{"id":945311,"date":"2021-10-31T11:44:35","date_gmt":"2021-10-31T15:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=945311"},"modified":"2021-10-31T11:44:38","modified_gmt":"2021-10-31T15:44:38","slug":"how-to-play-hardball-lincoln-project-defends-tiki-torch-stunt-at-youngkin-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-play-hardball-lincoln-project-defends-tiki-torch-stunt-at-youngkin-event\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018How To Play Hardball\u2019: Lincoln Project Defends Tiki Torch Stunt At Youngkin Event"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-to-play-hardball-lincoln-project-defends-tiki-torch-stunt-at-youngkin-event%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=945311&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Despite a stinging national backlash and a general consensus that the stunt backfired, the Lincoln Project has defended its decision to have a group of activists dressed as tiki-torch-bearing white nationalists proclaim their support for Republican Glenn Youngkin, the frontrunner in the Virginia governor\u2019s race.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, CNN\u2019s Chris Cuomo asked Stuart Stevens, an adviser to the \u2018Never Trump\u2019 organization, if the move was a dirty trick or hypocritical.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d said Stevens. \u201cEvery day, I hear people pleading with the Lincoln Project to help show Democrats how to win, how to play hardball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In fact, a 2020 study conducted by the left-wing PAC Priorities USA found that the Lincoln Project\u2019s ads <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/the-hottest-campaign-ads-on-twitter-didnt-really-work-study\">did virtually nothing<\/a> to convince swing state voters to support Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>In its latest controversial move, young people wearing clothes similar to those worn by Alt-Right activists at the \u201cUnite the Right\u201d rally showed up at a Youngkin campaign event in Charlottesville and said, \u201cWe\u2019re all in for Glenn!\u201d The 2017 rally ended in the death of 32-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/heather-heyers-mother-biden-didnt-tell-me-he-was-james-barrett\">Heather Heyer<\/a>. As The Daily Wire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/youngkin-blames-dems-for-tiki-torch-activists-outside-campaign-bus-they-work-for-terry-mcauliffe\">reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><em>The image sparked an immediate condemnation from the campaign of former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Youngkin\u2019s Democratic opponent. \u201cThis is disgusting and disqualifying,\u201d McAuliffe spokeswoman Jen Goodman&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jengoodman75\/status\/1454100281449488384\">said<\/a><\/em><em>. \u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI think they work for Terry McAuliffe, and I\u2019m sure he sent them,\u201d Youngkin said, according to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbc29.com\/2021\/10\/29\/group-with-tiki-torches-stand-by-youngkin-campaign-bus-charlottesville-event\/\">NBC 29<\/a><\/em><em>. \u201cThey\u2019ll do anything to win, and he\u2019s doing anything to win, and so he\u2019s paying people to show up and act silly at our rallies.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Lincoln Project, which began as a group of Never Trump Republicans declaring themselves true conservatives, admitted responsibility later in the day.<\/p>\n<p>Although the action did not appear to help McAuliffe, the Lincoln Project threatened to repeat it again before Tuesday\u2019s gubernatorial election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday\u2019s demonstration was our way of reminding Virginians what happened in Charlottesville four years ago, the Republican Party\u2019s embrace of those values, and Glenn Youngkin\u2019s failure to condemn it,\u201d the organization said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/lincolnproject.us\/statement-from-the-lincoln-project-5\/\">statement<\/a> released on Friday. \u201cIf [Youngkin] will denounce Trump\u2019s assertion that the Charlottesville rioters possessed \u2018very fine\u2019 qualities, we\u2019ll withdraw the tiki torches. Until then, we\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Friday night, Stevens deflected questions about the propriety of the action, and failed to address whether he intended to mislead Virginia voters into thinking that Charlottesville activists actually back Youngkin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe question here is it\u2019s not about some guys who showed up at a rally,\u201d Stevens told Cuomo. \u201cIt\u2019s, \u2018Why hasn\u2019t Glenn Youngkin denounced Donald Trump,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite a stinging national backlash and a general consensus that the stunt backfired, the Lincoln Project has defended its decision to have a group of activists dressed as tiki-torch-bearing white nationalists proclaim their support for Republican Glenn Youngkin, the frontrunner in the Virginia governor\u2019s race.On Friday, CNN\u2019s Chris Cuomo asked Stuart Stevens, an adviser to the \u2018Never Trump\u2019 organization, if the move was a dirty trick or hypocritical.\u201cNo,\u201d said Stevens. \u201cEvery day, I hear people pleading with the Lincoln Project to help show Democrats how to win, how to play hardball.