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Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right
Al Franken, one of our savviest satirists (People), has been studying the rhetoric of the Right. He has listened to their cries of slander, bias, and even treason. He has examined the Bush administration's policies of squandering our surplus, ravaging the environment, and alienating the rest of the world. He's even watched Fox News. A lot.
And, in this fair and balanced report, Al bravely and candidly exposes them all for what they are: liars. Lying, lying liars. Al destroys the liberal media bias myth by doing what his targets seem incapable of: getting his facts straight. Using the Right's own words against them, he takes on the pundits, the politicians, and the issues, in the most talked about book of the year.
Timely, provocative, unfailingly honest, and always funny, Lies sticks it to the most right-wing administration in memory, and to the right-wing media hacks who do its bidding.
421 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
287 people are currently reading
10089 people want to read
About the author
Al Franken
17 books651 followersAlan Stuart "Al" Franken is an Emmy Award–winning American comedian, writer, progressive political commentator, and, recently, politician. He gained fame as a writer and a performer for Saturday Night Live, eventually writing and appearing in several films. Since then, Franken has become more known for his political commentary, writing numerous bestselling books and hosting a nationally-syndicated radio show on Air America Radio.
He is currently the United States Senator from Minnesota.
On February 14, 2007, Franken announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and was nominated by that party on June 7, 2008. He won the Democratic Party primary on September 9, 2008, defeating his closest opponent 65% to 29%. He was elected to the Senate, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. In 2014 he was reelected to a second term.
He is currently the United States Senator from Minnesota.
On February 14, 2007, Franken announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and was nominated by that party on June 7, 2008. He won the Democratic Party primary on September 9, 2008, defeating his closest opponent 65% to 29%. He was elected to the Senate, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. In 2014 he was reelected to a second term.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 960 reviews
March 7, 2009
I’ve been a registered Democrat since high school and many of my values are liberal, but this was awful. This book is an example of atrocious holier-than-thou thinking, with humor that is meaner than it is funny, and blind where it should be practical. It’s propaganda for people who already believe the cause and contributes nothing to discussion. It’s every bit as spiteful and unreasonable to its opposition as the vilified super-conservatives. It makes me wonder if people like Franken and Ann Coulter aren’t in this for money, as championship of polar values gets them easy praise and tons of cash. I found the epilogue, about the Democrats taking Congress and righting all the wrongs of the country to be the most amusing part of the book. When we actually saw how little the Democratic Congress (which I helped with my vote into office) did, it was like one final nail, heavier than all the others, driven through this paperback. Now that they control the presidency and both houses of Congress, with Franken in their company, maybe some of his righteous prophecy can come true. Until then, do yourself a favor and pick up an informative book like Cobra II or All The Shah’s Men instead, books intended to give you information so you can form your own opinions. Mean spirited humor meant to demean those we disagree with only hurts national discourse, no matter which “other” is being attacked.
September 2, 2021
"Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow.”
― Al Franken, Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right
4.5 stars.
I guess one's enjoyment of this depends on how much they like Al Franken.
This was the first book I’ve read by him and I found it to be a warm, human and utterly hilarious read. Al takes on FOX News in this this book, in particular Bill O’Reilly.
This book has a very interesting back story as supposedly Fox News sued Franken in court over the words "Fair and Balanced" which I find to be utterly hysterical. And yes it is discussed in the book.
I suppose I can see why conservatives might get pissed off at this book but even if you’re not an ultra liberal this does make for fun reading.
Franken brings up a lot of things that are really on point. George Bush was president when this came out. Franken brings his wit through the book, to be sure, but the thing is: lots of stuff in this book make so much sense. I loved his "Lawyer and the waitress" story.
I personally love reading political nonfiction books to get all viewpoints and I happen to be a fan of Franken. If you are seeking a good political Non Fiction book, this is a great one AND there is nothing about Trump because he was a long way from being president when this came out. (Sigh..resisting the urge to say something Snarky about now).
Whatever your views on Franken, he is not and never has been, boring. And he just makes one laugh while at the same time making you think. I would give this 4.5 stars. Highly recommended.
― Al Franken, Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right
4.5 stars.
