‘Elected by no one’: ‘Reaganland’ author on how the Heritage Foundation wields power 

The most important 10 minutes any American could listen to.

Now I understand how the manifesto is working so well, they've been at it for YEARS. One third of the women in this country have lost their abortion health care, and that's the tip of the iceberg. Thanks for this video!

The plan is why their nonprofit status needs to be investigated by IRS.

Wow! Someone read my comments! I've been screaming this for months, sick of everyone lauding "the Reagan years". Sickening how short their memories. Thanks Velshi!

As an Englishman, I had had no idea how far back this present situation went...it's literally eye opening & needs to be spread so much further.

Thank you for covering Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation. It is an awesome playbook and one that is not going away. The majority of Americans do not want this at all. That is why is it so important that we vote blue up and down the ballot. That includes school board members. Do your research of individuals running, and make sure they are not republicans! Same with all areas of society.

For American women, this is Handmaid's Tale

Thank you Sen Sheldon Whitehouse for dedicating yourself to educating the public on how the Supreme Court was captured by the Heritage Foundation and its members. Your videos on You Tube are a Master Class on how to rig an entire system. Must viewing for all of us.

4:55 this short history of how Project 2025 came about needs to be spread far and wide

How is that President Reagan was given such accolades for his Tenure in office? He was the first President to leave a National Debt of 2 Trillion dollars, inspite of his administration's depletion of the Social Security Trust Fund. The Republicans have done all possible to eliminate or do away with the Social Security fund. Project 2025 has Social Security targeted, as well as Medicare and the "Popular Obama Care, also known as "The Affordable Care Act." Reagan was also the architect of the economic philosophy known as "Trickle Down Economics" tax cuts and financial Deregulation benefitted the Corporations, Businesses and the wealthy and the idea was that new business investments would eventually "Trickle Down," benefits for the Working Class Americans and the elderly, the poor, and jobs for young people. However, Republican "Trickle Down Economics," also has traditionally passed down the burden of the tax cuts shifted to the backs of American Workers which eventually never happens This "Trickle Down Economics," was also the out come of the Trump Administration and Presidency. Trump passed a unprecedented 7.5 Trillion dollar tax cut, that directly benefitted Corporations and Business. Then history repeated as the tax burden shifted again to the backs of Middle Class Americans, that tax payback does not end until 2025. Trump's 7.5 Trillion dollar tax cut also increased the National Debt by 8 Trillion dollars. Now amongst the many Autocratic proposed changes in the Project 2025, is still another tax cut proposal already alluded to by Trump, His absurd enticement is the elimination of taxes on Service, employees, such as resturant workers, delivery drivers etc. Trump touts this as if it is a real benefit. If Trump were sincere about helping the service workers, who are predominantly young, he would raise minimum wage scale between $15 to 20.00. The other aspect He does not mention who benefits from his new Tax cut? You can count on the fact it's going to Business Sectors and is, you guessed it, "Trickle Down Economics." That's why Project 2025, targets increasing retirement age between 67-72 years of age imagine having to work to that age, thus ineffect cutting Social Security benefits by increasing retirement age. Other more direct ways to limit Social Security the people's plan. Included is cutting Health Care benefits to Medicare and Medicaid by replacing "Obama Care," a longstanding Trump and Republican target. In Republican Red states the Project 2025 agenda is well underway as the 1st Ammendment and the U.S. Constitution are under direct attack. Tax revenue is being transferred to "Private Schools," a direct threat to the 1st and 14th Ammendments and the separation of powers found under the Articles within the Constitution. Currently removal of library books from School libraries is actively taking place. While there may be justification for retro actions found in Library access for early grades such as 1-5, the danger is who decides, what are the reasons, where does such actions stop? The answer is found in making a practice and decisions made in cooperation between the U.S. Department of Education, the States, Local School Boards and the local Parents and Teachers Associations. The Trump/Republican Party "Project 2025," has set as a priority the elimination of "The Department of Education," Why? The answer is to allow States to be autonomous over Education curriculum taught and the access to books or literature, again a decimation of the U.S. Constitution's "True Meaning and Intent," particularly the 1st Ammendment. Project 2025 a dangerous plan to weaken the U.S. Constitution even to the extent that it may no longer be the "Law of the Land," free from Government control nor intervention. When the cry that, "Our Democracy is at stake!" look no further than Project 2025! Written and endorsed by Republican ideology, endorsed andsaid by their candidate himself Trump; "The U.S Constitution needs to be rewritten," or words to that affect. The Project 2025 and it's intent is to justify and eliminate the "Bill of Rights," "True Meaning and Intent" as written by our Fore Father's. Project 2025 replaces the great synopsis; "Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, that shall not perish from the Earth." Abraham Lincoln at the "Gettysburg Address." That is the stark reality of our times; Autocratic ideological form of government with the establishment of a Dictatorial Presidency protected by the equally tyrannical False "Constitutional Interpretation," of "Immunity from any actions taken by the Office of the Presidency. This is a prescription for a Dictatorial system! Vote Blue, keep the People's Rights to run this Great Nation first and foremost!

