“Karna, I can’t go to the party tonight. It’s too painful! I have friends there who I used to feel were part of my spiritual soul family. They were going to vote for RFK, but now they’re voting for TRUMP!”

“I don’t know who I’m voting for. Honestly, I don’t know if I’m voting at ALL! The fact that our government is funding the genocide in Gaza is just unconscionable.”

These are examples of two conversations I’ve had over the past month with loved friends that made me want to nerd out and tell you about why I chose to vote for Harris despite these very real challenges.

Why Listen to Me—A Swedish-American?

I imagine this is our first friend date…so before you decide if you want to take what I have to say to heart, pull your chair in a little bit closer, refill your adaptogenic cocktail alternative, and know this about me.

My love of healing, raising consciousness and living a healthy lifestyle runs deeeep.

When I arrived in Boulder in the spring of 2012 as a newly minted Holistic Health Coach, I was blown away by all the paths of healing. I proceeded to try every modality I could find and have since transformed my debilitating anxiety, codependency, and multiple PTSD diagnoses into a (mostly) cohesive, thriving self.

When people back in my home country of Sweden ask me what I think of America, after living here for 15 years, I always say:

“I love it here. I’ve been able to build an amazing life here. I think America has the best of the best but it also has the worst of the worst.”

Wait, but why?

We Swedes are utterly fascinated by the U.S., and I am no exception. And in the last year, since observing the shifting political climate, my fascination has turned into, well, more of an obsession, if I’m being honest.

Driven by what my therapist of five years calls the “curse of the Gifted person,” aka my deep desire to understand what’s happening to us and what we can do about it, I’ve consumed hundreds of hours of books, articles, and podcasts about America, the judicial systems, Christian nationalism, politics, “conspirituality,” and the slide of typically progressive people to the right.

What I discovered sent a real chill down my spine…that hasn’t gone away.

You Probably Don’t Know This Crazy History

I could write a 30-page thesis about what I found, but I know “ain’t nobody got time for that,” so here’s the gist.

There are conservative, capitalist Christians who have been plotting a takeover of the American government since the 70’s. Podcast host David Sirota calls this “The Master Plan,” and hosted a well-researched podcast with the same name.

It goes a little something like this:

• The Powell Memo (1971): Corporate lawyer Lewis Powell wrote a memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlining how business interests could regain power by influencing politics, media, and academia. This blueprint inspired conservative think tanks to figure out how to reshape American policy to favor corporate interests.
• Rise of the Heritage Foundation (1973): Founded as one of the first conservative think tanks, the Heritage Foundation quickly became a powerful force, influencing policy through research, lobbying, and alliances with political leaders. They were instrumental in framing conservative agendas that continue to impact policy today.
• The Moral Majority and Christian Right Movement (Late 1970s): Evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson mobilized conservative Christians to participate in politics, framing issues like abortion, school prayer, and family values as moral imperatives. This movement created a lasting alliance between evangelical Christianity and conservative politics.
• Reaganomics and Deregulation (1980s): Under President Reagan, policies promoting corporate deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy, and reductions in social services became the cornerstone of conservative economic philosophy. This era set the stage for a political landscape in which business interests took precedence over public welfare.
• Religious Influence in Education (1980s-1990s): Conservatives began pushing for policies to incorporate Christian beliefs in public education, from school prayer to abstinence-only sex education. Efforts to promote “traditional values” created lasting debates on how religion influences public schooling and curriculum standards.
• Campaign Finance Transformation (Citizens United, 2010): The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns, dramatically increasing the power of wealthy donors and conservative super PACs in shaping elections.
• Focus on Judicial Appointments (2010s-Present): Through organizations like the Federalist Society, conservatives focused on appointing judges who align with Christian nationalist and corporate-friendly ideologies. With appointments like those of Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett, the Supreme Court shifted further right, solidifying conservative influence over crucial issues.
• Evangelical Endorsement of Trump (2016): Despite controversial behavior, Trump receives significant evangelical support, as he promises to further the conservative agenda by appointing right-leaning judges, restricting abortion access, and advancing religious freedoms, reinforcing the powerful Christian-nationalist influence in conservative politics.

Project 2025 and Christian Nationalism: The Conservative Trojan Horse

The culmination of this plan is called, you guessed it, “Project 2025.”

Project 2025 is a radical conservative initiative developed by think tanks, including the Heritage Foundation, with the goal of reshaping the U.S. federal government to align with conservative and Christian nationalist values.

The project proposes consolidating executive power, reducing federal regulatory agencies’ influence, and replacing thousands of federal employees with politically-loyal appointees. It aims to reverse progress on issues like environmental protection, reproductive rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights, and to embed conservative ideology into key government functions, fundamentally altering American governance for decades to come.

Watch this amazing, short and easy-to-understand video to learn more:

When figures like Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and others within the Republican Party speak publicly, they often present themselves as champions of economic growth, job creation, and national security.

However, beneath this public image lies a deeper agenda driven by Christian nationalism and corporate interests—one that seeks to reshape America according to ultra-conservative values. And often, they don’t mind obscuring their true intentions to achieve these goals.

Remember the Trojan Horse?

The outward claims of not to have much to do with Project 2025 serves as a distraction.

Inside, however, the real agenda lies:

It’s a movement that seeks to enforce Christian values, deregulate corporate interests, and reshape the judiciary to ensure these changes endure for generations. Once they are in power, the mask of moderation will drop, and the true impact of these plans will come to light.

So here’s the key: not voting, or voting Trump, plays right into the hands of the Christian Nationalist planners of Project 2025 that started in the 60s! It’s basically a one-way ticket to The Handmaid’s Tale. Sadly, without much hyperbole.

Do you see why I believe this is so much bigger than the specific (horrific) single issues we’re facing?

I Ask You Now, Despite the Democratic Party’s Support of Israel and Not Working Harder to Protect the Health of the American People from Corporate Influence, Please Vote for Kamala Harris.

The upcoming election isn’t just about policies—it’s about redefining the world we want to live in. Let’s create a future that values all people, all genders, and all life on earth. Let’s vote for the very thing that America was founded on: Religious Freedom! (I should know, it was one of the questions I had to answer when I became an American citizen in January if this year!)

That’s the change I’m orienting toward, and I hope you’ll join me.

Yes, yes, I know you are a sovereign being, and fancy spiritual people tell me, “I shouldn’t tell you what to do.”

But you know what, I don’t care! If I see a friend who is about to walk off a f*cking cliff, you bet your cute little butt that I will run up and yank you to safety. Because that’s the loving thing to do.

More:

P.S. If you’d like to read the full article, where I  further quote my sources and add other resources and commentary, you can find it here.

• The Lever’s Master Plan podcast
• Election Spending via Open Secrets
• Citizens United case overview via FEC
• McCutcheon v. FEC summary via Open Secrets
• Project 2025 Would Destroy the U.S. System of Checks and Balances and Create an Imperial Presidency via AmericanProgress.org
• Project 2025 and the Project to Take Over Our Courts and Our Rights via CivilRights.org