“Project 2025” Should Terrify You

With the firehose of crazy that comes out of Donald Trump’s mouth, it’s hard to keep up.  And considering how over-the-top his rhetoric is, it’s tempting to not take him seriously. But there’s an actual plan being constructed to turn government into a weapon of personal and political revenge should he regain the presidency. It’s called Project 2025 and every sane citizen should be absolutely terrified.

Trump frequently praises autocrats and dictators like Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un. He clearly yearns to be part of that club, and echoes themes about muzzling the press, locking up his rivals, and using the military to maintain control over any dissent. “Project 2025” is an actual blueprint for making that happen.

The 1,000-page roadmap, financed by several right-wing organizations, lays out a plan to essentially replace our civic infrastructure, flooding the zone with thousands of ultra-conservative “soldiers” who will take over government positions, especially within the military and the Department of Justice. On Day One of a second Trump administration, the plan seeks to oust as many as 50,000 civil servants who are not sufficiently “loyal”; in fact, social media profiles of government workers are currently being scanned by AI to uncover any unfavorable comments or posts.

Folks, we’re deep into Mao, Hitler, and Stalin Territory.

Trump isn’t even trying to hide it. Here are just some of the dangerous ideas he promises to implement should he reclaim the Oval Office. Project 2025 is putting the mechanics into place to pull them off.

• Rounding up mass groups of illegal immigrants and putting them in “camps.” (Sound familiar?)
• Pulling broadcasters that he doesn’t like off the air.
• Extra-judicial killings of shoplifters or drug dealers.
• Use the IRS to go after his critics or political rivals
• Enacting the Insurrection Act to prevent civil protests.
• Executing military personnel who push back on fake charges of “treason.”
• Demanding a religious test for any foreign student or visa holder, threatening to remove any Muslim immigrants from the country.
• Revamping the Executive Branch to give him unchecked power as POTUS.

I could go on, but frankly, I need to breathe into a paper bag right now…

…. OK, I’m back. Couple this Revenge Tour with Trump’s public comments referencing opponents as “vermin” and the “poisoning of our blood,” and what you’re getting is a peek at a fascist state in the making. Historians have had their hair on fire for the last few years, as they’ve witnessed Trump’s blatant autocratic impulses and heard the same verbiage used by Hitler and Mussolini.

This is not hyperbole. The Germans in the early 30s did a slow-walk into fascism; we’re seeing the same warning signs right now.

So, what can we do? The current Republican party is no longer the party of Reagan or Bush; it’s become a party that wants to rule and control, not govern. It must be soundly defeated at the ballot box in 2024. The numbers at the polls must be so punishing in order to send the message, “Oh no you don’t. Not with MY country.”

With every election cycle, you hear about the importance of getting out the vote, but this time, it’s not a drill. Volunteer, door-knock, write letters to the editor or postcards to swing states.  Use your social media to spotlight issues or candidates you support. Offer to be a poll worker or drive people to voting sites. Do your bit.

Like the Greatest Generation, Americans must do the metaphorical version of an electoral D-Day. We stopped fascism in Europe once before; we’re being called now to stop it in our own back yard.

How do you plan to get involved in the 2024 elections? Sound off in the Community Soapbox!

Cindy Grogan is a writer, lover of history and "Star Trek" (TOS), and hardcore politics junkie. There was that one time she campaigned for Gerald Ford (yikes), but ever since, she's been devoted to Democratic and progressive policies.