After El Crappo tried to distance himself from the politically toxic Heritage House Project 2025 with a prepared statement yesterday – “President Trump’s campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way,” – almost every major news outlet dutifully rushed to report that Project 2025 director Paul Dans is “stepping down” (or some slight variation thereof) from his position within the foundation…
CNN: “Project 2025 director steps down amid backlash from Trump“
The Associated Press: “ Project 2025 shakes up leadership after criticism from Democrats and Trump”
CBS News: “Head of pro-Trump Project 2025 steps down as Democrats ramp up attacks”
ABC News: “Director of Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is stepping down”
UPI: “Project 2025 director steps down amid criticism from Donald Trump”
Newsweek: “Project 2025 Director Steps Down From Heritage Foundation”
Fox News: “Project 2025 leader steps down amid criticism from Trump”
Politico: “Head of Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 steps down”
New York Times: “Project 2025 Director Steps Down Amid Trump Criticism”
Every one of these ledes, no matter the content of the article (and I didn’t read them all) is, as we say down at the auction barn, “bullshit”.
I am not a big fan of the New York Time’s reporter Jonathan Swan but at least he got the story straight on Twitter, revealing that Dans is not “stepping down” so much as “stepping over” to a new position on the Project, a move that was coordinated and planned to come at the end of the conventions and, I have no doubt, timed carefully with Trump’s disingenuous denouement…
Project 2025 has become inconvenient for the Trump campaign but it has produced nearly all the policy it was ever going to & owns the central personnel database in the conservative movement. Trump doesn’t yet have a functioning transition team & will likely need its resources. https://t.co/v3FvDLo3O6
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) July 30, 2024
Below is Kevin Roberts full tweet…
Under Paul Dans’ leadership, Project 2025 has completed exactly what it set out to do: bringing together over 110 leading conservative organizations to create a unified conservative vision, motivated to devolve power from the unelected administrative state, and returning it to the people. This tool was built for any future administration to use.
When we began Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline for the project to conclude its policy drafting after the two party conventions this year, and we are sticking to that timeline.
Paul, who built the project from scratch and bravely led this endeavor over the past two years, will be departing the team and moving up to the front where the fight remains.
We are extremely grateful for his and everyone’s work on Project 2025 and dedication to saving America.
Project 2025 will continue our efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels—federal, state, and local.
I look forward to leading this team to continued success.
Contrary to all the fake new headlines Roberts revels that Dans is actually “moving UP”, not “stepping down”.
Up to where remains unclear, but I would wager dimes to doughnut holes that the fascists at Heritage will still cut his checks.
And Roberts makes it clear that, despite Trump’s crocodile tears and the media’s fake post mortems, Project 2025 ain’t going anywhere but merely continuing on under his enthusiastic leadership.
That nearly every news outlet will echo the falsehoods for Trump and Roberts shows how extreme the danger to our Democracy all these liars are.
Big thanks to Swan for reporting Roberts’ statement.
I believe it was Rachel Maddow who revealed that 150 people associated with Trump, including very highly positioned individuals in his former term and his campaign are involved with 2025. Trump claiming anything is a phucking LIE. AMERICA…I have one phucking question for the voters: HOW GODDAMN STUPID ARE YOU????????????????????
First, yep Scott, it was Rachel Maddow. Second, I hate it that MSNBC cut and ran from Mehdi Hassan and removed his show from their lineup. But he has reinvented himself on Zeteo. Wanted to place this here for the dialogue sure to be had over this fine work you’ve done Dino.
I don’t know how many followers of Politizoom have read Project 2025, probably a lot of us, but just in case, or if you know someone who hasn’t, here is a gem from Mehdi—two minutes to help bring folks up to speed on what is in this repulsive, antediluvian document:
The more informed millions of us are, the better for our endangered democracy.