WELCOME to my first ALL-POLITICS blog covering the November 2024 Election. (If you missed it, check out my July 27 blog and scroll down to its debut Election section.) Don’t worry, the regular non-politics blog will post next weekend, with the 2 blogs alternating until November. Luckily, I have no life….
Election Basics
REGISTRATION
Are you registered to vote in Travis County? Things can change, so go here to BE SURE you are eligible to vote: https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/voter-lookup/#VoterEligibilitySearch
Last day to register to vote in Travis County is Oct. 7. Go here to fill out an application form, but it must be PRINTED and MAILED: https://vrapp.sos.state.tx.us/index.asp
BALLOT BY MAIL
Application deadline is Oct. 25: https://elections.traviscountytx.gov/voter-information/ballot-by-mail/#AbsenteeBallotSearch
VOTING (in person)
Early Voting is Oct. 21-Nov. 1.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5
SAMPLE BALLOT
There is a lot more being decided than the Presidential race. Be sure to vote in ALL races, top to bottom of the ballot (preferably for DEMOCRATS.) Go here and enter your address to see the elections and candidates: https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Sample_Ballot
Things YOU can do.
Volunteer for Harris/Walz campaign. https://web.kamalaharris.com/forms/take-action-for-kamala-harris/
Volunteer here in Lakeway area. LT Dems are working with Western Travis Democrats (a group of local Dem Precinct Chairs) to organize activities including mailings, block walks/lit drops, phone banks, campaign signs, and more for this fall. Go here (at the link, scroll down to GOTV and click on More Info) to sign up and help GET OUT THE VOTE this fall: https://www.laketravisdemocrats.com/copy-of-club-activities
Donate here in Lakeway area for local impact. The activities listed above that local Dem groups are spearheading take money. Printing, postage, signs—it adds up. Donations are needed. ACT BLUE makes donating easy and secure. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/western-travis-democrats-1
Donate to Travis County Democratic Party. TCDP is working hard to reach Democrats across Travis County and make sure they know when, how, and where to vote. To get Harris/Walz and Colin Allred elected we need to turn out every Democrat in Travis County —and postcards are key in making that happen. $20 = 30 postcards. $50 = 76 postcards. Pitch in to mobilize Democrats across Travis County. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fund-our-postcards?fbclid=IwY2xjawEh8LpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHby1WqRlAg3PPiBFqmxnSOXA8pyevSZAiZMFqqM0nRquYthuhh3oAyyB9A_aem_IIfdpz23omO4H9aIbCDxoA
Mail postcards to SWING STATES. Turning Texas blue is a big lift, BUT we can help the DEMS win the swing states, by mailing postcards. Progressive Turnout Project has a goal of 26 million cards and makes it easy, sending you the cards, addresses and messages you can use. You just provide the stamps. Here is how it works: “Sign up now to write postcards to rally Democrats to vote in 11 key states on November 5! Writing postcards is the most effective action you can take from home to help re-elect President Biden and ensure that Democrats maintain a Senate majority. You pick the state when you sign up, and we’ll mail you free postcards along with voter lists and instructions with proven message options.You’ll provide the postcard stamps and mail the postcards in October on the instructed date.” Go here to sign up: https://turnoutpac.org/postcards/
HARRIS
As a proud Cat Lady, I couldn’t resist customizing this sign a bit for my yard. Thanks, JD Vance–you big DUMB lug–for the inspiration! (And, sincere thanks to Lou and Bill Kilgore for the sign itself, as we all wait for the printers to crank out brand new Harris/Walz signs for our yards.)
“We’re NOT going back.”
Check out the Harris campaign’s FEARLESS ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Yr4U5Clls
The Harris campaign turned out to be surprising in so many ways. But, the BEST surprise is the JOY it has sparked, nationwide. Kamala Harris’ optimism is as contagious as her laugh. Suddenly, people are hopeful. Change is coming, and we’ve got this. A weight is finally lifted, and what a relief! Even people who were always going to vote blue are suddenly excited about this election, because they aren’t just voting AGAINST Trump and oppression—they are voting FOR the Dem candidates and forward-thinking policies. That’s HUGE. This campaign is going to be FUN….
