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Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right

List Price: $34.95
Your Price: $23.07
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very enteraining sermon to the choir
Review: I laughed a lot while listening to this at work. Franken read's his work very well. This book is not intended to convert the fans of Franken's "liars". Its designed to make fun of them and amuse people who already have a pretty negative opinion of O'Reilly & company. And it really succeeds. If O'Reilly makes you mad and Ann Coulter freaks you out, you will find this book very amusing. Otherwise, well, I'd skip it because its going to annoy you.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Funny and thought-provoking, but more than a little creepy
Review: I laughed all the way through this book while enjoying what is all too often a rarely heard point of view on the short-comings of the American right. Franken knows how to raise issues, deflect criticism and make thought-provoking points.

Unfortunately, I was also left with the impression that the only thing bigger than the Bush Administration's string of failures is Franken's creepy ego. He writes without a trace of humility or, frequently, humanity. His relentless efforts to embarrass, harass or intimidate his political opponents serve only one purpose - to demonstrate (as if we needed another demonstration) that as a "star," Franken is not subject to normal standards of decency.

This is, of course, the right's chief indictment of Bill Clinton - that as a man who considered himself a rare talent, smarter and better than all the rest, he was simply above the ordinary laws of human interaction. So it is disturbing for someone like me, who wants more people to consider Franken's point of view, to see him follow the same deadly alienating path.

My advice: enjoy the book, but hope that Franken learns something from his son, who (as described in the Bob Jones University chapter) seems far less self-centered and ego-bloated, and, therefore, more able to connect with the non-stars among us.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced
Review: I laughed my tail off! Al Franken is a satirist. Too bad the right doesn't have any satirists, because we wouldn't have the rabid sheep who think nationalism is patriotism ranting in this world today.

People that post a review after having "flipped" through the book or not read it at all should be ashamed of bothering to post a review!

"Supply Side Jesus" was a terrific poke at 'religious' conservatives.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Brilliant Satire - Rigorous Scholarship
Review: I laughed on nearly every page of this rigorously argued book, written by a brilliant comedian with the help of a team of Harvard researchers. The extent to which the Right tells lies is beautifully documented. Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and other right wing hatchets are exposed for their shocking fabrications. After reading this book, you'll know why Fox News (one of its targets) tried to stop its publication.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hard facts in a candy coating of comedy
Review: I laughed so hard I cried. The chapters on Ann Coulter are hilarious! If you've been searching for the antidote to the ugly, narrow-minded, self-righteous bile of right-wing blowhards, this is for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Al, We Have Waited Too Long For This Book...
Review: I laughed so hard my sides hurt! And this isn't just about left vs. right. This book is about protecting the integrity of our public debate and discourse. Clean debate is, in fact, important to keep our democracy healthy. Political opponents should respect one another, not lie about each other. Those who lie in order to get power (Bush), money (Coulter) or self-aggrandizement (O'Reilly) get what they deserve in this book. Yes, Franken calls them names...but only to point out exactly what they do to get attention.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant
Review: I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me. Couldn't recommend it more highly. Al nails the blantant hypocrisy of the right and their various mouthpieces with fact-laden humor. It's one of the best books written this year.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If it worried FOX, it'll tickle you.
Review: I learned about this book because it attracted a hasty and baseless lawsuit from FOX News, who tried to claim ownership of the phrase "fair and balanced" used in the book's subtitle.

That's interesting because it shows how screwy FOX executives are, and because the little guy (Franken's not so tall) won out over the fat Goliath (FOX executives are typically overweight and aggressive, though not all as big, fat, or idiotic as Rush Limbaugh). But it also marks the biggest stride FOX has made towards fulfilling the "balanced" part of their motto:

Thanks to that arch-conservative, spin-rich, selective-coverage network that usually presents only the pig-headed narrow-vision clap-trap of the middle-right, I've been exposed to a scathing piece of liberal fun-poking.

Being part of that balancing act is worth the price of admission alone. Think about it: Franken had to write a book, and even be funny a few times, in order to stick a thorn in FOX's side. You can do it for only a few bucks, helping to drive up Franken's sales numbers, turning a lawsuit into a backfiring buzz, and getting some chuckles along the way.

Bravo, Al - and write that next one faster!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Book. I laughed and then I was disgusted
Review: I lent my book to a friend so I can't site the pages with the juiciest information, I wish I could. The entire book is well written and, more importantly, well researched and accurate. Don't be fooled by the reviews of less than 4 stars, those persons are trying to bring the rating down and haven't read the book.

"Big fat liars" to say the least of some of people Franken singles out in this book. From the bottom of my heart I am convinced that their crimes are far more sinister in the name of greed.

Read "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" by Greg Palast. He's found, with extremely thorough investigation, some really evil crimes committed by the Bush administration and their ilk. And you'll wonder why it's not reported or under-reported, read both books. The democrats are not left out of Palast's investigations (unlike Franken). I wonder, if given the opportunity, if the Democrats wouldn't just sell out too. When the current statistics say that 80% of college students would cheat if given the opportunity, it makes me wonder about humanity in general. Wonder is not the right word here, but the more I think about it I get really ill.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Gee, O'Reilly Lies sometimes? Shocker...
Review: I like Al Franken, I think he's pretty funny. His time at Saturday Night Live was during a Great era of the cyclically funny show (about 5 years on/5 years off, IMO.)

Having said that, if you've been paying ANY attention to non-partisan media (Roll Call) or the left-side of the Blogosphere (Conansan, MWO, Bartcop, too many others to mention) there's not much new here. But Franken might be the most entertaining summation of themes of which you should already be aware. Examples, Coulter names a book SLANDER and proceeds to slander and defame every liberal she names. Al Gore actually said he fought for legislation to fund research to enhance the internet, and never, as thousands of aired and published stories tell it, said he invented the internet. O'Reilly claimed to win a Peabody when he didn't and then lied about having said it. Yes indeed, many of the most popular right-wing media darlings have been caught in mistakes. But rather than correcting mistakes, Franken shows examples of those mistakes being either denied or defended so vehementally by their defenders they can only cross over into the word lies. If one continues to insist that what you say is true, even when it is proven to be absolutely untrue, then you are lying.

No real new ground here but he's still a funny guy. Easily the most entertaining re-hash the work of Alterman, Brock and others which is a good thing. If you struggled through "Big Lies" or "What Liberal Media" but their themes appeal to you, this is your book.

Finally, why on Earth would anyone review a book by suggesting that Franken's parents should have aborted him? What exactly does that add to political debate?


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