Pajiba: "There are no bigger grifters than The Lincoln Project"

[Bucky]

I know I've caught flack on DU for bad mouthing the Lincoln Project in the past. My main complaint is that their attacks are, in typical Republican politics, almost exclusively ad hominem attacks.

They talk about his philandering, but are silent about children being locked in cages. They ridicule him for being in debt and lying about his wealth, but never question the massive tax cuts he's used to bankrupt our children's future. They gut him on the cronyism and corruption that he funnels through his creepy children, but don't make a peep about climate change or court packing.

They tell us all the nasty things we want to hear about Trump, but they're critique it doesn't seem to go beyond the juicy gossip stage--they're just a different wrinkle on the politics of personality that Republicans have been using to diminish America's political debates for the last two generations.

In a world that needs to eat broccoli and whole grain bread, they're handing out sugar pills and diet soda. Now here's an article arguing they're mostly in it for the money and they're almost as corrupt as Trump.

The Lincoln Project Is The Biggest Grift Of Them All

{T}here are no bigger grifters than The Lincoln Project, the Never Trumpers who have been creating viral, anti-Trump ads all year long. We love those viral videos, because they effectively dunk on Trump (using low-hanging fruit), even if they don’t move the needle very much. However, the Lincoln Project in and of itself is its own kind of grift, one that exploits liberals (including myself!) and Democrats who want to believe that there are good Republicans.

[Thekaspervote]

1. 👎👎👎👎👎👎

[dawg day]

2. Let's get past November 3rd.

Then we can all revert to being adversaries.
They are good at satirizing Trump, and getting his goat, and that's worthwhile in the moment.

How are they grifters? That usually implies they're stealing money.
I don't donate to them, so I didn't even look into that.

[Hoyt]

3. Right now, darn glad they are bashing trump.

[Bucky]

6. Of course they're not moving the needle. They're just sucking up money from Democrats

They might be technically allies, but the money donated to them by Democrats that could otherwise go to useful causes and candidates. They're overpaying their officers, they're not moving the needle, and they're sucking up airtime that could be used making arguments against what Trump and all Republicans are standing for.

If their allies, that doesn't mean they're not dead weight

[CanonRay]

13. The needle has moved

and I'm pretty sure it wasn't policy positions. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[Bucky]

15. The needle is moved because of policy positions. Specifically Trump's

[Takket]

23. they aren't moving the needle?

Bullshit.

Lincoln project is a household name now and their commercials are widely distributed across social media. And they aren't just limiting their ads to drumpf either. They are helping us swing the Senate by going after his enablers like Ernst and Graham too.

and the DNC has more money than they even know how to spend, so your "sucking up funds from Dem candidates that need it" line of hyperbole is pointless. Here's my link with proof to back up what I say. Where's yours?

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-10-17/record-breaking-fundraising-senate

[Olafjoy]

4. The enemy of my enemy is my friend ❤️❤️

[Bucky]

7. Except when anti-trump donor dollars that can go to our candidates go to them instead

Then they are a drain on our resources

[Volaris]

37. Possibly more appropriate to say 'the enemy of my enemy is.. not my enemy, TODAY.'

Those trump-killing knives are going to be damned sharp after he leaves office. We need to be prepared for the possibility that LP will use them to shiv Democratic Party policy proposals that they dont like AS REPUBLICANS.

They will have a lot of clout for the next few years, and we need to make damn sure they're not using it against us, and the rules and laws that the majority want us to pass BECAUSE THATS WHY THEY ELECTED US.

dont get me wrong. I love me some rick wilson, steve schmidt, and nicole wallace. They're smart and I value their experience and opinions. But that's only possible for me because I'm constantly reminding myself of where they came from, AND THAT THEYRE REPUBLICANS. Actual PATRIOTIC Republicans, to be sure, but still and always, GOP.

[Clash City Rocker]

5. Bigger than Trump? Bull.

If you want to keep the kid gloves on and give Trump a chance of winning, knock yourself out. The Lincoln Project attacks Trump in ways that resonate with Republicans and Independents. Democrats need to learn from them.

[Bucky]

9. I imagine you skipped over my comment "almost as corrupt as Trump"

Which is fair. No one is obliged to agree with me.

But there's no evidence there actually appealing to Independents or Republicans. If you draw comfort from their personal attacks on a guy we all loathe, so be it.

Just don't pretend they're moving the needle. And obviously don't give them any money

[Takket]

8. who gives a fuck?

why are you posting this shit?

They are helping us win. No, i don't expect them to be out there uplifting Dems for the rest of time but we complain on DU about none of the rethugs having any backbone to stand up to drumpf and put country over party, well HERE THEY ARE doing it, and you want to rip into them?

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

I swear i love my party and believe in our ideals but often times we are our own worst enemy.

[secondwind]

10. hear, hear.......

[Bucky]

12. There's no evidence there helping us win

It's an old Republican trick. Tell people what they want to hear and then hit them up for money.

If there's any evidence theyre being effective, I'd welcome seeing it. I think they're preaching to the choir.

Honestly, I don't see how I'm telling you this makes me the Democrats' "worst enemy". I'm telling you don't be a sucker by giving them any money

[chia]

20. +1000

[octoberlib]

11. They're not just doing ads. They have people in Swing states like Florida where

Mike Madrid is working with Bernie Sanders' Latino outreach director. In fact , they have people in all the swing states we need to win the electoral college. They also have partnered with seesay2020.com to report and monitor voter suppression. They've been working with Jaime Harrison's super pac to produce ads.



I could fucking care less about any of this criticism. Right now they're working to elect Biden and I care about nothing else.

[Bucky]

14. If that's the case, I'm happy

That said, I still wouldn't give them any money

[Spazito]

26. Fine, don't give them money...

problem solved for you.

[Newest Reality]

16. Boo!

[beachbumbob]

17. I gather you rather see these folks run ads against Biden and democrats geesh

[Under The Radar]

18. Don't you understand that they are republicans?

Just a few months ago I was being slandered on here because I supported Biden and didn’t support Warren or Sanders. Those same people spoke of Joe about the same way Trumpers are today. However, I can’t expect Biden to be elected by just the number of his early supporters and I have to ignore the criticisms of others to expect there to be any gain on behalf of all liberals. The same applies to all Americans. Yes the Lincoln Boys are conservative, but they too are for a better America than what Trump has given us, and that just happens to be what Biden is selling.

[Ponietz]

19. "Pajiba: an independent entertainment website"

The “biggest grift of them all”? Hyperbole much? Pajiba is, itself, a snobby internet gossip rag.

[2naSalit]

25. +1

[hlthe2b]

21. Had FDR taken this stance with allies of necessity like Stalin, Hitler may have prevailed in WWII

Wait the F>>k until we inaugurate a new Democratic President and hopefully Senate full of D's, then I' will not say a word to you in whatever you might wish to post re: TLP. But until then, this is stupid and without justification.

I remember what my grandmother used to say about those who "would bite off their noses to spite their face." You would not like to hear it.

[aidbo]

22. IMO their ads are targeted at liberals who hate trump.

Ie: they’re targeting people who hate trump already, so those folks will donate to them. They’re not changing any trumpers’ minds with their ads.

[zipplewrath]

29. Hardening them

I agree, they aren't changing the minds of Trump leaning voters, and in fact may be hardening them in their Trump support. They entertain people who already are opposed to Trump.

[JI7]

24. lol

[Dream Girl]

27. Whatever. Don't care.

[brooklynite]

28. You don't understand their strategy

Their goal isn't to discuss policy matters to get undecided voters to make a thoughtful choice, and its not to make Biden supporters feel good. Their goal is to provoke Trump into another outburst with direct personal attacks, to convey the message (even to his supporters): "Do you REALLY want to go through four more years of this?

[ProfessorGAC]

33. +1 (nt)

[Leith]

30. They go low so we don't have to

I don't care if TLP are grifters or not. As far as I'm concerned, they are giving us quality entertainment for the donations.

As for turning on us, they've burnt their rethug bridges to the ground. They can't go back.

[Volaris]

38. Very true. Steve Schmidt likened it to explorers burning their ships upon arrival to the new world.

A fine decision to FORCE the building of something new; under most circumstances, I'd approve.

But let's just make damn sure that democratic party policy proposals don't end up playing the role of native peoples in their 'quest', yes?

[GeorgeGist]

31. Do they whine about the commies that helped crush Hitler?

[TwilightZone]

32. Pajiba? lol, no.

When I look for astute political analysis, my first source is always a pop-culture website.

[ecstatic]

34. Their audience is republicans, not us

We don't fully understand what makes rethugs tick, but they do. If repugs/rethugs/etc were interested in the same things that energize us, TLP would NOT be needed and trump would not have made it past the GOP primaries in 2016.

[Boogiemack]

35. That!

[LAS14]

36. They have isolated the total destruction of norms and attacked. They are not Democrats. nt

[Squinch]

39. .

[Mr. Ected]

40. You're overthinking

Let them wreak whatever havoc they can. It's on their dime and they're convincing Republicans not to vote for Trump. That is in and of itself a desirable end goal.

We're not in alignment with TLP. We will not invite them to the table to assist us in legislating responses to the devastation of the past 4 years. We are not allies except to the extent that we share a common goal: get rid of Trump and Trump's enablers.

I remember saying a couple years ago that I wish that some folks in the GOP would put country in front of party. That's what TLP has done. They are still conservatives and we do not and will not see eye to eye on the issues. But first, let's be sure that Trump is in a holding cell and Joe is where the buck stops. We can shake the hands of TLP and thank them for their service.

And then we lead the way Joe, Nancy and Chuck deem fit.