Democratic Presidential Nominee
Harris was certified as the Democratic presidential nominee on Aug. 6, getting 4,567 votes from delegates in a virtual roll call. She is the first Black and South Asian woman to lead a major party ticket. Kamala Harris certified as Democratic presidential nominee after earning majority of roll call votes 8/6/24 https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kamala-harris-nominee-DNC-majority-democratic-roll-call-votes/story?id=112580918
Key endorsements
Endorsements are rolling in for Harris/Walz. A particularly note-worthy one is from LULAC, The League of United Latin American Citizens. This is the group’s very FIRST time endorsing a presidential ticket, in its 95-year history. Latino civil rights group LULAC endorses Harris-Walz ticket in historic first 8/9/24 https://www.axios.com/2024/08/09/lulac-endorsement-harris-walz-latino-voters
I’m waiting for Taylor Swift….
Republicans for Harris
Even Republican leaders are on board with Harris.
Back in July, John Giles endorsed Harris for president. The interesting thing is that Giles is a lifelong Republican and has been the mayor of Mesa, AZ since 2014. But, he’s done with Trump and said this of Harris: “Vice-president Harris is fighting to make sure Americans can get ahead and be safe from gun violence and to restore and protect the rights of women. Donald Trump, on the other hand, could enact the extreme and dangerous Project 2025 agenda if elected, which would roll back our rights and freedoms.” And, Giles isn’t the only GOP official endorsing Harris; many others followed his lead, all over the country.
—Republican Arizona mayor John Giles endorses Harris for president 7/30/24 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/30/john-giles-endorses-kamala-harris-arizona-mayor
–Harris unrolls dozens of GOP endorsements 8/4/24 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/harris-campaigns-outreach-plan-republican-voters-rcna165040
–“Republicans for Harris” launches in the swing state of New Hampshire 8/6/24 https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/republicans-for-harris-new-hampshire/
WALZ
After a couple weeks of vetting and much nail-biting by the public, Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (age 60) as her running mate. A relative unknown until recently, in 2 terms as Minnesota governor Walz codified the right to abortion in 2023, protected access to gender-affirming care, expanded voting rights, implemented a child tax credit, provided free school breakfasts and lunches, ushered in gun safety laws, slashed use of fossil fuels, and much more. Can’t get much more DEM than that. Plus, he brings to the ticket Mid-West values, military service, and a gift for speaking plainly but memorably. He taught school and coached high school football for 20 years before running for office, then spent a decade in Congress. A cat AND dog lover, a gun owner and union member, his 2 children are the result of IVF.
While promoting Harris as the Presidential nominee, Walz originated the “weird” characterization of Trump and Vance, which succinctly captures the oddness of so much of today’s GOP policy and personnel, without being scary or pejorative. Most importantly, perhaps, Walz fits perfectly into the Harris campaign’s joyful warrior mode; he seems to be indomitably cheerful. Starting at the 8/6 Philly rally where he and Harris first appeared representing the Dem ticket, Walz let loose pitch-perfect zingers against both Trump and Vance. “Violent crime was up under Donald Trump. That’s not even counting the crimes he committed.” And: “I can’t wait to debate Vance, that is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.” The genius of his folksy delivery is that he skewers the opposing politicians without attacking Republican voters. Walz is ridiculously popular all along the Democratic spectrum. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who stand on opposite sides of everything, both praised Harris’ choice of Walz, prompting AOC to wryly post: “Dems in disconcerting levels of array.” It is hoped that Walz’ regular guy persona will benefit the ticket in rural areas, especially in swing states; it works well on issues like abortion. Instead of talking about the right to choose or even the importance of personal freedom, Walz says that it is a matter of respecting your neighbors’ decisions even when you disagree and following the Golden Rule of small towns–“Mind your own damn business.”
