Updated

This is a rush transcript from "Life, Liberty & Levin," September 12, 2021. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

MARK LEVIN, FOX NEWS HOST: Hello, America. I'm Mark Levin and this is LIFE, LIBERTY & LEVIN.

We have two great guests, Larry Elder, as you know is running for governor of California, the voting has begun, and in-person voting is Tuesday, and also John Ratcliffe, the former Director of National Intelligence and former Congressman. We have a lot to discuss with both men.

But before we do, you see what's swirling around you in this country? The attack on free speech, freedom of association, the attack on academic freedom, the attack on your personal liberties, when it comes to vaccines and so forth. This is the American Marxist movement that I've been warning you about.

Just the first paragraph of the first chapter of "American Marxism" to set this up because we have a lot to address tonight.

"The counterrevolution to the American Revolution is in full force. And it can no longer be dismissed or ignored, for it is devouring our society and culture, swirling around our everyday lives and ubiquitous in our politics, schools, media, and entertainment. Once a mostly unrelatable fringe and subterranean movement, it is here -- it is everywhere."

"You your children and your grandchildren are now immersed in it, and it threatens to destroy the greatest nation ever established, along with your freedom, family, and security. Of course, the primary difference between the counterrevolution and the American Revolution is that the former seeks to destroy American society and impose autocratic rule, and the latter sought to protect American society and institute representative government."

"The counterrevolution or movement of which I speak is Marxism," American Marxism.

Now let's take a quick look.

Free speech in this country, only for those who espouse a certain viewpoint actually. Other people are banned, attacked, their careers destroyed.

Academic freedom. We have professors now resigning because they are not free to discuss positions or viewpoints that differ with the state and differ with the American Marxist various movements.

Free press in this country. Apparently "The Washington Post," "The New York Times" and the rest think that only they have a right to freedom of the press. So, they are constantly viciously attacking conservative talk radio, this network - FOX, OAN, Newsmax, and anybody who dares to step out.

Hate crimes. Look at Larry Elder. Larry Elder and his entourage were attacked the other day by a woman in a gorilla mask. If that's not a hate crime, we don't know what is. How many networks in this country, how many law enforcement agencies -- how about the Department of Justice? Have they taken action? No.

Well, you can bet if that were Barack Obama, the whole world would be on their toes.

Tax returns. Apparently, the only tax returns of a public official that matters are Donald Trump's. -- Donald Trump's. What about the tax returns of the Speaker of the House? No legislation gets through Congress without her say so. What about the tax returns of members of the Supreme Court? So we can determine whether they have conflicts of interest. No, of course, those are of no consequence whatsoever.

Murder in America. Murder in America only gets the attention of the elites and the media depending on who is murdering whom. You can now slaughter in our cities every night, every weekend, black on black crimes, it is considered routine. Ho-hum. It's appalling.

Climate change. This climate change that they've now created, a nomenclature that they've now agreed upon. That's your fault. You're just too free. You're too mobile. You're living your lives to well.

You -- you are responsible for global climate change. And as the Democrats say, you're killing people. You're responsible for hurricanes and earthquakes and tornadoes and flooding. So we have to attack our system, our economic system, your lifestyle. We, the American people are at fault.

Now, what is this? This is tyranny. And it's getting more and more aggressive. This is autocracy.

Joe Biden gave a speech the other day and he always walks off. He doesn't take questions like he is some kind of a dictator and he is the closest thing we've gotten to a dictator yet. He certainly is.

He gives a speech. He doesn't communicate with the American people as equals. He doesn't treat you as a citizen. He is basically yelling at you, condemning you, lecturing you.

He is filled with scorn. You're not doing what he told you to do. Eighty million of you are unvaccinated. You are the reason people are dying. You're the reason there's a spread. You're the reason that we have these variants -- not him.

Remember how he used to blame Donald Trump for every death that occurred as a result of the coronavirus? Well, I have a question. How many new vaccines have been developed under Joe Biden? None. How many are under development? None that I know of.

How about therapeutics? Many were developed under Donald Trump. None that I'm aware of right now. So what is he going to do? He's not going to take responsibility, Joe Biden, for what he has to do, having congratulated himself on July 4th for basic victory over the virus. Now, no, it's your fault.

It's not Biden's fault for having the southern border open, and potentially two and a half million people coming across that border in his first year, many of whom have all kinds of diseases and all kinds of issues including the coronavirus.

