Rating: 
Summary: Al Franken - Moron
Review: Boy, I have to say, the level Liberal Democrats have bottomed out at is one of the most gratifing and gripping black comidies I have ever had to pleasure of seeing. Thank you Al for doing such a brilliant job of leading the mindless sheep that have praised your book over the clif! You have thoroughly proved the point, that members of the Democratic party would rather be lead by morons from Hollywood rather than real leaders that are capable of making real SERIOUS decisions. You keep it right up Al! I just love watching you fools squirm, moan and groan so ineffectually!
Rating: 
Summary: Real research, real facts, real refreshing
Review: Bravo Team Franken! Al Franken and a team of 15 brilliant researchers have done what no other political commentator has done before: Given us FACTS on the veracity of claims made by some of America's most famous political commentators. Whether you are conservative or liberal or in-between, you will want to know how certain famous and influential persons have distorted the truth to trick you into agreeing with them. It is an American sickness which is making America a pathetic place to live if you love the Truth, or if you think that old-fashioned values like Love and Honor mean anything. Bravo to Al Franken and his researchers for shedding light on a cancer in American politics.
Rating:
Summary: WICKEDLY BRAVE, BRAVELY WICKED
Review: Bravo, Al. Parody and satire remain, despite the best efforts of some, to be the cornerstone of intelligent free speech as well as a badge of courage for those who choose to speak most loudly in difficult times. Not for the politically faint of heart, idiots or anyone who cannot bear to consider another individual's opinion. Al's writing unique style coupled with biting presentation serve up an excellent picture of the Right Wing media "stars" of the day. By kicking off with the statement that God told him to write this book, Al is unrelenting in his framing of the most modern of conservative lies from the 2000 election, the truth behind the latest war and on to the ranting and raving of Annie "Get Your Gun" Coulter and destroys their rhetoric with a novel idea - facts. If all you know about the Right is what you see on TV, be prepared for a surprise within these pages. Thankfully, Al Franken is sticking around and has taken to heart Plato's words - "Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber."
Thanks again Al
Rating:
Summary: a guilty pleasure
Review: Brilliant. Well researched. Wickedly funny. The only problem with this book is that the people who could benefit from it the most -- i.e., people who get their news from Rush Limbaugh and Fox News -- will never read it.
Rating:
Summary: GOP-pers tell whoppers.
Review: BUSH IS MY SHEPHERDBush is my shepherd, I shall be in want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories,
He maketh me to lie down on park benches,
He restoreth my doubts about the Republican party.
He guideth me onto the paths of unemployment for the party's sake.
I do fear the evildoers, for thou talk'st about them constantly.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy deficit spending,
They do discomfort me.
Thou anointeth me with never-ending debt,
And my savings and assets shall soon be gone.
Surely poverty and hard living shall follow me,
And my jobless children shall dwell in my basement forever.
Rating: 
Summary: Fair, certainly
Review: but even with his boldfaced approach it could have been harsher in its criticism. Franken writes with great zest, describes his research methodology in great detail, but it remains to be seen how much of his story is really true. Let's hope all of it is. Thank god for "free" speech and press. This book is a must read for every Rush Limbaugh fan and then some. It's time the 'right' wake up in this country and show some real "compassionate" conservatism. Spreading lies, covering up the truth and what not is no way to win over the "liberals" to their cause. Besides, I think Al Franken encourages everyone (if you read between the lines) that it's about time we define the word 'liberal,' and that born-again Christians in this country start showing some respect for their fellow citizens' rights and opinions if they want to preserve their (already very weak) credibility. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this latest Al Franken book, and I would have given it five stars if it weren't for one of the chapters that appears to be more fill than anything else.
Rating:
Summary: Poor conservative phonies. It was only a matter of time!
Review: But it feels good to finally see the "moral majority" (which is neither moral, nor the majority) called out for years of lies and hypocrisy. Al does a great job exposing the tactics and thinking processes behind lazy boy patriots, chickenhawk leaders, or the otherwise foul people who have made themselves wealthy and influential by associating with the political right. All these one star ratings and rabid hate reviews pretty much reaffirm the fact that this book has hit its target dead bullseye. Now if any of you conservatives could stomach your own bad karma enough to ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK you're reviewing, that would be something.
Rating:
Summary: Al Franken, watchdog!
Review: BUY THIS BOOK! GIVE THIS BOOK TO YOUR FRIENDS! FORCE THIS BOOK ON YOUR FAMILY! Satire or not, Franken's punch lines are hard hitting, well researched and, well, factual (meaning not lies). It time to open our ears and not just listen to the lies that are being perpetuated, its time to actually hear the truth (or lack there of) and Al Franken makes a fair attempt to present to the reader exactly that, the truth. I purchased this book last Friday night and just finished this Sunday morning. It has me hyped and energized and I want to discuss and debate. Thank you, Al!
With the assistance of a Harvard research team of fourteen students, Al dutifully presents sources and notes, footnotes and references to ensure that facts are being presented to the reader. Do not let Al's reputation as comedian leave you thinking this book is a fluff piece. It's as serious as you can get when you make accusations against our White House and the conservative media for being the lying liars they are. Sure, there are laughs, there is parody and satire, but its what makes this bitter pill go down so smooth. Even if you are conservative, a loyal GOP member or just an avid watcher of Fox news, you owe it to yourself to examine the side of the story you haven't been exposed to. This book will do just that, and in the process you may be able to start asking the hard questions and seek out the truth that isn't being presented by our President, his staff and their loyalists in the mainstream media. You owe it to yourself! Go to your library or local bookstore and look through the book. Read pages 132 - 141, Chapter 19, Who Created the Tone? An easy read in five to ten minutes. It will leave you wanting more. It did for me.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, Thank you Al Franken
Review: Buy this book!! I have had it for 24 hours, and am almost finished. You cannot put it down. Finally, what we have all suspected is being factually confirmed. This book will give you hope again!!!
Rating:
Summary: The antidote for the deceptions of O'Reilly & Coulter
Review: Buy this book!!! With great humor and aplomb, Al Franken explains some of the many lies told by right wingers such as bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and the whole Faux News crowd. It even documents them with actual footnotes! Yeah, I know what you're gonna say -- Anne Coulter averages over 800 footnotes per book. Bzzzt, wrong! Coulter uses endnotes. What's the difference? Franken shows how it's easier to lie with endnotes, and documents the six ways Coulter lies with them. For example, Coulter spends a paragraph discussing a New York Times editorial about Clarence Thomas called "The Youngest, Cruelest Justice." In the paragraph, Coulter says 'Thomas is not engaged on the substance of his judicial philosophy. He is called ... "chicken-and-biscuit-eating Uncle Tom,"[39] ... "Benedict Arnold"[40] and "Judas Iscariot."[41]' The bracketed numbers are Coulter's endnote numbers. Here's Franken's commentary: Okay. What percentage of Coulter's readers do you suppose read this and thought, "My God! The New York Times called Clarence Thomas a 'chicken-and-biscuit-eating Uncle Tom'! I knew the Times was bad, but I never dreamed it was this bad!"? High nineties? And what percentage do you think ever bothered to go to the back of her book and wade through the endnotes to discover that the quote came from a playboy interview with former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders and from a black leader at a meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference wh was quoted in the New Yorker. In spite of all these facts, the book is riotously funny! Here's how chapter 19 (of 43 chapters), titled 'Who Created the Tone' begins: "Scumbag," "sociopath," "perpetual preener," "rapist," "unserious," "craven miscreant."(1) Sound like anyone you know? I mean, besides Steven Seagal?(2) Actually, it was the forty-second president of the United States, Bill Clinton, who was called all of these things. In my day, we never used such language to describe the President, unless he was a real a$%#ole like Nixon.
(1) [in a footnote at the bottom of the page, Franken give the citations for all these quotes; all were in Washington Post or Times.]
(2) Just kidding. I have never heard of Steven Seagal being referred to as a "rapist," or a "sociopath." Or "unserious." Chapter 29, 'Operation Chickenhawk' makes great fun of the excuses given by various Bush administration biggies for avoiding the draft (e.g. Cheney: "had other priorities"). In chapters 33 and 34, (Abstinence Heroes I & II) Franken writes to a bunch of Bush admin biggies soliciting "personal stories of abstinance heroes for our nation's young people to emulate." Short, but extremely funny. I bought this book (from a local bookstore -- I wanted to be sure I had a first impression), and I've found it amusing, enlightening, and informative. But perhaps I'm biased. At least I'm willing to admit it!
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