Ali Velshi is a national treasure. And he’s Canadian. ❤️

Reagan’s deregulation of the banking industry led directly to the 2008 economic collapse.

Excellent investigative reporting. Velshi is a national asset. 👍

💙VOTE USA💙VOTE HARRIS/WALZ💙VOTE BLUE FOR OUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE💙

I was a Republican. I voted for Ronald Reagan. I did not leave the Republican party. The Republican party left me, as they moved more to the crazy right wing. The more right wing they became, the more I found a home with the Democrats. The older I get the more left-wing I get. The Democrats aren’t left-wing enough for me. when I was working, making over 180,000 a year I realized that it was not enough for me to consider myself as a Republican . Don’t call me a Democrat. I am a socialist. But since I don’t have a choice of a socialist candidate, I’m voting Democratic.

Reagan might have been the first, but Rush Limbaugh spread the conservative philosophy through the rural areas of America. Trump merely identified the movement and took advantage of it.

It's time to dismantle or hobble The Heritage Foundation for peddling falsehood. Have them 'Prove' their findings via a real scholarship review.

I paid $0 for tuition in California for my college education. (1978-1982) Reagan’s policies destroyed access to higher education for poor kids. If they did get loans they buried them in debt. Reagan was just an actor playing a part.

In a Republican mind, Ronald Reagan was an economic genius. He presided over two recessions. The unemployment rate peaked at 10.8% in December 1982, the highest since the Great Depression. The inflation rate peaked at 13.5%.

This era gave us the novel The Handmaid's Tale. Heritage is anti-American

And I've been screaming about this ever since then!

Thanks, Velshi, for taking on the difficult task of deciphering the monstrous Project 2025. I survived Nixon and Reagan and I would not go back to that time. Things are so much better now than then. Rivers don't burn, Love Canal was fixed and the regulations now prevent those things from happening again. People must stop wishing to go back to what is not the "good old days". They were not good.

This is something I have been trying to get people to realize for a very long time now. I could see it back then in the 80s and 90s when I was a kid. They have been planing what is happening now for decades. It isn't new. It won't end with trump.

Get rid of the Heritage Foundation and Citizens United.

Please have this guy back on. A remarkable guest that we need to hear more from.

I remember way back, maybe before 1980 (I started college in '77 and graduated in '81) a professor assigning us to write a research paper on the emergence of PACS and Heritage Foundation in particular. That guy knew what was happening and what would result.

We need to make sure that no more candidates suggested by Heritage Foundation are elected into office. Vote 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

In this case, Heritage actually means, "White Patriarchal Christian Nationalist Theocrat".

Ronald Reagan did ruin everything.

The first big tax cut for the wealthiest, 1981, eliminated these three programs that had made life in the U.S. so exceptional. 1. Killed the national health care system that had operated at the county level and included a hospital or clinic in every county in the nation. 2. Cut the federal tax support for the State Colleges and Universities that drastically increased tuition costs and provided a new income stream for the wealthy with the guaranteed, no bankruptcy clearance student loan program to saddle any working class student with years of debt. 3. Stopped building low income housing and low income retirement housing, and that is why we now have millions of homeless people

Nothing makes me feel closer to my dad that’s been gone for over 15 years like hating on Reagan does. I can almost feel him in the room. His pure internal rage towards Reagan was a palpable thing. You could feel it. I wish I could properly put into words my dad’s character, but my dad was not particularly political. He wasn’t a man that was prone to anger. I cannot recall a single time my dad got mad behind the wheel of a car. It was palpable. The one and only time my father ever showed up at my school to confront a teacher, (only time he did that period, I had three older siblings) was when my 9th grade History/Social Studies teacher told an entire class of students that it would be un American if our parents didn’t vote for Reagan.

Why aren't they treated as domestic terrorists?

I love that you're pointing out elected by no one.

