PrintA Man and a Message Whose Time Has Come
If Mark Levin isn't the leading conservative of the day, he's certainly one of them. I contend he is the most articulate and sagacious renowned conservative. A debate between Levin and Barack Obama would be something to behold.
Levin held several positions in the Reagan administration. He's a constitutional lawyer, an accomplished author, and host of one of the top syndicated radio programs, The Mark Levin Show. He's also president of Landmark Legal Foundation, which has, among other things, provided support to Virginia in its lawsuit against the Obama Administration over ObamaCare.
After recently re-reading Levin's best-selling Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto, I was struck again by how concise and compelling a case the author makes for conservatism vis-à-vis statism.
On his Thursday, June 23rd, radio show, Levin did a magnificent job of deconstructing point-by-point what is, in effect, a modern-day "progressive manifesto" in the form the current Time cover story titled "One Document, Under Siege." The piece is written by the magazine's managing editor, Richard Stengel, and was the subject of a recent AT blog post. Levin's excellent retort to Stengel can be heard here (from here).
Why we don't hear a steady drumbeat from the mouths of Sen. Mitch McConnell, House Speaker John Boehner, et al. of the fundamental conservative points and principles enunciated by Levin is a mystery and a source of frustration.
In Levin's spoken and written words, GOP presidential candidates have a wealth of knowledge and phraseology from which to draw as they strive to formulate, distill, and effectively disseminate their message. From what I have discerned, Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) has listened to and studied Levin more than any other current GOP candidate. Bachmann frequently invokes the founders, our first principles, and the U.S. Constitution. Her message, not surprisingly, is resonating. A Des Moines Register poll this past weekend showed her nearly tied with Mitt Romney for the top spot.
Bachmann has appeared several times on Levin's radio show and Levin spoke at a Bachmann-lead rally on the Capitol steps against nationalized healthcare. I would not be surprised if Bachmann keeps a highlighted, dog-eared copy of Liberty and Tyranny nearby at all times. Other candidates would be wise to do same.
Levin has expressed no interest in running for an elected federal office and perhaps that's a good thing as that would mean losing the daily dose of conservatism and constitutional scholarship he broadcasts coast-to-coast. I hope the winner of the GOP presidential primary formally or informally engages Levin's counsel.
Our Statist-in-Chief is "easy pickins" if our elected representatives and presidential candidates would just hone their message and not shy away from true conservatism. The people in this right of center country hunger for it.
