I am an American. There is no association, membership or fidelity that exceeds that. Nothing. I was born in September of 1970 in Jersey City, NJ, while the Vietnam War still raged. The Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts were at the halfway point to their tenth anniversary. My mother was a school teacher and my father worked for the phone company. I was close to my grandfather. He was a factory worker at Union Carbide. His first wife died during childbirth. My father came from his second marriage and was a twin. My grandfather was a bartender during the depression and was the only person in his household with a job. He told stories about picking up pieces of coal on the rail tracks that had fallen from the trains so that he could heat the house. He believed deeply in America. Before he died, he gave me a little pocket New Testament with his birth date inscribed in it. December 31, 1911.
There is much to comment upon here, but I'll focus on one recurring theme: Maggie Haberman and her brand of commodified access journalism, free from any principles that traditionally have formed the underpinnings of true journalistic ethics, is perhaps the greatest threat to our democracy today. Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, and Tim Russert must all be spinning in their graves. We must push back against the Habermans of the world at every opportunity.
Steve, thank you for what you and TLP did in 2020. I believe that Trump losing can be tied, directly, to your efforts. I am a very early supporter of TLP and donated often. The reason I did was simple: these people SEE him and aren’t afraid of him. The cowardice of the GOP is disgusting when it comes to Trump. We must all continue to fight for our country and defeat these people. Thank you, as well, for your candor.
I am constantly inspired by you. I regret an earlier comment I made excusing Maggie Haberman’s comportment as the end justifying the means. She is a prime example of how Trump brings out the worst in everyone around him.
I wish I could clone you and create 50,000 sixth grade Social Studies teachers, so that young Americans could learn the values and responsibilities of citizenship. Stay strong Steve your country depends on it.
I have been reading your series. One thing I thought was how painful it must be to be Steve Schmidt. I thought some more, about how unlikely it might be for wounded Steve Schmidt to regain his balance. What you have published today reveals a man who knows himself, who has the strength to acknowledge mistakes, and the guts to move beyond a swamp full of quicksand and alligators. Frankly, I'm relieved to see that you are in good condition and I will celebrate your success as the future unfolds.
If we are lucky, very very lucky we’ll have the ability to undo the damage that’s been done to this country.
Sadly, I hope I live long enough to see it.
I believe it’ll take the next 20 years of very diligent and unyielding “muscle” to make that happen, the cancer has metastasized.
The generation of quiet, jaw clenched, determined men who raised me and who you spoke of are long gone.
Their guts and determination were born of hardships that most of the country today has never had to endure.
While little children, and entire families are being crushed under Putins boot a half a world away the citizenry here is crying about the price of gas and the cost of a milkshake.
I am an immigrant/dreamer (the blond daughter of Danish students who over-stayed their student visas, then gained citizenship working in the early NASA years) My parents were teens during WW2, and lost family too. I am “genetically tuned” to fear Authoritarians.
We lived in Chicago in 1968, and my new Citizen parents took their 3 babies (I was 3 ½) to march against Viet Nam, for Civil Rights and many other democratic causes. I marched for Women’s Rights as a college student in the 1980’s. I was raised by “organic gardening, pot-smoking, Scandinavian hippies”. I remain one today, ik my late 50’s
My husband is a Psychologist after 16 yrs in the USAF. I am so proud to be his wife. He was a poor, but brilliant kid with a single mom who taught elementary school. Our backgrounds could not be more different, yet we are fiercly together after 36 years.
We are personally grateful for what the Lincoln Project did, and donated to keep your work going.
I followed you every day during that period, and often scolded you about Sarah Palin. We’re good on that score, you & me.
Your public presence represents so many American’s dreams. I appreciate your honesty, sharing your pain, as well as your triumphs.
I hope you have a good Rabbi, therapist, circle of friends to buoy you up. You have been through what we privately refer to in our home as the American Trauma. Understanding that this country we all love is also full of terror, cruelty, and ignorance.
Thank you for all you have done to prevent the re-election of he whose name shall not be spoken and to warn us of the threat of authoritarianism. We are all damaged to a very real extent, but that need not prevent us from behaving in an ethical way.
You are a light that shines in the darkness of American politics. You’re The only one that makes sense of The Trumpian threat to our democracy! And you’re a true patriot! Keep going!
Evokes the atmosphere of United States when I was 8 in 1946 after WW2 when my 3 uncles and 4 mother’s cousins gathered in the living room in their uniforms to mourn the uncle killed in Italy.
Yes. I am an American and I am root and branch, ground and sea and I am everyone and everyone is me. There is nothing more important than keeping our unity and dedication to Democracy.
We the people are proud you are an American citizen. Your words ring true in my ears. My first national election I voted by mail because my duty station was in Germany. I thought of myself as an independent but voted for Jimmy Carter after Gerald Ford wrongly pardoned Nixion. From that moment on I voted my conscience which included voting for Ronald Reagan and George Bush. I didn't become a Democrat until after we invaded Iraq. I believed then as I do now it was a stupid and not warranted. I was deeply troubled by the allegations against Hilary Clinton and after James Comey investigation I pulled the lever for Trump. You can not imagine how much regret and anger I had after that fateful decision. I am now a staunch Democrat because of that dim November morn. I am a firm believer of voting in all elections both local and national. I think I only missed 2 election cycles when I was abroad. Voting is our most sacred obligation as citizens of our great country. I think the people who do not care enough to vote deserve who they chose not to support and have no right to complain. However, this new breed of politicians on the Republican side have really strained my conception of what is acceptable. I know politicians lie and do so often, however, they have always believed in the American Experiment. Now since DJT, we are on the precipice of losing our Democracy. I think if the economy was in a better position and gas prices were in an acceptable range Democracy would win. Honestly I am not sure that will happen now. The right wing Media has done a fantastic job of blaming Biden and it doesn't look good for Democracy. I hope and pray I am wrong because of my commitment and previous service to our country.
Please Steve, get back out on the cable circuit and fight like he'll because your voice is needed now more than ever.
Steve—I just finished reading this essay. You have found a way to “tell Truth” and yet, retain enough privacy to keep your balance in all the realms you move among.
I’m so sorry that you have endured so much. Much that no one will know other than those closest to you. It is the consequence, unfortunately, of the life you have been called to live. The heartbreak is deep, and even the most stalwart weep in the night.
I share some of the same experiences with you. And I hold closely to the Democracy my family has had the luxury to live in. Some of my family perished in Auschwitz. I am a retired high school teacher. I am passionate for adolescents who are usually more interesting than most adults. My husband was a Vietnam veteran—died from the effects of Agent Orange. A patriot and a man of peace.
You are right, Steve. We are all Americans. When I feel down, I go for a road trip. I take side roads. I take in the countryside. I stop for gas. I talk with restaurant waitstaff, hotel maids. Ranchers. Grocery store clerks. No matter how many miles I drive, in any direction— again and again—I feel the breadth and depth of geographic America. Too, I hear in the voices and see in the faces of Americans, the same desires and hopes. Decent jobs. Housing. Healthcare. Education. And a better future for their kids and grandkids.
When I turn into my driveway in the Midwestern Mississippi rivertown where I taught, raised my daughters with my husband, I feel renewed again. I remember who I am and what I am a part of.
It’s not going to be easy, Steve. I’m 70 and I am well aware that I may not see the country in a place that I idealize in my head.
However, I am responsible to my great grandparents, my parents, my children, and especially my grandchildren. I am accountable to my fellow Americans, to the freedom I’ve enjoyed and for whom my husband fought for.
You have been a voice of conscience through horrendous times. I listened to you when I was down. My hope is that you take the measures to care for your well-being first. For your family. Use discernment to guide you. May you be richly blessed, protected, and honored for the work you have done.
Thank you Steve. Life as you have acknowledged is hard. People we have trusted and given our full faith to often have failed us. I do not understand this,but know that I am stronger and cherish the few that have stood by. We must continue to fight for what we know is right.
Hi Steve, I am not an American, well not a U.S. American. I am a Canadian, a North American. There are three major countries that share the North American continent, and 23 in total if you include all of the continental plate. Yet it is only the citizens of the United States of America that have seized the right to be called Americans and this fact saddens me a little. Why? Because as a Canadian I care deeply about what happens on this continent.
The devastating effect that Trump and MAGA has had on international relations, and how the United States is viewed by people around the world will take decades to repair, and has exposed how eager the right wing (wing nut) clan is for authoritarian power. Assaults on the rule of law are obvious, and scoffing at laws and civil behaviour have become the normal discourse and behaviour.
Should the GOP take the house and the senate, I fear that there will be no rules for them, just rules for the rest of you. Good luck with that. Don't think for a second that this is just Trump. Trump caused the vile creatures that lived in darkness to come into the light. How is it that there are so many Americans, who can't see them for what they are? What a horror show.
Just my opinion, and your fellow citizens may view my opinion with scorn, but it is high time that the Republican Party is scrapped, and a new party takes its place as the second party of the nation. But then what do I know, I have no vote, and meddling in another country's politics might be considered problematic. Sorry about that. (Oh, what a Canadian thing to say, sorry.)
I’ve appreciated every word you have written. You filled in so many holes, where my intuition was telling me all was not right, but didn’t know why. Everything you have written in this series rings true.
