Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America By David McCormick (Center Street‚ 320 pages‚ $29) Can America bring itself back from the brink‚ or is it doomed to a cataclysmic end? It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Americans are asking themselves this question more and more; all they need to do is take a look at the Biden administration’s efforts to undermine America’s energy independence‚ its partnership with big tech to censor opposition‚ and its weak foreign policy performance against America’s adversaries. But one man believes that America’s decline‚ both at home and aboard‚ is not inevitable: David McCormick‚ 2024 Republican senatorial Republican candidate for Pennsylvania. (READ MORE: Pa. GOP Divided No More: McCormick Unanimously Endorsed for Senate) In his latest book‚ Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America‚ McCormick explains that the key to reversing America’s trajectory lies in a new strategy that seeks to reignite the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of the American people. This is because America’s decline is one not of certainty but of choice‚ and the same applies for America’s renewal. Saving America requires commitment to action‚ not just words. A Decisive History America is more than another nation in the world‚ McCormick asserts; rather‚ it’s one that transcends the echelons of human history. As he states: Our very founding achieved perhaps the greatest political revolution in human history. It reimagined how people could organize themselves for liberty and prosperity. Never before had a nation committed to a creed like ours. Never before had a nation constructed explicitly of‚ for‚ and by the people. With that same spirit‚ our forefathers continually‚ often too slowly‚ amended and expanded our founder’s vision. It drove the pioneers west‚ the astronauts to the heavens‚ and our nation to glory. According to McCormick‚ America and its leadership face a very similar position today as it once did in its darkest hour in the 1970s. The Nixon and Carter administrations failed in the 1970s due to their lack of visionary leadership‚ which sowed the seeds of America’s malaise. Nixon’s use of price and wage controls ultimately led to the skyrocketing of inflation‚ and it was Carter’s efforts at restructuring the government that projected an image of weakness and culminated in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Leadership without a clear vision ultimately leads to dismal outcomes and human deprivation‚ a lesson that America’s leaders must remember.  The Need for the Renewal Agenda McCormick doesn’t expect America’s political leaders to have the necessary visionary capacity to lead our nation out of its ditch; instead‚ he takes on the burden himself. “Global leadership in talent‚ technology‚ and data holds the key to renewal but is not guaranteed‚” he writes. “We are in a race for each. We have neglected our standing in these races‚ but with smart policy choices and focused leadership‚ we can lead all three.” Talent‚ the first pillar of McCormick’s three-part “Renewal Agenda‚” begins in the classroom. McCormick talks extensively about the decay of America’s educational system‚ brought on by leftist demagoguery and self-interested teachers unions‚ and how this decline is hindering America’s “human capital” and economic capacity. He argues that if America is to begin the process of renewal‚ then American leaders need to maximize and optimize our country’s “human capital” by restoring America’s educational institutions. For‚ as McCormick says‚“our people are our greatest strategic advantage.” McCormick next recognizes that America needs to to hold technological supremacy‚ an essential determinant of whether a nation will prosper or cease to exist. “America’s technological leadership‚” he explains‚ “is vital to our economic and national security‚” from cutting red tape for entrepreneurs in the energy sector to expanding market competition through tax incentives.  Lastly‚ McCormcik emphasizes that “[d]ata is at the center of global trade and global investment and now‚ more than ever‚ central to innovation.” America’s leaders must finally recognize data as critical to setting the trajectory for America’s renewal‚ and McCormick lays out a clear strategy on how to do so‚ one that holds to two fundamental principles: First‚ America must set clear domestic rules for the management and use of data‚ address China’s abuses of our open market‚ and confront the corrosive power of the keepers of most data‚ Big Tech. Second‚ we should take leadership over the digital age and build a trusted network‚ and international framework‚ that encourages free flow of data‚ protects privacy‚ and counter’s China’s techno-authoritarian vision. To understand the very nature of the Renewal Agenda is to appreciate the inspiration from the leader who himself inspired McCormick: President Ronald Reagan. “The Regan playbook for renewal was guided by certain timeless principles‚” McCormick writes. “Chief among them were the belief that America’s strength comes from its people‚ the faith in America’s potential‚ an understanding that America’s economic might and military strength are the vital foundation for international leadership‚ and the recognition that American leadership abroad makes our nation stronger at home.” It is Reagan’s visionary leadership‚ McCormick believes‚ that demonstrates American renewal is‚ can and will be a reality.  The Way Forward Readers‚ by this point‚ are likely asking the essential question: How do we ensure that this agenda is enacted? McCormick distills his answer into three concise points: we must confront China and secure itself both economically and militarily; we must revive our institutions from their decayed state‚ including our military‚ educational system‚ and government; and we must restore to all levels of government a principled leadership with individuals who will embrace the very values that make our country exceptional. With this beginning‚ America can begin its great restoration. While McCormick’s vision is deeply appealing‚ his policy recommendations at times may leave readers confused. The profound dilemma that McCormick himself recognizes is his push for cooperation between the private sector and federal government. McCormick is quick to emphasize that he is deeply critical of economic cronyism‚ but he argues that the government should assist in areas that are deemed vital for U.S. economic and national security interests. He recognizes that this aspect of his plan strikes against conventional free-market practice‚ which he attempts to justify by stating that such a relationship should prioritize private enterprise over government. But the question remains: Is it possible to avoid cronyism with a negligible degree of government assistance‚ or does avoidance necessitate a fundamental break between the two? The dilemma in which McCormick finds himself reveals the hole in his Renewal Agenda; it may be the stone that‚ for some‚ overturns the whole plan. Despite this weakness‚ McCormick provides an inspiring and hopeful account of America’s potential‚ drawing from his personal testimony to illustrate the resilient leadership to which other conservatives should aspire. From his service in the Persian Gulf War to his time in the Bush administration‚ McCormick learned that the key to leading successfully requires a synthesis between demonstrating resilience and building a clear vision of the future. Superpower in Peril reminds readers that America is worth fighting for; and it is the very resilient nature of Americans that McCormick believes will set the nation on the road to renewal. The post David McCormick: Saving America From the Brink appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.