What does he do? He gives a speech in which he congratulate himself. He attacks the Governor of Florida. He attacks the Governor of Texas. He dismisses everything that came before him.

This is a man who is out of control. This is a fool with enormous power.

You can support vaccinations as I do without supporting tyranny. Let me repeat, you can support vaccinations as I do without supporting tyranny.

Now, question and I mean this. He wants you to hate people who are not vaccinated. He calls them the unvaccinated, he blames them. It's their fault, not his fault. It's their fault.

They are the ones spreading the virus, not illegal aliens, not him. No, they're -- and the Republican governors. They're the ones spreading the virus. Seventy percent of those who should get the vaccine, he says have been vaccinated. They've done everything they can, but who are this 30 percent, the unvaccinated?

Now that's quite a charged word "unvaccinated"? What does that mean? Well, you haven't been vaccinated. I got it.

I went to the C.D.C. site and we know the C.D.C. is like the Bible, handed down from Moses from Mount Sinai. In the C.D.C. on May 29, 2021 says 120.2 million people were infected. That's their estimated total infections, 120 million people.

Now according to the science, if you've been infected, you develop an immunity, this antibody. And so you don't need to be vaccinated as a matter of course, you have an antibody. You're immune, at least immune to a significant extent, correct? That's 120.2 million people according to the C.D.C. The C.D.C.

Well, there is 307 million people in this country, a certain percentage of them are under 12-years-old and are not supposed to be vaccinated as I understand it. So, we're talking about a population over the age of 12. Okay. He says 70 percent have been vaccinated, 30 percent have not.

How many of these 30 percent who have not been vaccinated have natural immunity? It's a simple question. Now, can we get an answer to that?

You notice when Joe Biden doesn't mention something, he is censoring something. If you're going to throw out this number, 30 percent and 80 million people, my question is, how many of the 80 million people have natural immunity? I would suggest a significant percentage of them.

What I'm suggesting to you, ladies and gentlemen, is this, that in addition to over 70 percent of the public that is subject to taking a vaccine as according to the science, we have a significant percentage of the remaining 80 million who have natural immunity and they won't tell us how many.

I think what you'll find is, it's a very small percentage of the American public that has not been vaccinated and doesn't have immunity. So it's significantly more than 70 percent when you add the vaccinated plus those who have natural immunity, it could be 80 percent, maybe it's 85 percent, maybe it's 90 percent.

And we have a right to know because these draconian measures now that Biden is trying to impose, unbelievable, and there are serious constitutional challenges to this.

I look at really three Supreme Court decisions are on point here, and they're going to have an uphill battle if the court is going to rule faithfully and legitimately and apply the Constitution of the United States.

This isn't an interstate commerce issue. The police powers really belong to the state. States get to regulate businesses, not Joe Biden. When it comes to OSHA, OSHA doesn't have the authority under any statutory grant to do what it's doing. And they're trying to do this through an OSHA regulation.

Moreover, there's a serious question whether the Congress can even delegate this kind of power to OSHA, which it hasn't. And yet, this is their argument. At the same time that they are threatening small businesses with horrific fines and to fire people that don't get vaccines, people in small business who are having trouble hiring people.

This is going to create economic dislocation of which Joe Biden knows nothing because he has never worked in the private sector. He is almost 80 years old, and he spent his entire life in government telling people what to do rather than actually doing something.

This is a big constitutional issue. It is a big economic issue and the idea that he thinks he can sign an executive order, or that the Labor Department can put out a regulation and snap his fingers and then suddenly Joe Biden can control the entire economy. That's what I mean about American Marxism.

That's what I mean that this man is as close to a dictator as we have ever had. Let's see what the Supreme Court does about all this. It's really quite appalling.

Now, one other thing. I will not forget Afghanistan. There are American citizens in enemy territory who are effectively hostages. There are 80,000 Afghan patriots who did fight for our country and their country who are an enemy territory, who right now have no hope of getting out.

This is the greatest besmirchment of the United States by a President in modern American history. It is a disaster on military and national security grounds. It is a disaster on moral grounds. It is a disaster. Period.

This man in the Oval Office, who says that he cares about humanity, that he cares about national security, he doesn't care about a damn thing. He is a stubborn, foolish, old man.

And the amazing thing about all of this can really be summed up in what happened the other day. The Attorney General United of the United States has sued the State of Texas because he thinks abortion on demand should be compelled in every corner of the country. No 10th amendment. No federalism. No. They want to enshrine their view forever, and the taxpayer should pay for it.

