- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Dutton; 1 edition (Nov 1 2005)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0525949062
- ISBN-13: 978-0525949060
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 3.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 590 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#442,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #80 in Books > Nonfiction > Politics > United States
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Nearly a year after the presidential election of 2004, Al Franken is still checking facts, exposing lies, and trying to clear the record as he sees it. Sneering at President Bush's declaration of a mandate after a two-and-a-half percent victory, he deconstructs Bush's 2004 platform of "fear, smear, and queers," and explains how the president has done some flip-flopping of his own. He offers comment on well-known stories, including the Terri Shiavo case, and some more obscure, such as reports of forced prostitution, indentured servitude, and squalid conditions at clothing factories in Saipan (which is part of the American Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Franken focuses on Tom DeLay's connection to the territory and his efforts to prevent bills from being passed that would have required Saipan to follow U.S. labor laws. Iraq, too, is discussed, from its planning stages to the huge sum of money currently unaccounted for, including $8.8 billion missing from the Coalition Provisional Authority's coffers.
On the home front, Franken covers President Bush's attempt at Social Security reform, explaining how they came up with the projected shortfall figure of $11 trillion. For one thing, they adjusted life expectancy to 150 years, while leaving the retirement age at 67: "That's an eighty-three-year retirement. They're never gonna get to that without stem cell research." He also takes some wickedly funny swipes at Karl Rove, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pundits and hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Tim Russert, and Sean Hannity, and, of course, President Bush. The Truth succeeds in providing ammunition to liberals and others dissatisfied with the current power base in Washington, D.C.--only this time (with jokes). --Shawn Carkonen
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Franken is George W. Bush's worst nightmare: a savvy liberal political satirist and Harvard fellow with a massive readership. Franken and his tireless team of fact-checkers are able to spread The Truth to people who might never pick up books by Eric Alterman (What Liberal Media?), David Brock (Blinded by the Right), Joe Conason (Big Lies), Ron Suskind (The Price of Loyalty) or Richard A. Clarke (Against All Enemies). Debunking the lies and allegations spread by "the right-wing blogosphere, radiosphere and asshole-on-TV-osphere," Franken details how the Bush team won the 2004 election through "smears, fears and queers." Believing that the Bush regime's plan was to "divide Americans to conquer them," Franken has created a reference manual that refutes propaganda issued by an administration he believes "shouldn't be running a small town hardware store much less the world's only remaining superpower." While Franken writes with a razor-sharp wit, his intention is deadly serious: to expose how hypocrisy, bigotry, ineptitude, unchecked corruption and partisan politics have resulted in war, debt and a divided nation. Franken considers the political motives behind the Terri Schiavo case and the distortions behind Bush's campaign to privatize Social Security. Along the way he takes on the Swiftboaters, Bush's fake "mandate," Tom DeLay, Iraq and Karl Rove. Like Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, Franken has the ability to entertain, illuminate and motivate. (Oct. 25)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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First Sentence
It was a cool, misty day in Boston, Massachusetts, and TeamRadioFranken was riding high. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was a cool, misty day in Boston, Massachusetts, and TeamRadioFranken was riding high. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Total Genius,
By Xisor (The Arctic Circle) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Truth With Jokes (Hardcover)
Truth obsessed buddy of the Micheal Moore school of political commentary is back, and as his book shows he is both funny and a good example of the 'tolerance' and 'warm fuzzy loving' ethos that liberals encompass. Indeed -- he and Moore are good expose's on what liberals are *really* about -- love filled minions of the truthA liberal will debate ideology based on fact, reason and intellect; conservatives like Hannity, Limbaugh, Coulter, O'Rielly, Hume, Savage, etc etc etc etc will always resort to personal attack, demeaning, lying and spinning. Franken is a genius, and just like Moore thankfully the average person can see them for what they are; fact finding truth tellers. We are all in luck if these people actually get traction with the 'street' on their views, or god grants them political office.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
His Best, but serious,
By A Customer
This review is from: Truth With Jokes (Hardcover)
Another great tome from one of the best satirists in the U.S. today.I've enjoyed all of Al's previous works, but this packs a wallop. Almost the equivelant of Farenheit 9/11, but more substantial and accurate. Regrettably not quite as funny as his "Lying" book of last year, but perhaps a lot more important. Franken offers a reasoned and insightful explanation for the surprising 2nd Bush victory. But really, the best part is simply spending time with this wonderful, gentle, patriotic man. You'll like this book, and recommend it to others.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great!,
This review is from: The Truth (with jokes) (Paperback)
Very Good! Fun! Also look to ArtisanPacificPublishing Website for more Political Humour.Beaver Tales and a Canada Goosing George and Condi: The Last Decayed
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