Meet the VP
Harris/Walz ad introduces the new VP candidate. Meet VP Pick Tim Walz: When we fight, we win. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6sMbRVRYw
Here are several excellent resources (from short audios to comprehensive articles) that tell all about Tim Walz and explain why Harris picked him:
–Heather Cox Richardson presents Tim Walz, in a 9-minute audio 8/6/24 https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-6-2024-c69
—Matters of Opinion 40-minute podcast: Tim Walz is Vibing 8/9/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/09/opinion/tim-walz-harris-trump.html
—The Daily podcast explains Tim Walz and why Harris picked him, in 30 minutes. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/07/podcasts/the-daily/tim-walz-vp-democrats.html
—Your Tim Walz policy guide: Where he stands on abortion, unions, energy and more 8/6/24 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/06/tim-walz-policy-record-guide-00172844
—55 Things to Know About Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’ Pick for VP 8/6/24 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/08/06/tim-walz-55-things-harris-vp-00172790
Trump already gave Tim Walz his seal of approval.
In 2019, Trump appointed Gov. Walz to the Council of Governors. Something else for Trump to flip-flop on….
Walz vs. Vance
Walz is normal, decent and fun. Vance is fake, awkward and often creepy. The ONLY thing Walz and Vance have in common? A love of Diet Mountain Dew.
Lincoln ad—JV vs. Walz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXCKxjFQuD8
SHINY NEW POLLS
Polling as of Aug. 6 shows Harris leading Trump 51% to 48% nationally, reversing things just weeks into her candidacy. Women, black voters, and independents are all moving toward Harris, and she is strong with Latinos, older voters, and white voters overall. https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/g-s1-15701/election-poll-harris-trump
SWING STATE polls are even sweeter, per Siena College/NYT polling done Aug. 5-9. Harris leads Trump in crucial Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/10/us/politics/harris-trump-battleground-polls.html
TRUMP
Look who’s old and addled now.
Lincoln Project’s ad—“Listen.” Just 1 minute says it ALL. One thing about Trump—he gleefully warns us exactly what he plans to do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4AYVQxLQ7s
Trump is a racist.
As Joyce Vance stated on Substack recently: “It’s okay to call the racist a racist. In fact, it’s something we’re morally obligated to do.” I agree, so—again: Trump is a racist.
During his question/answer session at the National Association of Black Journalists gathering, Trump imploded.
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” the former president said.
Scott pushed back, citing the fact that Harris attended a historically Black university, and directed Trump back to the original question about whether he believes Harris was a “DEI” pick. He replied: “I really don’t know, could be, could be. There are some.”
He also called the black woman interviewing him “nasty” and “a disgrace.”
“A lot of the journalists in this room are Black,” Trump said, prompting laughter and gasps from the audience. “I will tell you that coming from the border are millions and millions of people that happen to be taking Black jobs.” Scott asked him to explain what a “Black job” is. “A Black job is anybody that has a job, that’s what it is,” Trump responded, before saying of undocumented immigrants: “They’re taking the employment away from Black people.”
Donald Trump falsely suggests Kamala Harris ‘happened to turn Black’ 7/31/24 https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/31/politics/donald-trump-kamala-harris-black-nabj/index.html
Watch 11 minutes of Trump’s racist comments here: Trump self-immolates at NABJ: a supercut 7/31/24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJFmvXQp6F8
TRUMP is weird. Really WEIRD.
LOVE how the “weird” moniker galls Trump and company. Invectives roll right off these folks, but the relatively mild “weird” really gets under their skin. Not as much as his small crowd size, compared to the ginormous and super-enthusiastic overflow crowds Harris/Walz are drawing, sends Trump over the edge, but still—fun stuff.
Immune and didn’t know it
August 9 was the 50-year anniversary of Pres. Nixon’s resignation in shame, to avoid prosecution and imprisonment after exposure of years-long harassment of his political foes by White House staff and appointees, all at Nixon’s instruction. According to SCOTUS today, dominated by Trump’s far-right appointments, that was completely unnecessary. Per the recent immunity ruling, Nixon had nothing to worry about since his Oval Office shenanigans with his staff were cloaked with presidential immunity as official acts. We are still discovering just how bad Trump’s first term was—the incompetence, the grifting, the cover-ups, the security breaches, his malign policies, his deadly handling of the pandemic, all the plotting against his perceived enemies, on and on. Imagine what Trump would do in a second term, secure in the knowledge he would never be held accountable no matter what. VOTE BLUE, or we will all find out.
