Project 2029: A Vision for America
Developing a Blueprint
A winning project needs a winning title.
Project 2029: The Path Forward (?)
Well, first, we need to know what we believe in.
What are the foundational values of today’s party-line Democrats? Moderate Democrats? Left Leaning Democrats? Progressive Left?
How much is it appropriate to cater to “The Center” (which is really a theoretical). There’s a difference, after all, between Moderates/Centrists and The Working Class (WC). Also, each person seems to have their own personal compass when it comes to locating this “Center”.
Put another way, the “Center” looks different if you’re looking as someone who holds values that are on The Left as compared to someone who holds values on The Right.
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DNC Project 2029
What would it look like.
Let's have it in writing.
Let all sides discuss openly.
Let the other side see the playbook like Project 2025.
Make it feel like a real choice.
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Candidates
Speaking of choices… the DNC needs to stop pushing people aside that they don’t want as nominees. Not very democratic…
Bernie isn’t the right person for the job but he has a lot of the right ideas.
Cory Booker has the right ideas but maybe not the personality some see as “Presidential”. I’d love to see Cory as a VP pick or Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Michelle Obama does not want the job.
Tim Walz is a great guy. But maybe what Walz himself has said is true—that someone with “a full head of hair” should be on the ticket instead of him?
Democrats are often saying there are no clear frontrunners. But there are so many good options for candidates. Don’t despair, we have an abundance.
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Forming the Shape of Project 2029
We should want to hear from everyone.
Yes, that includes moderates/centrists as well as those who lean Right of Center and traditional Republicans (not MAGA extremists).
I’m not saying all the ideas get into the final draft of the document (though an evolving document is ideal… in the vein of The Constitution).
Imagine a Google Doc where a bunch of informed Representatives from AOC, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg to Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheyney, Lindsey Graham, and Mitch McConnell share their thoughts on what aligns with American values.
We could have House reps and Senate reps fill out a Google Form.
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At the end of the day, Representatives are just people (but with really good health insurance).
AI-generated (with some human guidance)
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American Values
The common argument goes something like this:
“Deep down, Americans hold the same core values.”
And… something about “The Soul” of America[ns].
I don’t think this is actually a truism.
We don’t all hold the same values.
Sorry folks.
Election results don’t make a ton of sense either.
I’m thinking specifically of The Popular vote.
It’s actually less divided than I would expect, in some respects.
In any case, how is the country anywhere close to 50/50?
What is this a raffle? I’m kidding… but seriously… we are not 50% Democrats and 50% Republicans. Also, a lot of people don’t even like to talk about politics. Let’s keep that in mind. They just vote party line the way their family has for generations or the way their spouse votes or their friends vote or their community votes… and so forth. At least that’s part of the story, isn’t it?
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404 Error: Language
For a country that doesn’t much love English Majors, we have a language problem.
Tell me if this sounds wrong. My sense is many of our issues are the result of miscommunication or, rather, failure to understand one another. Some of this is on purpose. Some of this is, sadly, baked in bigotry. Some of this is the result of mis- or disinformation.
We’ve been sold a pack of lies— about each other.
What % of issues do you think we (Americans) agree on?
Maybe I’m being overly optimistic but I’d say 75%.
The problem relates to bias. There’s a lot of research, some of it more recent, showing the ways in which people hyper-focus on differences even when they share mostly the same opinions.
You’ve experienced this firsthand, no doubt. In-group fighting.
You’re having a conversation with someone who holds most of the same positions you do, and you know this, and they know this, and yet you find yourself in an argument over what [almost] amounts to a trivial objection. The subject itself isn’t trivial— it’s the outcome… in the form of a sense that you are farther apart than you really are.
At the moment, as a society, we’re having a problem surrounding how to talk about individual freedoms. Phrased in one context, we’re talking DEI, in another we’re talking about free speech, in another we’re talking about The Second Amendment (2A). And the list goes on.
Reflect on how it was The Left that, previously, was adamant about Free Speech on college campuses. Now, there’s blowback from The Right. The overall debate shifts between what you should and should not talk about and the way(s) in which you do so. This push and pull is precedented. It just looks different each time it arrives. History rhymes after all.
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What do The People want!?
· Human Rights
· Civil Rights
· Election integrity
· An Economy that works for all Americans
o Economic stability
o Job opportunities
o Fair wages
o Worker protections
o Support for small businesses
o Support for entrepreneurs
o Lower cost of living
· Affordable Healthcare
· Medicare preservation
· Social Security preservation
· Stop Mis- and Disinformation
· Sustainable Energy & Climate Policy
o Clean air
o Clean water
o Less climate disasters
· Stronger communities
· Public Safety
o Safe neighborhoods
o Crime reduction
o Effective emergency services
o Ethical law enforcement
· Quality education
o Well-funded schools
o Access to Higher Ed
o Access to trade schools
o Access to further education
· Investment in infrastructure
o Reliable roads, bridges, public transit
o Modernization
o Highspeed internet access
· Support for Veterans
o Healthcare
o Mental health services
o Job training
· Efficient and effective government
o Transparency
o Accountability
o Less bureaucratic waste
· Privacy and Rights
o Personal data protections
o Digital rights
o Cybersecurity
o Data protection
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What else?
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What do Most People want?
· Expanded Rights
· Expanded Voting Rights
o End partisan gerrymandering
o Election Day as a National Holiday
o Electoral College reform
· Paid Family Leave
· Housing security
o Rent control
o Tenant protections
o Pathways to home ownership
· Less climate destruction
· More opportunities for good education
· Improved work-life balance
· Fairer economy
o Close wealth gaps
o Support local
o Support small biz
· Stronger Democracy
o Reduce soft money in politics
o Reduce corporate influence
o Easy voter registration
o No gerrymandering
o No voter disenfranchisement
· Criminal justice reform
o Community policing
o Fair sentencing laws
o Police accountability
· Sensible gun safety measures
o Background checks
o Keeping firearms away from credible threats
· Affordable childcare
o Universal Pre-K
o Improved childcare assistance
· Reliable public services
o Trash pickup
o Postal service funding
o More funding for libraries
o More fundings for parks and natural spaces
o More funding for public spaces
· Funding for community beautification projects
· Diplomatic solutions that avoid wars
o No more “endless wars”
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What else?
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What do Some People want?
· A strong safety net
· Healthcare for all (public, not privatized)
o Fair access
o Lower prescription drug prices
o Combat discrimination and achieve more fair treatment
o No unexpected costs / charges
· Reproductive freedom
o Codify Roe v. Wade into federal law
o Reasonable access to reproductive health services
o Right to choose / right to make choices about your own body
o Doctors cannot make decisions on behalf of patients
o Doctors cannot make decisions based on personal religious beliefs
o Doctors cannot try to change a patient’s mind based on their personal preferences
o Protections for children, adolescents, at-risk youth
o Protections for people with uteruses to make life decisions based on their own personal value system
· Expand mental health services
o Expanded access
o Reduced cost
o Ease of access
o No unexpected costs / charges
· Raise the minimum wage
o We need a livable wage (some have suggested a federal minimum wage of $25/hour which is ~ $52,000/year… which is still not enough be a homeowner nearly anywhere in the United States even in a two person household ($106K/year is a currently the low end for home ownership)
o Expand affordable housing and add rental protections
o Strengthen Unions
o End “Right to Work” laws
o Universal paid family leave and sick leave
· Actions to protect the climate
o Includes environmental justice
o Focus on clean energy
o Pass the “Green New Deal”
o Cut emissions in line with net-zero (aka. “carbon neutrality”) aim by 2035 (or 2050 some will say)
o End subsidies for fossil fuels
o Aid communities that are damaged or will be damaged by reckless corporations who are poisoning the living environment of communities using poor health practices (think current or future Superfund sites)
· Social justice
· Gender equity
o Close the gender pay gap
o Fair pay for jobs that are predominantly held by women
· End gender discrimination
· More funding for public schools
o Less emphasis on charter schools
o Increase teacher pay
· College for all
o Others want 4-year college for some, 2-year college (Associate’s) as enough for most jobs, Tech school as enough for certain jobs
· Cancel student loan debt
o We need to determine the appropriate cut-off years for amount of debt relief
· Universal Basic Income (UBI) or Guaranteed Income
· Police reform
o Emphasis on community policing
o Add mental health trained officers who are first responders in situations that are related to wellness checks, domestic incidents, people having a mental health crisis
o Demilitarize local police precincts
o Reallocate funds for training in lieu of unnecessary weaponry and equipment
· End the prison industrial complex (aka. mass incarceration)
o No more private prisons
o Release prisoners who are in jail over non-violent and drug-related offenses who are deemed to have received unfair punishment
· Decriminalize drugs
o We lost the drug war
o We need to spend this funding on services to help people in crisis
o Drugs should be legal and the focus should be on preventing deaths of despair, rehabilitation, and recovery
· AI regulation
o This is not a good place to “move fast and break things”
· Protect digital citizens
o Privacy
o Net neutrality
o Prepare for changes in the workforce
· Fair and sensible immigration reforms
o Path to citizenship
o Reform ICE
o End family separations
o Strengthen border security while also providing humanitarian aid to those who are refugees or otherwise in crisis
o Crack down on labor exploitations instead of criminalizing people for working
o Fine employers who hire illegal immigrants instead of deporting workers who do not have proper documentation. Help workers obtain proper documentation.
