I excitedly picked up the new books by Al Franken and Joe Conason yesterday. I’ve heard good things about Joe’s book, but I was really excited about “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them,” since I loved “Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot.” I started it last night only intending to look at the first few chapters but ended up breezing through 150 pages before I realized how late it was getting. Franken is hilarious, and the book seems to have been meticulously researched.
My question is - how well is this thing fact-checked? Obviously, we have Franken to expose the half truths and outright lies spouted by people like O’Reilly, Hannity, and Coulter. Is anyone writing about Al? While I agree with almost all of what Fraken expresses in his book, he shouldn’t be allowed to get away with any of the “intellectual dishonesty” that so decries so regularly either.
The only right-leaning book I’ve read in recent memory is Bias by Bernard Goldberg, whose arguments Franken poked innumerable holes through in Lies. While I agree with Franken, I do still understand some of Goldbergs points.
So my question is, what do I need to read to get a reasonable view from the other side of the fence? From what I’ve read about Coulter (not just from Franken) I can’t imagine she’d be a good place to start. Anyone else?
What about Al Franken is a Buck-Toothed Moron by Joseph Mauro? The editorial reviews weren’t too good (and user reviews are next to worthless in regards to political books), so I was wondering if anyone here had read it and would recommend it.
Anyway, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Basically, you have to remember that they all have their own political agenda and so any statistics and quotes are going to begin and end where they appear to support their belief. The only way to get the real story is to do the hard work yourself.
Anything your hear from Limbaugh to Franken and beyond is hopelessly slanted.
I haven’t read Franken’s new book yet, so I’ll direct my query on his previous one: has anyone actually documented flat-out errors (not slanted interpretations, but outright mistakes) in Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot?
Limbaugh and Coulter have been shown to be flat-out wrong on facts on numerous occassions; I’m curious if Franken has been through a similar analysis.
Franken does have the comedy dodge. When Coulter says McCarthy should be a national hero or when Rush says that feminism was established to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream-- they are not kidding. They believe these things to be facts.
When Franken says he thinks we can solve both the NASA and elderly problem with one program-- shooting the elderly into space-- we know that he is making a joke.
Really, all of these people fall into the entertainment side of politics.
I would steer clear of Limbaugh if you’re really interested in having informed opinions. He’s an entertainer first and foremost- I think he even says as much.
Thomas Sowell or someone like that would be better if you’re wanting to read something by a right-winger.
Likewise, Franken may be fun to read, but you should really go elsewhere if you’re looking for a well thought out political philosophy.
If the book you’re reading claims to be about politics and yet is about 200 pages with a huge, double-spaced font, then odds are you’ve entered to into the realm of political entertainment. Have fun reading that stuff, just don’t let the rhetoric enter into your own philosophy or try to use it in a debate.