So every abortion leads to a death, or at least 99.99 percent of them do, and the death of a baby, check the science, Dr. Fauci. Is that a baby? Is that a human being or not? I think the science will tell you that it is. It's not a choice. It is a human being.

So on the one hand, they push hard for the most extreme radical abortion position on the face of the Earth, funded by you, the American people; on the other hand, the unvaccinated are killing people.

This is the nature of autocracy. This is the nature of tyranny. The ends justify the means, you see it on display in the Oval Office.

Joe Biden, again, is the closest thing we've had to a dictator in this country and I think he is far worse than even Obama was.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEVIN: Welcome back, America.

You know, the people of California have an incredible opportunity right now to put their brakes on tyranny, to put their brakes on a governor and administration that has been destroying their lives, destroying their churches, destroying their freedom, and to say no. And this could be an incredibly historic moment, not just for California, but for America.

I remember Ronald Reagan coming out of California that was historic. I remember the Tax Revolt Movement coming out of California, that was absolutely historic, and this is another one -- Larry Elder.

So the people of California -- Democrat, Republican, Independent black, brown, white, yellow, red -- it doesn't matter. If you want to change, if you support liberty, if you support our economic system, if you oppose tyranny, you've got a candidate here who is uniquely qualified and he's a dear friend.

Larry Elder, welcome. What do you want to tell the voters of California?

LARRY ELDER (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I want to tell them that we can do something about the rise in crime which is up in every major city here in California.

I'm talking about violent crime, up 41 percent in Los Angeles where I live. Shootings, homicides, up 41 percent. We can do something about the decline in the quality of public education.

Before the pandemic, before Gavin Newsom shut down the state to the point where the kids educated in government schools were denied a whole year of in-person education, before that, 75 percent of black boys could not read at state levels of proficiency. Half of all third graders could not and 80 percent of the kids educated in our government schools, Mark, are black and brown.

I only mentioned their race because people like Gavin Newsom prides themselves on caring about black and brown people. He shut down the state in a more severe way then did any of the other 49 states, to the point now, where a third of all small businesses are now gone forever. Many of which were run by black, brown, Asian-American people that Gavin Newsom claims he cares about.

He sat up there at the French Laundry, not just incurring a $12,000.00 wine tag that we paid for, not just yucking it up while everybody else was hunkering down because of his shutdown. He was sitting there with lobbyists and sitting there with the very people that drafted the mandates that they were violating.

He was not wearing a mask. He was not engaging in social distancing. His own kids were enjoying in-person, private education.

People are leaving California for the very first time. This state is 170 years old. It's never happened before and the primary reason that middle class people leave is they cannot afford the price of a house because of the environmental extremists that jack up the price of a house, the average home in California just hit $800,000.00. That is anywhere from 150 percent to 250 percent above the national average. We have a rise in homelessness.

When Gavin Newsom ran for mayor of San Francisco back in 2004, he said he is going to solve the homelessness problem in that city in 10 years. That would have been 2014. Have you been to San Francisco recently?

And Gavin Newsom sat around for eight years as Lieutenant Governor claiming he had nothing to do. I suggested that, maybe just maybe, he might want to fulfill his campaign promise to solve the homelessness problem in San Francisco.

And then there's the fire mismanagement. The reason we're having fires more severe than we had before, is because the forests are not managed properly. He claimed he cleared 90,000 acres of fallen trees and dry vegetation. According to "The LA Times," he lied by a factor of seven. Even if he had done that, it would have been a drop in the bucket. Outgoing Governor Jerry Brown had a plan to clear 500,000 acres. It hasn't been done. And presumably it hasn't been done because we don't have the resources.

We have the resources for $100 billion train going nowhere to nowhere that Gavin Newsom supports. We haven't added to our water infrastructure system in California in 40 or 50 years, Mark, when the state was half the size. We do have wet years and the water is draining right out into the Pacific Ocean not being stored underground.

We have all sorts of plans for new reservoirs and to raise dams, and they just sit there and sit there and sit there because of the fear of lawsuits from the environmental extremists. We're also having rolling brownouts because we're not properly investing in our energy grid. And our utility companies are forced to rely -- to spend more money on weather dependent, so-called renewables like wind and solar that are unreliable.

