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Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason
The political scene is changing rapidly in America. The religious right is on the defensive, acceptance of gay rights is at an all-time high, social conservatives are struggling for relevance, and more Americans than ever identify as nonreligious. What does this mean for the country and the future? With these demographic shifts, can truly progressive, reason-based public policy finally gain traction? Or will America continue to carry a reputation as anti-intellectual and plutocratic, eager to cater to large corporate interests but reluctant to provide universal health care to all its citizens? Fighting Back the Right reveals a new alliance in the making, a progressive coalition committed to fighting for rational public policy in America and reversing the damage inflicted by decades of conservative dominance. David Niose, Legal Director of the American Humanist Association (AHA), examines this exciting new dynamic, covering not only the rapidly evolving culture wars but also the twists and turns of American history and politics that led to this point, and why this new alliance could potentially move the country in a direction of sanity, fairness, and human-centered public policy.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published December 16, 2014
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December 18, 2014
Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason by David Niose
“Fighting Back the Right" is a compelling plea for secularists to take the lead in taking back America. This is a beautifully lucid narrative that emphasizes rational and human-centered policies in order to take back America. Legal Director of the American Humanist Association and author of the excellent book Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans, David Niose provides readers with a treat. This powerful 256-page book includes the following fourteen chapters: 1. Corrupt Blessings, 2. Real-World Change, 3. Of People and Humans, 4. The Boomer Bust, 5. No Corporations in Foxholes, 6. “Our Son of a B****”, 7. Fair to All, 8. New Traditions, 9. Same Old Deal, 10. A Higher Common Denominator, 11. Impossible Vigilance, 12. Sarah Palin’s Massachusetts, 13. Taking Control, and 14. Reason for Winning.
Positives:
1. Well-written and well-cited book for the masses. Lucid and smooth prose.
2. An important topic handled with expertise.
3. Direct yet respectful tone throughout.
4. Great use of history, sound logic and reasoning to make cogent points throughout.
5. Very focused on the main theme of this book, “A central premise of this book is that we owe the dismal state of affairs in America to the failure of rational, human-centered public policy to gain traction—and that this failure is a direct result of a multipronged attack on reason.”
6. Discusses the roots of irrationality in our politics. “Religious fundamentalists frequently back policies that obstruct equality for women, gays, racial minorities, and religious minorities, as well as in economic anti-egalitarianism, where the support of religious conservatives enables policies favoring corporate interests and the wealthy and disfavoring the poor and middle class.”
7. Does a wonderful job of defining terms. “The word ‘freethought,’ however, is not defined as giving license to believe any idea that is suggested but instead refers to a philosophical view that is more disciplined, holding that opinions should be based on reason, logic, and evidence.”
8. Makes a compelling case for change. “The American system needs major change, even radical change, but the modern progressive movement must operate within the framework of the real world, not theory.”
9. A look at how corporations became nonhuman “people”. “The issue of corporate personhood vaulted to the front pages in 2010, when the Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, holding that certain political spending restrictions aimed at corporations violated First Amendment free speech protections. In fact, however, the problem of corporate personhood goes back to the nineteenth century, when the nature of corporations began to change radically, evolving from extremely rare and highly regulated legal entities to a common and largely unregulated business model.” “If this is government “for the people,” it’s for corporate people.”
10. The Moral Majority and its impact.
11. An interesting brief list of tyrannical regimes that we somehow backed.
12. The facts about economic mobility.
13. Eye-opening comments regarding corporate power. “Corporations have an interest in shaping society in a way that will maximize their pursuit of profit, and they will naturally try to do so unless stopped.” “In essence, we have created a class structure whereby humans are second-class citizens in a society in which nonhuman people are the first-class.”
14. Rebuking the myth of supporting traditions and our heritage. “Far from adhering to tradition, today’s conservative extremists are blazing a new trail that reflects the wishes not of the founders, but of the corporate entities that now control the economy and, for practical purposes, the political system.”
15. Correcting right-wing semantics. “In right-wing semantics, the principle of liberty is often used to justify public policy that leaves corporations unregulated and the rich untaxed while dismantling social safety nets.”
16. The rise of Elizabeth Warren. “Warren was seen as the obvious person to lead the newly created bureau, but financial institutions, the GOP, and even some Democrats with Wall Street connections (such as Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner) opposed her. As a result she never led the agency, but revenge was sweet when she was elected to the Senate to sit among the lawmakers and power brokers who had obstructed her nomination.”
17. Excellent examples that clearly show the conflict of interest between corporations and society. “As if we needed more proof that privatized prisons are a bad idea, consider the scandal that became known as ‘kids for cash,’ in which two Pennsylvania judges were convicted in 2011 in a scheme to funnel children to two for-profit prisons in return for kickbacks.”
18. Makes a compelling case for a new strategy. “Thus, the first step in any strategy for long-term progressive success in America must be to educate the population about the nature of corporations and to initiate a discussion about their proper role in society.” “The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling made one fact very clear: Americans will never control corporate power without a constitutional amendment.”
19. Presents five key strategies to long-term success.
20. Well-cited book with plenty of notes and a formal bibliography.
Negatives:
1. Lack of visual supplementary material that would have added more value to this wonderfully written book.
2. Perhaps a tad repetitive but you leave with no doubt on what the main points are.
In summary, this is an excellent book. There is a direct correlation between how much I like a book and how much I highlighted it; and I highlighted this book a lot. In a lucid and direct manner, David Niose makes a compelling case that secularists need to take the lead in retaking America from the right and provides guidelines on how best to achieve such goals. I really enjoyed this book, I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: “Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans” by the same author, “Attack of the Theocrats!” by Sean Faircloth, “God’s Defenders” by S.T. Joshi, “The Republican Brain” by Chris Mooney, “Republican Gomorrah” by Max Blumenthal, “Society without God” by Phil Zuckerman, “Why Are You Atheists So Angry?” Great Christina, “Doubt: A History” by Jennifer Hecht, “Can We Be Good Without God?” by Robert Buckman, “The Conservative Assault on the Constitution” by Erwin Chemerinsky, “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong” by Rob Boston and “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges.
“Fighting Back the Right" is a compelling plea for secularists to take the lead in taking back America. This is a beautifully lucid narrative that emphasizes rational and human-centered policies in order to take back America. Legal Director of the American Humanist Association and author of the excellent book Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans, David Niose provides readers with a treat. This powerful 256-page book includes the following fourteen chapters: 1. Corrupt Blessings, 2. Real-World Change, 3. Of People and Humans, 4. The Boomer Bust, 5. No Corporations in Foxholes, 6. “Our Son of a B****”, 7. Fair to All, 8. New Traditions, 9. Same Old Deal, 10. A Higher Common Denominator, 11. Impossible Vigilance, 12. Sarah Palin’s Massachusetts, 13. Taking Control, and 14. Reason for Winning.
Positives:
1. Well-written and well-cited book for the masses. Lucid and smooth prose.
2. An important topic handled with expertise.
3. Direct yet respectful tone throughout.
4. Great use of history, sound logic and reasoning to make cogent points throughout.
5. Very focused on the main theme of this book, “A central premise of this book is that we owe the dismal state of affairs in America to the failure of rational, human-centered public policy to gain traction—and that this failure is a direct result of a multipronged attack on reason.”
6. Discusses the roots of irrationality in our politics. “Religious fundamentalists frequently back policies that obstruct equality for women, gays, racial minorities, and religious minorities, as well as in economic anti-egalitarianism, where the support of religious conservatives enables policies favoring corporate interests and the wealthy and disfavoring the poor and middle class.”
7. Does a wonderful job of defining terms. “The word ‘freethought,’ however, is not defined as giving license to believe any idea that is suggested but instead refers to a philosophical view that is more disciplined, holding that opinions should be based on reason, logic, and evidence.”
8. Makes a compelling case for change. “The American system needs major change, even radical change, but the modern progressive movement must operate within the framework of the real world, not theory.”
9. A look at how corporations became nonhuman “people”. “The issue of corporate personhood vaulted to the front pages in 2010, when the Supreme Court ruled on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, holding that certain political spending restrictions aimed at corporations violated First Amendment free speech protections. In fact, however, the problem of corporate personhood goes back to the nineteenth century, when the nature of corporations began to change radically, evolving from extremely rare and highly regulated legal entities to a common and largely unregulated business model.” “If this is government “for the people,” it’s for corporate people.”
10. The Moral Majority and its impact.
11. An interesting brief list of tyrannical regimes that we somehow backed.
12. The facts about economic mobility.
13. Eye-opening comments regarding corporate power. “Corporations have an interest in shaping society in a way that will maximize their pursuit of profit, and they will naturally try to do so unless stopped.” “In essence, we have created a class structure whereby humans are second-class citizens in a society in which nonhuman people are the first-class.”
14. Rebuking the myth of supporting traditions and our heritage. “Far from adhering to tradition, today’s conservative extremists are blazing a new trail that reflects the wishes not of the founders, but of the corporate entities that now control the economy and, for practical purposes, the political system.”
