American Covenant
American Covenant
The American Roller Coaster of Ideas.
My family decided to take a break during Labor Day weekend. We purchased season passes to Kings Dominion and drove down Saturday and Sunday. It’s not that far of a drive for us, and that way, we had enough time to accommodate six different opinions on what to do. Plus, now we have season passes for next year. Score!
We hadn’t been to Kings Dominion as a unit with the twins (7), and they were a little hesitant about roller coasters. We eased them into it by starting on the Woodstock Express in Snoopy Land. It has a little speed and a steep drop at the beginning, but nothing like a “big kid” roller coaster. They loved it. Next, we hit the Log Ride, then Apple Zapple. It’s a four-person coaster that’s surprisingly fast; it zigs and zags quickly high off the ground. Sadie screamed so much on this ride I thought she had changed her mind about liking roller coasters. Alas, she loved it.
We ended the day on my favorite, the Blackout Stunt Coaster. It shoots you off fast into a loop up. It finishes with a loop drop in pitch black and another quick drop in front of a walking bridge. The day was a success. Both the teenagers (14) and the twins had a great time!
On the way down Sunday, I asked my wife to drive so I could read American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation―and Could Again by Yuval Levin. It’s been sitting on my shelf since it came out back in June. I loved Levin’s last book, A Time to Build, and I figured if the wife and kids get to have fun at the amusement park, then Dad could squeeze in some reading fun.
The book did not disappoint. I was captivated by Levin’s insight. He dissects our political moment by explaining the ideas that led us here: the Madisonian vision during our founding and the Wilsonian vision from the progressive era that dominates our modern times.
More than a descriptive diagnosis of our political divide, it's a call to action—a starting point for “reformers seeking renewal.” Levin points to problems with representation, incentives, and an imbalance of power between the different branches as contributing factors to our political division. He suggests “modestly increase[ing] the size of the House of Representatives” and changing the incentives in primaries by adopting ranked-choice voting.
I loved this book for so many reasons. It’s not just that Levin relentlessly points out the importance of representation in Republican government and calls out Congress for being at the heart of our dysfunction. It’s how he explores the two most prominent visions of American political thought, the Madisonian vision and the Wilsonian vision.
The Madisonian vision decentralizes power. It is a deliberative process in which the focus is on long-term stability over short-term gains. The Madisonian vision leaves the short-term plays to the state governments. The Wilsonian vision concentrates power to maximize the effectiveness of the majority. The Wilsonian vision is, as Levin says, “more democratic and more elitist–– and in both respects, less Republican–– than the framer’s view.”
In the Madisonian vision, change occurs over time by creating a dialogue between the varying factions and interests of a large and diverse society. The Wilsonian vision necessitates change by funneling power to serve the public interest. The Madisonian vision is a government of the people and bottom-up; the Wilsonian vision is a government of the elite, top-down. The Madisonian vision is collaborative and conservative, and the Wilsonian vision is divisive and progressive.
The Wilsonian vision we’ve grown up with has put Congress in the shadow of the Executive and divided us among party lines. It seeks to align the legislative and executive branches to advance policy or push it to the Supreme Court. It’s a vision of force, not persuasion. Every action of force is met with an equal and opposite reaction of force, leading to wild swings in power and decades of stagnation in Congress, with no progress on immigration reform or the national debt.
Imagine I applied the Wilsonian vision on my trip to Kings Dominion. Let’s say I don’t consider my twins; I only ask the opinions of my teenagers. They don’t want to wait for the fun stuff. Instead of easing the twins onto roller coasters and allowing them to adjust, we start them on a big coaster. It’s possible that they would still love them; however, it’s just as possible they could have developed a deep fear of them. This could derail our day; instead of being together, we would be divided, meaning the rest of us would now have to alternate riding so we could stay with the twins on the ground.
Luckily, we took the Madisonian approach, creating a dialogue and considering my large and diverse family's different factions: parents, teenagers, and twins, as well as interests: safety, fun, and peace. This allowed for a smooth transition from coaster to coaster. By the time we arrived Sunday, I was nearly finished with Levin’s book, and the kids were raring to go. We started the day on the Stunt Coaster, riding it back-to-back. We then hit the Reptilian, Grizzly, White Water Canyon (we got drenched), and the Racer 75. Eventually, we split, and Vanessa and the teenagers rode the Dominator and Twisted Timbers while the twins and I hit Apple Zapple and Racer 75 again—steady progress.
It was a much-needed break from reality. All the kids left with smiles and looking forward to next time. When we got home Sunday, I finished the book. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a great book for the reformer looking to be inspired and the average citizen looking to be more informed. It will guide the reformer on where to focus and inform citizens of the importance of representation, republicanism, incentives, and balance of power.
Please go ahead and pick it up a copy. If you don’t want to read it alone, I’ll read it with you. Please email me at Jeff@politicsandparenting.com.