A miracle
By the way, Trump’s giant ear-wrapper disappeared soon after the GOP convention. And, his ear was suddenly perfect; maybe he grew a new one, like a gecko grows a new tail.
Last time to vote
Trump on July 26 told Christians at a Turning Point USA event that they just need to vote ONE LAST TIME.
“Vote just this time. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore. In 4 years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”
YOU WON’T HAVE TO VOTE ANYMORE. Gotta love that one thing about Trump—no secret is safe with him, and like a toddler he just can’t help spilling the beans way early. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOGTCKQklPQ
He repeated these good tidings on 7/29 Fox News interview, telling an oh-so-helpful Laura Ingraham: “Don’t worry about the future. You have to vote on November 5. After that, you don’t have to worry about voting anymore.” Trump Declines to Back Away From ‘You Don’t Have to Vote Again’ Line 7/30/24 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/us/politics/trump-christians-vote-ingraham.html
$10MIL from the Egyptian government
Allegations have belatedly become public that Trump accepted $10MIL from the Egyptian government when his 2016 presidential campaign was desperate for cash. It is illegal for US candidates to accept contributions from foreign countries. So, the $10MIL went to Trump, and he loaned the same amount to his campaign. Upon election, his administration abruptly reversed American policy, praising Egypt and its authoritarian ruler, President Sisi. The sprawling Mueller Investigation and the FBI gathered evidence of the illicit transaction, turning the matter over to the Justice Department for charges. However, Attorney General Bill Barr, Trump’s appointee, killed the case. Now, the statute of limitations has run. —Report reveals secret US inquiry into alleged 2016 Egyptian $10m gift to Trump 8/2/24 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/02/trump-campaign-2016-egypt-investigation
Harris dared Trump: “Say it to my face.”
First, Trump panicked and backed out of debating VP Harris, a strong and confident woman who for years prosecuted felons just like him. On Aug. 3, he called off his Sept. 10 debate with Harris, demanding a new date and hosting by his pals on Fox News. Harris just ignored him. But, then, Trump realized he was being left out of the electoral loop, so he backed out of backing out. On Aug. 8, Trump agreed to the previous terms for a Sept. 10 debate. It will be on ABC, with David Muir and Linsey Davis as moderators, and without a live audience. ABC Says Trump and Harris Have Agreed to Debate on Sept. 10 https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-abc-debate-814786cc3ad7c11498c71f09f0172db3
FACT-CHECKING Trump
Trump lied like a rug while endlessly rambling during his supposed press conference at his Florida retirement home, on Aug. 8. It helped that the reporters’ questions were not audible, so he could say whatever he wanted back. (Image credit: NYT). Here is fact-checking on just some of his self-serving delusions.
Trump claims his Jan. 6 rally crowd rivaled the 1963 March on Washington.
LACKS EVIDENCE. While it is difficult to gauge exact crowd sizes, estimates counter Mr. Trump’s claim that the numbers gathered were comparable. Dr. King’s speech drew an estimated 250,000 people. The House Select Committee responsible for investigating the events of Jan. 6 estimated that Mr. Trump’s speech drew 53,000 people.
“She wants to take away your guns.”
FALSE. Ms. Harris, in 2019, said she supports a gun buyback program for assault weapons, not all guns. Her campaign told NYTimes recently that she no longer supports a buyback program.
EXAGGERATED. President Biden has indeed tapped the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try to mitigate gasoline price increases, drawing it down by about 40 percent from when he took office, and it is currently at the lowest level since the 1980s. But it still has 375 million barrels in it now, which is not “virtually empty” nor is it at the lowest level ever. [Actually, Biden sold when prices were high and bought to replenish after process fell, saving millions. https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-purchases-more-4-million-barrels-strategic-petroleum-reserve ]
“The vast majority of the country does support me.”