15. Correcting right-wing semantics. “In right-wing semantics, the principle of liberty is often used to justify public policy that leaves corporations unregulated and the rich untaxed while dismantling social safety nets.”
16. The rise of Elizabeth Warren. “Warren was seen as the obvious person to lead the newly created bureau, but financial institutions, the GOP, and even some Democrats with Wall Street connections (such as Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner) opposed her. As a result she never led the agency, but revenge was sweet when she was elected to the Senate to sit among the lawmakers and power brokers who had obstructed her nomination.”
17. Excellent examples that clearly show the conflict of interest between corporations and society. “As if we needed more proof that privatized prisons are a bad idea, consider the scandal that became known as ‘kids for cash,’ in which two Pennsylvania judges were convicted in 2011 in a scheme to funnel children to two for-profit prisons in return for kickbacks.”
18. Makes a compelling case for a new strategy. “Thus, the first step in any strategy for long-term progressive success in America must be to educate the population about the nature of corporations and to initiate a discussion about their proper role in society.” “The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling made one fact very clear: Americans will never control corporate power without a constitutional amendment.”
19. Presents five key strategies to long-term success.
20. Well-cited book with plenty of notes and a formal bibliography.
Negatives:
1. Lack of visual supplementary material that would have added more value to this wonderfully written book.
2. Perhaps a tad repetitive but you leave with no doubt on what the main points are.
In summary, this is an excellent book. There is a direct correlation between how much I like a book and how much I highlighted it; and I highlighted this book a lot. In a lucid and direct manner, David Niose makes a compelling case that secularists need to take the lead in retaking America from the right and provides guidelines on how best to achieve such goals. I really enjoyed this book, I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: “Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans” by the same author, “Attack of the Theocrats!” by Sean Faircloth, “God’s Defenders” by S.T. Joshi, “The Republican Brain” by Chris Mooney, “Republican Gomorrah” by Max Blumenthal, “Society without God” by Phil Zuckerman, “Why Are You Atheists So Angry?” Great Christina, “Doubt: A History” by Jennifer Hecht, “Can We Be Good Without God?” by Robert Buckman, “The Conservative Assault on the Constitution” by Erwin Chemerinsky, “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong” by Rob Boston and “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges.
January 17, 2015
Intelligent analysis of the history of American anti-egalitarianism. Not wordy and moves quickly. Easy to read but thought provoking. Though Mr. Niose paints a dreary picture of American politics, his purpose is not to make us liberals depressed, rather he attempts to wake the public up with facts to provide an environment that nurtures critical thinking. An amazing interpretation of the Baby Boomers generation and how they shaped the current politics. The relationship of extreme Christianity and corporations is well explained. A brief history of the corporation was an eye opener. The Founders myth is destroyed in a completely new way.
January 22, 2015
An easy to digest book which hammers home its points. The right wing is mostly anti-egalitarian and are not freethinkers. That's how they see the world. The secular left tends to be exactly the opposite. They (we) want more fairness within society and we never accept authority alone as reason in and of itself. Give us data, science, empirical observations and reason and rational explanations. I don't care what others state if there is not logic behind the argument.
The biggest friend the left has is rational discourse. Whenever we enter the politics of name calling or silliness we are distracting from the facts surrounding the real issues and we are hurting ourselves.
The other warning that the author dwells on (and I agree with) is the fact that "corporations are not people too" and should not be given constitutional rights as if they are people. Most of the issues on the left can be argued in terms of corporations should not be given special rights (social security doesn't need to be privatize in order to make corporations rich, and so on).
All in all a pleasant little book to read and even reads like a long easy to read blog post.
The biggest friend the left has is rational discourse. Whenever we enter the politics of name calling or silliness we are distracting from the facts surrounding the real issues and we are hurting ourselves.
The other warning that the author dwells on (and I agree with) is the fact that "corporations are not people too" and should not be given constitutional rights as if they are people. Most of the issues on the left can be argued in terms of corporations should not be given special rights (social security doesn't need to be privatize in order to make corporations rich, and so on).
All in all a pleasant little book to read and even reads like a long easy to read blog post.
January 5, 2017
This book is not subtle in the least, but I suppose only a liberal is picking it up anyway, with a title like tat. It's essentially a history lesson of how corporate interests took over, set up in a way to support the author's main argument -- that any progressive policy we achieve is going to be short-lived and easily reversed if we don't first focus our efforts on addressing "corporate personhood".
