Mark Levin’s latest book isn’t just another addition to his literary repertoire; it’s a timely examination of power and its pivotal role in shaping history and society. Reviewing the landscape of liberty versus tyranny, Levin challenges the current state of American discourse on these age-old topics. It’s not enough to simply talk about liberty if there’s no action behind the words, he argues. Echoing the sentiments of America’s founding principles, Levin reminds us that the United States was uniquely formed on the idea that sovereignty originates from God, making the citizens themselves sovereign. This foundational belief sets America apart from other Western democracies.
Levin’s book comes at a crucial time when the author sees a growing divide between traditional American values and the ideologies of those he describes as modern-day Marxists and Islamists. These groups, as Levin puts it, strive for centralization of power, an attack on free speech, and an undermining of free will. And, of course, who better to spotlight than “Comrade Bernie” Sanders, with his visions of a future overrun by robots? Levin humorously points out that technological advancements, like ATMs, have hardly rendered humans obsolete, hinting at leftist hysteria over technological progress replacing human labor.
The narrative Levin constructs contrasts sharply with the vision of America upheld by the founding fathers. The architects of this nation understood the importance of structuring power in a way that one branch checks another. Levin evokes thinkers like Montesquieu and C.S. Lewis, who emphasized the necessity of power checking power. It’s precisely this setup that today’s leftists oppose, Levin asserts, because they are transparent in their pursuit of power over freedom.
Levin doesn’t shy away from drawing parallels to contemporary figures, positing that America’s founders would indeed recognize Donald Trump. In Levin’s view, Trump embodies quintessential American values such as free will and free speech, ignoring institutional confines while connecting deeply with the American people. The author paints Trump as a “blue-collar billionaire,” more at ease with construction workers than with elites, and appreciates his understanding of real-world power.
For Levin, Trump represents everything the left detests about American identity. There’s irony in the frequent portrayal of Trump as dictatorial, he jests, given that Trump respects and celebrates the Constitution. Indeed, Levin contends, it’s Trump’s critics who exhibit dictatorial tendencies. Levin finishes by noting that Trump’s journey from the business world to politics exemplifies the citizen activism cherished by America’s founders. In Levin’s eyes, this defines true engagement with American democracy, a theme central to his book on power and its enduring relevance.
