Syndicated talk radio host Mark Levin’s new book won’t be published for another six days, but it is already selling briskly, ranked No. 5 among all books on Amazon, and No. 1 in political and social science books.

And no wonder. The title is both timely and telling: “Rediscovering Americanism and the Tyranny of Progressivism” clearly acknowledges the concerns of voters who fear that the basic, bright and beloved qualities of their nation are fading under the glare of liberal media and progressive bullying.

As he has in previous books, Mr. Levin makes his case based on history and facts. The author digs into the ideological roots of the progressive movement, and points the finger at those philosophers and thinkers he feels are destructive to civil society, individual freedom and rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and other traditional bedrock components of America.

“Mark Levin revisits the founders’ warnings about the perils of overreach by the federal government and concludes that the men who created our country would be outraged and disappointed to see where we’ve ended up,” publisher Threshold Editions, the conservative imprint of Simon & Schuster, says in advance notes.

“Levin returns to the impassioned question he’s explored in each of his bestselling books: How do we save our exceptional country? Because our values are in such a precarious state, he argues that a restoration to the essential truths on which our country was founded has never been more urgent. Understanding these principles, in Levin’s words, can ‘serve as the antidote to tyrannical regimes and governments.’ Rediscovering Americanism is not an exercise in nostalgia, but an appeal to his fellow citizens to reverse course,” Threshold says.

The organization also publishes the work of President Trump, Rush Limbaugh, former Vice President Dick Cheney, Glenn Beck and Oliver North, to name just a few.

Mr. Levin’s book arrives June 27; the author will discuss his book on Facebook Live at 3 p.m. EDT Friday.

GRASS-ROOTS POWER: THE PRESIDENT GOES TO IOWA

President Trump returns to Iowa on Wednesday for one of his favorite activities: a cheerful, jumbo-sized public rally in Cedar Rapids, staged at the cheerful and jumbo-sized U.S. Cellular Center arena, which can seat about 8,000 people. Naturally, local activists from Americans for Democratic Action Iowa will be on hand to protest his visit, but no matter.

Mr. Trump will also visit the much praised agriculture department of nearby Kirkwood Community College, and he’s bringing some firepower with him. Along for the visit: Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross; agricultural trade, high-tech farming and biofuels are likely on the agenda.

Mr. Trump will also be offering a hearty handshake for former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, recently named as U.S. ambassador to China. Inquiring minds wonder if Iowa’s millionaire agri-entrepreneur, GOP donor and political “kingmaker” Bruce Rastetter will also be along for the visit.

THE POLITICS OF SCANDAL

“Let’s not get carried away,” advises New York Times columnist David Brooks in a surprising new op-ed which cites how little evidence of “underlying crime” has surfaced regarding the possible relationship between President Trump and Russia.

“In the politics of scandal, at least since Watergate, you don’t have to engage in persuasion or even talk about issues. Political victories are won when you destroy your political opponents by catching them in some wrongdoing. You get seduced by the delightful possibility that your opponent will be eliminated. Politics is simply about moral superiority and personal destruction,” writes Mr. Brooks.

“The politics of scandal is delightful for cable news. It’s hard to build ratings arguing about health insurance legislation. But it’s easy to build ratings if you are a glorified Court TV, if each whiff of scandal smoke generates hours of ‘Breaking News’ intensity and a deluge of speculation from good-looking former prosecutors,” he continues.

“The politics is great for those forces responsible for the lawyerization of American life. It takes power out of the hands of voters and elected officials and puts power in the hands of prosecutors and defense attorneys. The politics of scandal drives a wedge through society. Political elites get swept up in the scandals. Most voters don’t really care,” he writes.

Mr. Brooks later concludes, “Things are so bad that I’m going to have to give Trump the last word. On June 15 he tweeted, ‘They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story.’ Unless there is some new revelation, that may turn out to be pretty accurate commentary.”

FOXIFIED

Once again, the Fox News Channel has dominated basic cable TV, ranked the most-watched cable network for 24 consecutive weeks according to Nielsen Media Research — besting HGTV, ESPN, TBS and MSNBC.

“Your World with Neil Cavuto,” coverage of Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ Senate testimony and “Hannity,” notched the top three most-watched telecasts in all cable programming; Fox News also garnered eight of the top 10 telecasts for the week.

Meanwhile, Fox News outpaced CNN and MSNBC in prime time and total daytime viewership and was the most-watched network for prime time coverage of the breaking news of the recent London terror attacks with 1.4 million viewers; CNN drew 959,000 viewers and MSNBC 407,000.

POLL DU JOUR

• 73 percent of Americans say the “recent tone” of the nation’s politics encourages violence among some people; 68 percent of Republicans, 68 percent of independents and 85 percent of Democrats agree.

• 68 percent overall say the tone and civility of Americans politics is getting worse; 68 percent of Republicans, 65 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats agree.

• 55 percent overall feel optimistic that Americans of opposing political views can still work out differences; 56 percent of Republicans, 51 percent of independents and 85 percent of Democrats agree.

• 41 percent overall feel pessimistic they can work out political differences; 40 percent of Republicans, 39 percent of independents and 44 percent of Democrats agree.

• 24 percent overall say the tone of politics does not encourage violence in some people; 30 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of independents and 14 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A CBS News poll of 1,117 U.S. adults conducted June 15-18

• Hearty hurrahs and querulous complaints to [email protected]

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.