NRx: America's favorite brand of authoritarianism for the young 'uns

INTRODUCTION

This post is about some origins history and ideology of a political movement I just found out about earlier this morning. It can be called NRx (neoreactionary authoritarianism) or the Dark Enlightenment. That or things like "neo-monarchism" or "CEO-monarchism", is what the two key founders of this toxic ideology advocate. Those folks are hard core ideologues with rock solid beliefs in their own irrational fantasies. They hold a false belief that what they are arguing for will address all the grievances young people have about government and their lives. 

Of course, those personal opinions are tentative because they are based on my currently limited knowledge of NRx, its founders and its influence on post-boomer generations. 

From what I can tell so far based mostly on Pxy deep dives into their training, experiences and accomplishments, neither of the two main blowhards, Ted Beale (calling himself "Vox Day") and Curtis Yarvin ("Mencious Moldbug") are experts in any particularly relevant to politics. They have no academic qualifications in political science or theory, sociology, moral philosophy or history. They don't even have any relevant professional life experiences. Apparently their main accomplishments are being pissed off all the time and writing a lot about why they believe that democracy sucks and having a "benign" CEO-dictator would be better. 

Just like all of my blogging, they do blogging that is not peer-reviewed. Unlike my blogging, they have convinced a lot of unhappy young people and a few cynical billionaires that they have something of great insight and value to offer. Maybe as I learn more about these self-deluded authoritarians, my opinion will shift. But right now, they look to me like almost perfect blind (inexperienced), arrogant stooges for far more educated, experienced, ruthless and intelligent MAGA elites to exploit.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF NRx

To avoid TL/DR syndrome I'll offer a couple of bullet points and leave it at that for now.

• Origins: Old-time conservatives believe the US Constitution was good and worth fighting for. NRx rejects that belief. NRx blowhards argue that the US Constitution has been destroyed by corruption, liberalism and moral decay. Apparently that has significant appeal to pre-baby boomer generations, the young 'uns. The NRx claims are hyperbolic and not fact-based. Yarvin and Beale’s solution of authoritarian governance, and rejection of Enlightenment values ignore democratic resilience and historical precedent. Their contempt for progressives and institutionalists reflects an enraged, naïve nostalgia for imagined hierarchies. What they propose is not a coherent vision for governance in the public interest. They propose what MAGA wants, a kleptocratic dictatorship in the elites' interest. Although the NRx Poo-Bahs believe their CEO-dictator will be nice and work for us, cognitive biology, social behavior and history all say otherwise. Facts and rationality are no on the side of NRx ideologues.

• Attacking old-fashioned conservatism: The Constitution’s Enlightenment emphasis on reason, individual rights, and limited government has underpinned democratic stability globally so far. NRx offers no viable alternative to liberal or pluralist democracy. Instead, it offers irrationally romanticized feudalism and corporate autocracy. NRx and its young 'un followers have no loyalty to the US Constitution. Yarvin and Beale, reject neoconservative figures, e.g., William F. Buckley, as outdated. They accuse old-style conservatives of selling out the Constitution and “worshiping the corpse” of a broken system.

• MAGA's insinuation into NRx: JD Vance and Blake Masters have cited Yarvin’s “RAGE” (Retire All Government Employees) strategy, advocating mass firings of civil servants to dismantle the “deep state”. In terms of ideological alignment with MAGA, Yarvin’s 2025 New York Times interview (not paywalled) shows his growing influence among Silicon Valley elites, e.g., Peter Thiel, and djt-aligned politicians seeking to centralize power and kill democracy.

This guy thinks he's hot stuff, but he's

just grumpy, arrogant, self-deluded and dangerous

• Pragmatism or arrogant, blowhard bullshit: NRx is framed as offering pragmatic solutions to modern complexities and legitimate criticisms of democracy and the Constitution. The generational shift within conservatism, from constitutional reverence to authoritarian, NRx-aligned anti-constitutionalism underscores the ongoing ideological shift on America's political right. As older institutionalists and conservatives fade away, battles will center on whether political and social accountability can be had in a system of governance based on secrecy and alleged "corporate efficiency" vs messy democracy and the rule of law. Authoritarianism does not operate on the basis of transparency, equity or empathy. In a real democracy there is at least some of that. One commentator observed that "the snarky tone of ironic superiority grates on the reader, both just because it’s a bad tone, and because there is no reason for the reader to believe that Yarvin has earned it."

