If–as I fondly hope–the Democrats are victorious in November, future analysts of this year’s election are likely to focus on two major reasons for that success: Donald Trump and Heritage’s incredibly witless decision to leak the existence of Project 2025.
I need not belabor Trump’s rapidly disintegrating campaign. He can still pull this election out–if there are more MAGA cult members than I want to believe and too few rational people who vote–but at this juncture, he is rapidly descending into incoherence and obvious senility, and struggling to find an insult for Harris that will resonate. His choice of JD Vance as Vice-Presidential candidate once again displayed his lack of judgment. His constant insistence that America is a hellhole teetering on the edge of depression and teeming with criminals is evidence of his looney-tunes detachment from reality.
Trump’s inability to reach beyond his base– the voters who applaud his incivility and share his bigotries– is one thing; the revelations of Project 2025– the GOP’s transition plan–is another. To call the Plan’s measures “unpopular” is an understatement. As one pundit observed, “it polls like Ebola.”
In a recent Letter from an American, Heather Cox Richardson reported on several of the elements of that document, calling it an “extremist vision of a country ruled by a strongman who took the civil service, the Department of Justice, and the military under his own control in order to slash the popular, secular parts of the government and replace them with Christian nationalism.”
Right-wing evangelicals liked what was outlined in the project, but when the majority of Americans began to understand what was in it, they were quite clear they wanted no part of it. Trump then tried to distance himself from it, although he had publicly praised it, his political action committee had called it his plan, and more than 100 of its architects were people who had served in his administration.
And then it turned out that Trump’s vice presidential pick, J. D. Vance, had written the introduction for a book by Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, the chief author of Project 2025. The original publication date for the book, which calls for “a peaceful ‘Second American Revolution,’” was in September, shortly before the election, but today the publisher announced it would put off publication until November, after the election.
The publication may have been delayed, but several copies of the book were already in the hands of reviewers. Despite Republican efforts to soften or otherwise obscure the party’s efforts to ban women’s reproductive freedoms, the book makes very clear that the folks currently in control of the GOP intend to come not just for abortion, but for birth control and in vitro fertilization. According to these Christian Nationalists, having children should not be considered an ‘optional individual choice,’ but a ‘social expectation.’” The book characterizes reproductive choice as a “snake strangling the American family.”
(The book also says dog parks are “anti-family.” I am not making this up–google it. In the book, Roberts complains that parks catering to dogs, rather than children, are evidence of “the antifamily culture shaping legislation, regulation, and enforcement throughout our sprawling government.” Take that, Rover!!)
Richardson also tells us that–in addition to his enthusiastic introduction to Project 2025–Vance wrote a glowing blurb for another Right-wing screed.
The book, titled “Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them),” calls for purging their enemies from society. “In the past, communists marched in the streets waving red flags,” Vance wrote. “Today, they march through HR, college campuses, and courtrooms to wage lawfare against good, honest people… In ‘Unhumans,’ Jack Posobiec and Joshua Lisec reveal their plans and show us what to do to fight back.”
Vance, Heritage and the MAGA movement don’t just oppose reproductive liberty. They oppose Separation of Church and State, “HR, college campuses and courtrooms”–in other words, diversity (“those people”), education (Project 2025 proposes to replace public schools with voucher programs, and endorses current Republican assaults on academic freedom) and the rule of law. The GOP doesn’t just want women returned to the kitchen and bedroom; it wants gay folks back in the closet. And it denies the existence–let alone the medical needs– of trans people.
CNN recently reported on the secret taping of a conversation with one of the Project’s authors, a self-described Christian Nationalist who disclosed–among many other things– the current preparation of Executive Orders and other legal documents in order to facilitate the rapid implementation of Project policies by an incoming Trump Administration.
A vote for any Republican is a vote for this entirely anti-American Project.
Imagine if you will that the incredibly stupid MAGA crowd had kept their plan a secret. Being so full of themselves that they burst forth publicly, various members have leaked and boasted of the plan, and instead of accolades, they have been met with horror, anger and fear.
