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Title: Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics
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Manufacturer: Crown
List Price: $24.95
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| Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics by Crown Required Reading | | With meticulous research, shrewd analysis, and biting commentary, "Great American Hypocrites" paints a painfully accurate portrait of the contrivances, fictions, and euphemistic doublespeak which have defined the Republican Party since the 1960s. It should be required reading for anyone heading to the polls this November. | | Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics by Crown Superficial! | Greenwald's purpose is to expose what he sees as a vast Republican hypocrisy, beginning with their screen hero John Wayne. (Greenwald informs readers that Wayne was an adulterer, WWII draft-dodger, and alcohol abuser.) Greenwald believes Republican values bear little relationship to the actual lives of many Republican leaders, and that this needs to be exposed so that they can no longer misrepresent themselves to the American public, while pounding Democrats such as Speaker Pelosi for "San Francisco" values, despite her being married to the same person her entire life.
The problem with Greenwald's thinking is that most Americans have already caught on - hence, their 29% disapproval rating. Nonetheless, Greenwald apparently saw the need for a book repeating this common knowledge.
So once again, we "learn" of bellicose Republican leaders who actually were "chick hawks" - Bush II, Cheney, Limbaugh, Gingrich, O'Reilly, etc. Then its a rehash of those involved in sex or adultery scandals promoting legislation to protect children and "real" marriage - Gingrich, Livingston, Craig, Foley, etc. Next comes an expose of how "frugal" Republicans have run up record trade and federal deficits - Bush II, along with the Republican Congress.
Finally, Greenwald offers a chapter devoted to Sen., McCain, bashing him for deserting his original wife (disfigured in an auto accident) to marry a rich beer distributor heiress (Cindy Hensley), reversing himself on the Bush II tax cuts, and inciting war with Iran.
A second criticism of "Great American Hypocrites" is its superficial coverage of Republican hypocrisy.
Summarizing, it is tempting to dismiss the book as totally useless, but then McCain is running neck-and-neck with the Democratic nominees. | | Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics by Crown A Book for Real Republicans | I am a registered Republican. I voted for George W. Bush in 2004 and voted Republican in the Virginia primary. Since 2004, I have slowly, painfully, come to the realizations that Greenwald so eloquently articulates.
For an exhaustive analysis, the review "Exposes the Freak Show" expertly details what is so wonderful about this book; instead I would just like to encourage fellow Republicans to read this book, so you may better understand who is currently leading our party. Despite allegations to the alternative, the book is highly evidenced with simple facts about candidates lives. Nothing more complex is necessary. Please read this book. | | Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics by Crown Shows why the right can't lead | In documenting just a fraction of the GOP hypocrisy rampant today, Greenwald has shown us one reason why the last 7 years of Republican rule has failed so horribly- because they don't believe a word they utter.
They decry an overreaching government- except when they are doing the reaching.
They wring their hands at "amoral liberals"- hoping no mentions their own failed marriages, arrests, scandals and fraud.
They stomp their feet at the "socialist" liberals, while gaming the system for tax cuts, military contracts for superfluous weapons systems, and earmarks out the wazoo.
The GOP is built upon lies- lies about our security, our morality, and the place of government in our lives. They either don't believe a word they spew- making them hypocrites, or they do believe it all- making them fools.
Either way, they had their moment, failed horribly, and now history will judge them. And it won't be pretty, but then again, neither has the last 7 years of GOP rule. Good riddance to bad rubbish. We as a nation can no longer afford your lies, hypocrisy, and warmongering.
Kudos to Gleen Greenwald, a voice of sanity in a world crowded by fools. | | Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics by Crown I believe you -- but back it up! | What I love best about Glenn Greenwald's pieces in Salon is his meticulous research and detailing of the full story behind his assertions. It's awfully easy to forget what politicians have stated over the course of months and years, but Greenwald sets the record straight by setting the record down.
What I hate the most about "Great American Hypocrites" is that Greenwald has abandoned this approach and given us what amounts to a thinly-supported diatribe about right-wing politicians he does not like. Not that I disagree with him. Not at all. But a book-length space should give GG the chance to sit back in his lawn chair and shoot the barracudas in the barrel at his (and our) leisure. But this he does not do.
