Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin (b. September 21, 1957) is a conservative radio talk show host on WABC in New York City, syndicated on both terrestrial radio and satellite radio.
Professional career
Commencing in 1981, Levin served as adviser to several members of President Ronald Reagan's Cabinet, eventually becoming associate director of presidential personnel and ultimately Chief of Staff to Attorney General Edwin Meese. He has practiced law in the private sector, and is president of the Landmark Legal Foundation in Leesburg, Virginia. His radio career began in 2002 as a Sunday evening host on WABC. Since the fall of 2003, he's been in the weekday 6-8 p.m. (ET) timeslot.[1]
Books and punditry
Levin authored the bestselling book, Men In Black: How The Supreme Court Is Destroying America (ISBN 0-89526-050-6), in which Levin identifies the perils of "judicial activism" and criticizes members of the judicial branch who "legislate from the bench." Levin advocates originalist constitutional interpretation. He also advocates the unitary executive theory, and often criticizes members of the Congress for what he deems an attempt to stack the Supreme Court of the United States with activist judges.
Levin is a contributing editor for National Review Online (NRO) and blogged there from 2006-2007. In addition to his originalist views on the Constitution, Levin has conservative beliefs on policy and social issues, often ridiculing President Bush and centrist Republicans in Congress for attempts at moderating their views on social issues under the compassionate conservatism label. His positions on foreign affairs and the utilization of U.S. military power in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran are consistent with what has been described as a neoconservative view on the pre-emptive use of military force.
In 2001, the American Conservative Union gave Levin its Ronald Reagan Award.
In 2007, Levin released a non-political book about his personal experience with "man's best friend," titled Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish. (ISBN 1-41655-913-2)
Contributions to other radio shows
Levin began his broadcast career as a guest on conservative talk radio programs. For many years he was a frequent contributor of legal opinions to The Rush Limbaugh Show, who referred to him on-air as "F. Lee Levin," a tongue-in-cheek reference to the famous defense attorney F. Lee Bailey. He was also a contributor to The Sean Hannity Show and eventually got a radio slot of his own, on WABC, following Hannity's program. Hannity has nicknamed Levin "The Great One." Levin and Hannity remain frequent contributors to each other's programs, often calling in and facetiously referring to each other as "Doctor Hannity" or "Doctor Levin."
Radio show
Levin's radio show is a mix of political and social commentary from a conservative point of view. He also covers legal issues in some detail, including decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Levin follows the traditional talk radio model of taking listener phone calls throughout the show. As of 2006, his show is syndicated by ABC Radio on over 150 stations as well as on the America Right and SIRIUS Patriot channels. Levin's show has been rated number one in its time slot in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas and Washington, D.C.[1]
Levin has been criticized by Bill O'Reilly for engaging in what O'Reilly calls "personal attacks." Levin has responded by claiming to embrace uninhibited political discourse. He further pledged that if O'Reilly persists with his critique, Levin will devote an hour of his show to O"Reilly's phone sex/porn scandal. (http: //www.marklevinshow.com - The Mark Levin Audio Archives - 1/16/08 (8:00))
Political stance in 2008 primaries
Initially favoring Fred Thompson until he dropped out, he then called on conservatives to support Mitt Romney, as have other talk radio hosts, as part of a strategem to stop Senator John McCain. He now calls on people to make John McCain accountable to the conservative interests he claims to represent.
References
- ^ a b Jeffrey, Terence (2006-10-02). "Mark Levin Takes Talk Radio by Storm". Human Events. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
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External links
- Mark Levin Show, The Official Mark Levin Website
- And Another Thing . . . on National Review Online, Levin's blog
- Landmark Legal Foundation