Rating: 
Summary: Christians !! Be Afraid..... Be very Afraid
Review: I gave this book 1 star because I was so offended as a Christian
I have to admit I am an Evangelical Christian who had never heard of Hugh Hewitt until I found this book in the .99 bin at a Christian Bookstore. After reading it I truly wondered where the Moral Outrage of Christians has gone.
This is pure Machiavellian politics that has nothing to do with anything in Christ's Gospel. Sure there are Moral Absolutes, but for Christians to associate themselves with this kind of xenophobic, racist and unscriptural totalitarianism is at the very least as much an affront to the Cross of Christ as anything in the "Gay Agenda". I am embarrassed and personally truly repentant that a book like this even carries the imprint of a Christian publisher. I would also like to apologize to anyone who might assume that this is a Christian view of the world. The Jesus of the Bible, who is my Savior and Messiah, does not fear either terrorists or multiculturists, but gave his life for them, only asking that they "go and sin no more" and "make disciples of all men". It is the "whitewashed tombs" of Pharisaical hyporites that He condemns. We can only pray that the kind of America Hewitt envisions never comes about or if it does that we face the Inquisition as "good and faithful servants".
Rating: 
Summary: Solid commonsense for saving democracy
Review: First an aside: why do people who have obviously not read this book post reviews about it?
Hewitt is a Republican, proud of it and believes that Democrats should be kept as far from power as possible. He is obviously entitled to his own opinion.
He does deliver a powerful indictment against the contemporary Democratic Party leadership, holds forth at length about the historical willingness of Democrats to steal elections and urges motivated voters of his persuasion to get involved and tells how they can do it.
This is clearly a 2004 campaign tome. But it does not slip into irrelevance merely because - as Hewitt predicted - Kerry would lose, before he was nominated.
The book has value to anyone who thinks Democrats must be kept from higher office. It is, in a way, a course on political activism.
Jerry
Rating:
Summary: More fascist voodoo incantations to chant around the bonfire
Review: A shamefully myopic view of the political process, as envisioned by one of today's foremost right-wing-media drum beaters. Hewitt's broadly academic fear-mongering and religio-political fundamentalism offers some of the most potent conservative propaganda available in print. At best, Hewitt provides a compelling case for do-or-die electioneering, and strong points on how liberalism has failed to keep pace with society's intellectual energy -- if you can get past acres of gratutious name-calling and unilateral hypotheses. At worst, Hewitt fails to offer more than a rote conservative message on how affecting the transfer of wealth to the most powerful in society, in the name of personal security, and holding a lopsided view of values and morality (e.g., greed and violence are good, sex and aiding society's most vulnerable are bad), will benefit all.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable lessons for conservatives
Review: Hugh Hewitt, a law professor at Chapman University, has written a timely book that is easy to read, filled with often overlooked truths, and stocked with practical, 'hands-on' suggestions."If It's Not Close They Can't Cheat" teaches several lessons. Foremost, Hewitt shows that devious and illegal tactics are tools that many Democrats have used since the beginning of our republic to maintain their own power. He provides a survey of two hundred years of Democrats' appalling cheating in elections, from Aaron Burr to Al Gore. Another important lesson Hewitt teaches is the importance of maintaining a Republican majority in congress, even if this means voting against Republicans one prefers in primary elections. Many conservatives, he writes, don't realize that without the magic numbers of 51 Republicans in the Senate and 218 Republicans in the House, the Democrats shall have their way. Republican majorities must trump personal preferences. One of the many practical lessons the book teaches is that of accessing information and voicing one's opinions in the blogosphere. Prior to reading this book I knew very little about the blogosphere. Now I check daily three of the blogs that Hewitt lists in the book. Finally, in one of the appendices Hewitt lists several key talking points for the year 2004, and these can serve as ammo in debates with at least partially open-minded liberals. I strongly recommend this book to all conservatives, and echo Hewitt's suggestion to give it as a gift to your liberal friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Recommended
Review: Hugh's book is a disappointment. It seems like a rush job thrown together to peddle during the election. Not much scholarship was done either. For example, he asserts that when Gore tried to block overseas military ballots from being counted, not a single democrat raised their voice in opposition; he must not have done a lexis/nexis search because Gore supporter Zell Miller was very vocal in opposing the effort to block military votes. Further, very little was done to cite specific situations of democrat party vote (...). The way Hugh segments the parties into pyramids and his description of the interplay between segments was useful -- but did not merit a hardcover book purchase. Various Bush speeches re: 9/11 have been attached at the back for reference (perhaps to boost the page count?). I like Hugh and I love his radio show, but Hugh has a fairly cerebral audience, and this book was more appropriate for Sean Hannity groupies.
Rating:
Summary: just more Right-Wing stroking.
Review: i was hoping to find something interesting in this book, but it's just more of the same. Worry about security. be afraid, that's all that matters.
It's truly just more fear mongering, one-sided, ultra right wing nonsense. ...Not worth a penny.
Rating: 
Summary: A Quick, Easy Read
Review: I've been writing book reviews for a couple of years now, and always, without exception, I have had a pretty good idea of what I would write long before I finished the book. That is, until this one. I finished this book last night and still have no idea what to write. This book is very hard to explain. Some people will love it. Some people will change their thinking because of it. And some people will absolutely hate it. There is even one group of people to which I would give this book a "must read" recommendation and that would be anyone who works within the Republican Party, such as precinct chairs.
The book is a very easy read. Just over two hundred pages with chapters ranging from 1 to 6 pages. There are forty chapters in all. The content itself is quite good, but in many instances, it left me wanting more. I believe it is a case of the author trying to put too many subjects into too few pages. Nonetheless, what is here is very well written and there is something here for everyone. For instance, anyone who ever considered voting for a Third party candidate should read Chapter Eleven. The author gives one of the most solid arguments for not voting Third party that I have ever heard. There are also numerous chapters here that would benefit Democrat or swing voters, but the bulk of the content and the basic premise of the book is how loyal Republicans can help their candidates get elected.
I live in an area where the authors' radio show is not available. Though I have read a few of his pieces on the DAILY STANDARD website, he is largely unknown to me and I held no preconceived notions about the book. The book is well worth reading and you will gain useful ideas from it. I do, however, have one major knock on the book. This knock is not the authors fault. It is due to the manipulation of the English language by the press that too many Americans have adopted, and that is the author's incessant use of referring to the Democrat Party as the "Democratic Party". There is no such thing, and there is very little that is democratic about the Democrat party. Again, I don't blame the author for this. You hear it everyday on every major news network. I just like to point out whenever possible that it is grammatically wrong.
I feel I have left much out in reviewing this book, so let me just say, it is an enjoyable read, and you will learn from it, so just buy it and see what you think. There is one exception to that. If you are an extremist, either liberal or conservative, you most likely will not like this book. Spend your money on something else.
Rating:
Summary: If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat: Crushing the Democrats
Review: If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat: Crushing the Democrats in Every Election and Why Your Life Depends on It by Hugh Hewitt is a book about winning elections in an age when security has trumped almost every other issue and the technology of political effectiveness is evolving with lightning quickness.
Rating:
Summary: A Seminal Read
Review: Mr. Hewitt shines the bright light of truth on a party that, at least at its upper echelons, places more importance on getting its power back than in securing the country.
Every serious thinker needs to read this book. Hewitt uses historical facts to show that today's Democratic Party is incapable of keeping this country safe during these dangerous times.
Highly Recommended!!!
Rating:
Summary: If you don't agree with this book, please don't vote!
Review: Mr. Hewitt's book can most succinctly be summed up by a line from Die Hard 3, "I don't like you because you're going to get me killed." If there is only one point to this 220 page book, it is that your life as an American depends on Democrats not getting elected to public office. The great thing about the book is that there's more than one point. If you are counting them by chapters, then there's at least forty points. Fortunately Mr. Hewitt was kind enough to categorize these chapters into seven main sections: Part I: The Stakes
Part II: A Brief History of Democratic Cheating
Part III: Parties
Part IV: Money
Part V: Message Delivery
Part VI: "Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!"