I just finished watching the mini documentary. That any of them thought this filming was a bright idea, it was not. I’m especially upset & disappointed in Mike, Ron and Jennifer, all of whom still had the “faux” CoFounder on their Twitter accounts the last I looked. They need to remove the title.
There is much to comment upon here, but I'll focus on one recurring theme: Maggie Haberman and her brand of commodified access journalism, free from any principles that traditionally have formed the underpinnings of true journalistic ethics, is perhaps the greatest threat to our democracy today. Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, and Tim Russert must all be spinning in their graves. We must push back against the Habermans of the world at every opportunity.
Steve, thank you for what you and TLP did in 2020. I believe that Trump losing can be tied, directly, to your efforts. I am a very early supporter of TLP and donated often. The reason I did was simple: these people SEE him and aren’t afraid of him. The cowardice of the GOP is disgusting when it comes to Trump. We must all continue to fight for our country and defeat these people. Thank you, as well, for your candor.
I am constantly inspired by you. I regret an earlier comment I made excusing Maggie Haberman’s comportment as the end justifying the means. She is a prime example of how Trump brings out the worst in everyone around him.
I wish I could clone you and create 50,000 sixth grade Social Studies teachers, so that young Americans could learn the values and responsibilities of citizenship. Stay strong Steve your country depends on it.
I have been reading your series. One thing I thought was how painful it must be to be Steve Schmidt. I thought some more, about how unlikely it might be for wounded Steve Schmidt to regain his balance. What you have published today reveals a man who knows himself, who has the strength to acknowledge mistakes, and the guts to move beyond a swamp full of quicksand and alligators. Frankly, I'm relieved to see that you are in good condition and I will celebrate your success as the future unfolds.
This week’s writing has been exemplary. Thank you for having the courage to publish the truth. Peace
If we are lucky, very very lucky we’ll have the ability to undo the damage that’s been done to this country.
Sadly, I hope I live long enough to see it.
I believe it’ll take the next 20 years of very diligent and unyielding “muscle” to make that happen, the cancer has metastasized.
The generation of quiet, jaw clenched, determined men who raised me and who you spoke of are long gone.
Their guts and determination were born of hardships that most of the country today has never had to endure.
While little children, and entire families are being crushed under Putins boot a half a world away the citizenry here is crying about the price of gas and the cost of a milkshake.
Not sure they’re up to the task.
Steve,
I was not born in America.
I am an immigrant/dreamer (the blond daughter of Danish students who over-stayed their student visas, then gained citizenship working in the early NASA years) My parents were teens during WW2, and lost family too. I am “genetically tuned” to fear Authoritarians.
We lived in Chicago in 1968, and my new Citizen parents took their 3 babies (I was 3 ½) to march against Viet Nam, for Civil Rights and many other democratic causes. I marched for Women’s Rights as a college student in the 1980’s. I was raised by “organic gardening, pot-smoking, Scandinavian hippies”. I remain one today, ik my late 50’s
My husband is a Psychologist after 16 yrs in the USAF. I am so proud to be his wife. He was a poor, but brilliant kid with a single mom who taught elementary school. Our backgrounds could not be more different, yet we are fiercly together after 36 years.
We are personally grateful for what the Lincoln Project did, and donated to keep your work going.
I followed you every day during that period, and often scolded you about Sarah Palin. We’re good on that score, you & me.
Your public presence represents so many American’s dreams. I appreciate your honesty, sharing your pain, as well as your triumphs.
I hope you have a good Rabbi, therapist, circle of friends to buoy you up. You have been through what we privately refer to in our home as the American Trauma. Understanding that this country we all love is also full of terror, cruelty, and ignorance.
Stay strong, and if you can - keep writing.
Thank you for all you have done to prevent the re-election of he whose name shall not be spoken and to warn us of the threat of authoritarianism. We are all damaged to a very real extent, but that need not prevent us from behaving in an ethical way.
You are a light that shines in the darkness of American politics. You’re The only one that makes sense of The Trumpian threat to our democracy! And you’re a true patriot! Keep going!
Dale
Evokes the atmosphere of United States when I was 8 in 1946 after WW2 when my 3 uncles and 4 mother’s cousins gathered in the living room in their uniforms to mourn the uncle killed in Italy.
Yes. I am an American and I am root and branch, ground and sea and I am everyone and everyone is me. There is nothing more important than keeping our unity and dedication to Democracy.
