Project 2025 ... and 1921, and 1973, and 1981

[Passages]

Terrifying blueprints for the next Republican presidency are a quadrennial tradition.


BY RICK PERLSTEIN JULY 10, 2024

First things first: The Heritage Foundation’s 900-page Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, the anchor of the marquee right-wing think tank’s Project 2025, is not what you’ve heard. It’s not some book of magic spells for President Trump’s minions to cast, and poof goes away every last vestige of truth, justice, and the American way. For one thing, much of it is too dumb to accomplish anything at all.

Consider the part on the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in the chapter on the Department of Homeland Security, bylined by OG MAGA superfreak (and former Trump DHS official) Ken Cuccinelli. I turned it over for review to an acquaintance with 16 years’ experience devising disaster management plans for states and municipalities. They immediately spotted that one budget recommendation contradicts another, such that the first (intended to defund humanitarian functions at the border, naturally) would be “useless if both recommendations were to carry.” Also, they said this: “The reorganization recommendations are 100% insane. CISA in DOT? FEMA in DOI? Shewwww!”

SNIP

And yes, there is plenty of blunt insanity, too. But, bottom line, this is a complicated document. “Conservatives in Disarray” is precisely the opposite message from that conveyed by all the coverage of Project 2025. But it is an important component of this complexity, and why this text should be picked apart, not panicked over, and studied both for the catastrophes it portends and the potential it provides.

These are great, big, blinking red “LOOK AT ME” advertisements of vulnerabilities within the conservative coalition.

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-07-10-project-2025-republican-presidencies-tradition/

[Lonestarblue]

1. Some parts are contradictory probably because many people wrote parts of this manifesto.

To decide that it is a meaningless plan because it has contradictions is to miss the point that regardless of exact wording, we know the leaders of the Heritage Foundation and the numerous right-wing think tanks that work with them plan to enable an imperial presidency, neuter the power of Congress and the courts, turn the US into a theocracy, pass laws to take away reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, and use the DOJ to establish a corrupt justice system.

Dismissing the threat of the Project 2025 leaders because it was poorly edited seems totally silly.

[Passages]

4. "picked apart not panicked over."

Is not a dismissal by this historian.

[GoreWon2000]

2. Women will die from illegal abortions if Project 2025 becomes a reality

That's not disarray. There will be no more birth control either. The threat of Project 2025 is very real for women.

[dweller]

3. I tried reading it , I really did try

But the whole time it shrieked like a nazi rally in my head , Hitler voice chanting his mein kampf to the point of brainwashing propaganda

It breaks my brain



✌🏻

[Passages]

7. Understandable.

Perlstein refers to it as a terrifying blueprint.

[slightlv]

5. Passages... thank you!

I'd set myself out the project of tracking P2025 back as far as possible (in spirit, if not in form) and seeing what the differences were among all the sets of Conservative mission documents. I knew it would go back to the 20's, but I've been so engrossed with grandson and his problems, I never sat down and did the work. You've given me a head start on my project, as least via years. But I *knew* Agenda 47 would be based on P2025, which would be based on the PNAC document. From there, I honestly knew it'd take a bit of digging and research to find the previous documents. Grandson is in a mess, tho... and grandma's time is being spent trying to keep his head above water and his spirits on an even keel... while trying to keep my own sanity thru all this. But again, thank you for the head start! My interest is piqued enough, I still want to follow through with the tracking and comparisons. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Feith, et. al., wouldn't have dreamed this stuff up all on their own (tho they're certainly capable of being that cruel!). I knew it had to track back to the nazi party prevalent in the 20-30's. So... thank you!

[Passages]

6. Thank you for such a thoughtful response and you're very welcome.

Best wishes for your grandson too.

[orthoclad]

8. The 1971 Powell Memo had a baby

and they called it 2025, middle name 47.

[Blue Full Moon]

9. A mistake to dismiss

They are working on changing the constitution and they have not shy about it. While it’s writing is bad not to surprised since they are against education. They already are implementing it. They need to wear this millstone and answer to it. They were just a little quick on getting it out.