Part 1 focuses on the worldview of the people behind “Project 2025.”
They see themselves as noble defenders of “real America” against a totalitarian “woke,” “globalist” assault. “Project 2025” is their declaration of war on multiracial pluralism: 2/
In his foreword to the "Project 2025" report, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts offers his “Promise to America”: It perfectly captures the escalating siege mentality, self-victimization, and grievance-driven lust for revenge that are fueling the Right's plans. 3/
On one level, this is a radical program to dismantle the modern state. The Right wants to rob government of any tool that might be used to install boundaries for moneyed interests and help create a fairer, more democratic pluralistic society. 5/
Beyond just dismantling the state, “Project 2025” simultaneously seeks to mobilize and weaponize government in a far-reaching effort to punish and purge “woke” enemies and impose a reactionary white Christian patriarchal order on American society. 6/
Part 3 compares “Project 2025” to what other rightwing factions, including Trump himself, are planning, examines how it fits in the history of modern conservatism, and explores the conditions that now make it much more likely for these plans to succeed. 7/
“Project 2025” is indicative of a broader realignment on the Right towards an aggressive embrace of state authoritarianism - an emerging “counter-revolutionary” consensus that entails a strikingly open renunciation of the supposed pillars of modern conservative thought. 8/
This striking renunciation of the supposed pillars of modern conservative thought manifests most clearly in the open rejection of “small government” principles: Reactionaries don’t fear the authoritarian state, they want to mobilize it against their enemies. 9/
With “Project 2025,” rightwing leaders are making it maximally clear they do not accept an egalitarian, pluralistic vision of a society in which the individual’s status is no longer determined by race, gender, religion, and wealth and everyone is to be recognized as equal. 10/
The extreme Right was not ready in 2017. They didn’t have any plans or strategies, Trump world didn’t have a clue how government worked, the extremists didn’t have the personnel to bend the state to their will and harness its powers. This will not hinder them the next time. 11/
A second Trump presidency could count on a fully Trumpified GOP, a reactionary super-majority on the Supreme Court, and the omnipresent threat of escalating political violence.
Americans may want to resist. But it would be far harder and far more dangerous this time. 12/
“Project 2025” would transform America into a much nastier, much more dangerous, much more hostile place for anyone who dares to deviate from the white Christian patriarchal order. Those are the stakes.
I would expect all these developments from any GOP presidency going forward. Is there any way to stop a fascist movement such as the current Republican party without violence?
@pinsk@tzimmer_history In Finland pre-WWII the end for the fascists came when they kidnapped the President so I guess it's just to wait GOP/MAGA does something that will be so anti-American that no one will have the stomach to support them, so just figure that out and help them to get the idea to do it or find the hidden pedophilia scandal they are hiding and expose it on live TV.
@aho@pinsk@tzimmer_history Overthrowing a federal election through a scheme involving laughable legal fantasies, a media landscape decreasingly willing to arbitrate truth from obvious lies, and outright mass violence at the seat of government, all to secure the grip on power of a corrupt, lying, narcissistic authoritarian clown: these were insufficiently anti-American?
The lesson the rest of the world has learned/confirmed from the last decade of US politics is that the US public is not going to have a 'wake up' moment.
Anyone capable of being spontaneously brought into political action by the outrages of a fascist movement has already been mobilised. From here, mobilisation must be deliberate, organised and effective. Mere symbolism or awareness raising is woefully inadequate to the moment.
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