Project 2025 hasn’t been in the news much for a while now. That might change in the coming new year. I’ve yet to come up with Republican version of ‘Dems in Disarray’ quip (I’m open to suggestions!) but major GOP organizations are engaged in serious infighting. Add in Trump’s historical management style of pitting subordinates against each other and the jockeying for who will take over in 2028 and it’s going to be quite the year ahead. With another important figure publicly and with criticism from The Heritage Foundation, architects of Project 2025 that organizations turmoil is in the news. More importantly it signals Project 2025 itself might not be implemented anywhere to the degree planned.
The murder of Turning Point USA founder and leader Charlie Kirk exposed some already existing cracks in that group’s foundation. They’ve grown and it’s clear from the gathering that continued over the weekend things are not only not getting patched up but getting worse. While various big names have been taking public whacks at each other what’s gone unnoticed is over at the larger and more established Heritage Foundation some of the same figures like Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson have stirred up the same kind of infighting. As Raw Story reports the resignation of Josh Blackman was published on Reason, a libertarian website. It doesn’t pull any punches.
It also brings to light the fact that thirteen figures at Heritage have resigned recently. They can spin it all they want but current Heritage President and leader of Project 2025 Kevin Roberts was forced to issue a statement. It seems Roberts is leading with his chin, I suppose hoping to just push back what could spell real trouble for him and a key GOP institution:
In an email to remaining staff, Roberts wrote, “This weekend, most of our staff, from our legal and economic centers, are departing immediately. We wish them well, though the manner of their departure speaks volumes.”
Let’s stop a moment and take a look at
who Josh Blackman is, why he resigned and did so with blunt criticism of Roberts and that a dozen others like him have recently resigned, albliet with less fanfare. I’ve linked to his Wikipedia profile but in short he’s a professor of Constitutional Law at South Texas College, has a personal blog the American Bar Association rates among the top 100 in the U.S., an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute (another important although not as high public profile conservative think tank), and at the Heritage Foundation was editor of its Heritage Guide To the Constitution and a contributor to Project 2025. Naturally he’s also a member (and active with) The Federalist Society. In other words he’s not small fish but has been a key player at Heritage so his blistering resignation will get noticed in conservative circles. Raw Story quotes from it:
“Your actions have made my continued affiliation with Heritage untenable. First, your comments were a huge unforced blunder, and gave aid and comfort to the rising tide of antisemitism on the right. Second, in the wake of your remarks, jurists, scholars, and advocates have made clear to me they can no longer associate with the Heritage Guide they contributed to. Third, and perhaps most tragically, your actions have weakened the ability of the storied Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies to promote the rule of law.”
“My resignation is effective immediately,” he added.
What set him and others off to the point of leaving wasn’t just Heritage President Roberts’ defense of Tucker Carlson and his interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes (also responsible for much of the division at Turning Point USA) but his refusal to back down. Roberts is almost defiantly UN-apologetic and it’s been enough to cause a wave of resignations. Exactly how many is unknown but according to Raw Story the WaPo reports thirteen including three leading folks at the Heritage Foundation have signed on with a new group: Advancing American Freedom which was founded by good ole Mike Pence. Pence has quickly raised $10 million to get it going and don’t be surprised if that grows.
Wouldn’t it be delightful to see Pence get revenge on Trump by gutting the group that was created and was going to do the heavy lifting of helping Trump (who despite his denials new about and had every intention of adopting) implement Project 2025? We’ll have to wait and see but to me it looks like with all the other messes Team Trump is managing without Heritage providing the resources/people needed Project 2025 will be a much more manageable problem than it would have been.
It might not seem like it but Roberts (not the Chief Justice but the Heritage one) having to go out and be proactive about big, sudden staff turnover might mean his own job might wind up on the line. If it isn’t already. Well, I’ll close by saying that within Team Trump, AND at The Heritage Foundation AND at Turning Point USA it’s not exactly turning out to be a Merry Christmas. For damned sure not the ‘Hallmark’ ‘family gatherings’ we all would like to be part of. No, this is more like an all too typical family holiday gathering where the usual troublemakers are forced to PROMISE they will behave this year and do so for a very short time. Then they start throwing turds in the punchbowl and if not an actual food fight a rhetorical one ensues. Everyone is glad when it’s mercifully over.
From where I sit there’s going to be a lot to keep track of next year and significant things will start playing out quickly. GOP primaries (and some on our side too). Epstein stuff. Skyrocketing health care costs. A looming (again) shutdown. And major internecine warfare in the GOP via multiple battles both in government and in their consultant and donor groups. Stay tuned because it’s shaping up to be a wild ride:
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Support the site with a subscription today and see no more ads!
Go Ad-free Now!
From Blackman’s resignation letter:
“Third, and perhaps most tragically, your actions have weakened the ability of the storied Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies to promote the rule of law.”
“Promote the rule of law?” Really? This guy had the stones to write THAT, considering HIS organization and their little Project 1825 was doing EVERYTHING to promote the “rule of the Presidency over all.” Maybe the guy’s forgotten what his (and his group’s) little manifesto wanted to do with regards to giving the Presidency virtually unchecked power across the entire government.
tat would be named for the ed meese who wanted the government in everyone’s bedroom.
I find the continuing parallels twixt Trumpland and Hitler’s Faderland compelling, and this chaos is no exception. Criminal organisations always face a challenge to maintain order, because everyone in them is a villain, out for Number 1 and willing (even eager) to do the required backstabbing along the way. If there’s a very strong leader, backed up with the requisite ruthless force (eg the SS), then he’ll be safe at the top but the warring underlings will make it very hard for the gang er sorry organisation to accomplish the leader’s goals. Trump’s not strong enough for that, nor clever enough, nor dedicated to his own cause if it requires any real effort. The threat to him won’t come from the cowards of the GOp but from the various fringe radical groups now battling for supremacy. If it wasn’t so destructive to our nation, it would be quite entertaining to watch.