So for all these reasons, crime, bad schools, rising homelessness, outrageous cost of living, highest state income tax in the nation, people are leaving for the very first time and that is why Gavin Newsom should be recalled and I am urging everybody to vote yes, on the recall, sign the ballot and make sure you tell 10 of your friends to do so as well.

LEVIN: You know what is amazing. Larry Elder is if you are a radical left- wing Democrat, and if you were running against a white governor who was a Republican and who had this record, you would be supported by all the newspapers in California, you'll be supported by the national media. You would be celebrated, and yet, the opposite has happened here.

Now, according to a piece in "The LA Times," a column by Erica D. Smith, and of course "The LA Times" decides what's going to be run in their newspaper. "Larry Elder is the black face of white supremacy. You've been warned." White supremacy. Isn't that amazing?

You have these white Hollywood multimillionaire actors, white Big Tech types. You've got white George Soros, you've got white Bernie Sanders, white Elizabeth Warren, you've got white Newsom, yet you're the white supremacist.

Isn't the reason they call you this, they don't really want to confront you on the issue as you're a brilliant man. They don't like the fact that you have an African-American here who actually believes in liberty and capitalism and school choice and all the things, all these whites elitists -- or I'll call them white supremacists in the Democratic Party using their own language oppose, isn't that what's going on here?

ELDER: That's exactly what's going on here. They've called me the black face of white supremacy because they cannot defend this man's record. Mark, the former Senate Majority Leader, Democrat named Gloria Romero, she is still a Democrat has crossed party lines and now supports me primarily because of the issue of school choice, which I support.

Black and brown parents, according to the polls want school choice, yet they vote for Democrat after Democrat after Democrat, when the largest impediment to school choice is the California Teachers Union, the most powerful union in the state, the largest funder of my opponent, Gavin Newsom.

And they're scared to death, God forbid, this kid from the hood who went to public school breaks this Jedi mind trick stranglehold that the Democrats have had over black and brown voters. That's why they're so deathly afraid, and that's why Bernie Sanders cut a commercial for him, and Obama cut a commercial for him and Senator Warren did, and nobody uttered the following words, Mark, Gavin Newsom has done a good job for the people of California. They call it a Republican takeover, because they cannot defend the man's record.

LEVIN: Yes, they don't want to run on his record, they don't want to run on your issues. They don't want to run on substance. They get down and dirty, get into race almost immediately. They bring in names that have nothing to do with your campaign. So they try and create a caricature and they try and create foils to run against.

And unfortunately, this is quite typical. They have the media behind them, and they have the money behind them. And of course, they have all the government bureaucrats behind them. That's why you're the David versus Goliath.

And if you're able to take out this Governor, if you're able to actually bring freedom back to California where everybody used to want to go to, this will be a historic, historic event.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JON SCOTT, FOX NEWS CHANNEL ANCHOR: Welcome to "FOX News Live." I'm Jon Scott.

Classified documents about the 9/11 attacks are now in the hands of the families whose loved ones perished 20 years ago. At the direction of the White House, the F.B.I. has finally declassified and released many of those documents. The report is heavily redacted and there are some differences from the 9/11 Commission Report that was released in 2004.

The F.B.I. does not uncover any evidence linking the hijackers to the Saudi government, which has long denied any involvement in 9/11.

People along the Gulf Coast once again on storm watch as Tropical Storm Nicholas inches closer tonight. The storm is expected to dump five to 10 inches of rain across parts of Texas and Louisiana through midweek. A strong surf warning is in effect along the Texas coast.

I'm Jon Scott. Now back to LIFE, LIBERTY & LEVIN.

LEVIN: Welcome back.

Larry Elder, this issue of double standards, you're running and obviously there's double standards being applied to you. Is Gavin Newsom, is Gavin Newsom's wife on the side of women?

ELDER: Well, you know, Mark, I've been accused of not liking women based upon some 21-year-old article that I wrote and based on some allegation that I've denied, but I have to tell you, Rose McGowan the actress whose career was destroyed by Harvey Weinstein because she wouldn't sleep with him, just the other day, she claimed publicly that Gavin Newsom's wife called her on behalf of Harvey Weinstein's lawyer and said what can we do to make this story go away? Meaning Harvey Weinstein's sexual predatory behavior.

Harvey Weinstein of course is facing several rape charges right now and Gavin Newsom's wife allegedly called Rose McGowan around six months before the Harvey Weinstein story blew up on behalf of Harvey Weinstein's lawyer and said to her, what can we do to make this story go away?