What happened to the young 'uns? I think their brains got trapped in and poisoned by social media with its copious amounts of pseudo-science, pseudo-intellectualism and care-free but opinionated ignorance and arrogance.

Arrogant Blowhard Syndrome

is strong with this one

MAGA bits: Privatizing the entire federal government; djt's 'compassion'; Reducing court power

The WaPo reports (not paywalled) about MAGA's efforts to  privatize all of the federal government:

DOGE wants businesses to run government services ‘as much as possible’

Mail delivery. Real estate. Foreign aid grants. The Trump administration is moving to privatize a sweeping number of government functions and assets — a long-standing Republican goal that’s being catalyzed by billionaire Elon Musk.

The slash-and-burn approach of Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is paving the way for a new shift to the private sector, reducing the size and power of the federal bureaucracy in a real-world test of the conservative theory — a version of which is also widely popular in Silicon Valley — that companies are better than government at saving money and responding to people’s needs.

At the DOGE-allied General Services Administration, officials are quietly moving ahead with a push to sell hundreds of publicly owned buildings to private companies — which can then lease them back to the government, theoretically saving maintenance and upkeep costs for taxpayers, according to two people briefed on internal deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

A Wall Street investor nominated to run the International Development Finance Corporation, a little-known foreign investment agency that works to align the private sector with U.S. foreign policy goals, has suggested redirecting a large portion of the $40 billion budget of the shuttered U.S. Agency for International Development to investors, start-ups and companies that work in developing countries.

The possibilities for corruption on a scale unparalleled in human history are opening up to MAGA elites. The market for running government functions is worth a few trillion per year in sales and who knows what in profits. 

Q: Do you believe the Silicon Valley assertion that companies, especially after MAGA deregulation, are better than government at saving money and responding to people’s needs?

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The BBC reports: Trump says he 'couldn't care less' about higher car prices -- But the US president told NBC News on Saturday that he hoped foreign carmakers will raise prices as it meant "people are gonna buy American-made cars - we have plenty". .... 25% tariffs on cars and car parts entering the US to begin on 2 April. Charges on businesses importing vehicles are expected on 3 April, and taxes on parts are set to start in May or later. When asked about what his message was to car bosses, he said: "The message is congratulations. If you make your car in the United States, you're going to make a lot of money."

Guess what happens when imported product prices increase due to tariffs? This is what happens: Domestic producers have an opportunity to raise their prices without losing competitive position, so that is what they do. The evidence on this point is clear and consistent. Domestic producers raise their prices to match or approach the higher prices of their foreign competitors. That ripples through consumer prices beyond just the imported products to include competing domestic products. djt and MAGA have just imposed a gigantic price hike on consumers and I don't see much public complaining about it, yet. 

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The House is mulling over a proposed law to seriously reduce federal trial court power. The proposed law, the No Rogue Rulings Act of 2025, limits the power of federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions. What prompted this is MAGA's blatant unconstitutionality in its policies and actions. MAGA elites and djt are furious that the courts are stopping their illegal acts by issuing injunctions. If passed into law, this would take power from the courts and give it to djt. Apparently congressional MAGA authoritarians really do support the "unitary executive" concept where djt gets close to true dictator power. The bill is scheduled for a floor vote in the House today.

Presumably the bill would fail in the Senate, unless those authoritarian MAGA elites vote to get rid of the filibuster. The urge to get rid of the filibuster must be intense. MAGA elites really do want to steamroll everything that djt wants to do. As far as I can tell, the filibuster is the last big thing standing in djt's way in congress. If that falls, I think that djt and MAGA will be unstoppable.

MAGA chunks: Energy sector gets payoff, consumers get shafted; Deporting foreign students

Utility Dive reports:

DOE withdraws, postpones multiple appliance energy efficiency rules

“We are returning freedom of choice to the American people,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement

DOE has “officially withdrawn four conservation standards, including standards on electric motors, ceiling fans, dehumidifiers, and external power supplies,” the agency said in a statement. “This continued commitment to the American people will slash unnecessary red tape and regulations that raise prices, reduce consumer choice, and frustrate the American people.”

