Rating: 
Summary: Critics should try actually reading this book
Review: I found this book both informative and entertaining. However, even more telling are the 1 star reviews people give the book. Many of them showed absolutely no signs of having read the book itself. One even directs you to a website with a "liberal bias" that, surprise, refutes points in a liberal book. Boy, that must mean even the liberals dont trust Mr. Franken. What that reviewer fails to point out is that the website itself doesnt refute the book, but a conservative, who was invited by the website, did. And his points, we re-refuted.
The person who made this review is a perfect example of the type of thing Mr Franken talks about in his book. He shows specific examples of the right wing miss-representing the truth. He exposes a great number of lies, with factual information (a number of reviews simply say he uses no facts, which is another lie. Again, an example of the very thing Franken points out)So why 4 stars instead of 5? I think that Franken does get just a little bit to venemous at times, which I disagree with. A story about how major figures in the right wing might have acted in the vietnam war was just silly (The Supply-Side Jesus, and the One Act Play, however, had some value). IF you are going to review this book in a negative light, please try to do so without doing the exact things Franken points out in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Better have a strong stomach to take this book...
Review: I found this book to be a little too droning for my taste. I liked Al's book on Rush Limbaugh. And the first few chapters of this book concerning Fox News and Bill O'Reilly are enjoyable, but the later 2/3 of the book are just hard to read. Al's shrill anti-conservative rant comes across as anything but fair and balanced. Liberal inaccuracies and falsehoods are downplayed as everyone is human and can make mistakes, and who could remember those arcane statistics anyway. While any minor mis-quote or inaccuracy on the part of a conservative is labelled as a LIE and a calculated campaign to discredit the left and deceive the American public. I find it very hard to believe that every Democrat and every liberal is pure and altruistic while every Republican and conservative are an evil horde bent on the total destruction of mankind. Give me a break. There are very few books that I put down and never finish. This was one of them.
Rating: 
Summary: Eye opening for moderate republicans???
Review: I found this book to be very informative. It filled in several gaps that I could not understand before. Not sure I can call myself anything else but a "moderate republican". I think this book is going to piss off several far right people. Surprise?? I recommend this book for those not in the extreme wing. Just dig into it without any judgement. Al...you can't change my stand but you did open my eyes on several issues. Your points are well-taken.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing To See Some Truth in Truth!
Review: I found this book very refreshing to see a non-politician write a book that explains things to a common person and puts you in stitches as well. If you want to read a book that doesn't check out the facts or the rough draft might have been written in crayons, please by all means read "The Freedom Ring" by Sean Hannity. I hope you catch my sarcasm in this. Pick up the book and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: I challenge the right to prove any of this book wrong!
Review: I found this to be an extremely funny book at times, obnoxious at times, even a bit mean-spirited at times, but never more so than the right-wing zealots he is railing against. And they're never funny - one wonders if they are filled with so much hate they're no room left for a funny bone... The best thing about this book is that you KNOW Franken is telling the truth. Massive research by 14 Harvard graduate students (despite their politics, at least you have to admit they've got to be pretty smart to be there), backed up by numerous citations which document every lie Franken points out go a long way to convincing those of us who PAY ATTENTION to what's going on in the world that our suspicions as to the lack of honesty in the Bush administration and on Fox News are backed up by the facts. Seeing such a massive conspiracy of lies by the right wing and our senior elected government officials, backed up by so much damning evidence, I can forgive Franken for occasionally being a bit obnoxious and mean. At least his comments are simply a retelling of the facts, don't mind that man behind the curtain trying to tell you otherwise - words on a page. What he is complaining about is a concentrated effort to shift taxes from the mega-rich to the middle-class, eliminating services to the poor in the process, and converting our country from a nation others admire to one they fear and despise. This is not the America I grew up in, it is not the America I want to live in, and it is not the America I want to leave to my children. He is pointing out things which are being done to this country by far-right very rich conservatives (in the name of middle-right, well-off conservatives and the religious right) which significantly affect us and our children for the worse. I think these details need to get out. The right wing doesn't want anybody to know these facts, and you can see their attempts to stop such knowledge even in the mean comments with a 1 star rating they're using to try and damage the credibility of this book. Use your head - books don't vary from being excellent to terrible depending on the reader. This is a good book, which those on the right will strongly disagree with. Well, the truth hurts, doesn't it. Doesn't make this a bad book, however. I strongly urge all of those reading this book to also download Paul Krugman's excellent article on the how the Bush administration has conned us on the Tax issue, which can be found at the New York Times with the following details: September 14, 2003
The Tax-Cut Con
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Rating:
Summary: Why I gave this book 5 stars
Review: I gave this book 5 stars because I couldn't put it down. Al Franken does a careful step by step analysis of some of the right wing material we are all exposed to, and exposes the half-truths, distortions, and outright lies. He presents facts to support his allegations. You can draw your own conclusions. I'm sure the people included in this book don't like the fact that Franken uses their own words to demonstrate how some conservatives play fast and loose with the truth, but that doesn't make Franken vicious or hateful. It just means he's paying more attention than the rest of us.
Rating:
Summary: A halarious look at the lies with which we are barraged.
Review: I generally avoid books like this for being boring, untrue, or full of exaggerations. Franken covers his claims with excellent research from "Team Franken" and writes with halarious sardonic humor, keeping the reader entertained throughout the book. This is a book I will pass around to all my friends. Great job, Al!! If only little Tommy Friedman could write like this!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Conservative who likes it!
Review: I generally consider myself a conservative, which makes me an unlikely reader of this book. However, watching Franken blast Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly -- the heirs to Mort Downey Jr. -- I must say I loved this book. Coulter and O'Reilly are nothing more than shock jocks who have somehow managed to be taken seriously by the mainstream media. For the most part, their lies are well-documented and Franken had my rolling in my chair. I was not fond of the Bob Jones set-up, which did nothing but prove that Franken is not below lying and distorting for a cheap (and unfunny) laugh. The abstenience letter was incredibly stupid, regardless if Franken put it on a Knights of Columbus letterhead. However, the book is worth reading just for his chapter on the Paul Wellstone memorial. At the time, I was appalled by the politicization of the memorial for a Senator who I disagreed with, but ultimately respected. Franken makes a persuasive case that what was said at the memorial was taken out context and distorted by Republicans. I would recommend buying the book and a few grains of salt.
Rating: 
Summary: So how can we make the most of this information?
Review: I give Al Franken credit for courageously speaking his mind. Let's assume that what he has written is without prejudice (an assumption many would disagree with), then how can we make the best of this information? As I see it, the only reason to express negativity is to find the best solution to resolve the issues at hand.
Rating:
Summary: listen to it!
Review: I got Al Frakens book on CD and listened to Al read aloud. It was so great! I love Al and had the best time driving around from work and back laughing and crying my head off.
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