Honestly? Abe would be scratching his head over this

If you follow politics, by now you have to be aware of something called "The Lincoln Project." This is a group of RINO "Never Trump" Republicans who'd rather give America over to the liberals and Joe Biden than see Donald Trump be re-elected president. Its leader and most visible face is George Conway, one of the most vocal "Never Trumpers" who happens to be married to one of Trump's closest advisers, Kellyanne Conway. (The two of them probably have dinnertime discussions that would make the dialogue between Mary Matalin and James Carville seem tame by comparison.)

The "Never Trump" movement had quite a few defectors between the 2016 GOP presidential nomination process and now. It originated as a curious mixture of conservative tea party types and liberal-to-moderate establishment RINOs who saw Trump as being both a conservative and a moderate, while at the same time being neither. Trump was a populist, a former Democrat with a liberal past, and he drew support from both wings of the party, although the establishment remained weary of him because his presence was a threat to their entrenched existence. But gradually, many of those who had opposed Trump came around to stand in his corner -- if not solidly, then at least on many issues and especially when the Democrats opposed him. This includes presidential rival Ted Cruz, frequent critic and John McCain disciple Lindsey Graham, and a certain former newspaper editor turned PR person and aspiring political blogger from the Kentucky River valley.

It's easy to see why the establishment dislikes Trump. As an outsider, he challenges their hegemony and their authority. The establishment is the swamp that Trump wants to drain. Trump isn't a politician. He didn't come up through the normal channels. He isn't beholden to the political power structure. Despite his wealth, he brings a common man's approach to governing. He speaks his mind. He doesn't abide by traditions or conventions. And the establishment is extremely wedded to traditions and conventions, at the expense of policy and getting things done. To the establishment, it's not that the end justifies the means, the means are the end. Procedure is the most important thing, not the results.

So while it's easy to see why the Lincoln Project is after Trump -- although, again, why they'd sacrifice America on the altar of the corrupt, senile, and liberal Joe Biden is a puzzler -- their entry into Kentucky politics is a real head-scratcher.

The Lincoln Project has come after Mitch McConnell. This defies all reason. McConnell embodies the establishment that the Lincoln Project represents. He values procedure above all else. He's stood in the way of the tea party movement at every opportunity. He'd rather strike a deal with Democrats to raise taxes and increase spending than to shut down the government to force cuts. He's a stickler for traditions and rules. His trademark is reserved, measured public comment. In short, he's pretty much everything Trump is not.

Why, then, would the Lincoln Project interject itself into Kentucky's Senate race? The only possible reason, and one that the participants have mentioned, is that McConnell didn't allow the partisan impeachment of Trump to succeed. But that act was common sense. No Republican Senate leader with any sense of decency would have allowed that politically motivated circus to come to the final act. McConnell recognized it for the attempted coup that it was, and took the appropriate steps to impede it. It's the only logical conclusion that can be drawn, since McConnell and the Lincoln Project have so much in common otherwise. Many regard McConnell as a Trump enabler, but the majority leader and the president have serious differences on a number of policy positions -- the aforementioned government shutdown being key; Trump urged it on while McConnell pledged it would not happen.

What's the Lincoln Project's ultimate goal in Kentucky? They're certainly not going to support Wesley Morgan in the Senate race. McConnell's chief challenger in the GOP primary, a business owner and former state representative from nearby Madison County, is an outspoken Trump supporter. If they hate Trump, they're certainly not going to back Morgan. It would appear, then, that they're positioning themselves for the general election this fall.

If these are the loyal Republicans that they claim to be, then their actions belie that statement. They couldn't actually want to see Amy McGrath, Charles Booker, or Mike Broihier elected to the Senate, could they? That would spit in the face of their professed Republican values. So far, they've released an ad attacking McConnell for his wealth he's accumulated since he was elected in 1984 (hint: he married into it) and authored an opinion piece for the Courier-Journal. Whether they will remain involved in the Senate race this spring or this fall remains to be seen.

Trump Derangement Syndrome is real. There are Republicans out there who would rather see liberal Democrats take control of the country than having a president in office that is in agreement with their policies and beliefs more often than not. They're making the perfect the enemy of the good. As for me, I supported Ted Cruz in the 2016 presidential nominating process. I voted for him in the Kentucky caucus. I still think he would be a better president than Trump. And I hope he is elected president someday. But I'm certainly not going to let that wish override the reality that if you're a Republican or a conservative, Trump is infinitely preferable to Biden or any Democrat. That a group that claims to be Republicans would surrender the country to liberals who ideologically oppose everything they profess to stand for is unfathomable. But that's the extent to which they'll go because Trump has disturbed their comfortable little establishment nest and ruffled their feathers.

Ol' "Honest Abe" would be scratching his head over this. No one can know how Lincoln would have perceived Trump, but the only Kentucky native ever to have been elected president is no doubt the Bluegrass State's most influential politician. And McConnell -- love him or loathe him, and I've loathed him for a decade and a half -- may not be a native Kentuckian, but he's spent most of his life as a resident, and he has to be regarded as the state's second-most influential political figure. So he and Lincoln have that in common. And you have to think the 16th president would appreciate that accomplishment.