The natural gas sector hailed the announcement as a win for consumer choice, while efficiency advocates warn the decision could add billions to utility bills.

While delaying or not finalizing rule updates begun under the previous administration isn’t particularly noteworthy, deLaski said DOE’s decision on electric motors is different. That rule was signed by a DOE official and put out to the public, but was not published in the Federal Register.

“And that’s a big rule … a massive amount of energy consumed in industry and commercial buildings is in electric motors,” deLaski said. The rule was supported by manufacturers and utilities, he added, leading to the fundamental question: “When is a rule final?”

The now-withdrawn rule for electric motors was expected to save American businesses up to $56 billion on utility bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 156 million metric tons over 30 years of sales, ASAP said in January, pointing to DOE estimates.

When I hear anything that any MAGA elite says is good for us, I disbelieve it and assume the opposite is closer to the truth. In this case, by fact checking led to a finding that even before the DOE got captured and poisoned by djt and MAGA, it apparently was captured and poisoned by the carbon energy sector and/or manufacturers. 

Research from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy found that the DOE historically overestimated the price impacts of efficiency standards. Across nine regulation cases they studied, the DOE projected an average price increase of $148 per appliance, but the actual average change was a $12 decrease in manufacturer's selling price. This directly contradicts the MAGA lie that increased efficiency standards automatically raise consumer prices. A typical household saves about $320 per year due to current standards. That is projected to increase to about $460 annually by 2030. Over the lifetime of efficient appliances, these energy bill savings typically outweigh any initial cost increases by a ratio of 4 to 1.

Also, contrary to claims that regulations reduce consumer choice, evidence suggests that efficiency standards have historically driven innovation and expanded options. For example, modern refrigerators use 75% less energy than 1973 models but afford 20% more storage capacity. Modern clothes washers use 70% less energy than in 1990 with 50% more tub capacity. Those are significant.

Peanut: America is governed with scientific ignorance, religious bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and racism, and you expect them to get electric motors right? So much for "choice", which ranks right up there with "waste, fraud, and abuse" as things that don't mean what they say.

So once again, not surprisingly, corrupt MAGA elites are lying to us about what is good for us. They shamelessly tell us that something actually bad for us and the environment is good for both. I agree with Peanut. 

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The Times of India reports about targeted foreign students being asked by MAGA to self-deport:

Hundreds of international students wake up to an email 

asking them to self deport for campus activism

Hundreds of international students in the US are getting an email from the US Department of State (DOS) asking them to self-deport owing to campus activism. Immigration attorneys’ contacted by TOI affirmed this development and added a few Indian students may also be at the receiving end of such emails – for something as innocuous as sharing a social media post. It is not just international students who physically participated in campus activism but also those who shared or liked ‘anti-national’ posts that are the target of these emails, said an immigration attorney.

.... new student applications be it for an F (academic study visa), M (vocational study visa) or J (exchange visa) will also come under such social media scrutiny. Applicants will be denied the opportunity to study in the US.

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, has launched an AI-fuelled ‘Catch and Revoke’ effort to cancel the visas of foreign nationals who appear to support Hamas or other designated terror groups. Axios further reports that more than 300 foreign students have had their student visas revoked in the three weeks that ‘Catch and Revoke’ has been in operation ....

[The DOS email includes these comments:] "Remaining in the United States without a lawful immigration status can result in fines, detention, and/or deportation. It may also make you ineligible for a future U.S. visa. Please note that deportation can take place at a time that does not allow the person being deported to secure possessions or conclude affairs in the United States. Persons being deported may be sent to countries other than their countries of origin."

"Given the gravity of this situation, individuals whose visa was revoked may wish to demonstrate their intent to depart the United States using the CBP Home App."

"As soon as you depart the United States, you must personally present your passport to the U.S. embassy or consulate which issued your visa so your visa can be physically cancelled. You must not attempt to use your visa as it has been revoked. If you intend to travel to the United States in the future, you must apply for another U.S. visa and a determination on your eligibility for a visa will be made at that time."

