Jim Demint, president and CEO of the Heritage Foundation, joined Glenn on radio this morning to discuss the themes in his new book, Falling in Love with America Again. Much like what Glenn has been talking recently, the book focuses on Americans from all across the nation who are working towards the common goal of keeping America the exceptional, caring, can-do country it has always been.
“America is much more united than the politicians would give us credit for, and we will unite around some common principles,” Demint explained. “One of those common principles is that we are a ground-up country. If we will allow people the latitude to live and believe they want – to live in freedom – we can all get along with people we disagree with. But the problem comes when there's a central one size fits all solution, telling everyone they have to believe or do one thing or another… That's what divides people.”
In the book, Demint criticizes both Republicans and Democrats for the role they have played in the polarization and divisiveness. Demint outlines the idea of “too big to succeed” which essentially says the government has gotten so big and so out of control, neither party could fix it. His solution to this problem involves returning the power to the states and the American people.
“A lot of my criticism really has been on Republicans who say one thing and do another… Big government, whether it's run by Republicans or Democrats, does not help the little guy. It doesn't build the middle class. It is good for big cronies, big companies, and big unions,” Demint explaine.d “No one is possibly going to manage the federal government efficiently. Doesn't matter if it's Republican or Democrat.”
“So the whole solution here is the original idea of pushing these discussions back to the states and the people,” he continued. “The federal government doesn't need to be running education or healthcare or controlling our energy system or transportation system. They need to focus on defending our country and fronting a stabilizing force around the world, keeping us safe… Individuals can help solve America's problems.”
In order for this movement to be successful, however, those individuals will need to work together, put ideology aside, and come together on the issues that truly matter.
“[W]e are a ground-up country. That's what made us unique… We were millions of people making their own decisions. That doesn't sound as organized. But actually it is more organized and more effective if you have millions of little platoons and communities solving problems, creating opportunities,” Demint said. “So that's what we are trying to get America to realize. We can unite around a common set of ideas. I have seen it. You have seen it… That's what I am trying to do with the book, just help people see, it is not a partisan problem. This is an American opportunity that is very clear, if people just sit down and think about it.”
Check out the entire interview below: