Heritage's Misguided path from Reagan's Sound Principles to Irrational MAGA
I’m a libertarian. While I don’t always agree with conservatives on everything, I’ve admired the Heritage Foundation for being the gold-standard conservative policy institute. During his presidential terms, Ronald Reagan took their ideas and:
Cut the top tax rate to 28 %
Ended double-taxation of dividends
Kept inflation at zero
Similarly, Heritage’s Project 2025’s economic menu has a lot of admirable points.
Two flat income-tax rates (15 % / 30 %)
Drop corporate tax to 18 %
Cap gains at 15 % for high earners
Emasculate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the FTC
My one issue— and it’s a huge one— the Project’s “reciprocal” tariffs on everything that moves, slapped with a smug “fair trade” sticker.” Tariffs are government theft, and that single issue turns the whole plan into a tax on every American shopper.
BUT, the latest gut-punch is deeply disturbing. Roberts’ boneheaded video defending Tucker Carlson’s cozy chat with Nick Fuentes, the Holocaust-denying white supremacist who praises Stalin and spews Jew-hate like it’s 1939. Roberts whines about a “venomous coalition” trying to “cancel” Carlson—his “close friend”—and shrugs off Fuentes as debate fodder, not the evil he is. Backlash exploded: staff revolted, senators like Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell blasted it as carrying water for antisemites; even the Republican Jewish Coalition gagged, demanding Heritage pick a side. Roberts’ limp follow-up—condemning Fuentes after the damage was done—reeks of damage control, not conviction. This clawback of his chief of staff? A pathetic shuffle, like sweeping sewage under the rug while pretending the house is clean.
Too little, too late doesn’t cut it—Roberts must go, and Heritage needs a full purge to get back its soul. Ditch the Fuentes flirtations and the tariff fever; refocus on the tax-slashing, regulator-shrinking principles that built conservatism, not the fringes that burn it down. If not, this “transformation” becomes a tombstone for the right’s credibility. Conservatives deserve better than a think tank that’s gone from guiding stars to grenade launchers. Wake up, Heritage—before the rot spreads.