At a certain point, extreme “Never Trump” Republicans become indistinguishable from left-wing activists. There’s no better example of this divergence than the so-called “Lincoln Project.”
The organization was founded by a group of self-described “principled conservatives” and ex-Republicans, including George Conway, Rick Wilson, and Tom Nichols (and, for some bizarre reason, straight-up leftists such as Daily Beast writer Molly Jong-Fast are also involved in the group).
At first, the organization focused on producing immature, hyperbolic, and, dare I say, Trumpish social media content and testimonials targeting President Trump. It eventually backed Joe Biden, unabashedly endorsing the Democratic presidential nominee. And now, the very “principled” and “conservative” Lincoln Project is actively working not just to put a Democrat in the White House but also to flip the Senate blue.
The organization is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign to rid the country of moderate Republicans, such as Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, because surely that will help rein in GOP extremism, right?
This makes no sense, even from the anti-Trump point of view. As Drew Holden put it writing for the Resurgent:
Let me be clear: There are plenty of valid reasons why principled conservatives might oppose Trump or refuse to vote for him. Considering the president’s inconsistent commitment to small-government policy, his unorthodox positions on trade issues, his obvious character flaws, his arguable acts of corruption, and unbecoming conduct, opposing him is by no means a baseless stance to take. But opposing all things Trump or Republican all the time is clearly an unbalanced perspective, especially when done in such a juvenile and facile manner. And opposing almost all Republicans, not just Trump, paves the way for the progressive agenda to infect our economy.
If Biden wins the White House and Democrats retain control of the House, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, or “Graveyard Mitch,” and a GOP-led Senate are the only things standing in the way of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s printing press of progressive legislation. A Republican Senate is especially important considering how open prominent Democrats are to abolishing the Senate’s legislative filibuster.
So, here are just a few of the left-wing policy proposals that could easily pass if the Lincoln Project succeeds in its mission:
- Biden’s proposed $6 trillion in additional government spending, likely debt-financed and dumped onto the shoulders of future generations
- More than $3 trillion in tax hikes and a reversal of portions of the GOP tax reform that made the American business climate competitive again
- The PRO ACT, a left-wing “labor rights” bill that would destroy the livelihoods of freelancers and independent contractors, just like a similar law has in California
- An expansion of Obamacare and the creation of a subsidized public option that would unfairly crowd out private insurance and pave the way for socialized “Medicare for all”
There is nothing “conservative” nor “principled” about a group working to make this agenda a reality. And, frankly, the Lincoln Project’s anti-GOP fervor and detachment from policy principles scream of grifting.
Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver attacked Trump on Russia… then agreed to lobby for a Russia-owned nuclear energy company & against US sanctions on Russia, inking a $350000 contract (plus $40000/mo if renewed) & had to register as a foreign agent.https://t.co/QWbgAljJSb https://t.co/hlYobrT5wy
— JERRY DUNLEAVY (@JerryDunleavy) July 15, 2020
As of March 31, the group had raised at least $2.5 million from donors who appreciate its anti-Trump extremism. Attacking the entire GOP and all of conservatism while still calling yourself a conservative is, evidently, a lucrative gig. “The Lincoln Project reported spending nearly $1.4 million through March,” according to Open Secrets. “Almost all of that money went to the group’s board members and firms run by them.”
So it’s fair to question what the group is really after. The work it’s doing to enable a progressive overhaul of our economy and the sketchiness of how it’s handling donor money certainly suggest that “principled conservatism” may not actually be the Lincoln Project’s principal motivation.
Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is a freelance journalist and Washington Examiner contributor.
