The once-mocked ‘Never Trump’ movement becomes a sudden campaign force

[pppolitics]

The grainy first-person testimonial arrived at 2 a.m. in late June. A 40-year-old man with a thick southern accent — shirtless, the red ember of his cigarette glowing in the green twilight between drags — looked into his smartphone and began talking.

“Hi, my name is Josh and I live in North Carolina and I voted for Donald Trump — my bad, fam,” he begins, before explaining that this November will mark the first time “ever, ever” that he will vote for a Democrat. “If Joe Biden drops out and the DNC runs a tomato can, I will vote for the tomato can, because I believe the tomato can will do less harm than our current president.”

The unsolicited video submission to a group called Republican Voters Against Trump is just one small part of a broader “Never Trump” rebellion that began four years ago as a largely ineffective cadre of appalled Republicans, but which has transformed in recent weeks into a potentially disruptive force in this year’s presidential race.

Groups such as the Lincoln Project and Republican Voters Against Trump — which is focused on first-person testimonials like Josh’s — emphasize guerrilla tactics and scathing ads as they troll the president. The movement seeks to build a national political operation to oust both the president and his supporters in Congress, with a particular emphasis on convincing white suburban voters who consider themselves true Republicans to break from the president, according to interviews with more than a dozen anti-Trump advisers and allies who are involved in the planning, some of whom requested anonymity to describe private discussions.

[...]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-once-mocked-never-trump-movement-becomes-a-sudden-campaign-force/2020/07/11/8683c14c-c1f3-11ea-b178-bb7b05b94af1_story.html

[Middle-aged Europe]

Godspeed.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Sure, but I wish they were more effective at it before Trump got elected. Honestly, they were as complacent and filled with hubris as anyone else back in 2016. They just couldn't bare to do this for Hillary Clinton and now they realize their mistake. Better late than never, I guess. They still deserve some derision though, as much as I welcome them as hopefully effective allies.

[Mr. Smith]

There were Republicans for Kerry back in '04, but Junior still got 92% of the party.

I don't see things changing much here.

[OSR stands with Israel]

There were Republicans for Kerry back in '04, but Junior still got 92% of the party.

I don't see things changing much here.

Difference is the GOP share of the electorate was higher in 2004 than 2000 and he had full backing from the entire gop establishment.


The 8% against Bush didn’t have much resources to wage while the never trumpers do

[HisGrace]

The Lincoln Project has some nice attack ads, but it's still such a marginal number of people where attacking Trump from the right just isn't a significant thing unfortunately.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

A lot of Republicans have figured out that it's better for them if Biden wins. Of course they'll support Tom Cotton or whoever in 2024.

[Landslide Lyndon]

A lot of Republicans have figured out that it's better for them if Biden wins.

Yeah, the ones who don't want to watch the world burn.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

A lot of Republicans have figured out that it's better for them if Biden wins.

Yeah, the ones who don't want to watch the world burn.

Or who don't want to watch their world burn.

Whether they honestly believe in the rhetoric of the pre-Trump GOP, or just want to keep some hold on power, Mr. Trump is the greatest threat the Republican Party has ever faced. Going forward from him, there seem to be only two major paths: a cult of personality with a strongly fascist lean and a light dusting of religious zealotry (that will lead the nation to disaster) or decades in the wilderness as the old GOP supporters die off and a generation alienated from the GOP dominates the country.

I suspect the Never-Trumpers at this point are hoping to thread a needle. They need to rid the United States (and the GOP) of Mr. Trump's nuclear meltdown brand, and then paint him as an aberration that could happen to any party when the low-information proles get too much power and shove aside the elites who know better. (Not that they'd phrase it in precisely that fashion, but I'm guessing that would be the message behind the rhetoric.) But even if they fail utterly, and whatever their motives, they are doing something admirable. They are the Republican Party's Operation Valkyrie - an enduring memorial that will let future Republicans look back and say "at least some of us were on the right side".

[Landslide Lyndon]

TBF, many of the Never Trumpers are saying  that GOP is rotten to the core and even if Trump loses, the rest of the party also needs to be annihilated electorally. As Tom Nichols says, "this party needs to be voted out down to subatomic level". And they are putting their money where their mouth is with those new ads against vulnerable Republican senators.

[dead0man]

good luck I guess...I just wish that they didn't feel they had to vote for the lesser evil.

[Former President tack50]

Considering Weld got like 1% of the vote in the primaries, the only place where "Never Trumpers" are a sudden campaign force is in Talk Elections

[Inmate Trump]

good luck I guess...I just wish that they didn't feel they had to vote for the lesser evil.

We all have to vote for the lesser evil.

If you don’t do this, you are literally reelecting Trump.

[dead0man]

good luck I guess...I just wish that they didn't feel they had to vote for the lesser evil.