*My goodness, what a terrific piece of reporting Ali. It's 9:26am on a rainy ( **_as usual_** ) English morning, and this has made my day. I shall share as widely as I possibly can... **_CHEERS!_* 👍😎🇬🇧💙☕🥃

Always enjoy hearing from Perlstein. He's one the most perceptive writers on the Conservative movement, especially at explaining the big picture of what they're trying to do, and how they've been going about it. True Fact: He's also -- believe it or not -- a big fan of Bass Fishing

9 editions later, we've got Project 2025. Lucky us.

Keep putting out the information. If only people would be willing to listen.

There appears to be no end to apparent corrupt behaviour in America and it seems to be centred around Conservative Right-wing Republicanism??

Please share these clips with friends on all social media and encourage them to take a patriotic act beyond party politics this time. Light up the world!

I used to wonder how democratic countries ended up under dictatorships, but now i can see how it happens.

I remember growing up as a teen in the 80’s in a small town and they were heavy on pro-life and religious propaganda. The Pentecostal church and others supported some of their causes allowing them to attend service etc. Now, here I am 50 and WOW!!! This truly has been DECADES of work🤯😳

Keep shining the spotlight on this. Thank you for pointing out how long the mandate for leadership has been a part of the Republican party. It verify that what we were observing was indeed fact.

Excellent program. Great guest. Extremely important topic. Please keep telling this important history. In 1975, Republicans laughed at the idea that Reagan might run for president. He was, in their view, far too right wing to get elected. By 1980, he had captured the party and pulled it far to the right. But Heritage is even further to the right than Reagan himself. So they kept pushing. Now, we have five extremists of the radical right on our supreme court thanks to them. It important for people to know about this shift to the right. And even more important to know that the principles and policies espoused by the far right are not based on any sound, factual foundation.

can we remove the non-profit status of the heritage foundation?

US Census Bureau on real household income by percentile shows steep rise for the top 10% starting with Reagan and every other bracket almost flatlining. Also called "Morning in America".

The trolls are out in force today. But hey, keep on commenting. It pushes the algorithm to get this out in front of more people.

My favorite scene from The Munsters (please stay with me) is when, after a disastrous run in his bristling-with-Universal-Horror-electrodes lab at full tilt, Granpa (Al Lewis) says : "I think I wasn't using enough electricity!" - and that for me has been the GOP since evermore at this point. The right-wing message failed? It MUST have been too diluted - instead of too deluded.

And today, people are suggesting Reagan was NOT conservative and would be pushed out of the party. Poppycock! I’ll ask this question again…and again until I get an answer. Reagan’s first speech as the GOP nominee was given in Philadelphia, Mississippi, which is famous for one thing - the brutal murder of three civil rights workers in the 60s. What message was he sending with that decision?

They're just still fighting FDRs new deal.

finally someone talks about the heritage foundation and the grandfather of maga, and destroyer of the country reagan.

Ginni Thomas users to work for the Heritage Foundaiton

Basically the heritage foundation is new age Jim Crow less out open segregation

This, combined with other factual pieces, helps to answer so many questions in regard to outcomes. In TX, I've seen many top GOP candidates lose to first time, "corrupt" individuals spewing bizarre rhetoric. In addition, respected GOP politicians doing the same out of nowhere. I worked, along with many other respected individuals, who were ethical. I retired as they polluted the entire system here - and continuing to do so unbelievable. I knew there was dark money, so Abbott, Paxton(worked for) and all the others, may your children/grandchildren inherit the world you sold out for....only to realize they don't carry what you provided, the moment and need. At this point they will be discarded....from inside and now, the saving grace is not to rise for USA, for an individual every few years....do something. Vote always..

I recently came across Frank Schaeffer's videos where he talks about being the son of a famous evangelist and how his conservative values influenced this conservative religious movement and how now he feels guilty for his beliefs.

Frank Shaeffer is warning about this. Worth a look.

Its a manifesto, not a mandate

So Saint Ronnie Raygun was not the benign little gnome he is portrayed to be? What a surprise!

Blame Ronnie Raygun!

The People should vote on every bill, every proposal.

Yes 1970s the sway towards blocking scientific progress, education and accelerating income inequality took off like a explosion.

Fascinating.

Per the Heritage Foundation's own website, trump implemented 61% of their Mandate for Leadership 2016 version during his term.

the cool thing about Project 2025 is outlining the Trump agenda with clarity. Harris only needs to say "not what is written in the Project 2025 agenda" when asked what are her policies

😮. This is disgusting, but real. Help us.

Trump applied their Blueprint for a Budget (which included cutting funding for oversight & enforcement of many regulations, esp by EPA), which Trump used for his first "Skinny Budget" during his term in office.

