Senior Heritage officials had advocated for months in conversations with DeSantis’ team that he oppose policies that could move the U.S. toward direct confrontation with Russia, the people said.
While officials at Heritage have been in contact with almost every 2024 Republican presidential campaign, including that of former President Donald Trump, the think tank’s proximity to DeSantis is unique, eight people involved in the discussions said.
The Heritage Foundation’s Wikipedia page reads like they’re responsible for all the absolute worst political decisions of the last 50 years. Here’s just one example:
The Heritage Foundation supported the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to a 2004 study in the journal International Security, the Heritage Foundation confused public debate by challenging widespread opposition to the Iraq War by international relations scholars and experts by contradicting them “with experts of apparently equal authority…this undermined the possibility that any criticisms [of the war] might be seen as authoritative or have much persuasive effect.” The organization defended the Bush administration’s Guantanamo Bay practices.
It’s funded by billionaires like the Kochs, Mercers, and Waltons to make America a theocratic oligarchy. The Heritage foundation is one of the original quiet, evil “think tank” that generates conservative talking points. Ever wonder why conservatives all share the same talking points? It’s coordinated by the Heritage Foundation.
Yup. These are propaganda masters bent on cementing oligarch power. And they don’t care who they hurt in the process.
Heritage is always code word for white supremacy too when you think about it. Confederate “heritage not hate” bullshit too.
It’s weird how the GOP went from singing “bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.” a la The Beach Boys, to plainly saying “No matter what, I side with Putin”…. All in what like an 8 year time span?
The answer is money. It’s hard to invest in Iran but easier in Russia. Both are right wing governments, but Russia is more open to outside money.
I bet people at the Heritage Foundation have bought Russian bonds on the cheap or have business contacts there. It’s that simple.
Without a doubt, money is the answer. I think for many policy makers, it’s as simple as taking in campaign contributions (money or more creative help. See 2016 Trump campaign DNC hacking for a well-known example). A simple little $10k investment is probably enough to payoff most of these schmucks, but Russian oligarchs are willing to drop big dough because the return is worth it.
And for others, it’s access to Russian projects AND access to Russian capital.
These fucking sellouts would rather hop in bed with the enemy than lose out on a potentially lucrative deal. And these are often people with so much wealth already, they will quite literally never be able to spend it. Greedy, selfish assholes that are addicted to watching their personal charts and numbers rise - even as their country and geopolitical stability crumbles due to their actions. They’re mentally ill and have zero regard for the life of others.
They see Russia as the perfect model to be. 2 classes: the elite and the peasants that know their place. Heavy Christian control. Illegal to be gay or trans. The elite can do whatever they want whenever they want and the peasantry has to suck it up. No one’s investigating them. No court is gonna hold them accountable. All you gotta do is kiss the ring of the Top Guy so he doesnt have you thrown out a window or make special Tea.
If I was a rich Republican I too would want to be like a Russian Oligarch.
“No matter what, I side with Putin”….
To echo the words of our current President “C’mon man…”. If what you said was true then the overwhelming majority of Republican politicians wouldn’t keep voting to send Ukraine more weapons and more money.
Conservative think tank is one of the most notable oxymorons in use today.
They should call them GOP meddling sessions instead.
You poke fun but this is where the real evil happens. This is the powerful elite coming together to manipulate the fuck out of reality, because, yes, they’re that rich.
Scheme hatching tank? Mustache twirling tank? Hunched skulking tank? Atrocity enthusiasts tank?
“Ok guys, how can we continue to keep all the power and the money?”
“The usual way, keep the poor fighting to survive from all angles.”
“Good job guys!” eats baby
💀
Can we stop saying think tank, as though these dummies actually think…?
You have to admit it’s a bit catchier than “Room of Blowhards Making Shit Up for Useful Idiots”
Maybe daft raft would roll off the tongue more easily
A “Cluster of Fucks”, maybe?
Well they do think a lot about how to destroy democracy and cement the power of oligarchs.
They don’t use well reasoned arguments to justify what they’re doing but don’t assume they’re dummies.
Heritage helped climate change denial a lot iirc.
The presence of some intelligence is not sufficiently persuasive for changing terminology when the point is to insult them. Duhhhh.
We should really have another name other than “think tank” because I’m not convinced there’s a lot of thinking going on here.
Suggestions?
Propaganda generator
Dummy Trabant.
Don’t discount them as dumb.
They spend a lot of time and money spreading propaganda. Yes, the arguments they use in their propaganda don’t stand up to reason. But that’s not the target. The target is emotions.
They don’t need reasonable arguments if they can get their base worked up.
But yeah, propaganda generator would be more accurate. But again, they know what they’ve doing and it’s a mistake to discount our enemies as dumb. Even if we can see how irrational and emotionally charged their arguments are, their base can’t.
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Not to defend Heritage but I’d like to see some evidence of the claim that “Senior Heritage officials had advocated for months in conversations with DeSantis’ team that he oppose policies that could move the U.S. toward direct confrontation with Russia.”
I went over to Heritage’s website and everything I found is almost direct conflict with what these anonymous “people familiar with the discussions” are saying. They’ve been advocating that the US assist Ukraine in their conflict with Russia from the beginning.
They pushed for Washington to engage better with NATO regarding Ukraine and deterrence after the War started in 2022 and then again in 2023.
There’s a whole bunch of other reports, articles, and interviews about Ukraine over there and I can’t find a single one where Heritage is calling for the US to stop helping or pushing politicians to withdraw support for Ukraine.
I’m open to the idea that they are saying one thing publicly and doing something different in private but there needs to be evidence besides “Trust me bro…” I’ve had all of that I can stomach over the past 6 years.
