Hey everyone, it's Reid. Before I get started, I know you've already downloaded the episode

because you're listening to it. But before you just get back to what you're doing,

take a look at the episode description for each show. It'll give you more background on our guest,

on their work, whether or not that's a book, or a website, or a sub-stack, or any of the information

that we referenced during the show. It'll give you that extra context you need to not only listen

and understand, but also go spread the pro-democracy gospel. Thanks everybody, and on with the show.

Welcome back to the Lincoln Project. I'm your host, Reid Gaelin. Today, I'm coming to you solo

to give you my thoughts on last night's Republican presidential debate. The debate, which aired on Fox

News, consisted of eight candidates seeking the GOP nomination for 2024. Ron DeSantis,

Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchison, and Doug

Burgham. Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee, did not participate in the debate, and instead

gave a pre-taped interview with Tucker Carlson that was posted on Twitter or X or whatever we're

going to call it nowadays, five minutes before the debate began. There's a lot here, so let me just

say this that I think it is the height of 2023 in the American Republican Party that all of

these candidates had to sign a pledge to participate and support a man who would not sign a pledge

and would not participate. I think that basically tells you all you need to know. And so here's the thing.

None of it matter. It doesn't matter what any of the media says about the horse race or how

Donald Trump is still who Donald Trump is. The Ron DeSantis is still lacking humanity

that Mike Pence has the charisma of a bowl of vanilla ice cream that Vivek Ramaswamy is Trump

Jr. None of this matters, right? Oh, Nikki Haley had a good night. Okay. In the context of the

unreality in which we're living, sure, she did. Chris Christie got some great shots at on Vivek

Ramaswamy. Who cares? Neither one of them are going to be nominee of the Republican party.

...