While The Heritage Foundation’s policy document, Project 2025, was released back in April, it’s only recently begun receiving more attention — outside of those who follow politics closely, and those who strongly support the conservative think tank’s views and supporters of former President Donald Trump.
But it kind of has hit the mainstream of late, so we dig into some of its details to better understand what the 900+ page document contains.
Project 2025 is not an entirely new concept. The Heritage Foundation has published what it calls Mandate for Leadership policy blueprints since 1979. The first one preceded the first Reagan administration. Over the decades they have outlined what conservatives hope to see out of a Republican administration, if that’s who wins the election. But, Project 2025 has a different tone and nature — and is far more detailed when it comes to exactly what policies it’s calling for, and just how they can be achieved.
Its critics say it’s an outright call for a Christian Nationalist government here in the United States.
One of those critics is author Andra Watkins. She is the author of five books, including her acclaimed first novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis which was published in 2014. And her book, Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace, which is a memoir about her dysfunctional family adventure — it is a National Book Award nominee and a New York Times bestseller.
Watkins is also the publisher of a Substack called How Project 2025 Will Ruin Your Life which details various aspects of the Heritage Foundation's latest policy blueprint. She's published more than 170 posts since launching it. She joins us today, along with two founding members of the nonpartisan nonprofit Floridians for Democracy. Launched in may of 2023, FFD is working to inform people about what they describe as growing autocratic trends in this country and the state of Florida.
Floridians for Democracy will be hosting a presentation titled "Assault On Our Democracy: Project 2025 Q&A With Andra Watkins" this Thursday, July 25 from 3-4:30pm, during which participants can interact with Watkins. They will then re-broadcast the event online that evening at 7:00. You can find details about it here.
You can read Project 2025 in its entirety here.
Guests:
Andra Watkins, author of five books and publisher of "How Project 2025 Will Ruin Your Life
Jim Nathan, co-founder of Floridians for Democracy and president of the Floridians for Democracy Institute
Bill Petrarca, co-founder of Floridians for Democracy and its treasurer
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