📊 Project 2029: Inside the Progressive Blueprint to Counter Trump's Extremism | Buckmaster Show
🔥 Terry Bracy Exposes Trump's First 100 Days of Chaos: Inside Washington's "Cruel" New Reality 💰 Financial Expert Shelly Fishman Warns of Market Chaos as Trump Threatens Canada with Statehood
Based on the Buckmaster Show for 5/6/25, a daily radio show in Tucson, AZ, interviewing local newsmakers. Analysis and opinions are my own.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
🇺🇸 Trump's first 100 days as president are causing big problems according to experts on the Buckmaster Show. 😟 Terry Bracy says people in Washington DC are scared and unhappy because many government workers are losing their jobs suddenly. 🏢🔔 Important health research for diseases like cancer has been stopped. 🧬
⛔ The money expert Shelly Fishman says businesses are worried about new taxes on things we buy from other countries. 💰📉 Trump even suggested that Canada should become part of the United States, which made Canada's leader upset. 🇨🇦😠 Some people are working on plans to fix these problems if they get elected next time. 🗳️🔧
🗝️ Takeaways
🌧️ As Tucson celebrates rare May rainfall after the driest year in history, Washington, DC suffers under a different kind of storm – political chaos and fear
🚨 Terry Bracy reports unprecedented unhappiness in DC with federal workers "scared to talk about politics" as 20,000 jobs face cruel elimination
💣 Cabinet members like Pete Hegseth (Defense) and RFK Jr. (Health) slash critical programs while dangerously unqualified figures like Kash Patel reportedly "never shows up for work" at the FBI
📉 First quarter GDP shows negative growth (-0.3%) for the first time since the pandemic, as tariff fears drive panic importing
🍁 Trump suggested making Canada the "51st state" during a meeting with PM Kerry, treating a sovereign nation "like a real estate deal in Manhattan"
📝 Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes proposes "Project 2029" as a progressive response to the Heritage Foundation's infamous Project 2025
Buckmaster's Revelations: Trump's America Through Progressive Eyes
Rain in the Desert, Fascism in DC: The Buckmaster Report for May 6, 2025
As rare May showers blessed Tucson's parched landscape yesterday—breaking what host Bill Buckmaster called "the driest 11 or 12 months in Tucson history"—a different kind of storm continued to ravage our nation's capital. The contrast couldn't be more stark: life-giving precipitation falling on our desert community while democracy itself withers under the scorching heat of authoritarianism.
Funny how Republicans pray for rain but vote for politicians who deny climate science. Water miracles welcome; climate action? Not so much.
Tuesday's Buckmaster Show delivered a torrential downpour of insights directly from Washington's ground zero through Terry Bracy's sharp observations. This was followed by financial expert Shelly Fishman's economic forecast, which painted a picture as grim as our pre-rain desert landscape.
The DC Nightmare: Terry Bracy Exposes Trump's First 100 Days
Terry Bracy—who has represented Tucson's interests in Washington since his days with the legendary Morris K. Udall—delivered a chilling assessment of Trump's first 100 days that reads like dystopian fiction but sadly constitutes our new American reality.
"This is probably the unhappiest I've ever seen Washington, DC," Bracy revealed in the opening minutes. "People are really like pins and needles and scared to talk about politics. And it's a frightening time for a lot of people here who plan their careers in the civil service."
Remember when conservatives claimed to support public servants and the rule of law? That was before their fascist tendencies got the green light from the top.
Bracy, who has served under four presidents from both parties, systematically dismantled any notion that this administration represents normal conservative governance. The "extreme right wing, which has been in the bushes for many years," as he put it, "has come out finally as a force in the Trump administration." Their achievements in reshaping America have been both swift and devastating.
In foreign policy, Trump immediately gutted America's diplomatic arsenal by shutting down the Agency for International Development. "Soft power is just as important as diplomacy," Bracy explained, calling it "a terrible mistake" even while acknowledging the right's perverse satisfaction with the move.