FALSE. Trump never won a majority of the popular vote in either of the elections he ran in and never had the approval of a majority of Americans in a single day of Gallup polling during his presidency. An average of polls by FiveThirtyEight.com shows that he is viewed favorably by just 43 percent of Americans today and has the same level of support in a matchup against Vice President Kamala Harris.
“They’re going to destroy Social Security.”
FALSE. Biden and Harris have pledged not to make any cuts to America’s social safety net programs. Mr. Trump suggested this year that he was open to scaling back the programs when he said there was “a lot you can do in terms of entitlements in terms of cutting.” He later walked back those comments and pledged to protect the programs.
“Everybody is going to be forced to buy an electric car.”
FALSE. While the Biden administration has enacted regulations designed to ensure that the majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States are all-electric or hybrids by 2032, the rules do not require consumers to buy electric vehicles.
“Our tax cuts, which are the biggest in history.”
FALSE. The $1.5 trillion tax cut, enacted in December 2017, ranks below at least half a dozen others by several metrics. The 1981 tax cut enacted under President Ronald Reagan is the largest as a percentage of the economy and by its reduction to federal revenue. The 2012 cut enacted under President Barack Obama amounted to the largest cut in inflation-adjusted dollars: $321 billion a year.
FALSE. The price of gasoline reached a low of $1.98 per gallon in April 2020, when Mr. Trump was president, chiefly as a result of the drop in driving in the first months of the Covid pandemic. It rose to a peak of $5 per gallon in June 2022, but has since steadily dropped to $3.60 per gallon in July 2024. The United States has steadily increased its oil production over the last decade, becoming the world’s largest producer of oil in 2018, a status it holds today.
FALSE. Mr. Trump spoke with a leader of the Taliban in March 2020. In the 18 months that followed, from April 2020 to October 2021, 13 soldiers died in hostile action in Afghanistan.
FALSE. No state has passed a law allowing for the execution of a baby after it is born, which is infanticide. Moreover, abortions later in pregnancy are very rare: In 2021, less than 1 percent of abortions happened after 21 weeks’ gestation, according to CDC report based on data from state and other health agencies. More than 90 percent of abortions happened within 13 weeks of gestation.
“Nobody was killed on Jan. 6.”
FALSE. At least 7 people died in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, including a Trump supporter who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer.
“Inflation was caused by their bad energy problems.”
MISLEADING. While high energy costs were a contributing factor to inflation over the last two years, they were not a direct result of the Biden administration’s policies. Several other factors also contributed to rising prices, including supply chain issues that were caused by the pandemic and a surge of government spending that was intended to provide economic relief during the public health crisis. Economists have also said that some of the tariffs that Mr. Trump imposed on foreign exports, which remain in place, have been inflationary.
“She couldn’t pass her bar exam.”
LACKS CONTEXT. Kamala Harris failed California’s bar exam on her first attempt in July 1989, according to her autobiography, “The Truths We Hold,” and received a letter in November that she had failed, “to my utter devastation.” She wrote in the book that she retook the exam in February 1990 and passed, and she was admitted to the bar in June 1990. The California bar exam is among the hardest in the country. The July 1989 exam had a pass rate of 59.5 percent, while the February 1990 exam had a pass rate of 45.9 percent.
“All over the world, prisons are being emptied out into our country.”
LACKS EVIDENCE. Prison populations all over the world have been increasing, not decreasing. Penal Reform International, a Netherlands-based nonprofit, estimated that the global prison population was a record 11’5 million in 2023, an increase of 500,000 people since 2000. Immigration experts, too, have said they could not corroborate Trump’s claims that “millions” of prisoners and patients at mental hospitals are entering illegally through the southern border.
MISLEADING. The claim contains a kernel of truth, but distorts the facts. President Biden asked Vice President Kamala Harris to oversee efforts to address the root causes of migration, principally by working with other countries in the hemisphere where migrants were coming from. Republicans have repeatedly said she was in charge of “the border,” while Democrats insisted that her assignment was not to deal with issues on the border, which is the responsibility of several agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. The two are related, but Mr. Trump’s claim that she was a border czar is not accurate.
