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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Political Satire, 22 Dec 2003
By A Customer
It took a really long, boring stopover in a U.S. airport to finally convince me to buy Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.
I can't believe I didn't read it sooner.
Franken is perhaps the most brilliant political satirist around these days ... at least in print (I'd say Jon Stewart of The Daily Show - a hilarious American "fake news" TV program - is even more on the ball.)
The way he rips into such right-wing nutcases as Ann Coulter and FOX News blowhard Bill O'Reilly is brutally funny, but also intelligent.
As well, the myth about the media's liberal bias is thoroughly explored and largely debunked.
I try to keep up with politics and the media, but there were things in this book that had me absolutely flabbergasted.
The name Karl Rove now sends shivers up my spine. Scary, scary man.
I like Michael Moore, but even his biggest fan has to admit some of his facts are a little skewed.
Not so with Franken. Lying Liars is a well-researched book.
He backs up his claims and criticisms quite solidly.
Whereas Moore bashes your head in with his messages, Franken allows you to think for yourself.
Franken gushes a little too much about certain liberals ... the Clintons for example. But that's a minor complaint.
If any liberal was to change the mind of a conservative, it would be Franken.
But we know how likely that is.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who's Better, Who's Better, Who's Best?, 21 April 2004
Folks with ultra-conservative views will avoid this book, but they shouldn't. It is a witty and insightful collection concerning the American political system. Sure, Franken takes particularly focused aim at conservatives, but none are without strong reason. Everyone has a great deal to learn from this book and if you can stand it, there is plenty of humor here. If Al Franken were to be stoic and straightforward, he would never have been published. If you can't stand the idea of purchasing this book, then just borrow it from the library. If you can't tolerant someone who has a different opinion than you, then go back to your TV. Al Franken is funny, clever and knows what he is talking about. This book may not change the world, but it may change a lot of uptight underwear. You may also want to read any book by Bill O'Reilly. It would make a good bookend to any of Franken's tomes.
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful expose of the lies peddled in US politics, 17 Sep 2003
'I would just like to thank Fox for filing the stupidest legal briefs I have ever seen in my life' - Al FrankenThat quote was enough to get me interested in reading this book. And it proves an age old observation: as soon as a powerful organisation tries to ban something, it is guaranteed to become even more popular than it would have been. Some might say that it proves one of the author's hypotheses - that the most vocal members of the US right wing are stupid. However, if you are thinking of dismissing this book on grounds of it being another example of name-calling masquerading as politics, think again. Franken rebuts a whole series of the most outrageous statements and so-called 'facts' peddled by prominent right wing US politicians and journalists with pinpoint accuracy. He uses humour to expose the tactics of his enemies - tactics which amount to repeating a lie so often and so loudly that people think it must be true. The mock-plays he uses as interludes do not always hit the mark and in some cases serve only to break the flow of his arguments. Furthermore, the chapter devoted to the death of his politician friend and the media coverage of it was too long, though understandable, given the particularly unfair treatment meted out by members of the press who were either too lazy or too politically motivated to cover the story accurately. These minor flaws aside, this book demonstrates just how low sections of the political establishment and some journalists have sunk to. It exposes the myth of the liberal bias in the national media. It illustrates the inroads the Clinton administration made in reducing gun crime and tackling terrorism, policies that were reversed or put into slow motion by the incoming Bush administration. The sources are all there, and in most cases they are highly reputable ones. In short, it quotes facts to prove points and shows how the right wing have very few of those to prove *their* points. And finally, I challenge the rightwingers to rebut Franken's points - go on, I dare you to prove, using independent high-quality evidence, that he has got it wrong and that the statements made by the characters Franken criticises are in fact correct. Let's see who needs to resort to name-calling now.
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