Now, I don't know whether it's true or false. All I know is that if an allegation like that were made against me, POLITICO will be running it on the first page, "Washington Post" would be running it, CNN will be talking about it. "The New York Times" will be talking about it as they did about the false allegations against me. It's a double standard. It's kind of crap that I've been putting up with my entire campaign.

There was a front page story in "The New York Times," all negative about me, Mark, never worth mentioning that I'm black and never once mentioning that I'd be the first black Governor of California.

Now, I've never made a big deal out of that. I don't want people to vote for me because I'm black or against me because I'm black. But on the very same page, there was a big article about, quote "The first female Governor of New York," close quote referring to the woman who succeeded after Cuomo redesigned.

This is the kind of double standard I'm talking about, an allegation made by Rose McGowan concerning Gavin Newsom's wife is ignored and the fact that I am the first -- would be the first black governor is ignored by the left while they make a big deal out of this female governor being the first female governor in New York. Double standard, hypocrisy, but I knew that was going to happen. I've been following the media all my career and this is the kind of crap that conservatives have been putting up with for a long time.

LEVIN: Unbelievable. I want everyone to look at this clip. Most of America, actually not most of America, most of the people in this cable network have seen this clip.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

LEVIN: I mean, you're running for Governor. You're a public figure. There's an attack on your entourage, really the egg was thrown at you. It clearly falls within the definition of a hate crime under State and Federal law. I don't hear Barack Obama speaking out about it, Kamala Harris or other people of color. They've basically been silent. Most of television networks haven't played that clip. It's as if it never happened before.

Isn't this astounding even by the low standards of the American corrupt media?

ELDER: It really is. If I had a D at the end of my name, they'd be talking about this being a hate crime. They'd be talking about this being an example of systemic racism because the person wearing the gorilla mask apparently was a white female. They'd be talking about how we have the endemic racism in America and it's gotten very little coverage in the left- wing media. It is again the kind of double standard I'm facing.

Now, I was in an area of Venice, a homeless encampment. I call it the intersection of lawlessness and homelessness. I have no idea whether or not the woman might have been one of the 20,000 people released early under Gavin Newsom because of the coronavirus. Many of them were violent offenders. Maybe she was one of them.

Maybe she's one of the people that benefited from the soft on crime LA County DA who is backed by Gavin Newsome because they're not charging people to the fullest extent of the law and cashless bail. So maybe she'd been out because of cashless bail. I don't know. All I know is it would have been a big, big story if I had a D at the end of my name.

LEVIN: Well, we wish you all the best, Larry. This race has national implications. It's an uphill battle. You have all the public sector unions working against you. You have enormous amounts of money that are being poured into that state against you. You have Hollywood, all entertainment against you.

That's Ground Zero for the hard left, and you've had the guts to take them on. You're a great friend. You're a great patriot, and I wish you all the best.

ELDER: Thank you, Mark. I'll see you in Sacramento.

LEVIN: All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEVIN: Welcome back. John Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence under President Trump, a former Congressman, former Federal prosecutor. It's very important to have you on this program this evening.

JOHN RATCLIFFE, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Good to be back.

LEVIN: Everybody knows what happened in Afghanistan except, of course, the Biden administration and what happened was the biggest disaster since World War II according to the former Commander of British forces in Afghanistan, retired Colonel Richard Kemp.

And I happen to think he's right, that this is going to reverberate for decades, and the sickening irony that it occurred right about the time of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

So my question to you is, what has Joe Biden done to America's national security?

RATCLIFFE: Well, Mark, to your point, first on Afghanistan, I hope that it's just something that has an impact for decades, I hope it's not centuries, it's the most profound loss for the United States, certainly in our lifetime.

But one of my concerns there and this goes to your larger question about what has Joe Biden done to our national security is, he has very clearly harmed it, but in so many respects beyond Afghanistan, but this most recent, most painful, colossal, epic failure in Afghanistan has literally breathed life into the radical Islamic terrorist movement, not just in Afghanistan, but around the world, and we won't know the consequences, how bad they really are, for a long, long time to come, who he's inspired, and what groups morph out of what they see, as, you know, a victory of epic proportions over you know, the great Satan, the United States.

So that's just part of it, but to your larger question, Mark. You know, I wrote an article as the Director of National Intelligence saying that China was our number one national security threat. I did that as I was walking out the door based on the person -- based on the fact that, you know, I'm the person that saw more Intelligence than anyone else in the country over the past year and China very much is that existential threat to our country.

