8/21/26 - The Great Conservative Debate: Why National Conservatism Is Wrong

On Friday’s Mark Levin Show, a major debate among conservatives will run through the 2028 Republican primaries, pitting Buchananites (post-liberal conservatives) against Reaganites and Trumpites, with some Trumpites sounding more like the former. It centers on national conservatism versus traditional constitutional conservatism and the proper use of government power. Some voices push interventionism resembling FDR or LBJ—socialist lite—without clear limits, seeking popular appeal while dismissing the strong growth of the 1980s. Such candidates could win a primary but lose the general election. Power is ubiquitous and shapes politics and liberty, yet is distinct from liberty itself.  Properly used, as in the American Revolution and the Constitution that replaced the weak Articles of Confederation, it secures ordered liberty through limited, divided government (“positive power”). Abused, it centralizes authority, erodes liberty, and turns democracies toward autocracy (“negative power”)—via courts overriding voters, people voting away their freedom, or bureaucratic expansion. Also, Doran Spielman, international spokesman in the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, describes rising tensions as Erdogan moves military forces into Syria near Israel’s border to exploit the situation, having taken over and militarized a former Russian base despite Netanyahu’s warnings, prompting an Israeli Air Force strike. Erdogan is now sending more vehicles including tanks into southwestern Syria; Netanyahu has again warned against it, while Erdogan claims this is not Gaza and even the United States could not protect Israel if struck, to which Netanyahu replied that Israel has faced bigger empires. Later, President Trump campaigns for Sen Darline Graham in South Carolina and we take his remarks live! Finally, Ken Paxton calls in his Texas Senate race against James Talarico - a hardcore leftist who is trying to reinvent himself as a moderate Democrat. If a Democrat wins this seat, it would reshape Texas and threaten Republican control of the Senate. Paxton’s top priority is the Save America Act to secure elections; he also prioritizes tackling the federal deficit, placing constitutional conservatives on the judiciary, and confronting China as America’s primary economic and military challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices