A Vote For Trump Is A Vote For Project 2025

Project 2025: A wish list for a Trump presidency, explained

Project 2025: The myths and the facts

1) Concentrating power in the presidency: Trump’s allies believe that his first term failed because he couldn’t get enough “loyal” appointees in place and because the “deep state” bureaucracy sabotaged him. So a main recurring theme of Project 2025 is how to bend the executive branch to a conservative president’s will.

2) Longtime conservative priorities: The vast majority of Project 2025’s policy plan is focused on longstanding conservative priorities — with some tweaking and elisions for the Trump era. Though some are indeed quite extreme, they’re not all that new or specifically tied to Trump.

There are far too many to list here, but just as a flavor:

Education: Eliminate the Department of Education, give every parent a voucher-like option they could use to send their child to private school, zero out federal funding to low-income schools over the next decade, greatly cut “wasteful” school meal programs, and end Biden’s student loan forgiveness programs

Energy and environment: Deprioritize fighting climate change, repeal Biden’s clean energy subsidies, further unleash oil and natural gas production, roll back various environmental regulations

Health care: Majorly cut and overhaul Medicaid, roll back the recent law banning surprise medical billing

Immigration: Deny loan access to students at “schools that provide in-state tuition to illegal aliens,” ban non-citizens from living in federally assisted housing (even if they live with a citizen), reinstate and expand the horseback-mounted Border Patrol

On a few issues — trade, antitrust, the Export-Import Bank — the plan states that the conservative movement is divided, and lays out the thinking of two different sides on each issue. On the question of Social Security and Medicare, which Heritage has long supported overhauling but Trump does not, the document is basically silent.

3) A hardline religious-right agenda: There are also parts of Project 2025 that, while not exactly surprising for conservatives, are quite extreme in ways that are politically problematic for Trump. The plan calls for:

Revoking FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, which is used in about half of US abortions (“Abortion pills pose the single greatest threat to unborn children in a post-Roe world,” the document states)

Using an old law known as the Comstock Act to prosecute people who send abortion pills through the mail

Ending the mandate for insurance to cover the “week-after” contraceptive pill Ella (which the document argues is a “potential abortifacient”)

Crack down on “abortion tourism” in liberal states by requiring states to report where women seeking abortions live and cutting federal funds if they refuse

Ending subsidies for stem cell or fetal cell research

In a fiery introduction by Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, Project 2025 also calls for banning porn:

Pornography should be outlawed. The people who produce and distribute it should be imprisoned. Educators and public librarians who purvey it should be classed as registered sex offenders. And telecommunications and technology firms that facilitate its spread should be shuttered.

Roberts also adds that pornography is “manifested today in the omnipresent propagation of transgender ideology and sexualization of children,” suggesting that he may define “pornography” much more broadly than is typical — that he may view any attempt to explain or teach about trans people as worthy of outlawing and imprisonment.

This is reflective of a broader push from religious and cultural conservatives. (The demand for porn prohibition does not show up in the document again after Roberts’s introduction, making it unclear how it would be implemented.)

What Trump doesn't want you to know about Project 2025

Project 2025

Screenshots of Wisdom

 

Private Sector Parasites

Karma

Oregon Republican Who Blocked Climate Change Bill Loses Home To Wildfires

Midweek Reading

Injections of Bleach? Beams of Light? Trump Is Self-Destructing Before Our Eyes

Billionaire Trump Donor is Pushing for Recall of Wisconsin’s Governor Over Stay-at-Home Order

'It's overhyped': Trump Mega-Donor Pushes to End Wisconsin's Stay-at-Home Order
The Junk Science of Robin Vos
The Pandemic Has Led to a Huge, Global Drop in Air Pollution

COVID-19 Coronavirus Epidemic has a Natural Origin

Stunning CNBC Anchor, Venture Capitalist says Let Hedge Funds Fail and Save Main Street

Here's the Reason We Are Still Shut Down Right Now

President’s Intelligence Briefing Book Repeatedly Cited Virus Threat
Tyson Foods Helped Create The Food Crisis It Now Warns Against
The Pandemic Shows What Cars Have Done to Cities

Why the US shouldn’t let states go bankrupt

Scott Walker Loses Again

Our Pre-Corona Existence Was Not Normal

Wisconsin Farm Bankruptcies

Wisconsin ranks second in organic farms nationwide.

Yet, Wisconsin Is Again Leading The Nation In Farm Bankruptcies.

Winning? Making America Great Again?

It's bewildering that conservatives (in this case, farmers) keep voting for politicians that continually do them harm.

The orange buffoon, and his willing accomplices, have done everything they can to hinder, hurt and destroy anything they touch. 

These know-nothings are doing everything they can to destroy local Wisconsin farmers. If they have their way, America will be left with only a few mega-farming corporations providing our food. 

Sad.

Weekend Reading

Trump's Economy Is An Absolute Disaster For People And The Planet
IMF Head Gives 'Stark Message' Of Looming Inequality-Fueled Global Financial Disaster
Report Ties Green Energy To Economic Growth
The Great Dismantling Of America's National Parks Is Under Way
The Foxconn Debacle Is Key To What The Trump Era Has Meant In Wisconsin
Why Drink Is The Secret To Humanity's Success
The Enduring Awe And Legacy Of 'Mad Men'
President Donald Trump Touts Economic Record At Downtown Milwaukee Campaign Rally
White House Budget Office Violated Federal Law By Withholding Ukraine Security Funds

Weekend Reading

Trump’s Business More Fraudulent Than Previously Known

Trump Tax Records Reveal New Inconsistencies — This Time for Trump Tower

Fox News Is Now a Threat to National Security

What if You Had a Four-Day Week? Why Don’t You?

Capitalism has distorted our understanding of community — and it’s making us vulnerable to manipulation

Lowest Tax Burdens by Nation (US is 4th lowest)
Zielinski's Ex-Staffer Now Opposing His Mayoral Bid
We should all be appalled by Donald Trump's tweet about Greta Thunberg

‘Tax the Rich’ is no longer just a political slogan

These 3 supertrees can protect us from climate collapse

A Recession Hasn’t Arrived (Yet). Here’s Where You’ll See It First.

Person Of The Year

A no-brainer for this year's Person Of The Year.

Greta Thunberg Declines Major Climate Prize, Says Planet Doesn’t ‘Need More Awards’The 16-year-old activist was tapped for “breathing new life into the debate surrounding the environment.”

Fox News Bullying Children

"Bully commentary born of anger": Fox News host Laura Ingraham mocks 16-year-old girl with autism

Stay classy, Fox News. 

More Evidence Of Our Misplaced Priorities & Corrupt-Money Influence

Elena Kagan Calls Out Conservative Justices For Shirking ‘Duty’ In Gerrymandering Decision
Supreme Court OKs Excessive Partisan Gerrymandering
Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs Enbridge In Dane County Case

On 4-3 vote, Wisconsin Supreme Court upholds state's lame-duck laws limiting power of Democratic governor

Trump Is Planning Another Tax Cut For The 1% - Without Congress's Approval

We are precariously close to banana republic status.  Greedy.  Pathetic. Immoral.  Disgraceful.  Heartless.  Embarrassing.

[source]

This Is An Actual Crisis

Two Great Examples Of Why Republicans Suck

Pat Robertson Warns God Will Smite America If Equality Act Passed

Varney Begs For Pity On Poor Monsanto After Massive RoundUp Cancer Verdict

Weekend Reading

Shopko Creditors: $117 Million In Dividends Paid To Owners 'Fraudulent,' 'Illegal'
401(K)s Versus 403(B)s
Sigh....No, Tax Cuts Won't Boost Growth
Supreme Court Sides With Union Giving Milwaukee County Employees $6.8 Million Pension Benefit
Make Corporations Pay For Green New Deal
The Rapid Decline Of The Natural World Is A Crisis Even Bigger Than Climate Change
Study Finds Racial Gap Between Who Causes Air Pollution And Who Breathes It
Here's What Republicans And Billionaires Really Mean When They Talk About 'Freedom'
Wisconsin Judge Blocks Republicans' Lame-Duck Power Grab
Study Cited In Wisconsin Debate On Expanding Medicaid And Taking Federal Money Called 'Garbage'
Make America Great Again By Raising The Minimum Wage

Cows Are (Part Of) The Problem

Kansas rancher sends letter to Ocasio-Cortez fact-checking the Green New Deal

Big surprise a cattle rancher wouldn't admit to methane being part of the problem.  [Just as oil companies don't admit fossil fuels pollute.]

Yes, they provide food.  But they also pollute.

As one article noted, "What remains undisputed is that animal husbandry does generate harmful emissions.  Firstly, the animals themselves release emissions — cows, for example, produce methane gas in the digestion process. In addition, the entire industry contributes to the greenhouse gas effect, from the fertilizer on the fields to the transport of feed for the animals and the use of milking machines."

Another article explains, "Livestock are responsible for about 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).  According to calculations by some experts, this puts the livestock sector on par with transport. The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says transport is responsible for 14 percent of emissions.  Ruminants such as cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats produce nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and methane, which is the most emitted gas and is released through belching."

As The New York Times put it, "The impact of agriculture, a category that includes everything from growing lettuce to raising livestock, is tricky to express because the gasses produced — mostly methane and nitrous oxide — have much more warming potential than carbon dioxide but also dissipate more quickly. According to the latest thinking, though, farming is responsible for the equivalent of 574 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States each year and 56 million metric tons in Canada.  That’s about 8 percent of each country’s total greenhouse gas emissions...Worldwide, livestock accounts for between 14.5 percent and 18 percent of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions."

NPR wrote, "Livestock is a major source of greenhouse gases worldwide. About quarter of the methane emissions due to human activity in the U.S. can be chalked up to gas released from these animals, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency."

Again, the Green New Deal isn't about getting rid of cows, planes and everything else we've come to know.  It's about recognizing the impact of our many different lifestyle choices and working to modify our behaviors so we make less of a negative influence on the planet.  It's really all about ensuring our own survival and the survival of the planet.

So, sorry ranchers, coal miners and fossil fuelers, we need to make some changes in the way we live. These aren't the first industries in the history of mankind that have had to adjust to environmental or other factors.  And, they won't be the last.  But to keep arguing against what the science is clearly telling us ... we're only hurting ourselves and the planet.

For Further Reading:
Methane isn’t just cow farts

Methane From Cattle Are 11% Higher Than Estimated

Good Riddance, Scott Walker

It was a good night for Democrats. Not a great night, but a good one.

Sad so many in Wisconsin (and around the country) are still voting Republican after all we know and at this point in time. Those of you clinging to your sexism, racism, parochialism, or whatever other pet cause makes you still vote Republican, you truly are the worst of us.

For those of you (that normally vote Republican) that put country before party to help elect Democrats, kudos to you. Well done.

Remember, though, this is just the start. Keep talking, keep campaigning, keep pushing Democratic policies. We need to carry this momentum into the 2020 election.

Even though this was a record-breaking turnout for Wisconsin, it was still only 60 percent of the voting-age population. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Based on state population estimates from earlier this year, turnout was equal to almost 60 percent of the voting-age population, though that number is likely to change when the official count is complete."

It's just ridiculous to think that 40 percent of the voting-age population is just sitting on the sidelines. If Democrats could get these people to the polls, Republicans would never win another election.

Good riddance, Scott Walker. Now you can lick the boots of your paymasters full-time. Burn in hell, you selfish and corrupt tool.

Reality: A Bitter Pill For Republicans To Swallow

Esteemed and world-renowned commentator Tomi Lahren rightly blasted Michelle Obama for claiming her husband, Barack Obama, was a great president.

Kidding.

Tomi Lahren is a right-wing mouthpiece with the depth of a Dixie cup.

Barack Obama, indeed, was a great president and Michelle Obama a great first lady.

Here's Tomi's tweet:

Here's Kathy Griffin's response to Tomi:

Let's take a look back at some of what was accomplished during the Obama administration. You know, as Democrats like to focus on, the facts.

Barack Obama is officially one of the most consequential presidents in American history

He signed into law a comprehensive national health insurance bill, a goal that had eluded progressive presidents for a century — and built it strong enough to withstand assaults from the Supreme Court and avoid repeal from a Republican administration. He got surprisingly tough reforms to Wall Street passed as well, not to mention a stimulus package that both blunted the recession and transformed education and energy policy. 

He's put in place the toughest climate rules in American history and signed a major international climate accord. He opened the US to Cuba for the first time in more than half a century, and reached a peaceful settlement to the nuclear standoff with Iran.

Barack's Increasing Stock

Labor Market Progress and the Employment Situation

Obama’s Top 50 Accomplishments, Revisited

The Republicans will, no doubt, continue their cognitive dissonance, but that doesn't change reality. Barack Obama's record is exemplary. He accomplished much for this country and did so with great dignity and statesmanship. 

Republicans' continual denial of reality and the accomplishments of the Obama administration are the last gasps of the Republican cabal of racists, nazis, bigots, hypocrites, sexists and frauds. The Republicans have done nothing for this country. They've done only for themselves and their donors. They are partisan cranks and abject failures as public servants. Their moans and cries denying this do not change that fact.

The Last Straw

Chrisitan Schneider, in-house agitator for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, had another nonsensical rant, regarding the recent movement to ban straws, as an avenue to spout worn-out and unfounded right-wing complaints.

According to Schneider, Straw bans are just another bogus eco-fad. Damn environment! It's been holding us all back for far too long!

As Radhika Viswanathan notes, the straw ban is not the answer to all our problems, but it will help in combating plastic pollution in the oceans. Chemotherapy might not cure your cancer, but it's a good start and it's the best option we have right now. Banning straws aren't the end-all-be-all, but it's a good start.

Schneider feels that since the U.S. isn't responsible for the majority of plastic straw pollution, we shouldn't bother changing our behavior. He labels this another eco-fad. 

Saving the planet we all depend on is an "eco-fad" for Republicans. Stupid planet!

Also, does anyone actually have straws in their home? I can't recall ever using a straw in my life at someone's private home. Why does Schneider feel so entitled that private businesses need to provide him a straw? Suddenly when he's out in public he has to drink through a straw? Talk about a snowflake.

Schneider even implies this straw ban will create a black market for straws. Yeah, he really wrote that.

Here's an idea for the drinking-without-a-straw challenged -- carry your own fucking straw around with you if you need it so badly! It's not as though there are no longer any straws available. It's just that restaurants are moving away from providing them. You can still bring your own if you need it that badly. Where's that independent, can-do attitude the Republicans are always blathering on about?

For Further Reading:

The Oceans Are Drowning In Plastic - And No Ones Paying Attention

7 Ways To Reduce Ocean Plastic Pollution Today

The Problem Of Marine Plastic Pollution

Fast Facts About Plastic Pollution

We Made Plastic. We Depend On It. Now We're Drowning In It.

Ocean Plastic Pollution Is Hazardous Waste The U.S. Should Ban

As Storms Get Stronger, Building Codes Are Getting Weaker

As Storms Get Stronger, Building Codes Are Getting Weaker

A report being released on Monday shows Florida isn’t alone in easing up on building regulations even as the effects of global warming escalate. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety examined building policies in 18 Atlantic and Gulf Coast states and found that despite the increasing severity of natural disasters, many of those states have relaxed their approach to codes -- or have yet to impose any whatsoever...

States’ reluctance to adopt building codes has worried federal officials, who are stuck paying to rebuild homes that get wiped out by natural disasters.