Greenwald starts his attacks by honing in on the grand daddy of phony macho militarism, the Duke himself. Greenwald tells of John Wayne's attempts (all successful) to stay out of the line of fire during WWII. This while many of his fellow actors (Cooper, Stewart, Fonda) volunteered to serve in combat zones. Wayne's lack of actual military vigor stands in sharp contract to the roles he played, to his bellicose posturing about the war and to his constant commentary about his own toughness. Greenwald also sketches the gap between Wayne's moralizing about social issues and his personal life. Wayne's adulteries and multiple marriages (with hints of spousal abuse) hardly square with conservative values. Neither do Wayne's hard drinking (not surprising for a man of his era) and his "abuse" of uppers and downers. But that's about all the detail we get about this bad, bad man.
Greenwald gives similar treatment to Matt Drudge, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. While I would certainly welcome information on how well these mens' personal lives fail to match up with their public personae, I was disappointed that Greenwald was unable to deliver the goods. I found myself skipping whole paragraphs (something I almost religiously avoid) to get to the data. I was also turned off by the obvious electioneering involved in devoting an entire chapter on attacking John McCain.
Greenwald is strongest (often vasery strong, in his analyses of the failings of the America media. Words like "lazy" and "slothful" are flung at them, with good reason, as Greenwald describves the process by which right-wing smears (Drudge gets a drubbing here) are elevated by media into "news" and then into the public consciencenous. This is a bad thing, of course, and Greenwald gives examples of how many stories of national import are buried under the avalanche of coverage given to trivial items like $400 haaircurts given to presidential candidates. But interesting as they are, these are stories of stupid news gathering -- not hypocrisy.
"Great American Hypocrites" may help you identify the loose threads of some of America's loudest and most obnoxious pseudo-warriors. It may help readers give wider berth to their bellicose lies. It will give you insights into the way their mendactities reach the public. But the book will not give you the info needed to counter their influence properly, and perhaps to persuade their fans of their perfidy. | | Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics by Crown Product Description | A takedown of the GOP’s deceitful propaganda machine from the hugely popular blogger of Salon.com’s Unclaimed Territory and the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Would a Patriot Act? and A Tragic Legacy
Long since Americans were wooed by images of Ronald Reagan astride a horse, complete with cowboy hat and rugged good looks, the Republican Party has used a John Wayne mythology to build up its candidates and win elections. Their marketing scheme of evoking brave, courageous, heroic warriors has been so persuasive and strikes such a patriotic nerve, that many citizens have voted based on this manipulative imagery even when they’ve flat out disagreed with the GOP’s positions on key issues.
Glenn Greenwald puts this bogus GOP mythology under microscopic critique and successfully argues that none of these men is, in fact, a brave, strong moral warrior—far from it. Rather, most have dodged military duty, have strings of broken marriages and affairs, and live decadent, elitist lives, which they so ruthlessly condemn Democrats for doing. Such false archetypes—that GOP leaders are exclusively fit to command the military, represent traditional family values, and are fiscally restrained and responsible because they’re just regular folk like us—are so firmly entrenched in our culture as to allow the GOP to sit back and let their time-tested marketing ploy spin itself silly while avoiding debate on real issues. When they actually do voice opinions, it’s nothing more than a smear campaign of the supposed weakness and elitism of the Democrats.
To prevent this tired marketing scheme from succeeding again, Greenwald takes off the gloves and knocks down the hoaxes and myths, exposing the tactics the right-wing machine uses to drown out both reality and consideration of real issues. But he also calls on Democrats to shake off the defensive posture (“We love America too,” “We support the troops too,” “We also believe in God”) and start attacking the Republican candidates for the hypocrites they, in truth, are.
The first book to dissect the Republican Cult of Personality and leave it openly exposed in its unabashed, shameful depravity, Great American Hypocrites is a deeply necessary call-out to Democrats to attack the GOP with their competitor’s very own weapons.
Ever since the cowboy image of Ronald Reagan was sold to Americans, the Republican Party has used the same John Wayne imagery to support its candidates and take elections. We all know how they govern, but
the right-wing propaganda machine is very adept at hijacking debate
and marketing their candidates as effectively as the Marlboro Man.
For example:
Myth: The Republican nominee is an upstanding, regular guy who shares the values of the common man.
Reality: He divorced his first wife in order to marry a young multimillionaire heiress whose family then funded his political career.
Myth: Republicans are brave and courageous.
Reality: It’s a party filled with chicken hawks and draft dodgers.
Myth: Republicans are strong on defense and will keep us safe.
Reality: They prey on fears, and their endless wars make America far less secure.
Myth: The Republicans are the party of fiscal restraint and small, limited
government.
Reality: Soaring deficits, unchecked presidential power, and an increasingly invasive surveillance state are par for their course. |
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