By Cindi Branham
Why be concerned about Project 2025?
It’s been characterized as an authoritative, Christian nationalist, and white supremacist plan to take the U.S. into an autocracy, the autocrat being – at least initially – by former president Donald Trump. You know: that racist, homophobic, antisemitic pathological narcissist who’s failed at many businesses and wants to be dictator? On Day 1?
We can’t forget the millions of voters who share most or all of Trump’s ugliest characteristics.
Last week’s column warned of the potential for the dissolution of our government and the establishment of an autocracy. This week, I want to talk about how that government takeover could conceivably be accomplished.
Step back to the last presidential election. Trump and his allies and supporters gave us reason to be concerned about this year’s election, given what happened January 6, 2021.
That insurrection failed, but we know those planning the next insurrection will have a better plan this time.
How does Trump plan to ensure that he’s inaugurated on January 20, 2025?
First: ahead of January 6, when federal law requires the presidential election to be certified by Congress, led by the sitting vice president, there’s strong evidence that people are in place to subvert certification of several states’ elections.
Lacking that certification, it’s questionable how we move forward towards January 6. Chaos. Something Trump has thrived on his entire career.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, a media outlet that prides themselves on factual investigative reporting (and has a reputation for such), there are at least 70 election officials in key swing states with a history of promoting conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election.
These officials will refuse to certify the votes in their district. They may be in smaller districts, but their refusal to certify will render their respective state’s elections unsettled and uncertified. Which will throw the presidential election into chaos. Just like in 2020. Chaos.
As attorney Marc Elias explained in his August 1 column, “we are going to see mass refusals to certify the elections” because the GOP is “counting on the fact that if they don’t certify in several small counties, you cannot certify these statewide results.”
Chaos.
Attorney Elias is a Democratic attorney who’s been successfully prosecuting election and voting rights cases all over the country for the last several years. Elias feels that with the election rapidly closing in, Republicans are weaponizing election certification, and “building an election subversion war machine.”
Rachel Maddow of MSNBC has recently expressed her fears of what’s coming to subvert this election.
Second: their plan to steal the election for Donald Trump would include the procedures of January 6, when Congress and the Vice President confirm the winner of the 2024 importance. They desperately didn’t want it to happen in 2021.
The first insurrection (yes, first) wasn’t successful for a number of reasons. Confusion and bad information surrounded sending back-up law enforcement for the Capitol Police. That never should have happened, which is why I feel withheld information kept other agencies from preparedness and response. The second insurrection will be better planned and executed.
Then, lawmakers were protected and removed from harm’s way. We know the insurrectionists were coming after them, but their security was successful. Will it be successful in 2025?
VP Mike Pence wasn’t in on the scheme and likely wouldn’t have supported if he had been, but he listened to his gut and didn’t leave the Capitol. The insurrectionists didn’t plan on it, but all these individuals were still able to return late that night and finish the certification for Joe Biden’s win.
We know Trump had co-conspirators within Congress and their numbers will have grown. What we don’t know is how many of the Heritage Foundation loyalists will already be planted in positions that would jeopardize the safety of Congress, unbeknownst to “the good guys.” How many more law enforcement positions will be compromised?
What can we do?
We can throw up our hands and say that we’re powerless: our votes don’t matter in blood red Alabama. But they do.
“If we all vote, we win.” I’ve heard that phrase for a third of my life. Why not test it out? Help get family, friends, and neighbors to the polls on November 5. Help them understand how they can vote absentee if they need to. Volunteer to register voters.
Our votes may only contribute to the national popular vote numbers, but they also may show us that we’re here, and that when we vote, we can win – or at least begin to see our power.
Third: This one is important. Do what you can to help VP Kamala Harris win in a swing state.
Getting on a phone banking Zoom call – where they’ll teach you the best techniques, give you a script. and be there if you have questions.
If you can travel to knock on doors – canvass – in a swing state (Georgia’s right next door), make arrangements with the national campaign. Sometimes they’ll even put canvassers up when they’re helping.
The people you call and the people whose doors you knock will very likely be a Democratic of Independent voter. Not a Trumper.
If we don’t stop the people who want to implement Project 2025, we will face a very different life in America.
Start at www.KamalaHarris.com and sign up to do whatever you can. And help kill the chaos.