My Turn at the Bully Pulpit: Straight Talk About the Things That Drive Me Nuts

by Greta Van Susteren, Elaine Lafferty

Welcome to the bully pulpit where opinions fly but common sense rules. Here’s where you’ll find straight talk about the most pressing issues of the day, all delivered in the trademark commonsense style of one of America’s most popular and admired television news anchors. Always resisting the political label that attempts to place people in one ideological camp or another, Greta Van Susteren speaks from the mind and the heart, not as a liberal or a conservative, but as a right-thinking, sensible citizen. “Our country is at a critical juncture,” she writes, and “too many of us are caught up in old definitions of left and right that no longer apply. If I favor the death penalty in some cases, does that make me right-wing? If I think hate crimes legislation is stupid, does that make me a conservative? If I happen to like and enjoy Ozzy Osbourne and have him on my show, does that make me a liberal? And if I believe that corporations should be held accountable if their products harm citizens and they should be subject to the rulings of a jury—ditto for doctors who commit medical malpractice—does that make me a lefty trial lawyer?”Here’s more of Greta in her own the Liberty isn’t free. As a nation, we must provide for the men and women who put their lives on the line for us. That means good pay, adequate funding for defense, and our heartfelt support. Vietnam was a very long time ago. We Baby Boomers have to wake up and realize that today’s military is a different military from the one we grew up with, and we are fighting a very different war. Patriotism is not a conservative or a liberal thing. Patriotism, as far as I am concerned, is the duty and obligation of every American.On the Supreme There should be a litmus test for Supreme Court and federal court judges, and that test should be their opinion about allowing public access to court proceedings. Let cameras inside the courthouse, or at least allow an audio feed to radio. What are they hiding?On the death It should be legal and available to courts and juries . . . but it should be used extremely rarely, and only when we are absolutely certain that a fair trial has taken place.On how you It’s your business and nobody else’s. Your looks and your life are not a democracy—not everybody gets a vote. Make your appearance and your choices a totalitarian regime—you are the boss.On It isn’t a curse word. It’s actually quite serious business, as it makes the hard times livable and the sad times bearable. Fun should be part of a work environment, too. Stuffed shirts and snobs who can’t stop and laugh at themselves should be banished!In Greta’s company you’re guaranteed to get a fresh dose of common sense and a good hearty rant on many of the most important issues we face today. One more you’ll have some good fun while you’re at it.From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Politics

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2003

About the author

Greta Van Susteren is an American journalist and television personality on the Fox News Channel where she hosts On the Record with Greta Van Susteren. She previously appeared on CNN from 1991 to 2002.

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got through the first 20% or so before I became too bored to continue. In addition to being meandering and somewhat outdated, MY TURN AT THE BULLY PULPIT treats readers as though they were simpletons. I don't mean that the tone or the language is condescending; I'm referring to how Ms. Van Susteren treats obvious, commonsense information as though she's giving us the "inside scoop." I mean, did you know that news programs try to book in-demand guests on their shows? And that TV journalists are very cutthroat in trying to land these guests? Did you know that a bad guest can result in a terrible interview? These are the kind of things Van Susteren teaches us about journalism.
Even still, I might've appreciated the book as a sort of introductory text for young readers were it not for the way it hopscotched from journalism to her political views to personal anecdotes about things like riding on aircraft carriers and hanging out with the Osbournes. There just wasn't enough of a through-line for me. Maybe it would've also helped if I was a bigger fan of Van Susteren and more familiar with her TV show, which I've never actually watched for more than two minutes at a stretch.

[Fayette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was published in 2003 (15 years ago!) and much of Susteren’s opinions/chapters are focused on what was then current events. Other than the O.J. Trial I have not really followed her career. I did enjoy her down-to-earth conversational style.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I find interesting about this book is that many of the things Greta writes about are still issues today, you just have different names. A nice quick read.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not one of those books that you can't put down. I'm not sure if I ever finished it?