Part VII: Tone and Focus Part I: The Stakes is the focus of the argument. It outlines the problem of national security post-9/11 and where each party, and candidate, stands on the issues. The key to the whole book is that Democrats cannot be trusted with national security. From page 2, "The Democratic part has lost its collective will and collective ability to take the national security of the United States seriously. This is not treasonous or unpatriotic behavior, just selfish and stupid behavior. But the irresponsibility of the Democratic Party extends to every major issue affecting national security, including the size and use of the American military, the deployment of national missile defense, the exploration for new resource of oil, and the conduct of domestic surveillance against foreigners." Mr. Hewitt is arguing from information most Americans have already. Simply this: George W. Bush will do whatever it takes to defend America, John Kerry (and Edwards for that matter) will not. This point is driven home in the most compelling and direct manner possible. Part II is a point-by-point history of poor tactics by the Democrats. Facts are stubborn things, and the facts of history, as presented in Part II, have shown that if there is a way, the Democrats will weasel and manipulate elections to get what they want. Thus, Mr. Hewitt builds his case. 1) The DNC needs to be defeated at the polls in order to insure our survival. 2) In order to win, we need to defeat the DNC in larger numbers because they have a reputation for cheating. Before explaining how to defeat the Democrats, you need to understand how parties and voters think, operate, and convert. This is the task of Part III. Here, Mr. Hewitt outlines the importance of parties and majorities, the five main categories of voters, and the psychology between them. Since this was the first political book I've read, this is where I learned the most. This is Partisan Politics 101. No matter where you stand regarding the first two parts, you can learn something here. The next three parts are the "How to," starting with money, that nasty "M" word. In Part IV, Mr. Hewitt seeks to dispel any apprehensions you may have about giving to candidates by drawing on key stats from previous elections and how finances impacted them. How important is giving money? Enough to warrant three chapters. 20: Give, 21: Give Until It Hurts, and 22: Give Some More. Mr. Hewitt lays out the process clearly so that there's no question how and to whom your money should go. Beyond money, the book offers plenty of practical advice on convincing people to vote Republican. This is where Part V comes in. How do you get the key information and facts out? New media (like Fox News Channel), Talk Radio, Letters, and Blogging. Mr. Hewitt covers simple tactics in properly conveying the message and persuading people. This is especially handy to those who are unfamiliar with the latest developments in media. The word "Blogging" is so new that I just had to add it to my spell check. Yet the blogosphere has already had a tremendous impact on politics. This book helps you understand that impact and how to utilize it. Aside from national security, there are a host of issues that stir up controversy. In Part VI, Mr. Hewitt runs through which issues one should or shouldn't discuss. For instance, if you can convince someone to vote Republican based on national security but they won't if you bring up abortion, by all means, do not bring up abortion! It all goes back to the main premise of the book. The central issue is our defense and everything else must take a back seat. We won't be around to argue about abortion, guns, or the environment if our defense fails. Part VII concludes with some final points on tact and reiterating why it's so important that the Democrats are defeated at the polls. From page 220, "There is no rational case for the Democrats because the Democrats are going to get you killed. It is that simple.... Vote accordingly. Your life depends on it." (Add dot com to my name to read my entire review.) The book was a wonderful read. I was consistently interested in the next chapter to see where my part fits in the big picture of politics. Mr. Hewitt's style, as on his radio show, is personal and humorous, yet persuasive and incisive. Put this in the hands of Republicans and it will motivate them. Put it in the hands of Democrats and it will infuriate them. However, if they're reasonable, it will be difficult for them to argue with the logic. Hugh Hewitt is successful on his main point, as well as many others; that the Democrats must be crushed in every election and that our lives depend on it. Grade: A-
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