The early reviews of Rage and the Republic are in! In a few days, books (including an audiobook) will be shipped out and on the shelves of bookstores by February 3. Simon & Schuster is releasing the book to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
“In this book, Professor Turley explores the meaning and future of democracy on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The book is divided into two halves. The first half looks back at the unique confluence of people and events that led to the establishment of the American Republic. Using Thomas Paine as a common thread through both the American and French Revolutions, Turley explores how one revolution led to the world’s oldest and most stable democracy while the other led to the “Terror.” The difference came down to the protections in the Madisonian system against “democratic despotism,” a tendency of democracies to devour themselves in majoritarian terror.
The second half of the book looks forward, exploring whether the American Republic can survive in the 21st Century in light of changes ranging from AI to robotics to global governance systems. Turley believes that the American Republic is uniquely suited to address those challenges, but it will require a return, not a rejection, of the core values that defined the American Revolution. That includes what Turley calls a “liberty-enhancing economy” that affords citizens the freedom of self-determination and true independence. Drawing from sources across art, philosophy, history, literature, and economics, Turley presents a unique and passionate perspective on the future of American democracy.”
Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution may be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Bam!, Walmart, Hudson, and other sites.
Here are what conservative and liberal academics and writers are saying about Rage and the Republic:
“A masterpiece… a moving account on the very essence of liberty that should be on the shelf of every American.”– Mark Levin, host of Life, Liberty & Levin and #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Turley demonstrates a discomforting, and painfully timely, truth: The phrase “democratic despotism” is not an oxymoron.”– George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post columnist
“Rage and the Republic is Jonathan Turley’s birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence… A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project.”– Uri Berliner, contributing editor, Free Press and former senior business editor at National Public Radio
“A fascinating and inspiring account of the foundations of the American system…a must-read.”– Nadine Strossen, former president of the American Civil Liberties Union
“[A] scholarly tour de force that could not be more timely.”– Charles Lane, author of The Day Freedom Died and nonresident senior fellow, the American Enterprise Institute
“Brilliant and riveting. The American Revolution comes alive, and so does the birth of the Constitution.”– Jed Rubenfeld, Yale Law Professor, author, and constitutional law expert
“[A] valuable contribution to American civic life.”– Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University
“In this riveting book, [Turley] revisits the past—focusing particularly on the remarkable life of Tom Paine and how the democratic principles of the French Revolution differed from our own—to identify the nature of the current threats to our liberties and our constitutional order. History has never been put to a better use.”– Randy E. Barnett, Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law at the Georgetown University Law Center and Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution
“A fluent take on history and politics from a thoughtful contrarian.”– Kirkus Reviews
If anyone really wants to understand the Trump era, they should watch the “Seinfeld” episode where the character “Kramer” joins the children’s karate club.
The character Kramer finds a loophole in the rules and joins a children’s karate club, since he can’t beat anyone his own size, he picks and dominates elementary school children (essentially besting up children).
The children ally together and beat up the cowardly bully Kramer in an ally.
Trump is similar to the Kramer character and now smaller nations are forming a coalition to defeat the cowardly bully, who can’t pick on anyone his own size.
“mobocracy VS. integrity Democrats” The Ancient Greeks knew a lot about it,
Euripides wrote, “When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the State.”
John Say and the FSB are producing more column inches than Turley does. Pretty amazing work, considering.
From The Column:
The second half of the book looks forward, exploring whether the American Republic can survive in the 21st Century.
Turley believes that the American Republic is uniquely suited to address those challenges.
……………………………………
This past week our republic got a series of extraordinary stress tests.
Last Sunday, Trump’s DOJ announced it was going to investigate Fed Chairman Jerome Powell because of cost overruns at the Federal Reserve’s new building. Yet no one believes that cover story. Virtually everyone in Washington thinks it’s an effort to intimidate Powell for not lowering interest rates as Donald Trump demands.
A few days later the DOJ announced it was going to investigate Mayor Frey of Minneapolis and Governor Waltz of Minnesota. Trump, in fact, threatened to send the army into Minneapolis. The administration is essentially at war with Minnesota.
Then, before the week was over, Trump demanded the surrender of Greenland by Denmark, a NATO ally. Though no one was sure how serious Trump was at first. But it soon became clear that Trump was absolutely serious! An American president was demanding territory from one of our closest allies.
Today we learned that Trump is going to sue J P Morgan Chase for de-banking him after January 6th. But the real reason for this suit may concern Chase’s CEO and his defense of the Fed Chairman.
Today we also learned that Trump’s DOJ has no plans to conduct an official investigation of the shooting in Minneapolis. The idea seems to be that the shooting was so clearly justified that an official investigation is scarcely needed.
Scarcely one year into his second term, Trump has distinguished himself as ‘the grievance president’. In fact, Trump’s grievances and his administration’s priorities are all tangled together.
So it’s difficult to understand Turley’s optimism regarding the republic’s survival. Unless Turley is confident Republicans will turn on Donald Trump before we cross the line of no return.
“DOJ has no plans to conduct an official investigation of the shooting in Minneapolis. The idea seems to be that the shooting was so clearly justified that an official investigation is scarcely needed.”
You contradicted yourself. You definitely have the makings of a dramatist, you make up stuff. See a psych.
“. . . Trump demanded the surrender of Greenland by Denmark . . .”
There is *one* military base in Greenland — the Pituffik Space Base. That base was built and is operated by the U.S. So Denmark’s argument is: We’re keeping Greenland. And the U.S. will continue paying for it. Typical, European, socialist mindset.
Denmark got Greenland from Norway. Why can’t the U.S. get Greenland from Denmark?
Question: It has a government and the population wants nothing to do with the USA. And Denmark does not want to give up Greenland. Simple huh?
The USA can always shutdown that base. Its useless anyway. Save money right?
“Its useless anyway.”
Denmark doesn’t seem to think so. That base has been in Greenland over 70 years.
You’re as bad as GeorgeX at just making up stuff.
Denmark’s claim to Greenland has been recognized, but it was never entirely clear. Greenland was originally Norwegian, and when Norway and Denmark were once ruled by the same king, the exact status of Greenland was ambiguous. Multiple disputes arose over the territory, and in theory, Norway’s former lands could have included Greenland, leaving its ownership open to question, especially since the Greenlandic population had no role in deciding it.
The base in Greenland is for the defense of the USA. Why would anyone besides the U.S. pay for it?
“Yet no one believes that cover story.” “But the real reason . . .”
You have mastered the Dark Art of smearing people with mad speculations about their “real” motivations. Yours is a textbook ad hominem attack, with a vicious dig at your target’s (alleged) psychology.