Ben Shapiro & Mark R. Levin go against the liberal media grain
#36: Ben Shapiro & Mark R. Levin
By HANNAH BROWNBen Shapiro(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Two of the most iconoclastic political commentators in the US, Ben Shapiro and Mark R. Levin, have been going against the liberal-media grain this year.Ben Shapiro, the former editor-at-large of Breitbart News and editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire, published a new book this year, The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great, a bestseller that won praise even from such bastions of liberalism as The Washington Post. Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley raved about the book, saying: “Ben Shapiro knows the power of his voice. He stands up and fights for what he believes with time-tested ideas. The Right Side of History is thoughtful and well-reasoned – exactly what Shapiro’s critics don’t want you to hear.”Shapiro’s podcast, The Ben Shapiro Show, a daily look at “hard-hitting truth in comprehensive, conservative, principled fashion,” is one of the highest-rated podcasts around.READ NO. 35: MARK ZUCKERBERG & SHERYL SANDBERG>>READ NO. 37: YOAZ HENDEL & CHILI TROPPER>>See the full list of The World's most Influential Jews>>He has been a consistent voice calling out the Democrats for the most absurd excesses on the campaign trail this year, including a well-reasoned analysis for The Daily Wire arguing that Elizabeth Warren used to be a “creative thinker” but abandoned her moderate principles in a “quest for progressive power.”Levin’s book, Unfreedom of the Press, also topped bestseller lists in 2019, making him a New York Times bestselling author for the fifth time. Levin is also the host of a highly rated radio program and the Fox News show Life, Liberty & Levin.In his latest book, he explains how he has seen the great tradition of the American free press degenerate into a morally bankrupt profession that has lost the faith and trust of the American public through its lack of integrity.The Federalist said those who admire Levin’s on-air candor will get even more out of reading his written work. “Levin’s books offer detailed, fleshed-out renderings of the arguments he makes on his shows. They’re punchy, witty and easily digestible.”Levin recently excoriated critics of President Donald Trump on his show, saying, “These [economic] numbers are incredible and we should be celebrating them. The American economy, when let loose by a president and a Congress – a president slashing regulations, a president slashing taxes [and] creating a healthy, vibrant economic environment – has positive consequences for the American people.” Comparing Trump’s policies to those of former president Ronald Reagan, Levin said, “This is Trumponomics, and he’s doing very much the same thing.”As the 2020 presidential race kicks into high gear, expect more insights – and more controversy – from these two leading Jewish political thinkers.