EXAGGERATED. It is impossible to know the exact number of migrants that have entered the United States, but Mr. Trump’s estimates are hyperbolic.
Fact Checking Trump’s Aug. 8 Mar-a-Lago News Conference https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/08/08/us/trump-press-conference-fact-check
VANCE
Virtually no impact.
Here’s what Trump said last week about his VP pick. I’m sure he hopes it is true…. “Historically, the vice president, in terms of the election, does not have any impact – I mean, virtually no impact.”
Vance—just SO very WEIRD
I have been trying to figure out why Trump picked Vance as his VP. I assume that Peter Thiel’s millions in campaign donations helped sweeten the deal. But, something else loomed large in Trump’s reptile brain. Remember—Vance’s attorney wife clerked for 2 of the far-right Justices on the Supreme Court—Roberts and Kavanaugh. And, clerkship is a professional bond that never ends. So, having Vance on the ticket is nice insurance for when the Dems win the election and Trump appeals some inanity all the way to the Supreme Court. After all, it’s not like conflicted Justices have the decency to recuse themselves….
Fun blast from Vance’s very recent past
Hillbilly Felony 2-minute trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w1oRXw_R4o
“I’ve got nothing against cats,” Vance said.
Cats aren’t convinced. Neither are the “childless cat ladies” Vance so unwisely denigrated.
“Obviously she’s not a white person, but I love Usha. She’s such a good mom.”
WOW. If Vance said that about his kids’ nanny, that would be shameful. But, he said that about his WIFE. Much more of Vance’s profoundly weird and dangerous rant is featured in a recent 12-minute interview by Megyn Kelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMWhqX7b5o
Sounds like a moron. (Also—Takes one to know one.)
“You want me to pay more taxes to take care of other people’s kids?” asked Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, who has become the personification of the male-dominated “bro culture” that populates much of the Trump movement. “We sure this dude is a Republican? Sounds like a moron.” https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status/1816933121884856689
Baby fever
Vance isn’t the only Republican who has an unhealthy obsession with women making babies—whether they want to or not and regardless of their own health. To force the issue, they want to ban abortion nationwide, end contraception, stop divorce, and strip women of other rights. Perversely, they call all that “protecting family values.” Why are they pushing for this? Republicans don’t particularly like babies. They just want to jack up the American birthrate for economic reasons. Because, the alternative is allowing migrants into the country, which is anathema to the far right. This Guardian article is fascinating. The Republican party’s obsession with families has taken a fanatical turn 7/29/24 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/29/the-republican-partys-obsession-with-families-has-taken-a-fanatical-turn
PROJECT 2025: PART 1 of my coverage
Trump with the Heritage Foundation Board. (Image Credit: Politico.)
Project 2025–Presidential Transition Project; Mandate for Leadership/The Conservative Promise
–How do I look at Project 2025/read it? Up to reading Project 2025 word for word (free)? Go to the source: https://archive.org/details/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL Or, download the complete Project 2025 as a PDF, free: https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
–Where did this document come from? The Heritage Foundation organized and funded it: © 2023 by The Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20002(202) 546-4400 | heritage.org
–What is The Heritage Foundation? Per Wikipedia: The Heritage Foundation is an activist American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.
–So, what is the Trump connection? Don’t buy Trump’s panicked denials of the policy/people involved. Trump and Heritage Foundation’s President, Kevin Roberts (who wrote for Foreward for Project 2025) , shared a private plane flight in 2022; see photo above from the Washington Post. They flew together to a Heritage conference where Trump’s keynote address heralded Heritage Foundation’s forthcoming policy proposals. Trump said this: “They’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do.” Exactly…. https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/08/07/trump-heritage-project-2025-roberts/
Plus, reports show at least 31 of the 38 official authors and editors of Project 2025 have a close connection to Trump. They were Cabinet members, White House staff, advisers, committee/agency appointees, election workers, etc. the first time around and are poised to reprise their roles in a second Trump administration or whenever a Republican next gets into the Oval Office. (JD Vance is deeply enmeshed with this group, as well.) Here are just a few authors with clear and direct Trump connections to Project 2025: Ken Cuccinelli— served as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Trump; Benjamin S. Carson, Sr.– served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Trump; and Peter Navarro–served as Trump’s Deputy Assistant to the President, Director of the White National trade Council, and as Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy. In addition, in 2024, Navarro served 4 months in a federal penitentiary for defying a congressional subpoena related to the Jan. 6 investigation. These and MANY more authors and contributors with tight Trump connections are proudly detailed on page xv of Project 2025’s introduction. (Much has been made of Paul Dans recently leaving Heritage; well, he edited Project 2025, its publication means his job is done, so of course he left.)
