Slander

Rating:
Summary: Well reseached, written, funny -- and flawed
Review: Slander is often brilliant: painstakingly researched, witty, and often making its case with breathtaking power. But it's also flawed: to make her case that liberals and the
news media demonize conservatives, author Ann Coulter consistently demonizes THEM.

It's a shame because Coulter often makes her case but resorts to the same tactics and language that she's criticizing. After you read it you wonder: then, what was the point?

She contends our political discourse increasingly resembles "professional wrestling," yet uses that exact style when writing about individuals and groups who she often effectively demolishes with facts. For instance, how does calling former CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite a "pious left-wing blowhard" make our political discussion more issue oriented -- even if it IS INCREDIBLY funny (which it is) and may indeed be true (I would not be a bit surprised)?

If you are a conservative Republican (I am not) you will LOVE Slander and want to gift it to like-minded friends. If you are a liberal Democrat (I am not) you will HATE Slander and not finish it. If you're an independent (like me) you may feel sad since Coulter, an attorney, at times makes her case so well. But her slash-and-burn rhetoric turns Slander into a case of the pot calling the pot a pot.

She makes many points with wit, such as on how New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was demonized by liberals until 911: "After September 11, the average New Yorker faced a risk of death or bodily harm not seen since David Dinkins was mayor...The
characterization of Giuliani as a heartless brute vanished into thin air like the blather it always was."

ABC's hiring of former Clinton aide George Stephanopoulous, she writes, is "the equivalent of a major network hiring Chuck Colson immediately after Watergate."

Coulter did her homework well, using extensive quotations, facts and statistics to bolster her case on several points. A few of the many:

--An overall defense of Fox News Network and what happened on its election night reporting.
--The number of high-profile Democrats who left politics to work in the news media's upper echelons. She names names -- and it's DEVASTATING.
--How opponents constantly characterize conservatives as stupid and link them with things related to Nazis to spread fear and activate their own political base.
--Media and liberals' exaggeration and misinformation about the Religious Right's actual power and alleged "threat".
--How the media use "ultra" and "far"-right labels on conservatives but neglect to use these words, or even "liberal" on Democrats. This is her most devastating knock-out punch, using precise LexisNexis search statistics. She effectively PROVES bias.
--How liberals, feminists and the news media have ignored and ridiculed conservative author and activist Phyllis Schlafly's considerable education, accomplishments and ideas.
This is among her strongest sections.

Yet, this section points out Coulter's problem: to boost Schlafly she simply cannot resist attacking feminist Gloria Steinem who, she writes, "had to sleep with Mort Zuckerman, a
rich liberal media mogul" to keep the magazine Ms. afloat. This is elevating political discussion??

Her weakest contention: she writes of conservative women being branded as ugly by liberals adding: "Only conservative women have their looks held up to ridicule because only liberals would be so malevolent." Patently FALSE: conservatives have ridiculed Janet Reno, Chelsea Clinton, and others for their looks and conservative talk show hosts still liken Clinton administration cabinet women to the bar scene in Star Wars (by the way I love ALL this ridicule and hope it continues...but we are talking about what's FACTUAL here).

Elsewhere, she writes: "Liberals have been wrong about everything in the last half-century" while "conservatives in America are the most tolerant and long suffering people in the world...If a conservative calls you stupid, you are stupid...Liberal lie even when they call people names."

Coulter is definitely on the right track with Slander. Her writing, research and theme are topnotch. Slander WILL sell -- but its impact will be greatly reduced by its author's
nuclear-attack mode execution which, in the end, undermines its credibility.

Rating:
Summary: My eyes have been opened....
Review: As a liberal, I hate to admit it, but my eyes have been opened -- Not so directly from the content of this book, but from others' reactions to it. It was well written and seems impeccably sourced. She goes out of her way to not take anything out of context as seems to be done to her so often. I am puzzled by the brazenly negative reviews from other liberals that say she took everything out of context. It was quite a good read.

In the past, I may have "poo-pooed" the idea that the media was liberally biased, but judging from the reactions of political pundits and prominent members of the media to Ann Coulter's book, my eyes have been opened. I watched the interview with Katie Couric shortly after reading the book and was embarrassed by the blatant bias. This interview as well as other blatantly misleading comments and reviews only lends more credibility to the book.

I must say that this book has directly and indirectly dealt a blow to the views I have held for some time. I have grown up hearing the news reporting and taking it as factually accurate. It's the news ....it is only fact reporting, right? Though in recent years have begun to see some of the things and recall some of the things documented in this book. This book helped me to see by documenting many cases of the bias in one place. I wonder now what other cases were left out of the book? Could she have strategically left out more cases for a sequel? We'll just have to wait and see. I will be returning my borrowed copy and adding this to my personal collection.