I remember what Regan did to Ca as gov. It took Jerry Brown to get us out of the mess. Then we had another movie actor as gov (arnold schwarzenegger) and once again Jerry Brown came in and brought down the deficit and Improve Ca economy to be the 5th largest in the world. I will never vote for an GOP candidate

Conservative leaning or fascist leaning? Get rid of Heritage and the Federalist Soc. and this country would immediately improve.

Heritage Foundation and Hillsdale College and Christian Nationalism.

MSNBC, nice content

Step 1, cut off the money to this organization!

We are still suffering from that stupid plan.

Thanks for keeping this in the limelight Ali. I share your segments hoping others will look at Project 2025 and realize how dangerous it is. I did not know about "The Mandate for Leadership" because I was still a kid at the time and the movement was already far along by the time I became an adult.

The heritage foundation has chosen every republican supreme court nominee for the last 40+ years.

We're here to stop them

The Heritage Foundation acting a kingmaker chose a wannabe Emperor that had no clothes where we all got to find out the actual size and shape of his scepter. 😜

Thank you so much for covering this.❤

This is the first thing we need to hit back with when maga says he isnt involved with the heritage foundation's plan. It was probably the first thing he had to agree to work on in 2015.

I am so glad I fell upon this reporting by Velshi. Lots of good comments and really smart people out there.

Reagan’s California help flip the state Blue. It’s never gone back despite small Red enclaves. He brought that bad energy to Washington. The Moral Majority grew directly out of this. But…too many WWII veterans were still alive and remembered what Fascism looked like. It was a long game! But those of us who watched and knew were told we were doom peddlers. In the biggest “I told you so”…I TOLD YOU SO!

Get the word out!

My mother needs to hear this

In a Frontline Documentary, A person who worked in the White House stated that the plan to replace all federal employees with Trump loyalist was on Trump's desk and ready to rollout in his next term; however, he lost in 2020.

The Heritage Foundation has published its Mandate for Leadership series since 1981, with updated editions released in parallel with presidential elections.[65] Heritage calls its Mandate a "policy bible",[65] claiming that almost two-thirds of its 1981 Mandate was attempted by Ronald Reagan[66] while nearly two-thirds of its 2015 Mandate was attempted by Donald Trump.[66][67] Politico has called Project 2025 "far more ambitious" than previous editions[12] and The New York Times said it operates on "a scale never attempted before in conservative politics".[6

The more I hear and see about Project 2025 the less I like it. Scary. Nobody would vote for Trump who is of average or better IQ. Trump will go along with it.

Why have any original ideas when you can use the Heritage Foundation's? Typical of Ronnie Raygun.

I wish christians would focus on the love that they preach about in the bible rather than the hate that they feel.

Bone Spur,s Bots are out in full force beware.

There are no Republicans left, only the heritage foundation . So remember, when you vote for the republican party your vote is for heritage foundation.

We never voted for ANY OF THIS!!! UNACCEPTABLE!!!!

Politicians aren't leaders, they are employees supposed to do what we want. If they don't do that fired like any other employee. Tough.

Great interview, but why is no one in the media talking about who funds Heritage??? Is everyone afraid of Charles Koch?

More Rick Perlstein please. He’s a clarion call. All they do is double down. Maybe regroup, maybe new faces, try something new, bring in people by a smattering of change. No. Tighten the screws. It’s what we do. Fell in love with Rick Perlstein with his CSpan interview. First I’d heard of anything like his take on things…he's a tour guide for those years. Rick’s books are phenomenal. More please, he’s great.

good one Velshi! John Birch Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (was that the organization that refused opera singer Marion Anderson Carnie Hall stage, and mrs Elenor was instrumental in her singing in front of D.C. monument instead. There are trails (entrails) of their in group existence.

There are so many intelligent and well informed people in these comments. Very refreshing to see

Trump would say, "The Jewish historian Rick Perlstein..."

The introduction, boiled down: We may yet get past Trump, but Trumpism will continue as long as the GOP as we know it exists. Thanks so much for having Perlstein on. He's been chronicling this for almost as long as the Government Study Program has existed

Thank you.

We as Catholics were told that we need conservatism, conservative judges, Heritage Foundation ideas in order to obtain the Culture of Life Preached by the Popes but we weren´t examining what the cat dragged into the house!

Welcome to Gilead!

It's buried somewhere in YT videos, I can't find her name, but I saw a video of a Heritage Foundation spokesperson saying that Project 2026 intends to "wipe out the 20th Century," which is also what Velshi's guest basically said is the plan. It's frightening, they're talking about "wiping out" progress made by generations of people who spent their whole lives & sacrificed personally to make life better for people.