–But what IS Project 2025? Many say it is the cure for insomnia. But its own page xiii says: “The 2025 Presidential Transition Project is the conservative movement’s unified effort to be ready for the next conservative Administration to govern at 12:00 noon, January 20, 2025.”
–OK, what does Project 2025 say? Well, the document runs over 900 pages, so it must say a lot, right? I waded through it all, hand to God, but as far as gems in the way of plan specifics I came up pretty short. The majority of the content is hopelessly repetitive, with chapter after chapter devolving into endless lists of similarly named sub-agencies (most of which are to be dissolved). Over and over, the recommendation is to restore whatever Trump did and wipe from the face of the Earth any changes Biden made. Themes emerged, mostly as to Things That Are BAD, shrilly repeating in nearly every chapter as that particular author careens down the rabbit hole to revamp a new set of departments. ABORTION is top of that list; it is so bad that it must never happen and definitely must not be paid for with federal funds. A close second is any and everything TRANSGENDER, which must not be acknowledged with suitable terminology or pronouns or ever facilitated with federal funds. Third place goes to the horrors of IMMIGRATION. Next is CHINA. Then, DEI (often paired with CRITICAL RACE THEORY). Another wicked duo are CLIMATE CHANGE and ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS. And, in a category all its own: amazingly, the far right is STILL whining about PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS, with many chapters denouncing masks, social distancing, Covid vaccines, etc. Often times, the suggested policy change amounts to DELETING WORDS that upset conservatives; seriously, they seem to think that whiting out words like “abortion” or “transgender” changes things.
Still, I take the document seriously. Note that the document is only Pillar 1 of the project. Pillar 2 is a personnel database, a website where people wanting to work in the next GOP administration submit their credentials. (The most serious part of Project 2025 is its pledge to get rid of several thousand nonpartisan career agency employees –“fire the Deep State”– and replace them with conservatives—qualified or not– in order to carry out the far-right agenda, no pesky questions asked. When he won in 2016, Trump had few governmental connections and was completely unprepared to appoint or recruit even higher-level positions; countless Obama appointees had to remain in their positions for months because there were no successors in place. Even by 2020, hundreds of agency positions remained unfilled. Republicans don’t want that to happen ever again.) Pillar 3 is an online academy, teaching applicants how to do these jobs. Propublica just broke a story featuring 23 secret training videos that are part of this online academy. Examples: instructors insist that all references EVERYWHERE to climate change must be eradicated; also, gender fluidity is evil. (FYI– 29 of the 36 video speakers have worked for Trump in some capacity.) Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos 8/10/24 https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-project-2025-secret-training-videos-trump-election Pillar 4 is a playbook; so far unpublished, per page xiv it will set up “agency teams and transition plans to move out upon the President’s utterance of “so help me God.” So, Project 2025 is a serious threat to how our federal government works and whether it will remain democratic.
I did put together a list of specifics that caught my attention. Some are agencies or departments to be shut down. Others are jarringly odd statements toward basic things like family and religion, betraying the attitudes that guide Project 2025’s philosophy. That list is basically Part 2 of my Project 2025 coverage and will be in the next Election blog.
NEXT TIME:
–Democratic National Convention, Aug. 19-22 in Chicago https://demconvention.com/
–Project 2025 PART 2
–Allred vs. Cruz
Until then—have fun!