Rating: 
Summary: Time To Take Off The Blinders
Review: I am a conservative, I belong to the NRA, and I am quite certain that Al and I would disagree in our interpretations of the intent of the Second Amendment. And if we were to debate this topic, it might even turn into a heated discussion. But ultimately I can respect Mr. Frankin's right to his beliefs on gun control without labeling him a "commie" or a Socialist. And I feel quite certain that Mr. Frankin could respect my right to my beliefs on the right to keep and bear arms without accusing me of being a Nazi. Folks, in case anyone has forgotten, this is what America is supposed to be about. As a conservative American, I do not want to be associated with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, or, for that matter, George W. Bush and his cronies. Since 9/11, these demagogues have spearheaded a national movement of lies, deceit, fear mongering, phony patriotism, and propaganda to rally unwitting Americans behind Bush's completely irresponsible and self-serving political agenda. And as Frankin so adeptly points out, these people will shamelessly resort to name calling, distortions, verbal abuse, and guilt (e.g., "If you don't agree with me you aren't a good American") to coerce Americans to step in line with their own ill-conceived agendas. People, what we are witnessing here isn't about conservatism, and it isn't about patriotism -- it's borderline Fascism. What really scares me is that millions of "patriotic" Americans have put on their blinders and eagerly jumped on to this impending train wreck without giving the first moment's thought as to where it is leading this country. It just doesn't seem to bother them that "W" is shackling us and our children with trillions of dollars in deficits while placing tens of thousands of Americans in harm's way waging an overseas war that has nothing to do with counter-terrorism. And if you suggest that the money being squandered on this fruitless and counter productive war effort might be better spent on efforts to revive a sick economy and putting millions of displaced American workers back on the payroll, these "patriots" angrily accuse you of being an Al Qaeda wannabe. Is it time to break out the brown shirts yet? For my money, Frankin is right on target with this one. To my way of thinking he is a true patriot because he openly goes against the grain of the "conventional" wisdom and questions the motives and integrity of the self-anointed political pundits, as well as exposing the sorry state of our current political leadership. And lest anyone has forgotten, in a democratic society the freedom to question our government is not only our right, it is also our responsibility. The day we forget that is the day we all give up our freedom. This book is well worth reading regardless of whether your political leanings are to the left or the right. It is an easy read, it is humorous, and it is timely. And it should be read keeping in mind the principles on which this country was founded, not one's political party preference.
Rating: 
Summary: Franken's wonderfully cynical observations are sure to pleas
Review: I am a distant stone's throw from Al Franken on the political spectrum, but his wonderful sense of humor and overall genius bring me back to his writing again and again. I pre-ordered this book months ago! I am a casual listener/reader of many of the folks Al skewers in this book; if even a few of his recountings are accurate as reported, he has written a blistering indictment sure to embarass many high-profile personalities. Few things are more shaming or credential-busting than lying (one would hope), and Al approaches his foes on the right with the facts (usually their own seemingly inaccurate words, from the record), asks them to address what they've said, and is relentless until they either come clean or are squirming in their seats - and we the readers get the ugly (and funny) recounting. You'll either feel embarassed for them or be cheering him all the way. And maybe sometimes both. The first 100+ pages are full of laugh-out-loud writing; I was consistently reading passages to my fiancee. After that, through the meat of the book, Al is really grinding his axe and the work of his 14 Harvard researchers seems to take over as the laughs are elbowed off the page by more strident political writing (but he did say one of his goals of the book is to keep President Bush from getting re-elected). As he'll tell you, there are many on the right doing this kind of writing for the GOP, so he no doubt feels the need to ratchet it up a level as the liberal standard-bearer of the moment. All in all a very good book. It didn't get five stars from me because, as I said, I sometimes went several pages without laughing, which I consider a long time when reading his work (and it had nothing to do with the politics). I think that with 90% of readers likely to be left-leaning, most people who pick up the book will love every page.
Rating:
Summary: Al actually makes sense!
Review: I am a former conservative who saw what it meant to be a conservative earlier this year (illegally invade another country, murder babies, and humiliate any person who is against doing this). I still don't like liberals, many of whom would love to see this country blow up. Al Franken is the current favorite of liberals now and that's why I was afraid to read this book. However, I came away enjoying his exposé of Bill O'Reilly, whom I religiously hate and think should be stoned to death. He also makes sense during his "Dialogue on Terrorism" section, which is hilarious. I like how he keeps putting Alan Colme's name in a smaller font than Sean Hannity..it is very symbolic. I definitely recommend this book to any moderate or liberal. Conservatives...well, it will keep you in denial or it may make you wake up.
Rating:
Summary: remember this book in 2004
Review: i am a middle of the road democrat. i believe most polies are at the very least liars and their biggest priority is their party and re-election. very few statesmen out there. that said, i did not wish to believe alot of what i read, so i checked facts. crap, everything i looked into was true. what pigs! that blurted out, the book was very well written and factual. it was fun if you can take a step back and not think about who is running our country.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful people, fight back.
Review: I am a naive Democrat who believed the myth that liberals control the media. During the 2000 election I thought, "Hmm, if a liberal media is attacking Gore then he must be really bad." So, I voted for him with my tail tucked between my legs instead of proudly. As Team Franken points out, Gore got more negative and less positive media coverage than Bush.
