old (which Trump basically is) without holding his parents responsible for letting the little tyrant loose.

I'll praise them when I start seeing/hearing them do that.

Until then, I. Don't. Care.

[rampartc]

8. +1 they are never trumpers

i like that they are doing this, but it is all that we can, or should, expect of them.

[Coventina]

9. But see, "never-Trumpers" is meaningless if they aren't talking about reforming the GOP.

Because it's just going to happen again, and again, and again.


In fact, Steve Schmidt is one of the worst enablers of them all.

HE ALLOWED SARAH PALIN TO HAPPEN! Which, I would argue, only led to Trump and his ilk being taken seriously.

Fuck that guy.

[rampartc]

11. i do not disagree

[Coventina]

12. I apologize if I came off as yelling at you. That wasn't my intention.

I just grow weary of the many DU threads I see praising these guys.
To me, it's all meaningless, and it irks me that DUers fall for it.

[rampartc]

13. i know

we should never mistake these reptiles as decent people, but if they want to help take down trump i will stay out of their way. if trump loses we may pick up a few needed sears on congress and the states. if he wins he will certainly drag in a new brood.

if you need someone to yell at, go ahead. i've been married 40 years and doubt you'll say something i haven't heard.

[Coventina]

14. Thanks for the chuckle.

And, I do agree with the "stay out of their way" approach.

[rampartc]

15. i almost deleted that last part.

[Leith]

19. I'm with you on that

Where were these guys (and Nicole Wallace) when Newt and his gang were demonizing Democrats and President Clinton?

They were joining them and working their butts off to demonize, write editorials, work on campaigns, and, to paraphrase: They built that.

Until anyone who called him or herself a Republican at any time since the Reagan era should explain why they did that.

[Caliman73]

16. 100% Agree.

Trump is the natural off shoot of conservative ideology. He is the lazy incompetent scion of an aristocratic family who ascends to the throne. Literally, conservatives are the advocates for the restoration of monarchical systems of government, except they have replaced divinely selected bloodlines with divinely selected capitalists.

While it is good to see the infighting, I agree that this is bigger than Trump. This is about the moral, ethical, and political bankruptcy of conservative/Republican ideology.

[scarletwoman]

22. I've seen interviews with Rick Wilson (another Lincoln Project founder) where he has renounced

the Republican party and called for its destruction.

[Coventina]

23. I'll admit: I know less about Rick Wilson than Steve Schmidt.

So, I am glad to hear that at least one has left the GOP.

[kentuck]

10. Democrats should not be ashamed to "borrow" that message.

Donald Trump is too incompetent to be President. No one has a monopoly or a trademark on the obvious truths. He does make "our allies tremble and our adversaries cheer". He is dangerous to the national security of this nation. Anything else needed?

[abakan]

17. Before I heap accolades on this man...

I have to question his judgment and objective. He after all is responsible for the Palin nomination.

[zentrum]

18. Yup. Exactly what we need.

[spanone]

20. BRAVO!

[LiberalLovinLug]

21. Can the Democratic Party contract out a few Never Trumpers to work for Joe's campaign?

Democrats themselves are still clutching their pearls afraid of Fox News if they dare to be too mean. Republicans like Schmidt have had decades of practice. And yes, he will switch back over once a smarter Republican gets elected.

He was ruthless against Obama and will be again against Democrats:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/31/uselections2008.barackobama

The current mastermind of the Republican attack machine is known as the Bullet. He is Steve Schmidt, a protégé of Bush's guru, Karl Rove. Nicknamed for his results as much as his bald head, he made his name as commander of the war room that wiped out Democrat John Kerry in 2004. Brought in to shake things up in July, Schmidt imposed discipline on a disorganised campaign. He dissuaded McCain from his off-the-cuff chats with reporters, and honed the focus solely on making Obama unelectable.

Schmidt works on the principles of repeating simple messages loudly and often. Ads attack Obama as a 'celebrity' or a faux-messiah. By doing so they hope to turn Obama's greatest strength - his ability to inspire - into a fatal flaw. That is backed up by another line: that Obama is simply not fit to be president. NotReady08 is the name of a website set up by the campaign. The language can be harsh. 'We are in the hunt for the White House. Barack Obama is going to have to step up with more than a smart tongue, snappy words and a nice suit,' said Maryland Republican politician Michael Steele.

But dammit, why are the most effective voices NOT affiliated with the party? Schmidt, Navarro, even Michael fricking Avenatti puts any elected Democrat to shame, ffs.

[Pepsidog]

24. You nailed it. Never Trumpers are the beat attack dogs.

[erronis]

25. And where were these "Never" (r)epuglicons during Nixon, Reagan and Bush 1, 2?

I'm leery of any messaging that makes self-identified (r)epuglicons look like they are against one of their own tribe.

Primatology tells us that us apes are perfectly capable of switching allegiances as the winds shift.

Admittedly there are no studies that I know of that mark (r)epuglicons as a separate species with unique genetic material. But there are many that show that a particular mind-set (conservative, fearful, protective, adulterous) are associated with types that gravitate to the (r)epressive ideologies.

Very few conservative pundits have hied to their conservative roots after W. Most have grown old and decayed. Some bleat a few times to try to stay in the game.