The 2025 Plan To Takeover Government

America's Right-Wing "Mein Kampf"

Kevin Roberts describes the 920-page Project 2025 plan by The Heritage Foundation as a "second American Revolution -- bloodless if the Left allows it to be!"^[1]

Pro-Trump think tank leader makes ominous threat about ‘second American Revolution’ - YouTube

Roberts apparently thinks the Project 2025 revolution would be greater than the American Civil War and the 1980 "Reagan Revolution." In the foreword to Project 2025 - The "Mandate for Leadership" - Roberts wrote:

Forty-four years ago, the United States and the conservative movement were in dire straits. Both had been betrayed by the Washington establishment . . . . [Heritage] created a 20-volume, 3,000-page governing handbook . . . in January 1981 . . . 60 percent of its recommendations had become policy . . . [in] the Reagan Revolution.
. . .
This volume—The Conservative Promise—is the opening salvo of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, launched by The Heritage Foundation and our many partners in April 2022. Its 30 chapters lay out hundreds of clear and concrete policy recommendations for White House offices, Cabinet departments, Congress, and agencies, commissions, and boards. (pp. 1, 2)^[2]

. . . along four broad fronts that will decide America’s future:

1. Restore the family as the centerpiece of American life and protect our children.

2. Dismantle the administrative state and return self-governance to the American people.

3. Defend our nation’s sovereignty, borders, and bounty against global threats.

4. Secure our God-given individual rights to live freely—what our Constitution calls “the Blessings of Liberty.” (p. 3)

(Kevin Roberts also has a book to be published in September 2024: "Dawn's Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America"^[3])

The tone of the document is militant and demeaning:

In 1979, the threats we faced were the Soviet Union, the socialism of 1970s liberals, and the predatory deviancy of cultural elites. Reagan defeated these beasts by ignoring their tentacles and striking instead at their hearts.
. . .
The next conservative President must get to work pursuing the true priority of politics—the well-being of the American family. In many ways, the entire point of centralizing political power is to subvert the family. Its purpose is to replace people’s natural loves and loyalties with unnatural ones (pp. 3, 4)

The term, "woke" or a derivation, appears 35 times in Project 2025, e.g., "Contemporary elites have even repurposed the worst ingredients of 1970s 'radical chic' to build the totalitarian cult known today as 'The Great Awokening.'" But, "inequality" appears only twice and not at all combined with "wealth" or "income." "Poverty" appears 36 times, as in:

Today, the American family is in crisis. Forty percent of all children are born to unmarried mothers, including more than 70 percent of black children. There is no government program that can replace the hole in a child’s soul cut out by the absence of a father. Fatherlessness is one of the principal sources of American poverty, crime, mental illness, teen suicide, substance abuse, rejection of the church, and high school dropouts. (p. 4)
. . .
The aid industry claims that climate change causes poverty, which is false. Enduring conflict, government corruption, and bad economic policies are the main drivers of global poverty.
. . .
USAID should cease its war on fossil fuels in the developing world and support the responsible management of oil and gas reserves as the quickest way to end wrenching poverty and the need for open-ended foreign aid. The next conservative Administration should rescind all climate policies from its foreign aid programs (specifically USAID’s Climate Strategy 2022–20307); shut down the agency’s offices, programs, and directives designed to advance the Paris Climate Agreement; and narrowly limit funding to traditional climate mitigation efforts. (p. 257)
. . .
The next conservative Administration must champion the core American value of religious freedom, which correlates significantly with poverty reduction, economic growth, and peace. (p.262)
. . .
Working fathers are essential to the well-being and development of their children, but the United States is experiencing a crisis of fatherlessness that is ruining our children’s futures. In the overwhelming number of cases, fathers insulate children from physical and sexual abuse, financial difficulty or poverty, incarceration, teen pregnancy, poor educational outcomes, high school failure, and a host of behavioral and psychological problems. (p. 451)
. . .
The dramatic increase in Medicaid expenditures is due in large part to the ACA (Obamacare), which mandates that states must expand their Medicaid eligibility standards to include all individuals at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), and the public health emergency, which has prohibited states from performing basic eligibility reviews. (p. 466)
. . .
Marriage, healthy family formation, and delaying sex to prevent pregnancy are virtually ignored in terms of priorities, yet these goals can reverse the cycle of poverty in meaningful ways. CMS should require explicit measurement of these goals. (p.476)
. . .
Politicians across party lines use HUD to promise ever-greater public benefits. In addition, HUD programs tend to perpetuate the notion of bureaucratically provided housing as a basic life need and, whether intentionally or not, fail to acknowledge that these public benefits too often have led to intergenerational poverty traps, have implicitly penalized family formation in traditional two-parent marriages, and have discouraged work and income growth, thereby limiting upward mobility. (p. 503)

Much of Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership" reminds me of "The Handmaid's Tale."^[4]

I asked Perplexity.ai^[5] "What specific changes does Project 2025 propose for government agencies;" here's the response (with citations):

Project 2025 proposes several significant changes to government agencies:

1. Reclassification of federal workers: The plan calls for reclassifying up to 50,000 key federal workers as political appointees, allowing a new president to replace them with conservative loyalists[2].

2. Department of Education: Project 2025 proposes abolishing the Department of Education entirely[2].

3. Department of Homeland Security: The plan recommends dismantling DHS and combining it with units in other agencies to create a larger, more powerful border policing operation[4].

4. Environmental Protection Agency: Project 2025 calls for dismantling the EPA's renewable energy programs and favoring the fossil fuel industry[2].

5. Department of Justice and FBI: The plan proposes a "top-to-bottom overhaul" of the DOJ and FBI, describing the latter as a "bloated, arrogant, increasingly lawless organization." It suggests prohibiting the FBI from investigating misinformation or making "politically motivated" moves against U.S. citizens[1][4].

6. Federal Reserve: Project 2025 seeks to reform the Federal Reserve by potentially eliminating government control over the nation's money or returning to the gold standard[1].

7. Executive branch expansion: The plan proposes placing the entire federal bureaucracy, including independent agencies, under direct presidential control, based on the "unitary executive theory"[4].

8. Department of Energy: Project 2025 calls for overhauling the Department of Energy to promote oil and natural gas while deemphasizing green energy sources[1].

9. Department of Agriculture: The plan recommends removing the Department of Agriculture's focus on sustainability[1].

These proposed changes aim to significantly reshape the federal government structure and priorities under a Republican administration, with a focus on consolidating executive power and implementing conservative policies across agencies.

Perplexity Citations:
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/07/30/project-2025-explained-what-to-know-about-the-controversial-right-wing-policy-map-for-trump-as-director-steps-down/
[2] https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/29/project-2025-shares-goals-florida-gov-ron-desantis/74584842007/
[3] https://federalnewsnetwork.com/management/2024/07/project-2025-director-leaves-heritage-foundation-after-democrat-attacks-and-trump-criticism/
[4] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c977njnvq2do
[5] https://www.project2025.org

I asked OpenAI's GPT-4o to write an article based on:

• project-2025s-mandate-for-leadership-the-conservative-promise.pdf (see footnote 2 to download a copy)

• Project 2025: The Plan To Take Over The Courts w/ Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse^[6] YouTube video, and

• America's Right-Wing Mein Kampf

The GPT-4o AI's response (in part) was:

America's Right-Wing Mein Kampf is a phrase that evokes strong imagery and potent historical connotations. It suggests an ideological framework that draws inspiration from or is reminiscent of Adolf Hitler's infamous manifesto, Mein Kampf. In the context of Project 2025, this comparison could imply a far-right political strategy or movement in the United States that aims to reshape the nation's policies and ideologies significantly. This note will delve deeply into Project 2025, exploring its origins, objectives, ideological underpinnings, and potential implications for the United States.
. . .
Project 2025's objectives are multifaceted, focusing on various aspects of governance and society. Some of the central goals include:

• Restructuring Government Institutions: The project advocates for a significant overhaul of federal and state institutions to reduce what proponents see as bureaucratic inefficiencies and perceived overreach. This could involve devolving powers to local governments or privatizing certain public services.

• Economic Policies: Project 2025 emphasizes free-market capitalism, tax cuts, deregulation, and reducing government intervention in the economy. Supporters believe that such measures will spur economic growth and innovation.

• Social and Cultural Policies: The project seeks to promote traditional values and norms. This could include policies on education, family structures, and cultural narratives that align with conservative ideals.

• Immigration and National Security: Project 2025 advocates for stricter immigration controls and stronger national security measures. This includes building barriers, both physical and legal, to limit immigration and ensure national sovereignty.

• Foreign Policy: The project aims to redefine America's role on the global stage, often advocating for a more isolationist or nationalist approach. This can include renegotiating trade deals, reducing foreign aid, and reassessing military alliances and commitments.
  . . .

Potential Implications

Political Landscape

If Project 2025 succeeds in its goals, the political landscape of the United States could undergo profound changes. These may include:

• Shift to the Right: A significant rightward shift in both federal and state policies, with an emphasis on conservative values and principles.

• Polarization: Increased political polarization as the project challenges progressive and centrist policies, leading to more pronounced ideological divides.

• Institutional Reforms: Potential restructuring of governmental institutions to align with Project 2025's vision, which could include decentralization and privatization efforts.

Societal Impacts

The societal impacts of Project 2025 could be equally far-reaching:

• Cultural Shifts: A resurgence of traditional values and norms, potentially at the expense of progressive social changes. This could affect areas such as LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and racial equality.

• Economic Changes: Economic policies that favor free-market principles may lead to growth and innovation but could also result in increased income inequality and reduced social safety nets.

• Immigration and Diversity: Stricter immigration policies could lead to a more homogeneous population, impacting cultural diversity and multiculturalism in the United States.

International Relations

Project 2025's vision for America's role in the world could lead to:

• Isolationism: A retreat from international engagements and a focus on national interests, which could affect global trade, alliances, and diplomatic relations.

• Revised Foreign Policies: Changes in foreign aid, military commitments, and international agreements to prioritize American sovereignty and economic interests.

Conclusion

Project 2025 represents a bold and ambitious effort to reshape the United States according to right-wing and conservative principles. While the comparison to Mein Kampf may be hyperbolic, it underscores the perceived radical nature of the project's goals and strategies.

Understanding Project 2025 requires a nuanced analysis of its origins, objectives, ideological foundations, and potential implications. As the project progresses, it will undoubtedly continue to be a topic of intense debate and scrutiny, reflecting the broader ideological battles within American society.

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Endnotes

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1. Project 2025 leader says SCOTUS immunity ruling is encouraging

2. Download Heritage PDF: Project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf

3. Dawn's Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America: Roberts, Kevin, Vance, J. D.: 9780063353503: Amazon.com: Books

4. The Handmaid's Tale (TV series) - Wikipedia

5. Perplexity

6. Project 2025: The Plan To Take Over The Courts w/ Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse - YouTube