One way to measure the power of conservative policy proposals is to monitor the reaction of the left.
The Heritage Foundation’s ideas for the next conservative president to implement must be good because liberals are hysterical in their opposition. And that’s because they directly challenge the size, power, cost and reach of the federal government.
The word “fascist” has gained a certain cachet for the left much like the smear “racist” once was. The New Republic magazine has illustrated the label by portraying Donald Trump as Adolf Hitler. It’s designed to keep people from considering the results of policies that aren’t working while ignoring or disparaging policies that have a track record of success.
The Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” policy guide (Heritage.org) is full of credible proposals. Rather than allow opponents to mischaracterize them, people should read the book and see whether they are radical or rational.
The document is the work of 400 leading conservative thinkers and organizations. Some proposals will be familiar, like eliminating the useless Department of Education which, given students underperformance in math, science and reading, has clearly flunked its test. Trump says he opposes some of their recommendations, though he admits he hasn’t read them. If he wins the election he likely can be counted on to embrace many of them.
The philosophical foundation is expressed in the introduction to the document: “The federal government is a behemoth, weaponized against American citizens and conservative values, with freedom and liberty under siege as never before. The task at hand to reverse this tide and restore our Republic to its original moorings is too great for any one conservative policy shop to spearhead. It requires the collective action of our movement. With the quickening approach of January 2025, we have two years and one chance to get it right.”
Reminiscent of former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America,” Project 2025 makes four promises (specifics are under each one):
Promise 1: “Restore the family as the centerpiece of American life and protect our children.” This includes doing away with all but two genders, DEI and other ideas imposed on the country by unelected bureaucrats, and promoting national school choice.
Promise 2: “Dismantle the administrative state and return self-governance to the American people.” The writers explain that “Conservatives desire a smaller government not for its own sake, but for the sake of human flourishing. But the Washington Establishment doesn’t want a constitutionally limited government because it means they lose power and are held more accountable by the people who put them in power.”
This recalls the philosophy of our 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, who said, “A government which requires of the people the contribution of the bulk of their substance and rewards cannot be classed as a free government, or long remain as such.”
Promise 3: “Defend our nation’s sovereignty, borders, and bounty against global threats.” Is there anyone but liars and the self-deluded who doesn’t believe we have a border problem?
Promise 4: “Secure our God-given individual right to enjoy ‘the blessing of liberty,’” by which they mean “Our Constitution grants each of us the liberty to do not what we want, but what we ought.” Restoring oughtness requires the resurrection of a standard by which right and wrong, good and evil can be measured. This begins in our schools and universities which have largely abandoned that standard with results we see in academic underperformance and the violation of laws, sometimes leading to campus violence as we witnessed this spring.
These are not radical or fascist proposals, but what previous generations considered common sense and self-evident truths.
Read the details for yourself and unless you are a hardcore leftist, you are likely to agree and vote accordingly to restore what we once had, but have lost to our national shame.
Cal Thomas is a columnist for Tribune Content Agency. Email him at tcaeditors@tribpub.com and look for his latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (HumanixBooks).