They may be sent to countries other than their countries of origin? Given the gravity of this situation? WTF is going on here? What is MAGA blithering about? Other than MAGA constantly lying to us and killing our democracy, civil liberties and rule of law, there is no grave situation. This looks like MAGA racism and bigotry. That's the only explanation that makes at least some sense to me. I wonder if this is legal. It seems to violate due process law and procedural steps in deportations, such as a hearing notification at least 14 days before proceedings, and an opportunity to contest grounds of deportability.

 

To MAGA, the rule of law is crap to be ignored if it gets in the way, or distorted and weaponized if it is useful. What an effing mess.

The history of US involvement in the Ukraine war: The killing machine

The NYT describes its investigation (not paywalled) of the US-Ukraine alliance in a very long and detailed history of US involvement. The investigation shows a deep, secretive partnership, centered at a US Army base in Wiesbaden, Germany. Key points:

• For nearly three years before President Trump's return to power, the US and Ukraine were in a clandestine collaboration involving intelligence, strategy, planning, and technology. This partnership was largely unknown to most American and allied officials.

• The U.S. established an operation called Task Force Dragon to assist Ukraine in using advanced weaponry effectively. This task force was pivotal in providing targeting information to Ukrainian forces.

• American and coalition intelligence analysts at Wiesbaden would daily prioritize targets, identifying Russian military units, equipment, or infrastructure. They used satellite data, radio signals, and intercepted communications to locate Russian forces, then transmitted the coordinates to Ukraine.

• There were tensions due to differing strategic views. Ukrainian leaders were sometimes seen as overly ambitious, while US officials were considered too cautious. This led to disagreements, particularly during Ukraine's counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.

• Ukraine's ability to strike significant Russian targets, like the cruiser Moskva, without prior US knowledge, caused surprise and anger among US officials. This highlighted a gap in expectations and communication between the two nations.

• NATO established a new command in Wiesbaden to coordinate training and equipment donations to Ukraine, aiming to increase interoperability between Ukrainian forces and NATO.

• Despite the change in US administration, NATO and European allies have pledged long-term security assistance to Ukraine, with significant financial commitments to support Ukraine's defense efforts.

• This partnership was instrumental in Ukraine's military operations against Russia, providing not just material support but also strategic and intelligence assistance.

• By US count, the killing machine has killed or wounded more than 700,000 Russian soldiers. Ukraine puts its casualty toll at 435,000.

• In his last weeks in office, Biden made moves to support the Ukraine. He crossed his own final red line by expanding the ops box to allow ATACMS and British Storm Shadow strikes into Russia. That was prompted by North Korea sending thousands of troops to help the Russians dislodge the Ukrainians from Kursk.

• Growing distrust between the US and Ukraine poisoned the collaboration, and djt eventually made it worse. 

With the djt and MAGA elites now openly supporting Russia and backing away from supporting the Ukraine, and with NATO and the EU unable to get their act together, it looks like the Ukraine is toast. The question is, how horrendous will the end be?

MAGA builds an American totalitarian state

In a 2019 post I wrote about how Hannah Arendt describes totalitarianism, Adam made two detailed comments. Adam is intimately familiar with Arendt's 1951 book, The Origins of Totalitarianism. I copied both comments and fed them to Pxy to summarize. I then asked Pxy if what djt and MAGA elites are doing fits at least reasonably well with the structure an power flow of totalitarianism. Pxy said yes, it fits.

Apparently, the unease and sense of dread I started feeling rather acutely in the last few weeks may be due to a more more malicious and cruel vision of what MAGA elites are planning, whether djt is aware of it or not. I thought they were intent on building a somewhat benign kleptocratic dictatorship tinged with kleptocratic plutocracy for the elites and bigoted kleptocratic theocracy for the Christian nationalists. 

I now think our situation is a lot worse than barely tolerable lust for wealth and power. I now see MAGA as forcing a vicious, cruel, intolerable wealth and power state. In essence, djt is setting himself up as an American variant of Hitler or Stalin. I suspect he does not know it yet and probably never will. I still think he is too stupid and self-centered to see this. In my opinion, that's in large part because his arrogance and narcissism blinds him to what MAGA elites really want. They see djt as expendable.