This book gives comical and researched insight into important recent issues. Hopefully it will motivate conscientious people from any party to take a careful look at the biased falsehoods being asserted as fact on TV.
Rating: 
Summary: some valid points but missed the mark with bad humor
Review: I am a right-wing conservative Republican young adult, but thought I would give Franken's book a read in an attempt to be fair and balanced..Franken does make some valid points especially with regards to Ann Coulter & Sean Hannity. However, several problems with this book prevent it from being considered a serious piece of quality work. 1) Frankens injected humor: i.e. O'reilly's next book "How to Deal with Syphillis" (i can't remember if this "joke" is actually in the book, but he did use it on The View in November).....there are tons of references like these that just aren't funny and cause me to view the book as worse than it probably is 2) Franken goes on about Coulter and how she refers to her "endnotes" as "footnotes". Well you know what Al, her "footnotes" are a lot easier to ride and find sources than yours. Franken has occasional footnotes but the majority of his endnotes are not cited (whereas Coulters are). This really lays at the credibility of the book (at least to me) because when you are writing a book trying to prove something someone said is false or not correct you need specific examples, evidence or statistics and you need to cite them. When he says "O'reilly said 57% of black mothers are unwed...But he's wrong, its really only 14%" without any mention to any study, newspaper article or anything. Maybe this slows the book down, but if you're to believe his claim then you need some kind of truthful evidence. This is really what causes me to view the book at 2 stars instead of 3 or 4. 3) I don't know why Franken puts O'reilly on the cover because of the 3 or 4 "lies" he claims to have on O'reilly only 1 of them holds any water. The whole Levittown meager beginnings thing...O'reily says he grew up in the Westbury section of Levittown. Westbury was the town and Levittown the area (such as I might say that I am from Philadelphia even though I live in Manayunk, Villanova, Haverford, or Merion. The whole Polk/Peabody thing: I don't think there has ever been a point where O'reilly said "I won a Peabody award" , He has said Inside Edition won peabody awards or "We won peabody awards (which is technically inaccurate because he was not on the show when it won the award) but this "lie" that Franken claims just doesn't hold up, especially since O'reilly twice corrected his earlier "wrong" statement. The only claim that Franken makes which is a substantial one is the Republican voter registration card. Overall, if Franken (to borrow an O'reilly word), cut out the pith sprinkled it with occasional light humor, got rid of all the swears and cited all of his statistics or articles with footnotes or endnotes (which ever he prefers since he seems to want to be completely clear on them), he would have a pretty good book.
Rating:
Summary: my brain hurts
Review: I am a right-wing,fundamentalist Christian conservative and this book makes me mad!How can publishers release books by such mean, mean men ? How can he be so mean to Bill O'Reilly ? O'Reilly is so smart (and handsome)and thanks to him,I don't need to watch the news.Bill can tell me exactly what to think.And how can he say such bad things about Ann Coulter.She is so bright and pretty! She made me realize that women should NOT be aloud to vote.It just cuts into the time they have fof important activities like baking cookies and washing dishes & laundry.They just need to find them some husbands to vote for them. George W. Bush is the smartest most well informed president America has ever had and, I'm glad he's in office because he would never lie to us about silly issues like why we are at war in Iraq.He only wants them to have things like democratically elected leaders (just like here in America).He also wants to make sure that women no longer have to make difficult decisions about things like their own reproductive rights and such.I sleep better at night knowing that such honest , fair people are in charge and that some day Jesus will strike down Al Franken for writing such mean things about the people who know what is best for America and the rest of the world.I have to go now to check my mailbox and see if my painkillers have arrived yet.
Rating:
Summary: So much spittle, so little time
Review: I am amused by how conservatives are squawking over Al Franken's book. I can just picture them at their computers, ranting and leaving spittle on the floor as they yell.
Rating:
Summary: Franken makes great points but spreads himself thin
Review: I am an independent who appreciates the refreshing wit and humor that Franken uses to make his points. For any conservatives reading the book, it will be difficult to stomach the fact that it is easier for a comedian to pick apart the Ann Coulters on the right than it is for a Fox News anchor to say "Fair and Balanced". Overall a great book to read for anyone who has ever seen/read Coulter, O'Reilly, Hannity, etc. Franken spreads himself way to thin in this wide-ranging book, which may lead some to dismiss it.
The reason why I have respect for Franken is that he is willing to come out and say "I am a liberal", while those he criticizes pretend to be independent. But it does not matter if you are a liberal or conservative, a blatant lie is a blatant lie, and Franken points out that many of these conservatives are getting away with slander, and that sometimes their lies are then repeated in the more mainstream media. Yes, Franken does have an unfair advantage over those he writes of because instead of being vicious, he uses wit to make them seem foolish. But Franken is at his best when he dispenses with the humor and sarcasm to discuss the deeply personal subject of Paul Wellstone's funeral, and how many on the right shamelessly used a senator's death to attack the democratic party.
Rating: 
Summary: Liberal Vomit
Review: I am appaled that this is the first book that comes up for me as recommended from Amazon along with you other Republican hater titles. Grow up and become a true American.
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