But if I had to write that op-ed today, I would tell you that I think our greatest national security threat, at least in the short term, is Joe Biden and our national security apparatus. And the reason I say that and I'm not trying to be glib or hyperbolic, but Mark, they have literally gotten everything wrong for eight straight months with respect to China, with respect to Russia, with respect to Iran, with respect throughout the Middle East now, including Afghanistan.

It goes on and on. Literally, they're batting zero. They're striking out at every turn and it's having a profound and grave impact on our national security and our national security posture. And, you know, I hope that people don't misunderstand or question the United States resolve in the long term, but I think everyone has good reason to question the United States' resolve in the short term. When we look at what's transpired in the last eight months under this administration, and I can walk you around the globe and see how our national security posture is weaker, with respect to China, is weaker with respect to Russia, is weaker with respect to Iran, you know, is weaker with respect to radical Islamic terrorists, and so on? It's -- you know, it's -- again, it's hard to put this in terms.

And I think what's most troubling for me, Mark, again, I go back to, I always look at what the Intelligence, what I saw in that position, and one of the challenges here that we are facing for the next three years is a President who is not listening to the Intelligence. Our Intelligence was crystal clear about what was going to happen in Afghanistan if we withdrew without conditions based -- terms that we had negotiated.

And when Biden abandoned that plan, it went exactly to what we said was going to happen, and that is, unfortunately a trend that has continued where this administration, and this national security apparatus keeps making bad decisions, keeps ignoring the actual Intelligence that we have, and honestly, nothing concerns me more right now.

LEVIN: I can tell by the way you're answering what you're saying how frustrated you are, because you know a lot more information than anybody else. Certainly, those of us who have not served in the high levels of government with access to this information, so I can tell how excruciatingly painful this is for you to see, all this unravel in front of your eyes.

But it's not just Biden, as awful as he is. I mean, it's primarily Biden, and what you say is correct. He is the greatest threat. You've got a Secretary of State who is like your, like quintessential Ivy League egghead, and yet doesn't really understand what's going on. Same with the National Security adviser. You have as the Secretary of Defense, I would argue, a failed General when it came to leaving Iraq, and the growing of ISIS where he told Obama, that's the JV team.

You have, in my view, the head of the Joint Chiefs, Milley, who has been highly political. I mean, he couldn't speak fast enough about Lafayette Park. And they all sit there and they talk and they all reinforce one another and so forth.

But here's the thing, we have American citizens behind enemy lines. We have allies, patriots, 80,000 of them that served with us and helped us and Afghans. And it's as if they think that they're going to rope-a-dope us with the vaccines and everything else.

Did you, in your lifetime, ever think you'd see a President of the United States who was in my view, so cavalier about leaving Americans in enemy territory?

RATCLIFFE: No, you know, and I don't -- again, you know, I want to be careful about how I dress this President. I agree with you on that, from a national security standpoint, that's why I talk about the apparatus, it's all of the decision makers, it's the people --

You know, there's a real question about whether Joe Biden is the person making these decisions, and if not, who is? But what we know is he is not surrounded by anyone that's gotten anything right. And so you know, so that is the concern.

But Afghanistan is just the latest episode of what we've seen where the Commander-in-Chief is demonstrating cowardice on the national stage to our allies and to our adversaries. And so, you know, let me put this in perspective from the Intelligence standpoint. First of all, our Intelligence was crystal clear in Afghanistan, and they ignored it.

But when I talk about profound and grave damage, Mark, how do you think our Intelligence is going to work in the Middle East and in other places around the world when we rely so much on human Intelligence sources, people who work with the United States knowing that they will be shielded from and have the protection of the United States at the end of the day, when they watch the people that have worked with us in Afghanistan for the last few years, be beheaded in front of their families?

So you know, our ability to even conduct the best Intelligence around the world has been impacted. This is the ripple effect that this is going to have everywhere. And no, it is something that I -- you know, again, never expected to see, and God help us, we never will see.

Again, I don't question our -- we live in the greatest country, we have the greatest people. There are people outside this country and inside this country trying to destroy it, but we'll get past it. We've just got to survive the next three years with a President and a National Security team that has created one -- literally created one disaster or tragedy or humiliation or debacle after another.

