OP-ED: It’s up to you
What is the connection between Project 2025, Kevin Roberts and the Heritage Foundation, Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, and former President Donald Trump, who often praises Orbán’s leadership? For one thing, their connections highlight a shift in conservative strategies and ideologies.
At over 1,000 pages, Project 2025 provides detailed recommendations across various areas of government policies, intended to serve as a roadmap for implementing conservative beliefs when a Republican president takes office.
Now let us explore Kevin Roberts, head of the Heritage Foundation, whom historian Heather Cox Richardson has observed has made significant changes in its direction since 2021. After he became head of the Heritage Foundation, she says, “It has been taken in an entirely new direction.”
She also says, “Previously, it had been part of the old (Ronald) Reagan organization of small government, let the markets do their thing, and get rid of the social safety net.” Richardson claims that “Roberts very deliberately set out to create a new kind of Heritage Foundation and a new kind of Republican Party.”
Now, who is Viktor Orbán? When first elected as prime minister, his leadership functioned within a democratic framework. But after losing an election, then being re-elected, he became what the European Union has identified as an autocratic leader.
According to Richardson, he eliminated the free press in Hungary and took control of the educational system, which can only teach what he wants. “There are still political parties, but they don’t get any media time, and they can’t speak out against him. This results in his winning elections by huge amounts. He basically took Hungarian democracy. . . all into his own hands.”
She goes on to say that “the thriving business in Hungary all went to his cronies, and so the Hungarian economy is collapsing.”
Richardson also says that Kevin Roberts set up a relationship between the Heritage Foundation and the Danube Institute in Hungary, which represents Orbán’s philosophies. The real controversy here is that, according to many interpretations, the Danube Institute and now the Heritage Foundation push the idea that democracy as we know it is changing dramatically.
The Danube Institute’s influence extends beyond Hungary, with some suggesting that it promotes a reimagining of democracy that challenges traditional notions of equality before the law. This perspective resonates with certain conservative circles in the U.S. where debates over immigration and national identity are prominent.
Democracy’s main tenet is that everybody must be treated equally before the law, but not all new conservative thinking concurs on this matter. For example, one strong statement is that under the new rule, “Immigrants are not welcome into a country because they are poison.” Those are words we have heard spoken by current candidates.
Again, according to Richardson, “Orbán calls for Christian democracy.” His concept of Christian democracy has also interested some American conservatives. This ideology proposes that certain groups are inherently better suited to govern, which raises questions about inclusivity and equality. While opinions may vary, the notion of imposing Christian nationalism is contentious.
Many have stated that Kevin Roberts wants to do the same thing in America. According to Richardson, “That’s the background for his Project 2025.” Roberts also embraces a philosophy that has been around since the Reagan administration, and that is the idea that the president becomes the unitary executive and cannot be checked by either the courts or Congress.
The most recent Supreme Court ruling regarding presidential immunity, issued on July 1, grants presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts taken while in office, which further complicates discussions about accountability and governance.
The alignment between figures like Orbán, Roberts, and Trump suggests a potential reshaping of conservative priorities and strategies. The implications for American democracy and governance remain subjects of intense debate and scrutiny.
So, there you have it. The potential future of America.
Either way, if this is or is not the country you are yearning for, you now know how to vote in November.
Nick Jacobs is a Windber resident.