This trenchant, incisive volume offers the deepest and most complete critique of contemporary American politics. By "contemporary" I mean literally up-to-the-minute: Anton was able even to include the earlier stages of the BLM/Antifa riots. As for "critique," I might more accurately have used the military term "sitrep," for this is a strategist's assessment of an ongoing conflict between two camps, and the relative advantages / disadvantages of each. As for "complete," I mean that Anton has synthesized an enormous amount of material: the first chapter, for example, thoroughly analyzes the scandal and disaster of present-day California--a one-party state that has gutted its middle class, destroyed its legacy infrastructure, and abandoned the basic responsibilities of governance to chase ideological will-o-the-wisps--as both a warning to the rest of America (Do Not Do This!!), and as a template which the Progressive ruling class fully intends to replicate nationwide. That analysis rests on, and deepens, the work of authors such as Victor Davis Hanson, who Anton pointedly acknowledges; other chapters develop an analysis of the present ruling class that first reached a wide audience in 2008, when Angelo Codevilla published an essay on the subject, and Rush Limbaugh read it word-for-word to his audience.
Anton's background as a strategist comes most fully to the fore in the last chapters, wherein he assesses different possible scenarios for how a further breakdown of American constitutional norms could turn out. That is, and should be, very scary stuff.
There's not a lot here for an honest, patriotic American to quibble with--although many of the book's threads are invitations to continued conversation; Anton makes clear that he does not think he's written the final words on our republic.
As an example, one question I would ask him directly, on a nightmare scenario that others have also raised: Supposed the US does, God forbid, split up, say, into "Red" and "Blue" countries. The "Red" country will, no doubt, want to maintain and restore the (properly interpreted) U.S. Constitution. But how will that hypothetical new country preserve, protect, and defend that Constitution when the original USA was unable to do so? Will the document itself require additional clauses--more safeguards; more checks and balances? If so, what are they? Or will the new country simply needed a sturdier, more moral and religious culture? How does one order THAT from Amazon?
It's a bit embarrassing to be the first reviewer of a book; I was honored to receive a copy of the galleys several weeks ago (although I have also purchased a hardback copy), so it might as well be someone who has actually read the whole thing. And I was discussing the book's ideas with my trainer two weeks ago; she was interested and asked what the title was. I had a momentary lapse of memory, and she filled the void by offering her own suggested title: "We're F****ed." A little too strong, but she did get the idea. Maybe if Greg Gutfeld had written it....
But "The Stakes" is the right title. We haven't lost the country yet, but the future is much cloudier than we'd like it to be.
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