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

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Summary: Another great read from Mr. Franken
Review: First off, being the moderate that I am, I started this book with a completely open-mind and an eye for criticism. I wanted to see some verifiable facts and proof of the so-called "Liars" and the "Lies" that he claims come from the conservative-viewed talk-show and TV hosts that seem to be so dominant in American media today. I DID NOT want to see a book of conservative-bashing rhetoric, full of unresearchable and unverifiable opinion and conjecture---those kind of books are boring and repetitous---like the liberal-bashing Sean Hannity book, Let Freedom Ring. Well, I was not disappointed at all. With the exception of a few excerpts that were rather harsh and could be construed as "unverifiable opinion" of someone or an actual event (and usually Mr. Franken would note this), this book was thoroughly researched and referenced. I took pains to actually verify a few of his facts, just to be sure. I also spent time going over reviews from "critics" of this book and found only a handful of criticisms, mostly made up of getting mad at Mr. Franken and calling him meaningless bad names, but no real factual rebuttals or anything of substance. I don't listen to people who get mad and name-call because they disagree. Give me the facts and back up your claims! Mr. Franken does just that and I highly recommend this book to people who aren't afraid to hear the facts and not just meaningless drivel from someone who thinks that same as they do. If you are a Dittohead or "Hannitized", just look elsewhere--you won't find the "Republicans can do no wrong", factless (not based on fact), liberal-bashing, unsubstantiated and opinionated talk you are looking for. Try Sean Hannity or Ann Coulter---then you can feel safe and happy.

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Summary: In response to 0 star reviews...
Review: First off, I'm giving this book 5 stars, not because I think it necessarily earns all of them (I'd give it 4 stars, normally), but just to offset some of those people who don't actually write a review about a book, instead choosing to make themselves sound like third graders by calling names, and insisting on what a "liar" Mr. Franken is, just for being a liberal.

Yes, this book definitely holds some left-wing bias, BUT it is absolutely infinitessimal in comparison to the type of bias that Rush Limbaugh, or Bill O'Reilly show on a daily basis. Usually, Mr. Franken's bias only extends to being overly nitpicky about a few small things that some of these conservatives have wrong. He doesn't blow them out of proportion, but gives them a little more space in the book than they're worth. Besides, even WITH any sort of bias, he actually gives a reason for his beliefs, and backs it up with factual data to show you how he came to his conclusions.

If the messenger is biased, at least the message isn't.

Also, please, if you're going to write a review about a book, try showing that you've read it instead of just throwing around insults at the author without pointing to any examples as to why you feel the way you do.

Rating:
Summary: Politics as bad comedy
Review: First off, I'm not American, do not live in the United States, and have only the most passing knowledge of the media figures Franken writes about. I picked up this book out of curiosity. I thought it would be 'different' to read about national politics from the point of view of a comedian, something that's not so common where I come from.

On the whole, it's not my brand of humor (indeed, I found parts of it painfully unfunny) and as an introduction to America's larger-than-life TV commentators and to various politicians' fabrications, it just falls short - most of the time, the author just replaces bias with bias. His excessive, semi-malicious glee irritates me as well. I found the anecdote about Bill O'Reilly making a fool of himself after he's found out that Franken wants to include a photo of a blotchy-faced O'Reilly on this book's cover, unfunny and over-the-top. The general tone is just too irritatingly triumphant without being able to carry that off through great humor.

By the way, Mr Franken: The word "media" is plural. Therefore, the media ARE biased, the media HAVE a right-wing slant, the media DO not like being wrong. Since you made the media the focus of your book, you could at least have bothered to get that right.

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Summary: A welcome tonic for an unabashed liberal
Review: First off, keep in mind that when Al Franken says "fair and balanced" that he's a comedian. I think most if not all of what he writes about is accurate but he does do some nitpicking. Having said that, though, this book is hilarious and merciless at the same time. If you're tired of hearing and seeing arch conservatives complain all the time about the media, blissfully ignoring the fact that they're part of the media, all the while ignoring the truth and making up "facts" as they go along then this is the book for you.

Franken skewers Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and their boss Rupert Murdoch and that's just in the first third of the book. He does it deftly using their own words against them framed within his own wise-guy voice. A lot of research went into this book and he backs up the statements he makes, which must make conservatives furious.

When did being a liberal become a bad thing? I don't know but it's about time we, and I'm proud to say I'm a liberal, start fighting back and this is a funny step in the right, I mean the correct, direction. Enjoy!

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Summary: Laugh out loud funny exposure of right-wing hypocrisy
Review: First off, much of this book is roll on the floor funny. Very rarely do I read laugh-out-loud funny books. I am very happy to add this book to the list.

As I read this book, I kept turning back to copyright page in shock. I could not believe that it was printed in September 2003. Fact after fact that were just shockingly "uncovered" during the 9/11 hearings were right there in plain sight, months before the mainstream media picked up on them up during Condi Rice's infamous public testimony before the 9/11 committee. On page 120 and 162, Franken goes into deep detail about the now infamous Aug. 6, 2001 PDB, even including the title: "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S."

The day of Condi Rice's testimony, Chris Matthews of "Hardball" (who I like and respect) went on and on about how he had never heard of this PDB and how shocking it was. I thought the exact same thing until now, a few weeks later, and low and behold Franken had it right there in plain sight months ago. (Come on Chris! Expand your reading list a little bit!)

What is equally fascinating is how he exposes the lies and distortions of people like Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter and O'Reilly. It is almost like these far-right conservations refuse to think about what they are saying. And then when their statements are proved wrong, they get all defensive and go back to the tried and true response of blaming everything on Bill Clinton.

Al Franken's 14 person "research staff ", all of them students, deserves accolades and hopefully a cut from the profits of this book by doing miraculous research in meticulously exposing these lies and distortions.

One can only come away from this book with the impression that the "hate America first" crowd is really the Limbaughs, Coulters, O'Reillys and Hannitys of the world. These types are sick twisted people who have lost their moral compass and have begun to believe their own lies. The hypocrisy of their public statements is most disturbing. While it was perfectly acceptable for them to fling hate at the previous administration, anyone saying virtually the exact same things about GW is suddenly "unpatriotic" and a "traitor." This is pure hypocrisy.

Now a personal request to Al Franken. Please, please start ghost-writing speeches for John Kerry. It is imperative he get elected and your incredible wit and insight might turn the tide. Talk to him! Coach him! I beg of you do this for America.

Now a few negatives about the book. Not every section is funny or appropriate. I thought the extended chickenhawks fighting in Vietnam wasn't that funny and it went on too long. The book would have just as good without this section.

Besides that, kudos to Al Franken for writing a courageous and funny book.

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Summary: Who is this www.frankenlies.com guy?
Review: First off, the book is terrific.

But the big question is who is this guy from Kentucky who writes almost the same negative review EVERY DAY, and tells you to go to his web site?

If you're looking for a prime example of right-wing dirty tricks, look no further than this guy who's working to lower the overall rating. Get a life!

Come on, amazon.com...is this fair?

Rating:
Summary: Funny and entertaining respite from AM radio...
Review: First off, this is not a serious discussion of liberal politics and thought. Lies and The Lying Liars Who Tell Them is what you might call a guilty pleasure. It's a humorous respite for any centrist or liberal who has gotten tired of turning on their TV or radio and being subjected to self-aggrandizing ego-maniacs hysterically spit out spiteful, bitter, unsubstantiated invective in their direction. Franken's primary goal is not to convince the reader that Democrats are correct, but rather to defend the reader, as well as the majority of Americans, from the vitriol (including accusations of conspiracy and treason, taken nearly verbatim from the Cold War era HUAC) routinely directed at them from hard-right-wing agitators who pose as journalists and commentators. He uses a team of Harvard researchers to document how men like Hannity and Limbaugh, who have no journalistic education or experience, have made million-dollar careers out of polarizing American politics by pandering to gullible people with specious arguments, systematic deception, and blatant intellectual dishonesty. The book is filled with examples of how these pundits lie about everything from their political party affiliation to their age, how they filter news by telling their audience only what they want to hear, and how they will not hesitate to bend, distort, or invent facts to support their arguments. Coulter, in particular, is so far out of the solar system that Franken has a difficult time choosing which examples to use.

The second half of the book discusses the broader phenomena of right-wing news, demonstrating how organizations like Fox News, The Washington Times, and The New York Post decry what they perceive to be a liberal bias in the media, while making absolutely no effort to be fair and balanced themselves. Franken details how men like Wesley Pruden and Roger Ailes routinely violate journalistic ethics in an effort to slant news in a conservative direction. Pruden, for instance, has an admitted habit of inserting politically-motivated contents into stories and columns in his newspaper without even consulting the authors. Such unethical actions are almost unthinkable at a mainstream newspaper; at the Washington Times, they're common practice. Franken also shows how conservative partisans use the right-wing press "echo chamber" to force questionable and unsubstantiated stories, especially Republican talking points and scandals, into the mainstream news media. There is one emotional part in particular where Franken drops his humorous tone entirely and details how pundits such as Tucker Carlson and Peggy Noonan worked overtime to wildly misrepresent the funeral of his good friend Paul Wellstone. Both Noonan and Carlson later admitted that neither had actually watched the funeral before opening their mouths. Instead, they had watched one or two brief clips shown to them by "friends".

Overall, Lies and The Lying Liars Who Tell Them is well-written, quite funny, and painstakingly documented. Franken makes a particular point of avoiding most of the misleading and dishonest techniques used by the pundits he debunks. I'd recommend the book to anyone tired of listening to Bill O'Reilly refer to himself as a "news analyst" who's "looking out for you".

As a side note, it's nice to see that each and every member of the Ann Coulter fanclub had enough time on their hands to show up, falsely claim to have read Franken's book, and then go on to regurgitate, in some cases word for word, the same vague, inaccurate and spiteful invective they heard Hannity and O'Reilly level at Franken the day before. A word of advice to the so-called "serious conservative" reviewers: You're embarrassing yourselves. Intelligent, thinking conservatives don't bother reading Franken (they don't read Coulter either), and they certainly don't waste their time logging onto the internet to lie about having read his book to drag down its Amazon user rating. That's just plain sad.

Rating:
Summary: A must read - even for conservatives.
Review: First off: this is a very sophisticated book, no matter how you feel about the sarcastic and ruthless humor Al Franken displays while making his point. And believe me: he has a point, and it's inescapable. Once you learn the details of all the individual instances of blatant, contemplated and vicious lies that seem to spear-head the conservatives' doctrine, it's not difficult to see why they hate him with such a vengeance.... it's because he's right, he can prove it (and does, in this book), and they know it.

There is no way anyone can simply ignore the overwhelming -objective- evidence that Franken produces. Simply by checking the stories, reading the transcripts, and putting things in their proper context. Contrary to most of his 'targets', Franken consistently provides all the background information, references and methods used to research this book, so you can actually go out and verify it. Which I did, in several cases.

The manner in which Franken dissects O'Reilly's or Coulter's methods, for instance, provides such an accurate reflection of their malicious and immoral minds, that he could have afforded to leave out all of the more personal (subjective) comments. I'm glad he didn't, though, because they helped me stomach the sad reality regarding the state of this democracy that the accounts so vividly depict. If it wasn't for Franken's sharp wit, I might have put the book down in pure disgust. For I am appalled as much as I am baffled by the sheer number and magnitude of lies addressed in this book - and impressed by the intelligent way Franken has managed to expose the lying liars that tell them.

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Summary: Love it or hate it...
Review: First things first... if you are a conservative person, this book will send you into paroxysms of rage. Alternately, if you are a liberal person, this book will have you bruising your chin from nodding so often. Like it or not, we're living in the midst of a culture war, and the words of the enemy will always appear hysterical and false. And that's okay. If you don't like books by liberals, don't read them. Much as it pains me, I promise not to read books by Bill O'Reilly if the favor is returned.

That said, this is one funny and pertinent book. Triumphantly returning from a spate of so-so offerings after the wild success of "Rush Limbaugh," Al Franken has put together a gotta-get-the-hardcover read. Sure, some chapters work better than others (the "story" toward the end is skip-worthy), but overall Franken and his crack team of researchers unleash a tidal wave of (measured) liberal rage. Franken hits all of the marks: Coulter, O'Reilly, Fox in general, and Bush. Franken is an emotional triple-threat: he is equally at ease unleashing his poisonous wit and political savvy as he is recounting somber moments of human tragedy. One gets the feeling that Franken really cares about this stuff, and it shows.

I did not give this book 5/5 stars because of the lengthy fictionalized chapter toward the end... but it can be skipped easily enough. So buy the book, skip that chapter, and laugh out loud while Franken unfurls his own irreverent brand of American liberal humor.

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Summary: To Dave Price: The "intentionally dishonest" person is Ann .
Review: First, check the end of Al's book for an end note, the kind that's called footnotes by Ann Coulter. It should read, "Norman Thomas is the grandfather of Evan Thomas". Another end note under that one should read "See, how hard it is to find it."

The passages in "Lies" about the relationship between Evan Thomas and Norman Thomas is designed by Al, while alleging Ann Coulter of lying with endnotes, to show why endnotes can be used to lie.

The fact that you didn't find this endnote exactly prooves Al's point -- presenting bombastic "facts" in the main text while placing qualifiers or even contradictions to these "facts" in the hard-to-find never-bothered-to-look-up endnotes, is deliberately misleading.

As to Ann, either she also hasn't found this endnote herself, or she is again deliberately lying to influence people who haven't read Al's book and people like you who didn't read it carefully.