David L. (marauder34) reviewed Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics on + 63 more book reviews
What a terrible disappointment.
In this book, written shortly before the 2008 election, author Greenwald takes aim at the popular myths of the Republican Party: that the GOP is the party of responsible spending, that it is the party of national defense, that it is the party of moral values, and so on -- in short, that it is the party of Real Men, in the spirit of conservative icon John Wayne.
Indeed, Wayne's life serves as the essential text for the book. Greenwald uses the disparity between Wayne's public persona and private life -- a disparity to which he attributes the darkest reasons possible -- as the template for conservative political figures like President Bush and Rush Limbaugh.
Greenwald has a solid idea for a book, as he explores the link between this character deficit and the viciousness of the attacks from the Right upon political figures on the Left. Unfortunately, Greenwald's anger gets in the way of the book.
It is, simply put, tedious to read through page after page of poisonous invective, even when it is aimed at public and political figures you already are inclined not to respect. If Greenwald had allowed the facts to speak for themselves, the book would have been stronger; if he had at least made a pretense of being balanced, and included comments from someone who shares his views but not his anger, the book would have been stronger. If he'd cited a single source, it would have been at least a modicum stronger. But he does none of these things, and the resulting weakness shows.
While there is some interesting information contained in the pages of the book, and some thought-provoking insight, the book fails. It is too angry, too vindictive, and too venomous to be worth reading. In that sense Greenwald is rather like Anne Coulter; he's worth reading if you share his exaggerated sense of outrage and are looking for someone to tell you that you are right to feel the way you do.
A much better analysis of the Right and the nature of its failings can be found in Max Blumenthal's "Republican Gomorrah." Blumenthal roots his analysis of the neoconservative Right in established psychological thought; he cites source after source; and he quotes people other than himself who know what they're talking about.
This book, though, is worth skipping.
In this book, written shortly before the 2008 election, author Greenwald takes aim at the popular myths of the Republican Party: that the GOP is the party of responsible spending, that it is the party of national defense, that it is the party of moral values, and so on -- in short, that it is the party of Real Men, in the spirit of conservative icon John Wayne.
Indeed, Wayne's life serves as the essential text for the book. Greenwald uses the disparity between Wayne's public persona and private life -- a disparity to which he attributes the darkest reasons possible -- as the template for conservative political figures like President Bush and Rush Limbaugh.
Greenwald has a solid idea for a book, as he explores the link between this character deficit and the viciousness of the attacks from the Right upon political figures on the Left. Unfortunately, Greenwald's anger gets in the way of the book.
It is, simply put, tedious to read through page after page of poisonous invective, even when it is aimed at public and political figures you already are inclined not to respect. If Greenwald had allowed the facts to speak for themselves, the book would have been stronger; if he had at least made a pretense of being balanced, and included comments from someone who shares his views but not his anger, the book would have been stronger. If he'd cited a single source, it would have been at least a modicum stronger. But he does none of these things, and the resulting weakness shows.
While there is some interesting information contained in the pages of the book, and some thought-provoking insight, the book fails. It is too angry, too vindictive, and too venomous to be worth reading. In that sense Greenwald is rather like Anne Coulter; he's worth reading if you share his exaggerated sense of outrage and are looking for someone to tell you that you are right to feel the way you do.
A much better analysis of the Right and the nature of its failings can be found in Max Blumenthal's "Republican Gomorrah." Blumenthal roots his analysis of the neoconservative Right in established psychological thought; he cites source after source; and he quotes people other than himself who know what they're talking about.
This book, though, is worth skipping.