For those looking for an actual review to base a purchase upon, disregard flaming negative reviews. I doubt they read the book, or read it with a closed mind anyway. I highly recommend it. Both of my thumbs are up.

Once again, I am now embarrassed to have called myself a liberal.

Rating:
Summary: Responding in kind---but overdoing it----
Review: Ann Coulter is the James Carville and Paul Begala of the right. Giving the Liberals back some of what they get away with daily on CNN!! They ALL do a GREAT disservice to political dialogue in this country!! Coulter's book is WAY over the top, but evidently is finding lots of fans. Sad!!!

Rating:
Summary: Fun, Witty, & Informative Reading
Review: "Methinks thou dost protest too much" would, I believe, prove to be a more than adequate Shakespearian quote to respond to the many frenzied protestations we find here amongst the reviews. The fact is that Coulter's barbs, razor sharp and unforgiving, are mostly a collection of direct quotes showing a host of contradictions and expressing a myriad of lunacies which, unfortunately for the Democratic party, seem to have found a comfortable home within the liberal worldview. I myself do not subscribe to the point of view that absolutely every notion that emanates from the left is destined to bring the downfall of American civilization (just a disproportionately large number of their ideas); however, Coulter does make a good argument to the contrary. What cannot be disputed is the fact that Coulter does bring to light many straw man arguments used by the left with every breath and then goes about systematically dismantling them. As an avid reader of the New York Times, an excellent paper in my opinion- though surely leaning towards the left of center to such a degree that it may soon topple over completely (Coulter would no doubt argue that my leaning "Times Tower of Pisa" has long ago fallen and crumbled)- I was very much entertained by her total evisceration of some of its duplicity in presenting itself as an utterly objective institution. In her acknowledgements, this one dripping with sarcasm, she gives "sincerest thanks to Pinch Sulzberger and the entire staff of the New York Times, without whom this book would have been impossible." Even though many people may harp about the inevitable disagreements that may arise between themselves and Coulter, how could it be otherwise in a book full of opinions, the truth is that Coulter does bring some interesting new perspectives to even seemingly tired topics such as the 2000 elections and the proposed regulations for the Internet. Ultimately, I found the book extremely entertaining - laughing out loud a good two dozen times or so as I read it - but it is this same deadly combination of wit and well referenced liberal positions and quotes that will inevitably sting the more thin skinned of those with left leaning political inclinations!

Rating:
Summary: The truth at last
Review: Ann Coulter has brought to light how ambiguous and shallow the liberal left really is. I was raised in an all union, bloc voting democratic household where any trace of conservative thought was immediately vilified by my father, Mother, 5 brothers and 2 sisters. Them amazingly (probably some errant gene) I began to think for myself. Ann has managed to expose the lies and propaganda that lead so many mentally lazy ( easier to let someone else think for you) sheep to the slaughter of legitimate thought and open-minded debate. Thank you Ann an keep up the good work

Rating:
Summary: Why should I care?
Review: I'm not a liberal..I'm not a conservative, I don't think it's worth paying [the price] for a book full of "slander" for a particular group of people. The truth is, both right and left wingers do their share of messing up the world a bit, as well as doing good things. I saw Ann Coulter on Hardball (MSNBC) and she did not even realize she was in a debate, instead ranting about how no one would pay attemtion to her beloved book. WHAT A LOSER. Any book that's sole purpose is to whine about the "other side" is a worthless book.

Rating:
Summary: Conservative firebrand torches liberals
Review: Don't believe the reviews from liberal seminar reviewers claiming to be conservatives hoping to spike sales of this important and enjoyable book. Coulter hits liberals where they live, names names, and exposes the bankruptcy and hypocrisy of liberal "thought" and exposes liberal media bias. You only had to see the media interviews of Ann Coulter the day of the book's release to see a vivid display of the bias of the press. An author of a book actually has to have a liberal counterpoint to rebut her contentions. You don't get that when any of the usual liberal suspects comes around on the book tour, as their scribblings are taken at face value.
Coulter's colorful style, full of irony and lots of humor makes for a provocative and enjoyable reading experience.