\u201dIn fact, a 2020 study conducted by the left-wing PAC Priorities USA found that the Lincoln Project\u2019s ads did virtually nothing to convince swing state voters to support Joe Biden.In its latest controversial move, young people wearing clothes similar to those worn by Alt-Right activists at the \u201cUnite the Right\u201d rally showed up at a Youngkin campaign event in Charlottesville and said, \u201cWe\u2019re all in for Glenn!\u201d The 2017 rally ended in the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer. As The Daily Wire reported:The image sparked an immediate condemnation from the campaign of former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Youngkin\u2019s Democratic opponent. \u201cThis is disgusting and disqualifying,\u201d McAuliffe spokeswoman Jen Goodman\u00a0said. \u2026 \u201cI think they work for Terry McAuliffe, and I\u2019m sure he sent them,\u201d Youngkin said, according to\u00a0NBC 29. \u201cThey\u2019ll do anything to win, and he\u2019s doing anything to win, and so he\u2019s paying people to show up and act silly at our rallies.\u201dThe Lincoln Project, which began as a group of Never Trump Republicans declaring themselves true conservatives, admitted responsibility later in the day.Although the action did not appear to help McAuliffe, the Lincoln Project threatened to repeat it again before Tuesday\u2019s gubernatorial election.\u201cToday\u2019s demonstration was our way of reminding Virginians what happened in Charlottesville four years ago, the Republican Party\u2019s embrace of those values, and Glenn Youngkin\u2019s failure to condemn it,\u201d the organization said in a statement released on Friday. \u201cIf [Youngkin] will denounce Trump\u2019s assertion that the Charlottesville rioters possessed \u2018very fine\u2019 qualities, we\u2019ll withdraw the tiki torches. Until then, we\u2019ll be back.\u201dOn Friday night, Stevens deflected questions about the propriety of the action, and failed to address whether he intended to mislead Virginia voters into thinking that Charlottesville activists actually back Youngkin.\u201cThe question here is it\u2019s not about some guys who showed up at a rally,\u201d Stevens told Cuomo. \u201cIt\u2019s, \u2018Why hasn\u2019t Glenn Youngkin denounced Donald Trump, for saying that there were good people on both sides\u2019\u201d of the Charlottesville violence.\u201cNo, look, I hear the question,\u201d Cuomo responded. \u201cIt\u2019s a legitimate one.\u201d He then turned to Democratic strategist James Carville, who proclaimed, \u201cI kind of agree with what Stuart said. It was to illustrate a point that Youngkin has not denounced Trump saying \u2018There were fine people on both sides\u2019 \u00a0in Charlottesville.\u201d\u201cIt was to illustrate a point that Youngkin has not denounced Trump saying there were \u2018fine people on both sides\u2019 in Charlottesville.\u201d \u2014 Democratic Strategist @JamesCarville pic.twitter.com\/tVRTjkNJIU\u2014 The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 30, 2021The urban legend that President Trump praised neo-Nazis as \u201cvery fine people\u201d turns up repeatedly, although it has been debunked numerous times. The day of the deadly rally, Trump tweeted, \u201cWe ALL must be united &#038; condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets [sic] come together as one!\u201d During off-the-cuff remarks after the event, Trump specified that when he made positive remarks about some people who oppose toppling historical statues, \u201cI\u2019m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the White nationalists, because they should be condemned totally.\u201dCuomo\u2019s colleague, Jake Tapper, admitted in April 2019 that President Trump was \u201cnot saying that the neo-Nazis and white supremacists are very fine people.\u201dEven CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper admits that President Donald Trump condemned neo-Nazis and white supremacists: \u201cHe\u2019s not saying that the neo-Nazis and white supremacists are very fine people\u201d pic.twitter.com\/2hy1rQp8nP\u2014 Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 26, 2019Since the 2020 presidential race temporarily put an end to President Trump\u2019s political campaigns, the Lincoln Project has been casting around for new contests to fuel its funding apparatus. On Thursday, the Lincoln Project released a video that accuses critics of using the term \u201cCritical Race Theory\u201d as a substitute for the most ubiquitous anti-black slur.The Southern Strategy has come to Virginia. pic.twitter.com\/aNGRhxDcaa\u2014 The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) October 28, 2021Polls show Youngkin pulling ahead of McAuliffe after the former governor exclaimed during a debate, \u201cI don\u2019t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.\u201d An increasingly frazzled McAuliffe has tried to regain his momentum, having President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris campaign for him. Late last week, a McAuliffe aide reportedly told a Fox News reporter to \u201cf*** off.\u201dThe Lincoln Project has also suffered a number of setbacks in the last year, including a revelation by conservative writer Ryan Girdusky that the group\u2019s co-founder John Weaver had sexually harassed young men, and a failed outreach to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) who dismissed the project\u2019s work as bordering on \u201cscam territory.\u201dThe views expressed in this piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-945311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=945311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=945311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=945311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=945311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}