Trump's supposed peace negotiations with Putin collapsed predictably into farce, with the Russian leader "laughing at" Trump's grandstanding efforts. So much for the self-proclaimed master dealmaker.
Art of the Deal? More like Fart of the Squeal. Putin plays chess while Trump plays with himself.
The economic landscape looks equally bleak, dominated by what Bracy described as "a 19th-century tool used in protectionism"—tariffs. Despite the unanimous warnings from "virtually every Nobel Prize economist," Trump seems determined to drag America back to the Gilded Age.
Because nothing says "Make America Great Again" like economic policies that failed spectacularly before the invention of antibiotics.
Most disturbing is the administration's breathtaking cruelty toward federal workers. With Elon Musk wielding his notorious "chainsaw," approximately 20,000 federal jobs have been eliminated. But it's not just the cuts—the callous method reveals the administration's true colors.
"They've done it in such a cruel way," Bracy emphasized. "Imagine being out in Africa, you're an aid worker, and all of a sudden you get an email that says you're fired, and you have to return to the United States immediately." These public servants received zero transition support with homes, families, and schools suddenly upended.
"There's always room in a big bureaucracy for cuts," Bracy acknowledged, "but the way they did it, in such a cruel manner..." His voice trailed off, the inhumanity seemingly beyond words.
Cruelty isn't a bug in this administration—it's the feature. The sadism is the point.
The assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs came next, with Trump wasting no time "stripping DEI policies from all forms of government." With breathtaking callousness, Trump exploited a tragic plane crash at National Airport to blame women and minorities—"within minutes," according to Bracy, and "with no proof, nothing."
When your entire political identity is built on white grievance, every tragedy becomes an opportunity to punish the marginalized.
Trump's cabinet appointments read like a villain lineup from a political horror movie:
Pete Hegseth at Defense: Described by Bracy as "the most incompetent of all Trump's appointees" and "a bully, who's had alcohol problems... sexual improprieties," this unqualified disaster "holds the job by his fingernails only because he apparently is totally subservient to the president's wishes." Most terrifying of all? "He's got his hands on nuclear weapons."
RFK Jr. at Health: This anti-science conspiracy theorist has slashed "billions in cuts and scientific research in areas of cancer, Parkinson's disease," and other critical health concerns. These cuts hit Buckmaster personally, who noted that pancreatic cancer research—research that could have saved lives—is now "on hold" despite being "so darn close" to breakthroughs.
Pam Bondi as Attorney General: Once considered "a capable attorney general" in Florida, she's "turned into a retributionist for Trump... launching investigations into his political opponents."
Kash Patel at FBI: "Totally unqualified" and "promised to try to use the FBI to do the president's bidding." Even more shocking, Bracy revealed that Patel "never shows up for work" because "he lives in Las Vegas."
Marco Rubio at State: Once respected by Bracy, Rubio has "changed his stripes" and "genuflected" to Trump. Now overseeing four separate agencies, Rubio's reputation "is going to be ruined when historians get a look at it."
Behind it all stand two particular villains:
Russell Vought at OMB: The "author of the Project 25 plan," who's "dictating the cuts across agencies," Vought is described by Bracy as "a Christian nationalist who believes that religion should influence government in every way" and "a very dangerous man."
Stephen Miller on immigration: The architect of the administration's cruelest border policies has "no sense of empathy at all," according to Bracy. "The things they're doing to families, little kids, etc., doesn't bother Miller at all. He'd encourage it."
When fascism comes to America, it will apparently arrive with a Fox News contributor contract and a podcast deal.
Dollars and Despair: Shelly Fishman's Economic Analysis
As if the political forecast weren't gloomy enough, financial expert Shelly Fishman painted an equally disturbing picture of market volatility and economic uncertainty under Trump's chaotic leadership.
Despite a recent nine-day market rally that Fishman described as giving "better results in nine days than we've had in a gazillion years," reality came crashing back with recent losses.