Rating:
Summary: More than a Conservative Rant
Review: If a book is a hit if it simultaneously makes you want to cry and laugh out loud, provides fodder for countless hours of fascinating dinner-table conversation, and has the potential to permanently change your world view, then Slander is a hit. Conservatives will surely find soul-satisfying vindication in this book. But writing Slander off as a Conservative circle-jerk would be a serious mistake. After reading the well-documented and footnoted Slander, there can be little argument about the existence of a "vast left-wing media conspiracy" to silence Conservative dissent while promoting a consistent, well-defined Liberal political agenda.

Even if you are a Conservative who is already well familiar with the theories about liberal media bias, you will find new shocking examples of excessive, almost fascist suppression of Conservative discourse. For example, you might not be aware of the difficulty that Conservative authors have getting books published, or the dramatic variance in advance fees paid by publishers to conservative and liberal authors.

Coulter builds a compelling case against liberal media bias, while at the same time lampooning the most irrational and contradictory tenets of liberal philosophy. However, Slander also raises serious issues that can't be dismissed easily. Many of her points will be eye-opening even for those who consider themselves "liberal." For example, should it be considered "hate speech" when the Leftist reporters unceasingly describe the "religious right" as "evil" "authoritarian" "Nazis"? Or when major U.S. news services even-handedly group Islamic militants with retired Midwestern Americans as "rightwing religious conservatives"? Truthfully, what's the difference between marginalizing and demonizing Christians in 21st century America from marginalizing and demonizing Jews in 20th century Germany? Take your favorite liberal rant against religion and substitute the word "Jews" for "Christian Conservatives". Remind you of anyone? Scary, isn't it? Coulter paints the picture and lets the reader draw his or her own conclusions without preaching.

This is only one example of the many larger social issues that Coulter identifies in Slander. In spite of the serious, almost frightening nature of the issues raised by the book, Coulter consistently maintains a wry and bombastic sense of humor that offsets the sobering recognition that the situation is much worse than most of us have realized.

In Slander, Coulter organizes, identifies and documents broad themes of liberal media abuse. For example, she groups examples of liberal media "spin" into such categories as:

- Calling Republicans "Dumb". Coulter effectively demonstrates that every Republican presidential candidate in this century has had to endure the endless questioning of their intelligence by the mainstream media, each one labeled dumber than the last. Conversely, all Democratic presidential candidates, in spite of occasional overwhelming evidence to the contrary, have been roundly identified as intellectual giants. Some, like Al Gore, even labeled as "possibly too smart."

- The Religious Right Straw Man. Coulter points out that the Left has never specifically identified just exactly who the "religious right" really is supposed to be: the mainstream media uses the term even-handedly to describe Saudi Arabian fundamental Islamic Terrorist groups as well as elderly American retired couples from the Midwest.

Slander will undoubtedly be criticized for Coulter's over-use of the thesaurus and her "take-no-prisoners" approach to describing liberal groups (she refers to Hollywood starlets more than once as "silicone bimbos"). I suspect that these facts plus her confrontational writing style will cause Slander to be written off by liberals as pandering to conservatives. But 30 plus pages of footnotes add enough "gravitas" to raise the book above the level of conservative mythology. Furthermore, the social issues Coulter raises are serious enough to warrant substantive investigation by all Americans, Conservative or Liberal.

Rating:
Summary: Another winner for Ann
Review: This well documented book is a must for all who have believed the mainstream news outlets to be something other than tools for the left-wing radical movement in this country. Having had a monopoly on news for many years, it's no wonder the left is up in arms over this undeniably truthful, hard hitting piece of literary genius.
Ann has hit the nail on the head for years with her brilliant columns, and has now brought that same hard-hitting wit and candor to "Slandered". I recommend this book to all who seek the truth about the sad state of journalism in the USA!

Rating:
Summary: Ann goes for the jugular, but liberals need criticism
Review: While Ann is obviously guilty of name-calling herself, it is quite obvious that it is time to throw the liberals on the defensive for a change, as they are really driving everyone insane with their distortions, half-truths, and outright lies, all the while getting a free pass from their pals in the media. As a student at a college that is run mostly by eco-nazis, socialists, and radical feminists (is there a difference?), I have witnessed firsthand the way liberals outright slander their opponents on the right. One professor, upon being confronted with an argument that she obviously couldn't counter intelligently, changed the entire subject by suddenly making reference to "white supremacists" in front of the entire class. How typical. When in doubt and losing an election, liberals just scream "Nazis!" and try to abolish the Electoral College. Read this book. Enjoy watching Ann go for the jugular, even if you don't stand toe to toe with her on every single issue. If politics is war conducted by other means, then it is time for libertarians and conservatives to pummel the illiberal, so-called liberals (who are not even remotely liberal in the classical sense of the word) into the ground.