· LGBTQ+ Rights & Safety
o Protect the queer community
o Defend the rights of all marginalized groups
o Protect the right for people to marry regardless of their gender or identity preferences
o Combat high rates of poverty, addiction, homelessness, rates of suicide, and mental health issues that afflict the queer community at a rate that is far higher than national averages
· Strong humanitarian giving globally
o Because it rewards Americans
o The only way to remain a superpower
o Prevents the spread of diseases (because diseases don’t respect borders)
· Strong foreign policy
o Strength alliances with partners (such as NATO)
o Regain respect and positive view of America as a global leader and international partner
· Sensible gun reform
o Not trying to take everyone’s guns away
o Restricted access to semiautomatic and automatic weapons
o Strict policies about “ghost guns” and the ability to sell parts that can create anything that functions as a firearm
o Reinstating the “Assault Weapons Ban”
o More strict “Red Flag” gun laws
o More strict laws about waiting periods before ability to obtain a new firearm
o More strict laws about who is able to possess firearms based on crimes such as certain violent offenses, spousal abuse / domestic violence, certain drug offenses, certain mental health conditions / diagnoses, and certain felony charges and convictions.
o Permit requirements
o License renewal policies
o Open carry and concealed carry policies
o Required trainings
· Simplified taxes
o Easy tax filing system
· Tax system reform
o Tax system that does not disproportionately help those at the top
o Stop talking about “top down, bottom up” toothless policy concepts
· Supreme Court reform
o Expanded Supreme Court
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What else?
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There is, of course, so much more.
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What am I missing?
What do you think is best?
What is feasible?
What is achievable for a Project 2029 platform as opposed to next decade or beyond?
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This is work well done! It's so comprehensive, detailed, specific and far reaching. I feel like you should pass it along to those in DC as a sort of blueprint. I hope people remain strong and don't get worn down in this chaotic mess that is now creating so much confusion. It's actually quite brilliant on Trump's side because it pulls focus away from the specifics of all that is wrong. My question is: how far will Trump push the limits and how much will Republicans give up their self respect and values and let him do it? He's ignored a judge's order to return Venezuelan's who were illegally deported. He wants the judge impeached who ordered that. He's trying to deport a college student who exercised his freedom of speech and those around him and wants them all tried in Louisiana which cuts them off from their council and base and is in a state that has nothing to do with the state in which any of this happened. People say the courts will stop this. But the Venezuelans still aren't back. The Signal stuff, everyone says those involved should be fired. No one's been fired. They're blaming the journalist for blowing it out of proportion. Trump isn't even acknowledging this. A lot of talking on the wrongs of all these situations. A lot of court orders being made. No action. No accountability. No Republicans standing up to say, This is wrong. Departments being slashed. I understand wanting to reshape government departments to get rid of money being wasted. But you don't go in with a sledgehammer and fire a bunch of people without first understanding how everything works, who does what, who is vital, and where money is being wasted. Then you work together to streamline to greater effectiveness. But Trump has given Musk full control and doesn't seem to care regarding public opinion or that of government. I always ask "Who's gonna stop him?" I just hope this doesn't go so far that there is no plan 2029. But, I hope there is. It just feels like everytime I turn on the t.v. newspapers, people, institutions are being punished for free speech, existence...it feels like we are slowly being muted as a whole. I hope it gets better. So, I'm glad to read your article. It gives me hope.
Wow! What a comprehensive view on this topic. It's so far beyond 'It's the economy, stupid," which was not even much of a subject in the last election, where voters voted to re-oppress those minorities, both racial and gender, and keep trans people from playing basketball.