Rick Wilson. Steve Schmidt. Stuart Stevens.
If you're a progressive, or at least not a follower of 45, you might know those names by now. They are traitors to their cause. But they are also patriots.
They are two of the founders of The Lincoln Project, designed to draw actual Republicans back into the fold of rationality. At least, not the irrational, reactionary firepit into which 45 demands his followers submit. They are not Democrats; Schmidt was the director of John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, for example.
But McCain, gone but not forgotten, also knew where to draw the line between partisanship and racist, obnoxious division. Recall the moment when he had to draw that line when a supporter tried to say that Barack Obama was an Arab, capitalizing no doubt on some misinformation she'd been fed by some source. "No, Ma'm, no," he said. "He's an American."
That's where our democracy should be: Clawing at each other, perhaps. but knowing where the guardrails are. 45, as we know, has strayed far from them. Democrats, at least most of them, see this. Republicans choose not to because he is tied to policy alternatives they prefer.
But this time, the problem is existential. 45 poses a threat to our system itself. The Lincoln Project has chosen to expose this by using tactics better designed to defeat Democrats, with devastating TV ads and relentless opposition.
Schmidt admit that these strategies are aimed right at getting 45 out of office, a one-off out of desperation about what would hold forth if he is not defeated. He understands that, in many Republican offices, he is now persona non grata, a seasoned pol without anywhere to land.
They will, I suppose, deal with that later. I don't know their thinking past November 3, because they haven't shared it much. But I'm guessing that, instead of joining the Democrats, they can lead Republicans back into the fairer land of the loyal opposition, instead of the frightening stances of QAnon and armed militias. There be dragons.
Will they disappear from the scene? Maybe. I think they'll lay low for a while and check the atmosphere. It's difficult to believe that Republicans will completely disavow having anything to do with 45, but they could repay him the same way he might repay them if he wins anyhow. Remember, we still have about a week and a half to go. But maneuvering for 'proper' position seems to be on the agenda.
Tougher for Wilson, though. His tweets have been ferocious for quite some time. He will have to play a part in separating Republicanism from 45-ism--which is part of his objection: that support for 45 is a personal bond of some sort and Republicans can no longer tell the difference.
That may be a heavy lift. Congresspeople will have to convince their followers that it is okay to throw themselves in for a near-blood loyalty, as long as you can withdraw it when it's clear that it's not working. They'll try to have to both ways. Some will get away with it. Some won't.
The Senate races will tell. The drama of the evening of November 3 may extend beyond it, especially if Senate races are close. We could revert to what we now have, with the House in Democratic hands but nothing else; we could have the Senate alone in Republican hands; we could watch the Democrats get a grand slam.
Four years ago, I thought that the Senate was the most crucial part of government to control; I still so stand. We have seen what has happened to the Supreme Court. The spillover into more than once branch of government is most obvious, what with impeachment now being rendered irrelevant.
That's why The Lincoln Project is so crucial. It may just tip the scales in the White House race. The ads continue to be devastating, and watch for a new set of them as we hit the stretch next week.
We have a small group of willful men to thank for that. They are rare. They believe in the sustenance of the Republic first. Let us hope they are effective.
Be well. Be careful. Wear a mask. With some luck, I'll see you down the road.
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