For many of a liberal persuasion, the very numbers above signify the existence of a very disturbing and anxiety-ridden life ahead as we turn onto a new year; Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s 900 page deeply conservative design for a new America – especially created for the second Trump Administration.
Those feelings are reinforced by the selection of so many of Trump’s appointments…representing men and women totally loyal to his ways and means rather than to the knowledge and experience in the fields and departments which they have been selected to lead.
But let us pause, lose the anxiety and take a more positive attitude.
In 2016, the only thing Donald Trump knew about being President was what he knew about politics and government: politicians were all losers, who would rather talk than do something and all of them came to him for a donation. He told us that directly when we went to him for a donation for our then candidate for Mayor of New York.
The only thing he knew about government was about the need to pay taxes and flying back and forth regularly with his buddy (and soon to be Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross) from NYC to Florida to avoid paying taxes in NYC.
He told us directly face to face – get rid of taxes, get rid of taxes. He might have even repeated that for a third time
That’s not the same ex-President Donald J. Trump who is about to have a second chance at the big job, thanks to the largesse of a Democratic Party so lost that they gave away the best gift that any political party can possess…the Presidency.
So relax but pay attention because now he has a playbook. He might not have read it but plenty of people close to him have and they are ready to make it work. Both political parties face change. The Republicans are dealing with the remainder of the Reagan conservatives against MAGA soon to become the America First Party – if DT Jr. has his way.
The party is already caught up in a contest between those who want top foreigners (mostly from India) to continue leading our tech industries, and those MAGAites who want Americans to be in charge of everything.
The Democrats are replacing very much older leaders with slightly younger leaders hoping that the genuine next generation learns how to sign their names to a document and make change without using a computer and while they are at, how to apply their desires to new programs that actually work.
The Heritage Foundation, working since 1973, helped Ronald Reagan use his government and union-experience to build a party which worked for almost 50 years.
Can the foundation, designing government programs specifically for Donald Trump and his mistaken belief that Presidents are really CEOs who demand complete fealty for everything they want to do – make that kind of difference again or will they get stuck trying to turn lead into gold?
Half the country expects new magic…half the country expects disaster.
Let’s relax and remember that political power at best is transitory…now you see it…now you don’t.
Our best wishes to you for what really counts-personal health and happiness which depends on honesty, good will and caring for each other.
As we enjoy the coming of the new year lets agree that lots of changes need to take place to make America stronger, more productive, smarter and more in touch with today than our present America seems to be.
Is Project 2025 deeply conservative or radical?
If FDR’s advisors were called a brain trust, what would those with Trump be called?
Full agreement here with the final paragraphs of the above essay — this too will pass. Best wishes to all.