Not sure I gained a better understanding of how to move forward (one of the author's main strategies, "Raise the level of discourse", seems particularly distressing in a post-Trump world), but a couple things really stuck with me:
1) The history of the rise of the religious right (which gave me actual nightmares). As an 80's child, the prevalence of religion and "god bless america" in political campaigns seems immutable; I needed this history lesson.
2) The wide berth that we give opinions stemming from religious beliefs (and the fact that they should be fair game when we are talking about influencing policies that impact all citizens).
Not sure I gained a better understanding of how to move forward (one of the author's main strategies, "Raise the level of discourse", seems particularly distressing in a post-Trump world), but a couple things really stuck with me:
1) The history of the rise of the religious right (which gave me actual nightmares). As an 80's child, the prevalence of religion and "god bless america" in political campaigns seems immutable; I needed this history lesson.
2) The wide berth that we give opinions stemming from religious beliefs (and the fact that they should be fair game when we are talking about influencing policies that impact all citizens).
July 17, 2015
I purchased this book in an attempt to understand and combat the pervasive anti-intellectualism I am seeing in the country today. I learned a bit, I now look at corporations in a whole new light, but I felt the book did not go deep enough into the reasons behind the current anti-intellectual climate, nor how to combat it.
What it did do was give me a lot more reading material...David Niose does reference a lot of good books that may give me the knowledge needed to at least confront the anti-intellectuals in my life. Because they're not bad people, and may not understand what their parroting is doing.
What it did do was give me a lot more reading material...David Niose does reference a lot of good books that may give me the knowledge needed to at least confront the anti-intellectuals in my life. Because they're not bad people, and may not understand what their parroting is doing.
July 13, 2015
Politically accessible and enlightening.
The notes section is uncomplicated and interesting. Personally, I look at the notes section of a non-fiction work before I skim the chapter titles or anything else. Niose uses diverse sources and intelligently summarizes lengthy articles.
The notes section is uncomplicated and interesting. Personally, I look at the notes section of a non-fiction work before I skim the chapter titles or anything else. Niose uses diverse sources and intelligently summarizes lengthy articles.
August 15, 2023
Third time's the charm. I had started this book twice before and set it aside. It's message is hard to read because it leaves one with a sense that there is nothing that can be done about the corporate takeover of our Democracy. This time I reached the end where a plan of action is presented.
I only gave the book three stars because once the author makes his point about right-wing religion and large corporate interests, he explains them again and again throughout the book. I understood the first time and felt the repetitions were unnecessary. A mere reference to the first explanation would have been enough. What he could have spent more time on is the plan of action and building a sense of possibility.
I only gave the book three stars because once the author makes his point about right-wing religion and large corporate interests, he explains them again and again throughout the book. I understood the first time and felt the repetitions were unnecessary. A mere reference to the first explanation would have been enough. What he could have spent more time on is the plan of action and building a sense of possibility.
January 22, 2025
Anyone who genuinely wants to change the American political system and our society for the better should read this. Even people who ascribe to the religious right should also read this so they can better see how they are being taken advantage of.
March 23, 2015
I usually rate by how I subjectively like a book and not by an objective standard of how well it is written. However, most of those books are fiction, and to apply the same procedure for this book would be inappropriate. The reason I state this is because I found it at times aggravating to read about some topics, but unfortunately, David Niose writes the truth, and as the they say "The truth is not always pretty".
People have naturally different stances on topics, but living in the 21st century, they should be based on reason and scientific proof should be accepted, but sadly, that is not the case in our country. While Niose writes from the perspective of a progressive, secular humanist, and he makes his final strategic recommendations from that view, the book goes in its individual chapters beyond that. He describes very eloquently and quite objectively how policies have become so corporate-oriented, anti-reason, and anti-science in the last few decades. The bigger picture behind those policies becomes understandable, and the reader longs for a more human-centered and reason-based alternative.
That is the reason why this book is a five star rating for me and I wish everyone would read it.
People have naturally different stances on topics, but living in the 21st century, they should be based on reason and scientific proof should be accepted, but sadly, that is not the case in our country. While Niose writes from the perspective of a progressive, secular humanist, and he makes his final strategic recommendations from that view, the book goes in its individual chapters beyond that. He describes very eloquently and quite objectively how policies have become so corporate-oriented, anti-reason, and anti-science in the last few decades. The bigger picture behind those policies becomes understandable, and the reader longs for a more human-centered and reason-based alternative.
That is the reason why this book is a five star rating for me and I wish everyone would read it.