We all have to vote for the lesser evil.

no we don't, most people's presidential vote doesn't even matter.  Mine does a little as (I'm guessing) the Omaha electoral college vote is up for grabs even if NE as a whole is not.  If it's close as we get near to election day and if Biden picks someone....palatable as a VP, I may vote for him.  But as of now I'm proudly voting for someone who is not a gropey grandpa*.


*there are many reasons to not vote for these two beyond their age and questionable histories...I'm also not suggesting they are equal in..well, anything

If you don’t do this, you are literally reelecting Trump.

no I'm not, and I won't feel guilty about it if he somehow wins again because it will be the same people's fault it was last time....the Democratic primary voters for giving us a nominee somehow less electable than <string of profanities deleted>ing Trump.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

good luck I guess...I just wish that they didn't feel they had to vote for the lesser evil.

We all have to vote for the lesser evil.

no we don't, most people's presidential vote doesn't even matter.  Mine does a little as (I'm guessing) the Omaha electoral college vote is up for grabs even if NE as a whole is not.  If it's close as we get near to election day and if Biden picks someone....palatable as a VP, I may vote for him.  But as of now I'm proudly voting for someone who is not a gropey grandpa*.


*there are many reasons to not vote for these two beyond their age and questionable histories...I'm also not suggesting they are equal in..well, anything

If you don�t do this, you are literally reelecting Trump.

no I'm not, and I won't feel guilty about it if he somehow wins again because it will be the same people's fault it was last time....the Democratic primary voters for giving us a nominee somehow less electable than <string of profanities deleted>ing Trump.

So your position is that if we're going to have a sexual predator in the WH anyway, you would rather it be the corrupt, incompetent, authoritian, mentally ill one?

[dead0man]

good luck I guess...I just wish that they didn't feel they had to vote for the lesser evil.

We all have to vote for the lesser evil.

no we don't, most people's presidential vote doesn't even matter.  Mine does a little as (I'm guessing) the Omaha electoral college vote is up for grabs even if NE as a whole is not.  If it's close as we get near to election day and if Biden picks someone....palatable as a VP, I may vote for him.  But as of now I'm proudly voting for someone who is not a gropey grandpa*.


*there are many reasons to not vote for these two beyond their age and questionable histories...I'm also not suggesting they are equal in..well, anything

If you don�t do this, you are literally reelecting Trump.

no I'm not, and I won't feel guilty about it if he somehow wins again because it will be the same people's fault it was last time....the Democratic primary voters for giving us a nominee somehow less electable than <string of profanities deleted>ing Trump.

So your position is that if we're going to have a sexual predator in the WH anyway, you would rather it be the corrupt, incompetent, authoritian, mentally ill one?

nope

[GP270watch]

I'm not gonna go vote for the guy who can beat Trump, but if he loses it's not my fault.

 GALAXY BRAIN THINKING

 The truth is a lot of people are very comfortable with Trump being President over Biden or any Democrat to be honest. They just don't have the guts to say so. I'll leave it to you to figure out why this is.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I'm not gonna go vote for the guy who can beat Trump, but if he loses it's not my fault.

 GALAXY BRAIN THINKING

 The truth is a lot of people are very comfortable with Trump being President over Biden or any Democrat to be honest. They just don't have the guts to say so. I'll leave it to you to figure out why this is.

Just wait till deadoman starts lecturing us again about personal responsibility.

[Alben Barkley]

Considering Weld got like 1% of the vote in the primaries, the only place where "Never Trumpers" are a sudden campaign force is in Talk Elections

The Lincoln Project and company didn't bother trying to boost Weld, so I don't see how that's relevant. They knew there was no chance to take Trump out in the primary. Instead their goal is to help destroy Trump and even the GOP from the outside, by turning the types of moderate/suburban/independent voters who were once reliably Republican against them.

[Progressive Pessimist]

The Lincoln Project has some nice attack ads, but it's still such a marginal number of people where attacking Trump from the right just isn't a significant thing unfortunately.

They aren't really going after him from the right though. They're making negative ads about the most obvious deficits in his ability and temperament to govern, as well as for the rest of his party too.

[Former President tack50]

Considering Weld got like 1% of the vote in the primaries, the only place where "Never Trumpers" are a sudden campaign force is in Talk Elections

The Lincoln Project and company didn't bother trying to boost Weld, so I don't see how that's relevant. They knew there was no chance to take Trump out in the primary. Instead their goal is to help destroy Trump and even the GOP from the outside, by turning the types of moderate/suburban/independent voters who were once reliably Republican against them.

Fair enough, though Never Trumpers usually stands for "Never Trump Republicans". People like those at the Lincoln Project are not really Republicans anymore. Which is a good thing, but like I say actual "Never Trump Republicans" don't exist outside this site and the 1% of Weld voters