Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership”
A Comedy of Errors (With Serious Consequences)
Welcome to the Conservative Wonderland
Ladies and gentlemen, step right up to witness the spectacular, the incredible, the utterly implausible “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise”! This magnificent tome promises to solve all of America’s problems with one simple trick: turning back the clock to an idealized version of the 1950s that never actually existed. Who needs progress when you can have nostalgia?
Methodology: How to Analyze a Document That Analyzes Itself Out of Existence
My rigorous analytical approach involves:
Reading the document while maintaining a straight face (harder than it sounds)
Identifying claims that would make even Baron Munchausen blush
Fact-checking using something the authors seem to have forgotten exists: reality
Analyzing the logical structure, or lack thereof
Evaluating arguments on a scale from “mildly absurd” to “is this satire?”
The Logical Lapses: A Masterclass in Fallacious Reasoning
False Dilemmas: Because Nuance is for Wimps
The document presents us with a series of false dilemmas that would make a Boolean logic gate blush. For instance, on page 337, in discussing the National School Lunch Program, we’re told:
“Now, the USDA is threatening to withhold federal taxpayer spending for these meals from schools that do not implement Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 so that the term ‘sex’ is replaced with ‘sexual orientation and gender identity’ (SOGI)”
Ah yes, because clearly the only two options are “starve the children” or “accept the gay agenda.” Who knew school lunches were the frontline in the culture wars? One can almost hear the battle cry: “Give me heteronormativity, or give me death by malnutrition!”
Slippery Slopes: Toboggan Ride to Dystopia
The document’s authors seem to have confused governance with extreme winter sports, given their penchant for slippery slope arguments. Take this gem about the H-2A visa program on page 612:
“The low cost of H-2A workers undercuts American workers in agricultural employment. The H-2A program is not subject to any statutory numerical cap and has been expanding in recent years, surpassing 200,000 visa issuances for the first time in 2019. Congress should immediately cap this program at its current levels and establish a schedule for its gradual and predictable phasedown over the subsequent 10 to 20 years”
Because nothing says “making America great again” like ensuring our fruits and vegetables rot in the fields. Who needs a stable agricultural workforce when we can have xenophobia instead?
Straw Man Arguments: Burning Effigies of Reason
The document’s treatment of critical race theory is a masterpiece of misrepresentation (find it on page 343):
“Those who subscribe to the theory believe that racism (in this case, treating individuals differently based on race) is appropriate — necessary, even — making the theory more than merely an analytical tool to describe race in public and private life”
Bravo! This straw man is so impressively constructed, it could win a scarecrow competition. It’s almost as if the authors have confused critical race theory with the rules of a 1950s country club.
The Emotional Rollercoaster: From Patriotic Fervor to Paranoid Fever
The document doesn’t just appeal to emotions; it straps them into a Formula 1 car and sends them careening around a track of hysteria. Witness this masterpiece of divisive rhetoric from page 19:
“America is now divided between two opposing forces: woke revolutionaries and those who believe in the ideals of the American revolution… The latter believe in America’s history and heroes, its principles and promise, and in everyday Americans and the American way of life. They believe in the Constitution and republican government. Conservatives — the Americanists in this battle — must fight for the soul of America, which is very much at stake.”
One can almost hear the strains of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” swelling in the background. But wait, what’s that sound? Ah yes, it’s the world’s smallest violin, playing a sad tune for those poor, beleaguered conservatives fighting against the terrifying specter of… checks notes… equality and social justice.
Conclusion: A Mandate for Mirth (and Maybe Some Actual Leadership)
In conclusion, “Mandate for Leadership” is a testament to the power of imagination. It imagines a world where complex problems have simple solutions, where nuance is a four-letter word, and where the path to a better future somehow involves walking backwards.
While the document does occasionally stumble upon valid points (much like a broken clock being right twice a day), its overall approach to governance is about as practical as using a sieve to bail out the Titanic.
For future editions, I humbly suggest:
Acquainting oneself with this radical new concept called “evidence-based policy”.
Acknowledging that the world has, in fact, changed since 1955.
Realizing that governing a diverse, complex nation might require more than just appealing to one’s base.
Until then, we’ll file this “Mandate for Leadership” right where it belongs: under “Political Fan Fiction.”
Check out my first book How to Survive Project 2025: A Handy Guide for Aspiring Autocrats and Concerned Citizens (Kindle Edition).
This piece was originally published Jun 22, 2024 on Medium.com.