Yes, but not in the way most people think.
If this question were worded “Is the Lincoln Project convincing a lot of people not to vote for Trump?” my answer would have been “No.”
That’s not the Lincoln Project's objective. Their objective is to win, and as odd as it sounds, you don’t win by trying to change the minds of entrenched voters. That’s a recipe for failure.
What they are doing, and to devastating effect is 2-fold:
- Energizing Anti-Trump voters.
- Making Trump react and do stupid things.
This ad is a great example of what I'm talking about:
Watch that ad and tell me who it’s aimed at. Is that meant to convince a Trumpist not to vote for Trump? I can't imagine a message more likely to piss Trump nation off.
No. The ad is meant for an audience of one, and it's shared with everyone who finds laughing at the clown in chief cathartic.
The audience it’s meant for is…Trump himself. Listen to the message, the swipe at his manhood, the crack on his favorite measuring stick, ratings. Don’t for a second believe that the message being delivered by a woman isn't intentional. Every second, every clip, every piece of that production is carefully calculated to drive Trump into a blind rage.
Naturally, the Lincoln Project makes sure to buy DC metro air time on shows they know Trump watches to make sure he sees them.
And what happens? They goad Trump into forcing his campaign to spend money where it makes ZERO sense for them to spend it - about a half million a month in Washington DC, a market he has absolutely no hope of winning or making an impact in.
Meet the Never-Trump Pundit Whose Ads Are Driving the President Insane
Theygoad him into responding on Twitter, when he would be much better off ignoring them, but, as we all know by now, Trump is incapable of letting shit like this go.
Meanwhile, ad after ad couches the election in terms of a referendum on Trump, and the other audience, the Anti-Trump voters, get more and more charged up with each release, more and more motivated to take action, to donate, to volunteer, and, most importantly, to vote.
That's how elections are won.
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