The Dow, S&P 500, and NASDAQ are all down year-to-date, with tech stocks suffering the most at over 8% down.
Most alarming was the first-quarter GDP growth of negative 0.3%—the first negative GDP reading since the pandemic. While typically two consecutive negative quarters would signal a recession, Fishman explained that this contraction was largely driven by businesses frantically stocking up before Trump's threatened tariffs hit.
"People are worried about the tariffs," Fishman noted. The fear of Trump's policies ironically created the very economic contraction he'll likely blame on Democrats or immigrants.
Nothing says "stable genius" like tanking your own economy with policies so obviously destructive that businesses panic-buy imports just to survive.
The confusion continued with contradictory job numbers. While unemployment held steady at 4.3% (which Fishman noted is "not a great number"), job creation inexplicably surged to 177,000 – far higher than the expected 130-140,000.
Fishman's alarm over Trump's treatment of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was most revealing. The meeting displayed Trump at his diplomatic worst – disrespectful and delusional.
"The whole issue of making Canada a state, 51st state, came up," Fishman recounted incredulously, "and Prime Minister Carney said, 'please don't bring this up again. Canada is not for sale.' And then the president says, 'well, never say never.' Like it's some kind of a real estate deal in Manhattan."
Treating sovereign nations like Trump Tower acquisitions—next he'll be grabbing Canada by the provinces.
The overall economic picture reflected the same chaos and uncertainty plaguing Washington. "It's very hard to really know what's going to happen," Fishman admitted, "because we don't know how the policies are going to be withdrawn and resubmitted." This unpredictability creates paralysis for everyone from "small business person[s]" to "corporate tycoon[s]" trying to plan for the future.
Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs has dramatically lowered its financial forecasts, and even conservative advisors can't defend Trump's erratic approach to international trade. "We don't need trade deals," Trump reportedly declared. "We'll just tell them what we're going to do, and we'll say yes or no, and we don't need to sign anything."
Subtle diplomacy from the McDonald's-gorging narcissist who thinks foreign policy works like a mob protection racket.
The Progressive Counterattack: Project 2029
The most intriguing segment of Fishman's analysis introduced listeners to "Project 2029" – not another conservative blueprint like the notorious Project 2025, but rather a progressive counterproposal from an unexpected source.
Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has authored "Market Crafters," a book proposing that Democrats need specific, positive policy plans rather than just playing defense against Republican extremism.
"What Chris Hughes is postulating," Fishman explained, "is to say this is what...we need very specific, very positive plans for Democrats to run on."
The blueprint would address energy, climate, housing, healthcare, childcare, elder care, targeted tariffs, tax policy, and financial stability. Notably, it acknowledges that conservative claims about "free markets" are a fantasy – there is "no such thing as a free market economy and hasn't been in a very long time."
The invisible hand of the market turns out to be very visible indeed—and it belongs to lobbyists, billionaires, and corporations with their fingers in every policy pie.
The Downpour of Democracy: Where Do We Go From Here?
As May showers briefly quench Tucson's thirsty soil, we wonder whether any amount of rain could wash away the damage being inflicted on our democratic institutions. Terry Bracy's first-hand account of Washington's dysfunction, paired with Shelly Fishman's economic warning signs, exposes a nation teetering on the edge of authoritarianism.
Will the pendulum swing back toward sanity in the midterms as Bracy suggests? Can Democrats develop a coherent, progressive vision through something like "Project 2029" rather than simply reacting to the right's extremism?
Perhaps most importantly, how many more institutions, research programs, and democratic norms will be dismantled before voters recognize what's being lost?
The rain may feel refreshing today, but our democracy remains in drought conditions. Each of us must become the rainmakers, nurturing democracy's parched landscape with our civic engagement, our voices, and yes—our votes.
A Call to Action: Feed the Resistance
While apocalyptic visions may dominate our political landscape, history teaches us that fascist movements ultimately collapse under their own contradictions. Our responsibility is to accelerate that collapse while building the progressive alternative.