At this point, if any Republican has not publicly denounced Trump and this plan you can be assured that they support it. Silence does not get you a pass.
Pretty scary stuff… This P-2025, and its acolytes/creators is a modern version of the subversion of democracy employed by Nazi Germany. Now, we here in America are looking at Nazi Germany 2.0. This lunatic Roberts has promised a “bloodless revolution” if the “left” allows it. Really?
Forgive my alarm, please, but these creatures are not just subversive to our Constitution, they are borderline psychotics who have NO IDEA what egalitarianism is, how to make democracy work better and bring our diverse culture together. Instead, their lazy intellects are wasted on self-serving ideology based, mostly, on fantasy, imagination of a spirit that can’t be shown and an inherent meanness that can only come from being abused children.
Please, Do not vote for any Republican anywhere. The crazy crap has to stop.
Democracy is simple in concept but difficult to execute precisely because it requires an informed electorate passionate about protecting equal rights among all of its people but willing to trade off unbounded freedom for an organized government that protects equality. It is not an economy but ensures that consumers and workers aren’t mistreated by whatever economic system is employed.
We are in an era of populous passion about the role of government simply because the government in place was doing what it is supposed to do, and people who hate equality are inexperienced in what life would be without it.
It is imperative that Democrats take the House and keep the Senate, in addition to electing Harris. It’s equally important to do the same and turn around the States as well.
I agree with patmcc above, a vote for any Republican, for any position, is a vote against democracy. At this point the only flavor of “Republican” that’s allowable seems to be “MAGA”. Which in turn means that (dog willing and the creek don’t rise) that the only home for reasonable people will be the Democratic Party. So it will end up being a bigger tent than I’m comfortable with, and will necessarily include non-MAGA conservatives, people who disagree with me on policy.
In the absence of actual liberal Republicans, though, it’ll have to do. But the end result will be to drag the entire political center of the country to the right, and I feel even the Democrats are further right than I’d like. Possibly due to the distortions allowed by unlimited dark money in campaigns, but that’s a rant for a different day.
Everyone is talking about Project 2025. I have a copy of the 2024 GOP PLATFORM, which highlights nearly all of its concepts. These ideas are real, folks. They come directly from the Heritage Foundation.
The biggest lie of Project 2025, as far as I am concerned, is the pledge to do away with the “administrative state.” Absolutly none of the other policy objectives of Project 2025 can be fully implemented and enforced without a massive, and massively intrusive, administrative state. No authoritarian regime can do without one, and neither can the regime envisioned by the authors and supporters of Project 2025. And it will, as in other authoritarian regimes, especially those promising (threatening?) large-scale social and cultural transformation, be a police state.
over the past 3 months ive talked with probably close to 200 blue collars and single moms here in the NoDakian Klaners. some Montana Klaners too.some SoDakian noemites, over all, few have even heard of project 2025. they are, social media gottas and such. rural,family oriented and church follwers, if they do sunday stuff, i didnt ask. but overall, there is no fear here, because they dont know. after my discussion, i hope many went home and turned on their better senses. many seemed wide eyed at the idea of head start and such programs being axed.the thought of SS being axed by a tax cut,that targets their retirement etc, they had no clue, nor any so called entitlements.now picking thru the pages of 2025, prevailing wage in federal projects,(davis-bacon) would be axed,along with a weird form of two week work weeks, whereas, overtime pay becomes a game. the company im employed with, gets a DBE status, minority/woman/owner of a trucking company. shes changing her voting mode. all in all, its all spelled out how this 2025 treats workers,and families. its eye opening to some, and others just shrug and walk away. hopefully some read the text and relize the consequences of their vote, AND they still get the entitlement of being a bigot in life.
ive heard that they had to belong to ALEC and heritage to get any funding to run for republican office. Bill is right about its platform, and its been that platform for decades until this extreme maga decided a paper issurection is legal..
Vernon, it’s not that they “…have NO IDEA what egalitarianism is,” it’s that they fear it. they do not want to be equal, they want to be “special,” king of the hill!
Project 2025 is the blueprint for a return to the Confederacy…no, it’s worse.
One thing is clear the people from the Heritage Foundation were working the ideas for Project 2025 way before they joined up with Trump and his Maga crowd. They looking for somebody to help execute their plan. These guys are more organized that those who failed at a gov take over in 2021. We have a serious problem something is going to have to happen to make people wishing to take over our country understand the Americans will not tolerate their plan for America. This is a Country over party moment if there ever was one. We must vote blue to stop their anti-american movement! We must be Americans first to protect our democracy. I must admit I never thought I would see anything like Project 2025. When I was paying attention in government class. But here we are.
What alarms me the most about P-2025 is that, even if t*ump is defeated in November, it will remain dormant, waiting for the next autocrat to rise out of the dung-heap that spawned MAGA in the first place. T*ump is a symptom of a much deeper sickness in the US today that must, somehow, be dealt with.
P-2025 is just the latest mandate of the Koch-controlled Heritage plan. It’s been around for awhile now, which is the reason our oligarchy has produced the pro-oligarchy policies.
According to Wikipedia, “Heritage claims that almost two-thirds of its 1981 Mandate was attempted by Ronald Reagan, and nearly two-thirds of its 2015 Mandate was attempted by Donald Trump.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
Therefore, Trump is deeply intertwined with P-2025 as well. You would think our billionaires like Peter Thiel would balk at the “Don’t Say Gay” policies within the GOP since he’s a gay man. Also, banning IVF should bring about objections from Elon Musk who has been a steady user of IVF for his 12 or 13, maybe 14 children. I’ve heard no such objections. Elon even had a son who transgendered to a female. He claims his son was killed by the “woke virus which took over his brain.” His daughter changed her last name because she wants nothing to do with him.
So, why this disconnect? Is money/power really more important than principles or family?
Here’s my impression: P-2025 isn’t for the oligarchy; it’s for we the people. It paves the way for authoritarian control of the federal government by the executive office. The oligarchy reaps the benefits while US citizens feel the wrath. This puts Reaganism on steroids which makes me wonder what Washington looks like after Trump’s first term. No wonder he told Christians to “GOTV this November and then they won’t have to vote again.” [red flag]
The book, titled “Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them),” calls for purging their enemies from society. “In the past, communists marched in the streets waving red flags,” Vance wrote. “Today, they march through HR, college campuses, and courtrooms to wage lawfare against good, honest people… In ‘Unhumans,’ Jack Posobiec and Joshua Lisec reveal their plans and show us what to do to fight back.”
Am I the only person who is struck by the incongruity of the MAGA / Republican “conservatives” operating under the “communist colors; i.e. RED?”
These people have gone so far to the right that they have circled the globe and joined with the equally extreme left. Unbelievable!
Well, almost. 60 years ago I was in an honors American History class with the future political commentator Jeff Greenfield. He coined that comment above about going so far to the extremes that they meet each other coming around the globe. Prescient!
The Heritage Foundation is using tfg, but they don’t need him to complete their vision. Since he has no idea of what policy is. He has no vision for America. His world ends at the tip of his nose.
The Heritage Foundation is nothing, if not patient. It took them 30 years to take control of the courts. They’re content to wait until the next vacuous dolt pops up. The Republican caucus in the House has been a breeding ground for them, so it shouldn’t take long.
Decades ago Ayn Rand pointed out that communism and fascism are two sides of the same coin. Both place the individual in service to those who control the government, whether it is called the state or the party. Both are the enemies of democracy. Both are the enemies of the United States as it was conceived and has been (imperfectly) implemented. So the Republican Party has now cast itself in the place that the Communist Party occupied during the reign of Stalin. That is how and why the two meet.
They want a police state! That’s all this Project 2025 plan is. They want every door to be knocked on and if there are brown immigrants inside, they will go to the detention center and be deported. Doesn’t matter if their children were born here, they need to go. All of the gays, you’re next. Then disabled, then depressed, then…you can see where this is going. They want a police state and if you don’t conform, they will eliminate you. Period end of story. Gawd help us.
Here’s a post from a friend of mine on Facebook that his son, a military member posted last month. I was so stunned by the post, that I actually responded that he wanted a police state.
Yikes!
Here’s my presidential debate:
-Term limits for all political offices. 3 max.
-No benefits after office. You serve the people.
-Age limit: 60
-Businesses cannot donate to a politician or sponsor one.
-No one individual can donate more than $10 to a politician for their campaign during their entire run. If they lose, they must pay it all back.
-no politician can put money in the stock market.
-schools must teach the constitution for a whole school year.
-schools must teach all of American history, the good and bad, over 2 years.
-schools will teach economics and taxes senior year.
-schools will teach how to garden and raise animals for a whole year.
-schools will teach history of weapons for a whole school year.
-if a felon is caught with a gun, they will be executed.
-everyone can have a gun. If anyone says a person is not allowed to have a gun (to those that are legally allowed to and have not broken the law) cannot purchase or legally own a gun themselves.
-apartments and condos will be made illegal. Puts too many people in one area and makes people reliant on others and not themselves.
-every American will take a gun class that is not a felon. If you fail, you will never have a gun and will not be able to purchase one.
-businesses will not be allowed to own farming land.
-giving animals shots will be illegal. I had a dog live 17 years without a single shot, died from old age.
-military personnel that served honorably, get 1 acre for every year they served tax free with a 3 bed, 2 bath house.
-military personnel that get dishonorably discharged will be registered as felons.
-any illegal immigrants that commit crimes in America will be executed.
Why is the military training young men to think like that? It’s no wonder the military has so many trumpers in it.
IMHO – Most all of the concerns today might be attributable to four key things (among others):
– The ongoing destruction of public education and teaching critical thinking
– The ongoing destruction of local/news journalism seeking to mostly report what they investigate
– The technology driven shattering of much common community into micro-tribes in everything: music, tribes, celebrities, etc.
– The abject failure of the forces of democracy to build and run an ecosystem comparable to the one of the Heritage, Kochs , ALEC, et..
Not sure that voting Blue will change any of the above, but it is better than the alternative.
It’s hard for me to fathom that Trump can’t come up with a nickname for Kamala when “Commie-la” is just sitting there. Guess it’s just more evidence of his decline.
Thank you, Shelia. We are living in a scary time and we can only hope there are more of us than there are of them. I know the county that I live in is 2/3 MAGA. It is very scary. I have few Republican friends on my Facebook…I have unfollowed or have been blocked by them. I keep pushing as much to those that are on my page….as possible….I see very little soaking in and many of those not paying attention are family members! It is so sad!
I am old so little of p2025 would impact me BUT that is just the point! It Is not about me, but about the good of the country, so I find p2025 repugnant ,vicious, vile and unspeakably evil! It denigrates everything our country has fought and died to preserve and improve. We are certainly, and have never been above reproach, but as a country we, have over the last 50-100 years tried to raise even those perceived as the least of us.
P2025 wants to take us back to the days of slavery, where women and non whites are nothing more than chattel. We can not and must not let this happen. Consider who is leading this charge to the rear. It is the the person convicted of 34 felonies and charged with more, who to day,stated to a crowd of people that the Metal of Freedom is greater than the Medal of Honor bestowed on those who have given life and limb for our freedoms. The Medal of Freedom was awarded by him to those who has given large amounts of money to his campaign, without risk of life or limb. Of those in our military, injured or killed, he bestows the title of fools.
If you can’t read p2025 in its entirety, for our country’s sake find and read a summary o f it. Though we may not deserve it, may G-d help us!