We the people are proud you are an American citizen. Your words ring true in my ears. My first national election I voted by mail because my duty station was in Germany. I thought of myself as an independent but voted for Jimmy Carter after Gerald Ford wrongly pardoned Nixion. From that moment on I voted my conscience which included voting for Ronald Reagan and George Bush. I didn't become a Democrat until after we invaded Iraq. I believed then as I do now it was a stupid and not warranted. I was deeply troubled by the allegations against Hilary Clinton and after James Comey investigation I pulled the lever for Trump. You can not imagine how much regret and anger I had after that fateful decision. I am now a staunch Democrat because of that dim November morn. I am a firm believer of voting in all elections both local and national. I think I only missed 2 election cycles when I was abroad. Voting is our most sacred obligation as citizens of our great country. I think the people who do not care enough to vote deserve who they chose not to support and have no right to complain. However, this new breed of politicians on the Republican side have really strained my conception of what is acceptable. I know politicians lie and do so often, however, they have always believed in the American Experiment. Now since DJT, we are on the precipice of losing our Democracy. I think if the economy was in a better position and gas prices were in an acceptable range Democracy would win. Honestly I am not sure that will happen now. The right wing Media has done a fantastic job of blaming Biden and it doesn't look good for Democracy. I hope and pray I am wrong because of my commitment and previous service to our country.
Please Steve, get back out on the cable circuit and fight like he'll because your voice is needed now more than ever.
Steve—I just finished reading this essay. You have found a way to “tell Truth” and yet, retain enough privacy to keep your balance in all the realms you move among.
I’m so sorry that you have endured so much. Much that no one will know other than those closest to you. It is the consequence, unfortunately, of the life you have been called to live. The heartbreak is deep, and even the most stalwart weep in the night.
I share some of the same experiences with you. And I hold closely to the Democracy my family has had the luxury to live in. Some of my family perished in Auschwitz. I am a retired high school teacher. I am passionate for adolescents who are usually more interesting than most adults. My husband was a Vietnam veteran—died from the effects of Agent Orange. A patriot and a man of peace.
You are right, Steve. We are all Americans. When I feel down, I go for a road trip. I take side roads. I take in the countryside. I stop for gas. I talk with restaurant waitstaff, hotel maids. Ranchers. Grocery store clerks. No matter how many miles I drive, in any direction— again and again—I feel the breadth and depth of geographic America. Too, I hear in the voices and see in the faces of Americans, the same desires and hopes. Decent jobs. Housing. Healthcare. Education. And a better future for their kids and grandkids.
When I turn into my driveway in the Midwestern Mississippi rivertown where I taught, raised my daughters with my husband, I feel renewed again. I remember who I am and what I am a part of.
It’s not going to be easy, Steve. I’m 70 and I am well aware that I may not see the country in a place that I idealize in my head.
However, I am responsible to my great grandparents, my parents, my children, and especially my grandchildren. I am accountable to my fellow Americans, to the freedom I’ve enjoyed and for whom my husband fought for.
You have been a voice of conscience through horrendous times. I listened to you when I was down. My hope is that you take the measures to care for your well-being first. For your family. Use discernment to guide you. May you be richly blessed, protected, and honored for the work you have done.
Thank you Steve. Life as you have acknowledged is hard. People we have trusted and given our full faith to often have failed us. I do not understand this,but know that I am stronger and cherish the few that have stood by. We must continue to fight for what we know is right.
Hi Steve, I am not an American, well not a U.S. American. I am a Canadian, a North American. There are three major countries that share the North American continent, and 23 in total if you include all of the continental plate. Yet it is only the citizens of the United States of America that have seized the right to be called Americans and this fact saddens me a little. Why? Because as a Canadian I care deeply about what happens on this continent.
The devastating effect that Trump and MAGA has had on international relations, and how the United States is viewed by people around the world will take decades to repair, and has exposed how eager the right wing (wing nut) clan is for authoritarian power. Assaults on the rule of law are obvious, and scoffing at laws and civil behaviour have become the normal discourse and behaviour.
Should the GOP take the house and the senate, I fear that there will be no rules for them, just rules for the rest of you. Good luck with that. Don't think for a second that this is just Trump. Trump caused the vile creatures that lived in darkness to come into the light. How is it that there are so many Americans, who can't see them for what they are? What a horror show.
Just my opinion, and your fellow citizens may view my opinion with scorn, but it is high time that the Republican Party is scrapped, and a new party takes its place as the second party of the nation. But then what do I know, I have no vote, and meddling in another country's politics might be considered problematic. Sorry about that. (Oh, what a Canadian thing to say, sorry.)
I’ve appreciated every word you have written. You filled in so many holes, where my intuition was telling me all was not right, but didn’t know why. Everything you have written in this series rings true.
I just finished watching the mini documentary. That any of them thought this filming was a bright idea, it was not. I’m especially upset & disappointed in Mike, Ron and Jennifer, all of whom still had the “faux” CoFounder on their Twitter accounts the last I looked. They need to remove the title.