As the nation nears its 250th anniversary, Navy Veteran and 2024 Congressional Candidate Michael Bedenbaugh ...
Join our family of readers for as little as $10 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Already have an account? Log in to continue. Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
Please log in to continue |
As the nation nears its 250th anniversary, Navy Veteran and 2024 Congressional Candidate Michael Bedenbaugh calls for reviving the spirit of intentional citizenship.
As America approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, the nation stands at a historic crossroads. The quarter-millennium mark isn’t just a milestone on the calendar; it’s a moment of reckoning. What kind of republic will we carry forward into our next century? Will we consolidate power into the hands of a few, or will we return to the principles of self-government and civic responsibility that first defined our independence?
Two competing visions are already emerging. On one side is Project 2025, a detailed plan from Washington think tanks that centralizes executive power and prioritizes partisan control. On the other is Project 2026, a citizen-centered alternative rooted in constitutional principles.
The choice between them may well define America’s next 250 years.
Project 2025, advanced by the Heritage Foundation and allied groups, is not shy about its ambitions. Its 900-page Mandate for Leadership lays out an agency-by-agency restructuring of government. Beneath the bureaucratic detail lies a striking goal: empower the executive branch to dominate the other branches of government.
This plan calls for mass deportations, nationwide abortion bans, new limits on voting rights, increased surveillance, and censorship under the banner of protecting “American values.” It seeks to roll back civil liberties in the name of stability and to place loyalist appointees throughout the federal system in order to bypass public deliberation.
In short, Project 2025 centralizes authority in the presidency, weakens checks and balances, and treats diversity of opinion as a liability rather than a strength. It advances precisely what Madison called “the accumulation of all powers … in the same hands,” the very definition of tyranny and a drift toward authoritarianism.
But there is another way: a countermovement we might call “Project 2026” that offers a framework not for domination but for renewal. Its guiding spirit comes not from a think tank memo but from George Washington’s Farewell Address. Washington’s warnings about factionalism, foreign influence, unchecked debt, and concentrated power echo just as loudly today as they did in 1796.
My outline for Project 2026 organizes these lessons into six reform themes:
1. Moderating party spirit and factionalism. America’s founders feared that rigid party divisions would turn politics into permanent warfare. It’s time for us to explore ways to restore cooperation and prevent the ideological minority that controls the two parties from strangling debate.
2. Guarding against foreign influence. The dangers of foreign powers manipulating domestic politics are issues as relevant in the age of cyberwarfare as they were in Washington’s era.
3. Fiscal responsibility and debt restraint. Endless deficit spending not only mortgages the future but erodes independence itself.
4. Curbing corporate monopolies and influence. Unchecked corporate power rivals the dangers of foreign control, distorting markets and policymaking alike.
5. Restoring citizen-centered representation. By reforming congressional districts, America could bring representatives closer to the people rather than leaving them beholden to distant donors.
6. Rebalancing federalism. Returning more responsibilities to states and communities strengthens self-government and prevents federal overreach.
These themes do not call for a nostalgic regression. Instead, they invite Americans to rethink how our institutions might once again serve liberty and accountability.
My book, Reviving Our Republic: 95 Theses for the Future of America, begins with a simple but profound metaphor: government as architecture. Just as a building requires maintenance, so does a republic. And our nation’s citizens are not passive tenants but active stewards of the system.
George Washington, our first president and the chief architect of the nation’s new government, left us more than just leadership—he left us an owner’s manual. In his Farewell Address, he laid out a guide for how future generations could preserve and protect the system he helped build.
Washington didn’t mince words. He warned of threats that, if ignored, could slowly eat away at the government’s foundation—dangers that included corruption, division, and a neglect of civic duty.
But over the 227 years since that warning, many of us have grown numb to those risks. The owner’s manual is still there, yet we often forget to read it—or worse, choose to set it aside.
That neglect has consequences. Our failure to stay disciplined and engaged has allowed the system to weaken. Into that vacuum has stepped a politicized leadership—one that thrives on discord and division, gaining power not through unity, but through exploiting our apathy.
Washington’s cautions remind us that the health of our republic depends on constant attention and care. When that vigilance fades, the system doesn’t collapse overnight—it erodes gradually, leaving cracks that opportunistic forces are quick to exploit. It’s not enough to admire Washington’s wisdom; we must also adapt it to our own moment. To that end, I propose these structural reforms aimed at renewing the foundations of our democracy and returning power to the citizens it was built to serve:
· A Fulcrum Caucus of at least 10-20 representatives who can shift power away from the entrenched ideological cartel that controls both parties.
· District reform to create smaller, more responsive constituencies that make elected officials more accountable to the people they serve.
· Term limits and finance reform for members of Congress, ensuring regular turnover, fresh perspectives, and ending institutional profit motives.
· A clarification of corporate personhood, so that corporations can no longer overshadow the rights and voices of actual citizens.
Taken together, these proposals echo Washington’s timeless message: a republic can endure only if its people are willing to tend it with care. The Farewell Address was never meant to be a relic tucked into history books—it was meant to be a guide for every generation. By revisiting its wisdom and embracing reforms that strengthen accountability and restore balance, we can do more than preserve the structure we inherited; we can renew it for the future.
The differences between Project 2025 and Project 2026 could not be sharper.
· Project 2025 centralizes authority in the executive branch, enforces one ideology, restricts liberties, and allies itself with corporate interests to consolidate rapid control.
· Project 2026, by contrast, disperses power, relies on Washington’s nonpartisan warnings, expands liberty and responsibility, and trusts citizens to govern themselves. Its reforms are patient, generational, and aimed at civic renewal rather than immediate domination.
One vision mistrusts citizens; the other believes they are capable of more than being consumers of politics.
The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is not simply a date for fireworks and parades. It is an opportunity to declare independence again—not from a distant monarch, but from the suffocating grip of corporate money, partisan manipulation, and executive overreach.
It is a chance to realign Congress with the people it represents, to make representatives accountable to neighborhoods of citizens rather than networks of donors. It is a moment to reawaken the spirit of the World War II generation, who rose as ordinary citizens to defend liberty—not for empire, but for peace.
The Federalist Papers remind us that good government must balance both “energy” and “liberty,” both national union and local self-rule. Project 2026 embraces this duality. It is not about tearing down the republic, but about rebuilding it stronger for another 250 years.
The choice is stark. Will Americans accept an authoritarian drift in the name of efficiency, or will they embrace the hard but noble work of self-government?
As America approaches its semi-quincentennial, the invitation is clear: join the movement, not just the conversation. Project 2026 is America’s chance to reclaim the promise of 1776. The work of renewal begins now.
Michael Bedenbaugh
Navy veteran, community leader, and political thinker Michael Bedenbaugh is dedicated to revitalizing America's founding principles. His diverse background includes naval service, academic studies, successful leadership in both nonprofit and business sectors, and an independent candidate run for Congress in 2024. He is also the author of the new book, Reviving Our Republic: 95 Theses for the Future of America, on which this article is based.
