Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth [Hardcover]

I loved this book, not because I learned a lot from it, but because it puts into words, clearly and concisely, many things I've been thinking about and trying to articulate for some time now. The current strain of "conservatism" (it's not really conservatism at all, it's authoritarian radicalism) is vicious, anti-American, and ruthless. This book simply details, in plain, reasonable, lucid language, some of the right's many oppressive and coercive rhetorical and propagandistic tricks. I've got a whole library of political books dealing with the current crisis in government (although I can't keep up with them all) and this is one of the best of the general titles. It's also short and sweet and easy to read, which is a plus.

The other indispensable book I'd recommend to centrists and "mild conservatives" (i.e., traditional, non-radicalized Republicans) is John Dean's "Worse Than Watergate." Dean is the commentator who best understands the role of the "shadow co-President" who is masquerading as Vice President.

I really enjoyed "Big Lies" and would recommend it wholeheartedly to any real American on either side of the political divide.

This does not make the book great though, rather than try to correct every point in the book I have listed just a few brief examples of illogical deductions or downright lies.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration did not rescue the miners as JC implied instead it was a combination of volunteers and paid professionals who effected the rescue. (14-15)

JC was completely disingenuous in how much the average taxpayer received back in Bush's tax cut. The tax cuts were equal across the board but the best he could come up with is people who paid NO Federal tax got NO money back. HOW UNFAIR! (16-17)

To prove that the media isn't biased he states that conservatives actually get to voice their opinions in the editorial sections this is terrible compared to 20 years ago when they were excluded completely (30) and again he is irked that the newspapers even allow conservatives to pen their thoughts. (41)

JC asserts that Ann Coutler gets good reviews of her books by the press these are the examples of good reviews:
"Insult Slinging", "Sarcastic overhype", "Piece of agit-pop", "Pretends to intellectual seriousness where there is none." (32)
Wow if those are good reviews I would hate to see the bad ones.

JC is very upset that the media might even report that there is a bias (38-39) Shhh don't talk about it and nobody will notice.

To prove there is no bias JC shows these rather strange statistics for political endorsements for presidential candidates by Gannett Papers
1996 29% of the papers endorsed Bob Dole
2000 38% of the papers endorsed George Bush
He than follows those statistics up with this quote
"The trend favors republicans; Bob Dole won many more endorsements that Bill Clinton did in 1996, but not by the margin as impressive as that Bush achieved in 2000." (39-40)
Amazing 38% is an IMPRESSIVE margin. Well, NO, JC 38% shows the pervasive liberal bias. Nice try

NPR has politically balanced programming (47) STOP LAUGHING I didn't write that JC did, I guess politically balanced programming means that NO right or even middle of the road voice is heard.

Another great quote: "Conservatives enjoy other vast stretches of uncontested terrain in the national media." (48) His than lists all that he can think of to prove his point: 3 newspapers, 2 magazines, FOX news.
That's it folks that's the extreme conservative bias in the news.

To prove that CNBC is slanted powerfully to the right JC found that the WSJ ONCE had a show on it. Oh my God, 1 show, on 1 hour, once a week. That is 1 out of 148 hours of weekly programming that was conservative and that makes them slanted powerfully to the right. (48-49)
BTW the show was cancelled it is now 148 out of 148 hours of liberal programming. Thank God no more right wing slant.

He admits that Dan Rather and the CBS news are liberal (51)
Wait a second JC just spent 20 pages explaining that the media was slanted to the right, he even slammed Bernard Goldberg for saying Dan was liberal, but now he admits it. The only conservative voice on the Network or Cable news is FOX and everything else is liberal. Thanks for 20 pages of TRUE LIES.

JC is upset that Anne Coutler actually dates men and has many close GAY friends. (113) So much for normal homophobic invectives bandied about by the left.

One of my favorite quotes by JC "Conservatives cannot compete in the black community because they uphold color-blind principle, civil-quality and the constitution" (129) WOW such brutal honest Joe, those damn color-blind, non-racists, constitution believing scum on the right what are they thinking?

In the end you are left rather exasperated. It seems that JC thought pattern, like much of other current day liberal authors is, if you repeat a lie often enough it will become the truth. His examples throughout the book are simply stated, PATHETIC. They usually show the exact opposite of his intended point, but it doesn't matter to him or to his INTENDED audience. They have no interest in the truth and even when they are presented facts such as a 38% endorsement for Bush is "PREVASIVE" conservative bias they simply fall to think what percentage then endorsed Gore?

On page 3 JC wrote probably the biggest truth of this book "If Americans have a common fault, however, it's our tendency to suffer from historical amnesia." Joe you are right that is how you can claim the Civil Right Act was a liberal victory. The majority of Americans, especially liberal ones, do not know that more liberals voted AGAINST civil rights than conservatives. Its simple facts like these that you turn around and they wage your campaign of BIG LIES.