LEVIN: When we come back, you were also a Congressman. I want to talk to you about what the Democrats in Congress are planning and how that's going to affect us internally. Our constitutional system, our voting system, our immigration system, our financial economic system -- there is a massive omnibus bill that they're putting together that will change the nature of this country and I would like your input on that.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEVIN: Welcome back. John Ratcliffe was also a Member of Congress. And, John, my question to you is this. This bill that they want to pass, the Democratic Party and Biden is going to have an enormous negative impact on every aspect of this society. What is your input on this?

RATCLIFFE: Well it's colossally bad and in a country that is literally a 50/50 country in terms of Republicans and Democrats or people that see themselves aligned with one party or another, it is just the latest example of, you know, unfortunately, what we're seeing where one party, you know, barely in control in the United States Congress is using that to force feed something on the American people that they very clearly don't want, that very clearly is going to hurt them in the long term.

And it really challenges, you know, the fabric of our democracy and our Constitution. I mean, you know, Mark, you mentioned, you know, previously about the different things that -- they're playing rope-a-dope and trying to, you know, change the topic from Afghanistan, but at the same time, what you watch what's consistent with all of this is, they're selectively challenging, you know, and suspending Americans liberties and freedoms, as Democrats and Democrats alone see fit, and serve their purpose.

And, you know, this -- you know, this bill is just the latest iteration of yet another thing where, you know the Democrats see the world the way they want to see it in the moment. And, you know, it's just -- you know, something that I hope that American people are starting to pay attention about just how dishonest the Democratic leadership in the White House, in the Senate, and in the House have been to the American people, and why all Americans should understand in light of, again, what we've seen just in the last eight months in how things have unraveled, and how this country is going to places that none of us ever imagined, and that that most of us still believe, you know, are un-American and don't represent, you know, the very best of our values, you know, will stand up, and that Members of Congress will stand up.

And the Democrats, who many who privately don't agree behind closed doors will openly come out and oppose it. And, you know, we shouldn't have to rely upon one person, Joe Manchin in West Virginia, or, you know -- this should be a more collaborative effort. And if it's not, then I hope the American people will pay attention. And as we approach 2022, it is our first and best opportunity to make sure that we never get to this place again, where we find America, where we've been humiliated on the world stage time and time again, just in a few short months, and we don't know, you know, what the remaining three years of this administration will bring.

But the best way to minimize that damage is to take away one of those levers of power or two of those levers of power in the next set of elections that come up next year. So, I hope Americans are paying attention.

And Mark, I appreciate the opportunity to come on and talk about these things and to give the perspective again, about you know, someone who has seen the Intelligence and can tell the American people, they're lying to you. They're not telling you the truth about what our Intelligence says on all of these issues, and they can't be trusted, and they shouldn't be trusted.

LEVIN: There it is, ladies and gentlemen, you heard it from an expert, a source, somebody who's actually seen all this information.

This election in these times are simple. It's about liberty and tyranny. The Democratic Party, in my view is embracing tyranny. They really have no mandate for any of this, but they want to force it through, they want to use the Constitution to undermine the Constitution and your liberty.

And John Ratcliffe, I want to thank you for your service, for your patriotism, and be well, my friend.

RATCLIFFE: You bet. Good to see you, Mark. Thanks.

LEVIN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEVIN: Welcome back, America. You know, when I was 20 years old, it's a long time ago, almost half a century now, I guess, my father and I had the great fortune of visiting Washington, D.C., and in particular, a United States Senator. His name was Paul Laxalt, from the State of Nevada.

Now, he had no reason to be with us. We were from Pennsylvania. But I was very concerned about the Panama Canal treaty because Jimmy Carter was about to give the Panama Canal away, which he eventually did.

And this senator was an extremely wise man and we sat with him and he spent 20 to 30 minutes with us, again, he is very busy, but he did anyway. And he was a confidante of Ronald Reagan's. He'd been Governor of Nevada over a period of time when Reagan had been Governor of California.

And we spoke for a bit, and one of the last things he said to me, before I left his office was, you know, Mark, every time Congress meets, the American people lose a little bit of their liberty. Every time Congress meets, the American people lose a little bit of their liberty.

And we went on to be lifelong friends. He passed away several years ago.

Ladies and gentlemen, every time Joe Biden signs an executive order, every time this Congress passes a statute, we're losing not a little bit of our liberty, but we're now losing a lot of our liberty.

Let me just remind you the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."

We are not subjects. We are we, the people, the citizens.

See you next time on LIFE, LIBERTY & LEVIN

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