When The Lincoln Project emerged to take on Trump, there were some on the Left who mistrusted the Project’s founders. Sure they’re Never-Trumpers and they all renounced membership in the Republican Party, but what are their real intentions, they asked. After Trump is gone, will they turn against us once more? Will they return to their old jobs and traffic in dark money corporations to rebuild the GOP?
These cynics were particularly angry that Democrats were donating to The Lincoln Project and warned donors that their money would be used against them. They were convinced there were plans afoot to learn about and exploit Democratic weaknesses (the cynics have a strong belief in Democratic weaknesses) and always they saw the spectre of dark money corporations in the background.
But those who met the LP team, who worked with them and donated to them were not deterred but continued to back them. As it turns out, they were right to do so, and the cynics were wrong, very wrong.
Not only do the Lincoln Project founders have no intention of rebuilding the GOP – see Steve Schmidt Predicts GOP Will Be Destroyed January 6Â – they are about to take aim at… corporations.
Steve Schmidt has been on fire with his Twitter threads this year and his latest is no exception. Indeed it is a revelation, in fact several revelations, including the hypocrisy of corporations, @GOPLeader’s control of entities funded by corporations (the idea that Kevin McCarthy would have control over anything just boggles the mind) and, at the core of the thread, the Lincoln Project’s next goal.
Here is a question for Corporate America @USChamber. How many large corporations have signed statements in support of BLM and expressed goals around increasing racial diversity? How many millions of dollars have some of those very same companies donated to political entities
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 4, 2021
controlled by @GOPLeader ? @ProjectLincoln is getting organized for this fight. We will do our best to bring Companies, Firms, Agencies, Boards of Directors, CEO’s, Senior management and trade associations into the sunlight on these issues. We will seek to strangle the money
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 4, 2021
We will inflict as much public pain as possible around every entity that funds the US Autocratic coalition. @ProjectLincoln is going to reimagine corporate pressure campaigns. There will be accountability imposed on bad actors in the public square. The First Amendment will be
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 4, 2021
They have declared war on American democracy and have betrayed the foundational ideas and ideals of the country. There is no middle ground between freedom and autocracy. Everyone will need to choose their side. @projectlincoln has chosen ours.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) January 4, 2021
While they are still conservatives, the Lincoln Project team has chosen to be on the side of pro democracy conservatism and that’s a whole dimension of reality away from the autocratic coalition.
Their goal –
@ProjectLincoln is going to reimagine corporate pressure campaigns. There will be accountability imposed on bad actors in the public square.
…is a twofer. Corporations are the principle benefactors of the autocratic coalition so by targeting them, they are effectively targeting faithless republicans as well. Good thing too. Bad actor corporations and their republican puppets have evaded exposure and accountability for far too long. Their symbiotic mutual backscratching relationship needs to be smashed to smithereens.
We will inflict as much public pain as possible around every entity that funds the US Autocratic coalition.
Bring it on!
With respect, Michelle, I believe we had good reason to be distrustful of LP after Trump’s exit. But Schmidt’s coversion to the Democrats along with this should put such doubts to rest. They’ll know exactly where to hit the money boys.
I’ve been respectfully cautious but not harshly skeptical. In fact, I think we also have many enemies on the far far far left who are helping fuel autocracy (all the people on Twitter who turned on “The Squad” yesterday for voting for Pelosi).
There was good reason to be respectfully cautious – I was one of them. But the aggressively hostile (and they are the ones I refer to as cynics here) not only attacked LP but also those Democrats who dared to appreciate the job they did, the same Democrats who said they would reassess after Trump was out. They were reasonable Democrats like yourself who were cautious but willing to wait and see.
Cynicism is self defeating. I cannot wait for this new Lincoln project onslaught.
It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch!
good piece, Mopsy!
Thank you!
This is great news! Thank you for making us aware, since not all of us are on twitter.
I see my role here at PZ as providing honest and accurate information to our members and guests. So you don’t need to be on Twitter. ?
A very BIG thank you to the members of the Lincoln project. I will boycott every corporation they identify.
We’ll be keeping track of those organisations too and encouraging everyone to boycott them.
I hope they are very successful in these efforts.
A trojan horse full of patriots. Go to it folks. After all, you know where the closets are in the mansion.