Apologies may be in order to Republicans long criticized for continuing to support President Donald Trump despite all evidence that he may have done more damage to this country than any single president in American history. As it turns out, many Republicans are now drawing a crystal clear distinction between Republicans and “Trumpers.”
The Lincoln Project is a conservative super political action committee founded by a cadre of prominent and former Republicans — including Trump Senior Advisor Kellyanne Conway’s husband George Conway. The organization is named after the president who ably led our nation through its only civil war, one of the most divisive times in our history. The Lincoln Project is committed to preventing the reelection of Trump and their website states the “Lincoln Project is holding accountable those who would violate their oaths to the Constitution and would put others before Americans”.
While primarily dedicated to defeating Trump, the Lincoln Project differentiates between the Republican Party and Trump World where Trump calls non-believers “Never Trumpers.” The organization aims to restore a semblance of sanity to our country, stating “President Donald Trump and those who sign on to Trumpism are a clear and present danger to the Constitution and our Republic. Only defeating so polarizing a character as Trump will allow the country to heal its political and psychological wounds and allow for a new, better path forward for all Americans”.
The Lincoln Project is releasing ads and podcasts specifically aimed at defeating Trump or Trump-supporting candidates, even if it means backing Democrats in key races. This could truly be the tipping point for Republicans who have struggled with Trump’s lack of ethics, intelligence and capacity for leadership and are now enabled to abandon his sinking ship.
In Alaska, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young have joined the Trump train and been silent or supportive at every turn of Trump’s wheel of misfortune. Whether it was imprisoning children, getting cozy with world dictators or turning federal troops on Americans, both Sullivan and Young have remained Trumpers. Sullivan, a Republican, is in a Senate race against nonpartisan Dr. Al Gross this fall and the Lincoln Project has already released an ad fully supporting Gross.
In other notable races, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is the target of a Lincoln Project ad that points to her continued support of Trump as a primary issue of concern about her ability to lead and then backs her Democratic opponent. The Lincoln Project is endorsing Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock in the Montana Senate race against Republican Sen. Steve Daines, calling Daines just “another rubber stamp” for Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell.
The Lincoln Project is being criticized for supporting Democrat Joe Biden for President and when asked if this wouldn’t alienate many Republicans, replied “You’ve got to take Trump and Trumpism out of the system.” The Lincoln Project has already released an ad promoting Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris. It states that on Nov.3, it’s time “for a new beginning” and for Americans to return to their “strong, compassionate and determined” roots.
In other promising news, John Murdoch, son of Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, contributed $1 million to the Biden campaign. This will no doubt further the feud between John and Rupert but is a clear statement that a younger generation also has no stomach for continuing to support the Trump debacle.
If there were ever a time for Americans to come together, it is now. While the United States remains a global force, we are no longer perceived as a world leader. Our epic failure to respond to the pandemic is glaringly evident to the rest of the world. Our economy is suffering and people across the nation are demonstrating in frustration at a system that is not working for the common good. It is encouraging that the Republican founders of the Lincoln Project determined that upholding our democracy literally trumps partisan politics and they are enthusiastically supporting candidates based on their skills and ability to lead rather than their party affiliation. We can only hope all Americans do the same at the ballot box in November.
• Deborah Craig is a self-described social liberal, fiscal conservative and a never Trumper.Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Here’s how to submit a My Turn or letter.
