A.G. Gancarski
The professional provocateurs of The Lincoln Project are throwing some hot grease on the simmering embers of the 2024 Republican presidential race.
A new ad from the Never Trumper troupe juxtaposes former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Ron is running for President … and with Fox’s help, he will beat you,” asserts a new spot released Wednesday.
Lincoln Project founder Rick Wilson was unambiguous in explaining what the latest LP creative, “Sad!,” conveys.
“Republicans in Washington and the Fox News echo chamber are having a hard time hiding their excitement over the ascension of Gov. Ron DeSantis as party leader,” Wilson said.
“Tune into Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News at any given hour of the day and you’ll see just who they think Republican voters should be listening to. Ron DeSantis is running away with the party Trump built, and so far there is seemingly nothing the weakened and fading Donald can do about it,” Wilson taunted.
The 60-second spot trolls Trump, with a female narrator saying “people are trying to forget about you … people you made … people like Ron DeSantis.”
“Without you, he’d be nothing,” the narrator says. “A loser.”
“Everyone says he’s bigger than you. Smarter than you. Thinner than you,” the narration continues, noting that DeSantis is now “on Fox all the time.”
The new ad is well-timed, as DeSantis is now attempting to downplay what has looked like a choreographed push for the White House that seemed to start after the November 2020 election.
The Governor dismissed a question about whether he will run for President in 2024 as manufactured “nonsense” Tuesday.
“All the speculation about me is purely manufactured,” DeSantis told reporters in St. Cloud. “I just do my job.”
“I hear all this stuff, and honestly, it’s nonsense,” DeSantis added about the “rumors.”
The rumors are national. A recent Vanity Fair piece depicted DeSantis as ambitious to such a degree that former President Trump allegedly “hates” him.
Despite what clearly is unmistakable national ambition, the Governor is telling people he has a timetable, per the reportage.
“DeSantis needs to walk a tightrope as he seeks to position himself for a 2024 run. According to a source, DeSantis has told donors that he won’t openly campaign in Iowa or New Hampshire before his 2022 Florida reelection campaign,” Vanity Fair reporter Gabriel Sherman wrote.
Until then, the questions and the non-answers will continue. Last week, DeSantis ignored four separate questions from Florida Politics about a trip to New Jersey for political fundraising.
22 comments
Zhombre
September 8, 2021 at 10:04 am
Greasy aptly describes the repulsive Lincoln Project hustlers like Steve Schmidt and odious Rick Wilson.
Ocean Joe
September 8, 2021 at 10:18 am
Maybe so, but you worshipped these guys when they helped get Jeb! into office and rig up a GOP state legislature. So did they change, or did you?
PeterH
September 8, 2021 at 1:30 pm
Next in line for the Lincoln Project to skewer is the failed leadership Trumpster champion and rising star in what remains of the GQP……Kristi Noem from South Dakota!
Today she signed an executive order limiting a woman’s access to the highly safe and effective abortion pill that has been around since 2000!
Always trying to stay deep inside the far right “Party of Stupids” ….. Kristi ever reminds most Americans that her ‘deer in the headlight’ eyes and appearance recalls retired nutcase Michelle Bachmann!
Population of South Dakota …… 845,000 ….. Thanks but no thanks Kristi ….. please stick to pig farming!
Zhombre
September 8, 2021 at 1:37 pm
Who does the Lincoln Project SUPPORT? If you damn every Republican from Reagan on down, and seek to destroy the current party, with what and with whom will you rebuild?
Zhombre
September 9, 2021 at 7:03 am
See comment below, Joe.
PeterH
September 8, 2021 at 10:31 am
The Lincoln Project goal is quite simple and direct:
DESTROY TODAY’S GQP SO THE PARTY CAN BE REBUILT!
Zhombre
September 8, 2021 at 10:38 am
Rebuit by who exactly? To achieve what? To reinstall neo-cons who entangled the U.S. in Mideast wars?
Zhombre
September 8, 2021 at 10:45 am
They make assiduous effort at the ‘destroy’ part but I doubt the ‘rebuild’ part will have an substance other than to create impotent Vichy Conservatives palsy-walsy with Democrats. Oh, and fatten their bank accounts too.
PeterH
September 8, 2021 at 10:27 am
Trump or DeSantis?!?!?! Six of one …. Half dozen of another….. THEY BOTH STINK AT LEADERSHIP.
Maybe this Florida and National Republican credibility vacuum leaves an opening for Greg Abbott to lead the GQP down the QAnon Rabbit Hole to Perdition?
Can Republican Bobby Jindal’s “Party of Stupid” sink to new depths? Just watch!