February 3, 2015
Although I consider his solutions to corporate domination a little unrealistic, his analysis of the fusion of anti-egalitarian Right Wing ideologues with corporate America is on target. He proposes that progressive forces rally to push for a constitutional amendment to overturn the deplorable " Citizens United" Supreme Court decision. That certainly would be a worthy goal but as a practical matter by the time you have such an amendment passed, the oligarchy would have years to wreak immense havoc. Electing more legislators who are not beholden to such corporate interests and have the moxie to challenge them and regulate them would have more immediate impact.
The commentary on the strain of anti-intellectualism that is a staple of the Right Wing mindset receives excellent treatment. Anti-reason and anti-modernist philosophies embraced by large segments of the Right have contaminated politics and education, and many elected officials now are flag-bearers for such positions, enabling them to strangle legislation that promotes the public interest.
Overall, I agree with the author's analysis and diagnosis but thought it was a little weak on the prescription for fixing the problems.
The commentary on the strain of anti-intellectualism that is a staple of the Right Wing mindset receives excellent treatment. Anti-reason and anti-modernist philosophies embraced by large segments of the Right have contaminated politics and education, and many elected officials now are flag-bearers for such positions, enabling them to strangle legislation that promotes the public interest.
Overall, I agree with the author's analysis and diagnosis but thought it was a little weak on the prescription for fixing the problems.
February 23, 2015
I think I would actually give this three and a half stars if I could. The ideas are solid, and the last few chapters, which focus on strategy, are better than the earlier ones. There are some better books out there that have a better focus on the themes of corporatism and the influence of the Religious Right (American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century by Kevin Phillips and The Science of Liberty: Democracy, Reason, and the Laws of Nature by Timothy Ferris in particular) that describe the issues in greater detail.
I also think David misuses the word progressive. Most of the ideas he talks about are actually liberal, not progressive. It's strange because he makes a big deal, several times, over the typical conservative misuse of the word socialist to describe "progressive" (actually liberal) policies.
I also think David misuses the word progressive. Most of the ideas he talks about are actually liberal, not progressive. It's strange because he makes a big deal, several times, over the typical conservative misuse of the word socialist to describe "progressive" (actually liberal) policies.
July 7, 2015
An important and timely read. Niose correctly identifies the most important problem in our society as the overinflated and uninhibited power and influence of corporations. I suspect he underestimates the stupidity of the "average Joe" (if there be such a creature), but agree with his assessment that we need to return reason to the public discourse in hopes that said "Joe" will rise to the challenge. His call for secularists to rise to the challenge of the religious right is also one that needs to be heeded. My main criticisms of this book are Niose's somewhat dry writing style and tendency to veer into repetition.
July 2, 2015
Taking back our country!
A reasonable common sense approach to taking back our country from the corporations, religious right, lobbyists, et.al which has effectively silenced a significant portion of our populace. Progressives must find their voices in the various segments of our society and proudly acknowledge the roles we have too long abdicated to the religious minority, being wrongly convinced that A strong majority of Americans are deeply religious when, in reality, they are not!
A reasonable common sense approach to taking back our country from the corporations, religious right, lobbyists, et.al which has effectively silenced a significant portion of our populace. Progressives must find their voices in the various segments of our society and proudly acknowledge the roles we have too long abdicated to the religious minority, being wrongly convinced that A strong majority of Americans are deeply religious when, in reality, they are not!
June 22, 2025
A good history of the anti-intellectual and anti-egalitarian stance of the political Right in America and the need for progressives to band together to bring about positive change. This book was written in 2014. I would love to see an update to include the exasperating events resulting in Trump's election and a definite plan of action to rescue the US going forward.
April 20, 2015
David Niose diagnoses the emergence of the anti-egalitarian and anti-intellectual public policy with wit and persuasion. He also proposes a pragmatic approach for combating the irrational policy proposals of the Religious Right. A wonderful book that I highly recommend.
August 10, 2015
Good premise, good historical perspective, and he attempts to keep from bashing religion itself. I'll use some of his talking points, but would not recommend a religious conservative to read, as they could be offended (the title, though, openly indicated that would be the case).
December 9, 2016
great book...it just took me a little while to get through for personal reasons. I found myself wondering how others think and if they really believe all the hogwash they are spewing from their mouths. I'm so glad that someone finally has my thoughts in print.
February 8, 2015
With me, he's preaching to the choir; however, I found it a bit heavy-handed.
December 14, 2015
Overall, a good book with good points, but I found parts of it to be unnecessarily repetitive and simplistic. Like many nonfiction books, the best information is at the beginning.
September 10, 2016
A good synopsis of the conservative muck-up and a resource for the corporatocracy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews