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| The Liberal Freak-our over Project 2025 |
by Rod Williams, July 5, 2024 - I think many are resigned to the likelihood of a second Trump term as president. President Biden's diminished cognitive capacity was on display at the recent presential debate and subsequent Biden appearances at press conferences and one-on-one interviews, while better than the debate, have not reassured many people that he is up for the job of four more years of arguably the hardest job in the world. On top of that, the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and his spontaneous response of the clinched fist pump and a call to "fight, fight, fight," as he was led from the stage with blood streaming down his face, has energized his supporter and probably won him new admirers. While anything could happen between now and November, I expect Trump to be the next president.
I will not vote for Trump and think he is unfit for the office. After his attempted coup of January 6th and the plotting prior to that day to illegally remain in office and his claims of a stolen elections since, in my view, disqualifies him. I see no circumstances in which I could be persuaded to vote for Donald Trump. I am a never-Trumper. I agree that Trump is a danger to our democracy.
Having said the above however, I think some on the left are grasping at straws to spread fear of Trump and maybe they are losing touch with reality. I think that is a hazard of watching too much MSNBC. Trump has done enough and said enough that one does not have to dig deep to conclude that Trump is a threat to democracy. The thing that Trump critics have seized on to demonize Trump and spread fear of his second term is something called "Project 2025."
I was reading Trump's Truth Social post on July 5th and came across a post in which Trump distanced himself from Agenda 2025. In that post Trump said he did not know anything about it. I found that preposterous and I posted that Even in the Small Things, Trump cannot be Bothered with Facts. I had no idea that Project 2025 was going to create such a firestorm. Liberal Trump critics have seized on Project 2025 is the same apocalyptic tone and panic as did conservative a decade ago over something called Agenda 21.
Since that tweet by Trump distancing himself from Project 2025, it has received a lot of scrutiny. The people at MSNBC and CNN have their hair on fire. Libs are freaking out. Pod casters and U-Tube posters are devoting whole episodes to it as are major TV news show, and print media are devoting pages to it. By now, anyone who stays informed has heard of it. You can do a web search for Project 2025 and find pages of stories. It you want to visit the official Project 2025 website, follow the link. You can read the full 922 pages at this link.
Project 2025 is an initiative directed by the Heritage Foundation with the participation of up to 100 other conservative think tanks and organizations, with the aim of promoting a conservative agenda when Trump is reelected. The Heritage Foundation describes it as "our 180-day Transition Playbook and includes a comprehensive, concrete transition plan for each federal agency." The plan had input from more than 400 scholars and policy experts from across the conservative movement and around the country. In addition to the transition plan, the project is creating a data base of potential employees, sort of like a LinkedIn site for conservatives interested in working in the new administration.
The plan has four main policy aims: restore the family as the centerpiece of American life; dismantle the administrative state; defend the nation's sovereignty and borders; and secure God-given individual rights to live freely. I guess if you are liberal, those are things to freak-out over. I support all of those policy aims.
Regarding dismantling the administrative state, Project 2025 aims to consolidate executive power under the president in conformity with Article II of the U.S. Constitution. Many agencies of government act as if they are independent agencies when in fact they are not. The Federal Reserve is an independent agency; the Justice Department is not. For those who think the DOJ should be independent they should work to amend the Constitution to make the office of Attorney General an elected position.
Over time many agencies of government have become powerful bureaucracies that operate as if they were autonomous. Project 25 proposes weakening their autonomy and placing them under the authority of the president. In my view this is proper. Project 25 proposes reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers as political appointees in order to insure they pursue the policies of the administration instead of doing their own thing or resisting a change in policy.
In my view, any new administration should not have their legitimate policy proposals frustrated by a recalcitrant bureaucrat. I myself usually avoid the term "deep state'' as I think it sounds too tin-foil-hatty, but I certainly recognize that there is an entrenched, vast, unaccountable, bureaucracy. That needs to change. Elections should have consequences.
In addition to dismantling the "deep state," the plan calls for some specific changes to the structure of government such as dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education. I don't know why this is causing such a freak-out. The Department of Homeland Security did not exist prior to 2003. If DHS is abolished, the individual agencies that make up DHS would still exist. They existed prior to 2003.
The Department of Education was created in 1980. Prior to that it was part of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In 1980 that department was split into two departments, one being the Department of Education and the other being the Department of Health and Human Services. If they are recombined, is that really such a big deal?
We currently have a cabinet composed of 15 members. Whether some compartments are combined, and we have a cabinet of 12 or expanded and we have a cabinet of 17, does not seem like anything to freak out about. Shrinking the number of cabinets of government is my preference. I want a smaller and less intrusive bureaucracy and when new agencies are created the bureaucracy grows and its mission creeps. I question if Transportation needs to be a standalone department are if we could not function with transportation being rolled into a new Department of Commerce and Transportation. That is not a proposal of Project 2025, but if it was, it would not be anything to lose sleep over.
Much of the plan denounces "wokeness," and supports policies to counteract it. I do not think the Pride flag should be flown at US embassies around the world and support efforts do dial back the promotion of woke social policies, so I not only don't freak-out about these proposals but favor them. The plan calls for changing some of the terminology used by the government. Some terms would be disfavored or banned such as "sexual orientation", "gender equality", and "reproductive rights". Again, I approve. Some things said about the Project are simply not so. It does not call for a national ban on all abortions, as has been reported.
It is worth keeping in mind that the proposals of Project 2025 is not the same thing as the Republican Party Platform. And even if it was, a party platform is not binding. Project 2025 is a list of suggestions by an influential third party. It has no official standing. Trump has already said he disagrees with some of it. Some of it would take congressional action. If attempted to be implemented, some of it would face court challenges. Some of it will not see the light of day. It calls for abolishing the Federal Reserve. I don't think that will happen, and do not think it should.
I am less fearful of Trump implementing Project 2025 and more fearful of Trump just flying by the seat of his pants and doing things not well thought out that he things seem like a good idea at the time. I don't see Trump as having a core set of principles or being very disciplined, or very well-informed. I think he is a loose cannon. Giving him some informed guidance, may not be a bad thing.
Project 2025 may be a good thing. I have not read it all and I may see things with which I have strong disagreement. One example is that I do not want to deport all illegal immigrants. I think we need some form of amnesty for those who have been here for decades and stayed out of trouble and contributed to our economy and have become part of our communities. Even if I disagree with some of the Project 2025 proposals, I do not see it as this sinister plot to freak out over.
I am still reading Project 2025 and reading what others are saying about it. If I freak-out I will let you know.
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