Tom
September 9, 2021 at 12:33 pm
Since you says stupid, you ate it as front of the line leader. Alex is just a nose behind. Photo finish. See below for today’s Repub party.
Zhombre
September 8, 2021 at 10:34 am
I never ‘worshipped’ these guys and refuse to elevate politicians or any of the condottiere of political consultants, pollsters or hucksters to any such status. That’ s foolish. Yeah, my opinion changes over time; my thinking is not rigid. To quote Keynes: “When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” Also: I don’t think any of these guys changed. They were greasy then and greasy now; opportunists, hustlers who hold most of the electorate in contempt and seek to manipulate public opinion and voting patterns because that is what they are paid to do. Whatever scruples they may profess are simply window dressing. Also: I don;t see any documentation that either Schmidt or Wilson worked for Jeb Bush.
Ocean Joe
September 9, 2021 at 1:48 pm
I find that Rick Wilson ran father Bush’s presidential campaign in Florida, and worked for Connie Mack among others. Both Bush, Sr. and Mack were pretty normal characters, who did a decent job, as principled conservatives. You will recall Bush pointed out Reagan’s voodoo economics (trickle down), and signed a budget reduction act with a Democratic congress that helped set in motion the economic prosperity under Clinton and an actual budget surplus. It also cost him (and that congress) re-election (Read My Lips No New Taxes). Perot also helped him lose. I find no actual connection to Jeb!, which in my mind makes Wilson a bit more admirable, and go out on a rotten, termite ridden limb to say you are right.
Now if my favorite Republican strategist, Ana Navarro, would join the Lincoln Project they would actually get some where.
Zhombre
September 9, 2021 at 5:29 pm
LOL. Brave of you to risk going out on that limb, Joe. I commend you, sir. Back in the day when I was a liberal Democrat, I voted for Connie Mack because I thought as senator he worked for the best interests of the state and had some measure of integrity, and I was quite willing to cross party lines in voting. Yeah, crusty Texan Perot probably cost Bush Pere the election; nota bene, Bill Clinton, as able and slick as politician as he was, and basically a centrist, never won the popular vote in two elections (both of which I voted for him). I find nothing admirable about Rick Wilson and, sorry, Ana Navarro joining the LP would just add a shrill harridan w/o elevating their sleaze circus. They are hucksters who never accomplished much other than their own enrichment and then saw Trump march in and win an election without their assistance, which kind of killed their game. They hate him for it, with all the blazing enmity of men who are suddenly rendered useless and humiliated in the bargain.
Tom
September 9, 2021 at 7:26 pm
Good riddance low energy jeb, connie mack, the scary gross, pathetic wilson and schmidt.
Schmidt & Wilson are creeps.
That pathetic Peter H has audacity to promote that group after all the money & sexual scandals. Gross
Wanda
September 8, 2021 at 1:14 pm
Ron and Trump suck they need to go climb in a dark hole in the ground they are both moron fools they want get my vot this time
Frankie M.
September 8, 2021 at 5:37 pm
Ronnie has never been interested in doing his actual job. He’s too busy running for his next office. Just look at his early days in Jax. Before Trump came along Ronnie was upside down in his own district. His own party was looking to primary him in his own district. They were gonna run someone to the right of him before Ronnie chained himself to Trump’s ankles.
Dennis A Carson
September 8, 2021 at 10:25 pm
Trump has no chance and DeSantis has even less.
If Republicans hope to win in 2024, Mike Pence has the intelligence, decency and qualifications to successfully challenge Biden or Harris.
Tom
September 8, 2021 at 11:29 pm
Three ignorant Dums passing judgement.
Lincoln corrupt project is a front group for liberal extremism.
Total fraud just like peter h.
Zhombre
September 9, 2021 at 8:40 am
https://pjmedia.com/columns/megan-fox/2021/09/08/donald-trumps-compassionate-treatment-of-gold-star-families-puts-bidens-blunders-to-shame-n1477006
Tom
September 9, 2021 at 9:01 am
Correct zHombre.
That’s all he can do is discuss Beau, may he rest in eternal peace. Awful disease. It’s totally inappropriate to do so. Beau did not pass in combat or mission. It’s just inappropriate to mention it all the time.
Peter H us a paid hack for predator org Lincoln project.
He greatly offended Gold star families on top of a senseless mission that was botched and a debacle.
Biden/Harris are a joke.
Minority unemployment has gone up.
Specifically African Americans. 8.2 to 8.9% under Biden/Harris. Not only do they leave you behind abroad but at home as well.
What a joke peter h.
Comments are closed.