You can start by supporting independent journalism like The Three Sonorans. Your subscription to our Substack ensures we can continue providing the critical analysis and regional perspective that mainstream outlets often miss. For the cost of a weekly coffee, you gain insights from voices deeply embedded in our borderlands community—perspectives increasingly vital as authoritarianism tightens its grip. Become part of our growing community of resistant readers and thinkers.
What governmental policies have affected you most directly in Trump's first 100 days? Do you see evidence of Project 2025 implementation in your community? Have you experienced the economic uncertainty Fishman described? Share your thoughts in the comments below—your stories matter more than ever as we document this crucial period in American history.
Remember, even in the darkest political storms, the community creates its own light.
Quotes
"This is probably the unhappiest I've ever seen Washington, DC... People are really like pins and needles and scared to talk about politics." - Terry Bracy on the current atmosphere in the capital
"They have probably eliminated... 20,000 federal jobs. But Bill, they've done it in such a cruel way. It was so unnecessary." - Terry Bracy on the administration's federal workforce cuts
"Within minutes of the tragic plane crash at National Airport, he goes, he sticks his neck out and tells the press that it's the fault of hiring women and minorities. Can you believe it? No proof." - Terry Bracy on Trump blaming DEI for a plane crash
"Apparently, his two sons have been going around the Far East, particularly in the Near East, Middle East, doing business deals while he's the president, which is blatantly against the law." - Terry Bracy on the Trump family's ongoing business dealings
"The whole issue of making Canada a state, 51st state, came up, and Prime Minister Kerry said, 'Please don't bring this up again. Canada is not for sale.' And then the president says, 'well, never say never.'" - Shelly Fishman recounting a disturbing diplomatic exchange
"What goes up in a kind of remarkable and hard to understand way was that the jobs number, the creation jobs creation number, which most experts had thought was going to tank and be in the area of 130, 140,000, came in at 1.77." - Shelly Fishman on confusing economic indicators
People Mentioned
Bill Buckmaster: Host of the Buckmaster Show, radio program based in Tucson. "I will take that any day of the week. It is Tuesday. It's May 6th, 2025."
Terry Bracy: Washington DC expert and governmental affairs consultant, former staff member for Congressman Morris K. Udall who "served under four presidents of both parties." Quote: "This is probably the unhappiest I've ever seen Washington DC in the environment."
Pete Hegseth: Trump's Secretary of Defense, described by Bracy as "the most incompetent of all Trump's appointees" who "holds the job by his fingernails only because he apparently is totally subservient to the president's wishes."
RFK Jr. (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.): Secretary of Health who "announced a whole bunch of cuts almost billions in cuts and scientific research in areas of cancer, Parkinson's disease."
Elon Musk: Described as Trump's "buddy" who brought his "chainsaw" to help eliminate federal jobs.
Pam Bondi: Attorney General who Bracy says was once "thought of as a partisan but a capable, a capable attorney general of the state of Florida" but has "turned into a retributeness for Trump."
Kash Patel: FBI Director who Bracy describes as "totally unqualified" and "the word around town here is he never shows up for work. He lives in Las Vegas."
Marco Rubio: Secretary of State who "has changed dramatically since he's been in the cabinet" according to Bracy, who once "had a great deal of respect for Marco Rubio."
Russell Vought: Head of Office of Management and Budget (OMB), described as "a Christian nationalist who believes that religion should influence government in every way" and "a very dangerous man."
Stephen Miller: Immigration policy architect who has "no sense of empathy at all" according to Bracy.
Prime Minister Mark Carney: Canadian Prime Minister who told Trump "Canada is not for sale" when Trump suggested making it the 51st state.
Shelly Fishman: Financial advisor and business consultant who analyzes market trends and economic policy. Quote: "It's very hard to really know what's going to happen because we don't know how the policies are going to be withdrawn and resubmitted."
Chris Hughes: Facebook co-founder who wrote "Market Crafters" proposing "Project 2029" as a progressive response to the conservative "Project 2025" blueprint.
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