Here is part of Adam's 1st comment:

Probably the best example of this, if you were looking at the Trump Administration, is how someone like Elon Musk is considered over someone like Linda McMahon. Ms. McMahon's office gives her far more formal power than Elon Musk. And yet, it seems clear that Elon Musk is far more on the "inside" than Linda McMahon, who seems very much on the "outside" of power. Marco Rubio has a lot of formal power accorded to him by the Constitution. But he strikes me as very much outside of power compared to someone like Tom Homan, who technically works under Rubio. I could be completely wrong about these relationships, because it is in the nature of totalitarianism to be rather opaque about its internal structure when seen from the outside. And by "outside," this is the relative outside, compared to the next layer of the "inside" you are adjacent to.

At the heart of this structure is, as rightly described, the Leader. But I think it is important to understand that the Leader, for Arendt, is both the most important figure of the totalitarian regime and the least important. He can be replaced at any time. In fact, it almost becomes necessary at some point that he be replaced. Because when the contradictions mount up, and the reality becomes too intolerable, the best way to keep everything moving is to install a new leader, and blame the problems on the old leader.

Here is the Pxy analysis:

PERPLEXITY

Q1: Summarize Adam's comments, copied from the blog post. (Too long to post both comments here)

A1: Understanding Arendt's Totalitarian Structure: A Summary of Commentary on Chapters 10-11 of "The Origins of Totalitarianism"

The commentary [Adam's comments] provides an insightful analysis of Hannah Arendt's conceptualization of totalitarian structure and propaganda as described in chapters 10 and 11 of "The Origins of Totalitarianism." This summary examines the key elements of this interpretation and connects them to Arendt's theoretical framework.

The Spherical Structure of Totalitarianism

The commentator emphasizes that understanding Arendt's description of totalitarian structure in Chapter 10 is essential before grasping her analysis of propaganda in Chapter 11. Unlike traditional political systems with hierarchical pyramidal structures, Arendt conceptualizes totalitarianism as spherical, with power flowing from inside to outside rather than top to bottom^[1][2]. This organizational model resembles an onion with multiple layers rather than a flowchart, where one's proximity to the center determines real power regardless of formal position.

In this spherical model, a cabinet secretary might hold high formal office but remain on the "outside" of actual power. The commentator illustrates this with contemporary examples, suggesting how figures like Elon Musk might be closer to the "inside" of power than officials with greater constitutional authority like Linda McMahon or Marco Rubio.

The Leader's Paradoxical Position

At the center of this spherical structure sits the Leader, whom the commentator describes as simultaneously the most and least important figure. While the Leader projects an aura of infallibility while in power, they can be replaced when "contradictions mount up" with the new leader often blaming all problems on the predecessor^[2]. The example of Stalin illustrates this dynamic—revered during his lifetime but denounced by Khrushchev immediately after his death.

Propaganda and Front Organizations

The commentary clarifies a significant aspect of Arendt's theory: propaganda in totalitarian systems operates unidirectionally from inside to outside^[2]. It targets "the nontotalitarian strata of the population at home or the nontotalitarian countries at home." Rather than providing internal coherence as Orwell suggested, propaganda primarily serves to communicate with external audiences.

Totalitarianism creates demarcations between "in" and "out" groups, starting with the distinction between party members and sympathizers. The commentator explains how front organizations function as protective layers, each insulating the one inside from external scrutiny while normalizing it to the layer outside^[3].

The Dual Dynamic: Propaganda and Terror

The commentary identifies the dual mechanisms that maintain totalitarian control:

1. Propaganda flow: Moving from inside to outside, propaganda makes each layer appear normal to those in the outer rings

2. Terror dynamic: Operating in the opposite direction, terror keeps each layer in line through fear of those in the inner circles^[2][4]

The Nazi Example

To illustrate this structure, the commentator provides a detailed example using Nazi Germany, tracing relationships from Karl (a German-American in Chicago) to Fritz (a Nazi party member) to Otto (an SA member) to Konrad (an SS officer). Each layer protects those inside it while being controlled by them through terror. The example demonstrates how the front organizations work—each layer insulates the inner core while making it seem normal to those outside, creating a system where propaganda flows outward while terror flows inward.

