Rating: 
Summary: Right Wingers hung with their own words
Review: There is nothing better than seeing right-wingers lies exposed with facts and humor. I have seen and heard many criticisms of this book, and the vast majority of them are BS. For instance, I heard on local radio that Al had hidden the fact that 14 Harvard students helped research the book. It was obvious that none of the people on the air had read the book, because he states this up front and has a bio of every 'Team Franken' member at the end. Another said that if you are concerned with which side lies more, you probably aren't interested in the truth. Well, it matters to me and everyone I've talked to about this, and the Right lies more than the left. A lot more. For every Michael Moore there is a squad of Coulters, O'Reillys, Limbaughs, Hannitys, Bernard Goldbergs, etc.This book is a breath of much needed fresh air.
Rating:
Summary: Freedom fighter Franken is the dirge of braindead dittoheads
Review: There is really no contest. Those who profess to believe the shills on the right, exemplified by the main target of Mr. Franken, Shill O'Reilly, are either extremely naive (to be polite), or are in on the lie and every bit as vile and culpable as the propagandists who perpetrate the lies. If you are part of the rational majority who simply wants to know the facts from which one can formulate the truth, then this book is definitely for you. Read, laugh, then go and check out Al's claims for yourself! This is what the rat wingnuts fear the most - people who won't sit on their couches driveling in a stupor and unquestioningly believing everything that media morons from the major media outlets tells them. America is being lied to by both the Bush Regime and the media propagandists that perpetrate and enable the lies. Don't believe me, and don't believe THEM. Believe instead what you can verify yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny but Flawed
Review: There is some hilarious material and some astute criticism of the right in this audiobook. Franken is right on target when he reveals the dubious research methods of Coulter, Hannity and other right wing commentators, and there are laugh out loud humor pieces: 'Supply Side Jesus' and a Helen Hunt/Queen Latifah playlet on the GOP tax cut program are two of several. With such rich material, why only 3 stars? The audiobook periodically descends to sophomoric, tedious and unfunny pieces such as an attempt to 'expose' the folks at Bob Jones University (Bob Jones U comes off better than Franken) and the same kind of shrill hyperbole that Franken deplores on the right.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, what a tangled web we weave.....
Review: There is very little to recommend this book. Being factually challengened and intellectually free, this is nothing more than the same old regurgitated material which is repeated (in one form or another) by liberal after liberal after liberal in the hope that some poor slob might actually buy into it. Liberals, you are in deep trouble if this is the best and brightest that you have to offer. Read this book in the restroom....you never know when you might run short of Charmin.
Rating: 
Summary: Not necessarily required reading, but still enlightening
Review: There isn't much to add to the other reviews on here, although I should mention that there is some pretty good non-partisan humor in this book as well (such as mentioning Dennis Rodman and John Updike in the same sentence -- you'll see what I mean). After reading this you will basically have to either call Al Franken an all-out liar (in which case I suggest you kindly double-check his facts before doing so), or leave with a very unsettling view of just what kinds of people O'Reilly, Hannity, GW, et al. really are. Likewise with the Wellstone chapter. Franken gives new insight into where all those half-baked headlines (such as CNN.com's awful "Memorial Service turns into Political Rally") came from, and you'll wonder just what exactly the "liberal media" was actually reporting that night. I'm a little disappointed that there are so few (if any) negative reviews on here that seem very well thought-out (or even worse, not written in ALL CAPS). For every point there is generally going to be a very reasonable counterpoint that is at least worth considering, and Franken should by no means be assumed to be infallible. It's just too bad that his opponents haven't done much better so far than resort to broad-stroked cheap shots without offering any backing for what they are saying.
Rating:
Summary: A Limerick
Review: There once was a guy named Al,
Who couldn't score with a gal,
With a book for the masses,
He fogged up his glasses,
While smooching his teenage pal.
Rating:
Summary: IF YOU READ THIS BOOK, I WON'T TAKE YOUR GUNS!
Review: There seem to be a lot of knee-jerk reactions to nearly everything that is said about politics, the economy, the war(s), the environment, and the personalities of our leaders. Too bad that so few people are carefully assessing what is true or false about these statements. And too bad that so few people have a clue about WHY they have knee-jerk reactions. I suspect that it's largely because of one or two deeply ingrained prejudices or notions: if it seems as if anyone is opposed to "our thing" (be it "equal opportunity" or "right to life" or "right to choose" or our "God-given right to carry a hidden assault weapon" or whatever), we just freak out and want that person silenced some way. Why do so-called blue-collar people support Repubicans? Probably because they don't notice they're getting financially screwed (or don't care as much about that) as long as (a) "people of color" are screwed even worse and (b) nobody takes away their guns (or their "right" to pray in school). Why do they NOT support Democrats? Probably because the term "Liberal" is krazy-glued onto them by the GOP, and THAT is code for (a) people who give equal treatment to African Americans and Hispanics, etc., and (b) people who are going to support gun control (or oppose prayer in school). (BUT WAIT: even Ronald Reagan supported gun control after he left office, and don't blame it just on "old-timer's disease.") So--I'm from Long Island (born here, left, served in the army, worked in Kansas, and came back 27 years ago). It's the place where Bill O'Reilly CLAIMS he was born in a blue-collar town. That is ONE of his lies, and one that Franken documents in humorous fashion. O'Reilly's silver-spoon background is clearly laid out for us--as are other shady aspects of this pundit's life and doings. O'Reilly is just one of many who are exposed as liars by Franken and his "team" of young researchers--who will probably be black-balled for life by the big businesses who fill the GOP's coffers with soft money for favors ("the finest legislation money can buy"). Too me, the biggest eye-opener is how the WALL STREET JOURNAL's editorial page is full of self-serving lies. I'd always thought they were a reliable paper, albeit one that fosters greed by focusing people's attention on their stock portfolios. (Anyone else besides me believe that the reason stock values went UP last month is because of costs being cut--by cutting jobs? Who is responsible? The Clintons?) Franken, among much else, points out a lot of eye-opening stuff about income and what kinds have been taxed and what kinds have not. A lot of it was news to me. Dare to find out? One of the saddest and most moving chapters in Franken's book is how the so-called Right ganged up and lied about the tribute to Paul Wellstone. If you think Franken is merely about laughs, try THIS chapter. AND try reading or viewing his sources. Ultimately, this is a very useful book to "the choir." They can feel pleased that somebody besides Michael Moore is paying attention and getting the word out about the ways America is being sold out from within while the public sleeps. It is, sadly, not a useful book for convincing anyone who isn't already a believer. Witness the many one-star "reviews" on this website: clearly they have (a) not bought the book and (b) not read anyone else's copy. They have just gone nuts and logged on to dis it 'cause they think it's a danger to their way of thinking. And they are right--it is. But NOT in the way they fear. It might just O-P-E-N their eyes, their minds, and (dear me) their hearts to something new. And for people who shut down these three things at age 12 (when they were convinced they knew everything worth knowing), that IS pretty scary. Let me issue a challenge to one or two of the One-Stars: look up Franken's sources and write a refutation of what you find. That, when I see it, will open up MY eyes and mind and heart, and I will welcome you to THINKING PERSON LAND. Sound too snobbish? I'll welcome you to the human race, for you will have left the slime and evolved. Too darwinian? Then I'll (figuratively) give you a friendly slap on the back and will (figuratively) buy you a beer. AND I WON'T TAKE YOUR GUNS AWAY FROM YOU IF YOU DO READ READ FRANKEN'S BOOK. I PROMISE.
Rating:
Summary: Actually, this is a serious book
Review: There was a gigantic flap over this book, and the catchy in-your-face title makes it sound trivial. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. The book is funny, but in a serious way. Between jokes and funny stories, Franken meticulously documents untruths that have been put forward as fact by politicians and pundits. Along the way he makes a distinction between mistakes and lies -- mistakes are withdrawn, corrected and not repeated. He documents that in many cases lies are repeated louder the second time. As a democratic society, we depend on the press and our representatives to help us make good choices based on the facts. It is reasonable for us to hold political commentators to a standard -- it's fine to have a viewpoint and express it, but not to support that viewpoint with falsehoods. Hopefully, this book will help make the targeted pundits more careful with the facts, and more apt to acknowledge their mistakes rather than turning them into lies. A reasonable criticism of this book is that he only takes aim at the pundits of the right. Have pundits of the left been similarly loose with the truth? The job of exposing them is left to an author with different motives.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Content, Inconsistent Pace
Review: There's no doubt that Mr. Franken knows politics and policy, and he is, throughout much of this book, funny and cut-throat, laying bare the lie-machine that the right-wing press is. One complaint, however: His pacing. He starts out well, mauling the losers who really deserve it: Coulter, O'Reilly, Hannity, Colmes. But then he seems to get off track, going off on a long tangent about tricking Bob Jones University or whatever. A good book, fun read, but only about the first 2/3.
Rating:
Summary: Genuinely Sharp and Funny
Review: There's not a lot of genuinely funny stuff in our media today. Our humor has been kind of dumbed down and a lot of it now is just shock humor or sex humor without any wit. Don't get me wrong: I'm not offended by potty/baudy humor; I'm just bored by it if it doesn't have wit. Having said that, Franken's book is a genuinely funny book. It's got sharp political commentary, but this book is worth reading for its humor value alone. If you like The Simpsons or The Daily Show, then you'll enjoy this book. Even die-hard Republicans out there should get a kick out of this book if they like the brand of sharp, witty humor I'm talking about. I enthusiastically recommend this book.
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