amendments are. But now it’s time to mobilize. You just said it’s not
for elected officials, not for members of Congress. You’re hoping
that your readers, your radio audience, and everybody else’s, will,
with the sheer force of their will and power in picking this up, push
for this national Convention to propose amendments. So you’re
actually looking at a grassroots effervescence here, right?
LEVIN: Well, these things don’t just happen right away. First what
I’m hoping for is a widening discussion about what our recourse is.
We do have recourse, and the Framers gave
this to us. So my aim is to at least let people know it exists, start talking about it, see
if this is something they’re interested in.
Because people are frustrated. I want them
to know that we can aspire to something
more than the supposed inevitable destruction of the nation.
If we could start to discuss these things
at town halls, in communities, in church-es, synagogues, over the dinner table, and
so forth, you never know what will happen. I’m not a Pollyanna. I know this is
going to be very, very hard, because the
people who have designed the current governmental system — not the Framers, but
the people who are running it right now
— are going to dig in, as they have, and
they’re going to oppose every single effort.
The brilliance of this, not my brilliance, the Framers’ brilliance, is this by-passes them. So this turns the battle into a
grassroots, bottom-up battle over state
delegates, and state senators, and taking
control of state legislatures. The governors aren’t even involved.
Over time, the more progress we make, the more Washington is at
least going to have to consider, if it doesn’t adjust what it’s doing,
that it is going to be changed in ways that those who are entrenched
don’t like. Even in dark blue states, they don’t necessarily have to be
dark blue forever.
I don’t know how long what the federal government is doing can
last. I can’t see how, with the constant monetizing of the debt, the expansion of the debt, we survive this. The government itself is issuing
report after report every year telling us this is unsustainable. I believe
them. It is unsustainable. Well, what does that mean? It means it’s going to collapse. When? We don’t know. But one day it will, and when it
does — and hopefully before it does — we’ll have our plan.
I can’t predict what’s going to happen, but I do think it’s time for
the American people to reacquaint themselves with their own Constitution, the power that’s been handed to them by the Framers of
the Constitution. It’s time for the states to again do more than accept their role as the whipping boy of the federal government. Together, they have enormous power.
RUSH: I think it’s going to resonate with millions of engaged, frustrated people, who are looking for something just like this. Our
team doesn’t win, and the people leading the team don’t even seem
to know how. And there’s a thirst and a hunger for that. This book
of yours could very well be the catalyst — this could percolate out
there, Mark, in ways that you won’t see. You just said none of us
may see it for a while. It will resonate. It will resonate! Hopefully
others in the conservative movement can set their egos aside and
realize that this is about saving the country as founded. People say they want to
make a difference. Well, this is how. It’s
something people can embrace and run
with, and be part of. I have every hope
that will happen.
LEVIN: First, I really appreciate that
coming from you, our great leader. Second, if people think there’s another
way, then I’d sure as hell like to hear it,
because I can’t think of one. Winning
elections is great, although we’re winning less and less of them. We had a
great President in Ronald Reagan, and
as I point out in the last chapter, people
will point to these little respites in the
trajectory. But after eight years of Reagan, the next Republican President
lurched right back into big government
mode, and they have ever since.
Make no mistake, this country’s headed in the wrong direction. There is a force
pushing this, with a Republican Party
that doesn’t know what to do about it, is
incapable of addressing it, and has essentially surrendered to it. We
the People have to make a decision about what kind of country we
want to live in. Because the bottom line is, this is our country, this
is our government, this is our Constitution. I’m suggesting that,
even though it may be a long road, we take the first step in this effort to restore the American Republic.
RUSH: Yes, and it’s our future, our kids’ and grandkids’ future.
You’re going to see, I predict, town halls where the audience will all
have this book in their hands, and they’re going to be waving it,
asking people in elected office and in political power: “Have you
read this? Are you going to do something about this?” This is going
to happen. It may take some time, but it is going to happen. And I
wish you the best with it. It’s yeoman’s work. I know you put your
entire heart and soul into this for over a year, and it shows.
LEVIN: I want to thank you for your friendship, Rush, and your
patriotism, and all you do, not only behind the microphone, but
behind the scenes, too. You’re really a rock. Thank you, and God
bless you for this opportunity. And you take care of yourself.
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