Conclusion

This commentary offers valuable insight into Arendt's conception of totalitarian structure and its mechanisms of control. By emphasizing the spherical rather than hierarchical nature of totalitarianism, it helps explain how such regimes maintain power through the dual dynamics of propaganda and terror^[2][3]. The analysis highlights why traditional understanding of political hierarchy fails to capture the true nature of totalitarian power and provides a framework for recognizing similar patterns in contemporary political contexts.

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Q2: Is what Trump and MAGA elites are doing in conformance with building a totalitarian state more or less in accord with how Arendt describes totalitarianism? Is it possible that Project 2025 and the 180 Day Transition Plan are a roadmap to a modern American totalitarianism?

A2: The alignment between Trump/MAGA initiatives and Hannah Arendt's analysis of totalitarianism reveals significant parallels in structure and methodology, though important distinctions remain. Drawing from Arendt's framework and current developments:

Structural Parallels with Totalitarian Systems

1. Spherical Power Structure
Project 2025's plan to replace up to 50,000 nonpartisan civil servants with political loyalists^[5][6][7] mirrors Arendt's concept of concentric power circles. This creates an "onion-like" structure where proximity to the leader—not formal titles—determines influence, insulating decision-making from institutional accountability.

2. Propaganda Dynamics
The Trump administration's reliance on disinformation (e.g., election fraud claims)^[8][9] and MAGA's media ecosystem exemplify Arendt's observation that totalitarian propaganda flows outward to non-core supporters. This external-facing narrative management aims to normalize radical policies to broader audiences while maintaining ideological purity within inner circles.

3. Terror Mechanisms
Plans to weaponize the DOJ against political opponents^[5][7] and deploy the Insurrection Act against dissent^[5][9] align with Arendt's "terror dynamic," where fear of inner-circle retribution enforces loyalty. The proposed "Election Crimes Branch"^[7] could institutionalize this terror by criminalizing routine political activity.

Key Components of Project 2025 as Totalitarian Roadmap

Arendtian Feature	Project 2025 Implementation	Source
Leader-centric hierarchy	Unitary executive theory expansion	[5][10]
Institutional capture	Replacement of 50,000 civil servants	[5][7]
Legal system subversion	DOJ politicization plans	[5][6]
Paramilitary integration	Insurrection Act deployment proposals	[5][9]
Reality distortion	Preemptive election fraud narratives	[8][9]

Critical Divergences from Classical Totalitarianism

1. Institutional Resilience: While seeking to dismantle checks and balances^[5][10], U.S. institutions like an independent judiciary and free press still exist—for now. Arendt emphasized totalitarianism's requirement to destroy all mediating institutions.

2. Ideological Coherence: MAGA's mix of Christian nationalism, corporatism, and personal loyalty to Trump^[11][12][13] lacks the unified worldview Arendt identified in Nazi or Soviet ideologies. However, the Heritage Foundation's systematization through Project 2025^[6][14] suggests movement toward doctrinal consolidation.

3. Violence Scale: Current paramilitary collaboration (e.g., Proud Boys)^[8][9] remains less institutionalized than Hitler's SA or Stalin's NKVD, though the 180-Day Plan's security proposals^[6][7] indicate escalatory intent.

Modern Totalitarian Trajectory

The 920-page Mandate for Leadership and 180-Day Transition Playbook^[5][6] constitute a blueprint for what Arendt called "the substitution of the real will of the leader for the will of the people." Key risk factors include:

• Bureaucratic Inversion: Converting civil service into a patronage system^[5][7], mirroring Nazi Gleichschaltung (coordination)

• Legal Nullification: Proposed Schedule F executive order^[6] would enable rule-by-decree tendencies

• Information Control: Plans to weaken independent media^[5] align with totalitarianism's requirement for reality domination

While full totalitarianism remains unrealized, the project's architects explicitly reference authoritarian models like Orban's Hungary and Erdogan's Turkey^[5][12]—regimes exhibiting what Arendt termed "totalitarian elements within non-totalitarian systems." The combination of spherical power structures, propagandistic reality-building, and institutional demolition creates conditions matching Arendt's warning: "The most important qualification of a mass leader has become unending infallibility; he can never admit an error."^[8][9]

In conclusion, Project 2025 operationalizes several core Arendtian totalitarian mechanisms through modern governance tools. While lacking the explicit mass violence of 20th-century regimes, its systemic dismantling of constitutional safeguards and institutional capture strategies follow the pattern Arendt identified—transforming democracy through gradual "coordination" rather than sudden revolution^[8][5][10]. Whether this constitutes full totalitarianism depends on implementation rigor, but the structural parallels and stated intentions suggest it represents the most comprehensive attempt at authoritarian transformation in modern U.S. history.

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1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Totalitarianism

2. https://rozenbergquarterly.com/hannah-arendts-theory-of-totalitarianism-part-two/

3. https://philpapers.org/archive/TSATTP.pdf

4. https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/arendt_originsoftotalitarianism.pdf

5. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-destroy-the-u-s-system-of-checks-and-balances-and-create-an-imperial-presidency/

6. https://www.thenation.com/article/society/project-2025-trump-heritage-foundation-maga/

7. https://www.commoncause.org/actions/stop-trumps-anti-democracy-project-2025-agenda-2/

8. https://undsoc.org/2020/12/30/trumpism-and-hannah-arendts-reflections-on-totalitarianism/

9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_and_fascism

10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpism

11. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/21521958/what-is-fascism-signs-donald-trump

12. https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/project-2025-agenda-47

13. https://convergencemag.com/articles/maga-authoritarian-rule-or-third-reconstruction/

14. https://www.aft.org/column/project-2025-institutionalizing-trumpism

MAGA bits: Anti-vaxx killers; MAGA encryption tech; Pro-Russia propagandist gets access

The NYT reports that a vaccine official resigned because RFK Jr. is a liar who does not care about truth or public safety:

The Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, Dr. Peter Marks, resigned under pressure Friday and said that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s aggressive stance on vaccines was irresponsible and posed a danger to the public.

“It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies,” Dr. Marks wrote to Sara Brenner, the agency’s acting commissioner. He reiterated the sentiments in an interview, saying: “This man doesn’t care about the truth. He cares about what is making him followers.”

Q: Is it fair to call MAGA people like djt and RFK Jr. killers due to them deceiving people into not getting vaccinated, and they die from an infection or pass an infection to someone else who then dies?

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 The Daily Beast reports that djt has added a pro-Russia propagandist to the White House press pool: "A right-wing influencer who was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to spread Russian propaganda during the 2024 presidential election has been added to the White House press pool. On Friday, someone from Tim Pool’s “Timcast” YouTube channel will be part of the press pool covering President Donald Trump, said Will Sommer, a journalist with The Bulwark, in a social media post on X."

We can reasonably expect mostly lies and slanders from this MAGA slug. But I won't be paying any attention to anything he says.

Russian propagandist Tim Pool is in the pool

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Election subversion update: djt's EO that could lead to massive election subversion starting with the 2026 elections seeks voter information from states in return for federal money to help fund elections. Talking Points Memo writes:

“There is this kind of extensive command for the attorney general not only to search out prosecution of election crimes, but to engage in all this information sharing to try to basically supplant states in their role,” Danielle Lang, Campaign Legal Center’s Senior Director of Voting Rights, explained in an interview with TPM. “But there is this kind of attempt to really force the Department of Justice to be front and center and demand all this information from the states and penalize the states that do not engage in this kind of joint weaponization of prosecution.”

The scope of the information that the EO is directing states to share with the DOJ is broad. If implemented, this “information sharing agreement” would require states to share information on people who have committed amorphous “election fraud,” as well as information on people who registered to vote more than once.

Registering to vote more than once, which more often than not happens because a voter’s old registration was never cancelled, is not actually a crime and is a common mistake that is cleaned up as part of state election officials’ routine voter roll maintenance duties.

This look like a MAGA attempt to conduct massive purges of democrats from voter rolls. As usual with MAG, there in no evidence. MAGA claims of voter fraud and election integrity are lies and smoke screens, to subvert the 2026 elections.