They did a five-part documentary about them on Showtime, and I’m still trying to untangle my reaction.
The first thing is, The Lincoln Project did a really good job in the 2020 election. This didn’t change my mind about that. I’m glad to have them as allies, which I realize is not a popular stance in progressive circles. It wasn’t until I saw this documentary that I realized how comprehensive their digital campaign was — and that their Latino outreach struck me as much more aggressive than the DNC’s. (Which scares me, but I’m glad somebody’s doing it.)
The rest of the stuff? Well, campaigns are awful things. (I’ve often thought that more journalists should work on a campaign to get a real understanding of how it works.)
After I was done working on the Philly mayoral race, I was shellshocked for about six months. Not just from the 18-hour days, but the realization up close that it’s a very cynical business run under cover of idealism. They have all kinds of scandals — sex, money, payoffs, etc., including the Democratic ones, which of course no one on our side likes to talk about.
I learned that the media see themselves as the only legitimate gatekeepers. That was scary.
And the media consultants really are like cattle feeding at the trough. Because they take a percentage of the ad buys, they make as many ad buys as they can justify — and thus make a shit ton of money. With all the money in politics, they grab the lion’s share.
So what I think so far is that nothing in this documentary shocks me. (Except that Steve Schmidt is a hardcore asshole. Brilliant strategist, though.) No one working a campaign wants to stop and deal with any issue that isn’t directly related to the campaign, it’s only a distraction. And anyone at the top who fucks up isn’t fired, because they know too much dirt. They collect a paycheck, they’re just not in the inner circle anymore. That’s why there are paid staff who simply show up drunk and don’t do their jobs.
So while all these things about the Lincoln Project are probably true, they’re not unusual. And, as Schmidt says at the end, it’s about the goal. They gave up the opportunity to keep their mouths shut and continue working for Republicans, and they didn’t. At least give them credit for that. They paid themselves well, sure. Why not? They’re at the top of the pay scale.
Did they help Biden win? Yes, they did. And that was indisputably good.
I’m curious to hear your reactions to the series.
