What can a former high-level progressive and founder of the New Left expose about American politics today? According to David Horowitz, a lot.

In his newest book, “The Black Book of the American Left,” Horowitz explains how the communists of the 1960s were unable to transform America because they were too honest about their intentions.

At a Heritage event this week, Horowitz said the battle cry of the 1960s was, “We want a revolution, and we want it now.”

“That’s what we said, and that was actually very decent of us because it warned people of what we were about,” he said. “That’s one big reason why the ’60s failed in the ’60s and [why it] has succeeded in the last decade in taking power in this country.”

Horowitz argued that Obamacare is one example of the long-term progressive plot to transform  America. “You say you want to cover health insurance. The true agenda is to create … a single-payer [system].”

“These are very, very dark days for this country,” Horowitz said. Yet, he concluded with a touch of optimism: “There’s been an earthquake on the conservative side since I switched sides … the Tea Party is the earthquake.”

Horowitz is the president of the David Horowitz Freedom Center and founder of the online news magazine Frontpage Mag. He’s the author of numerous books.

Heritage hosted Horowitz on November 12. His speech and question-and-answer session run about 70 minutes.