I guess one's enjoyment of this depends on how much they like Al Franken.
This was the first book I’ve read by him and I found it to be a warm, human and utterly hilarious read. Al takes on FOX News in this this book, in particular Bill O’Reilly.
This book has a very interesting back story as supposedly Fox News sued Franken in court over the words "Fair and Balanced" which I find to be utterly hysterical. And yes it is discussed in the book.
I suppose I can see why conservatives might get pissed off at this book but even if you’re not an ultra liberal this does make for fun reading.
Franken brings up a lot of things that are really on point. George Bush was president when this came out. Franken brings his wit through the book, to be sure, but the thing is: lots of stuff in this book make so much sense. I loved his "Lawyer and the waitress" story.
I personally love reading political nonfiction books to get all viewpoints and I happen to be a fan of Franken. If you are seeking a good political Non Fiction book, this is a great one AND there is nothing about Trump because he was a long way from being president when this came out. (Sigh..resisting the urge to say something Snarky about now).
Whatever your views on Franken, he is not and never has been, boring. And he just makes one laugh while at the same time making you think. I would give this 4.5 stars. Highly recommended.
July 15, 2009
This very funny but extremely serious book goes after the deliberate falsehoods perpetrated by the right-wing on "liberals."
As you may know, the Fox Network went after Franken for trademark infringement because he used the phrase "fair and balanced." The judge threw out the suit as completely ludicrous and made several trenchant comments about the inability of the Fox executives to recognize satire when they saw it
.
Harvard University gave Franken a fellowship to basically do whatever he wanted, but demurred at his idea of having Harvard students write his son's college application. Franken finally hit upon the idea of having a group of students do research for his book. They bought the idea.
His first target is Ann Coulter, author of Scandal. Franken methodically picks apart her book, revealing it for the inaccurate, if not disingenuous, piece of nonsense it is. He also shows how she has blatantly lied about things. Her Connecticut driver's license shows her birth date as 1961; her Washington DL says 1963. She claims the Washington DL is correct, which means she voted as a sixteen-year-old. On one of the applications she lied about her age. Now, many people have done that, but since the US Patriot Act makes it a felony to put false information on a government ID, she could be whisked away and held without counsel for a long time. I wish they would. Simple charges she makes in her book were never checked. For example, she complains that Evan Thomas, supposedly one of those heinous liberals, was the son of Norman Thomas, four-time [sic:] candidate for president on the Socialist party ticket. Actually, he ran six times, and a simple phone call to Evan Thomas reveals that he is not the son of Norman Thomas. Coulter's book is filled with such false details. Either she is extremely lazy or a blatant liar. Franken obviously suspects the latter.
Francken has infuriated that scion of right-wing Fox Bill O'Reilly by publicly pointing out many untruths that O'Reilly has put forth. At Book Expo in Los Angeles, O'Reilly was humiliated by Franken, who categorically listed all sorts of lies O'Reilly had perpetrated on the public. Now, Franken makes clear that occasionally making a mistake on a statistic is hardly a crime, but O'Reilly's customary tactic, when challenged with the correct information from unimpeachable sources is to simply bully and yell at his challenger rather than correct the mistake. The problem is also that he makes lots of mistakes. More from the "sewer of right-wing dishonesty. When he interviewed the son of a worker killed on 9/11 on February 4th, 2003, he became enraged at the son's opposition to the war in Iraq, had his engineer cut off the man's microphone, and sent him packing saying to him after the show's end, "Get out of my studio before I tear you to f*cking pieces."
O'Reilly, who constantly rails at the lyrics of rap songs, wrote a murder mystery in 1998, Those who Trespass (about a serial killer who murders everyone who interferes with his rising television career), that took explicit sex and violence to new heights and the English language to new lows. In one murder, the victim is killed by having a spoon driven through the roof of her mouth into her brain stem. Variants of the "F" word and "B" word are used more than 51 times. Case of the pot calling the kettle black? O'Reilly is not a nice man.
Team Franken took a look at Hannity's (of Hannity and Colmes,) book to verify the factualness of his statements. Examples of disingenuousness and dishonesty abound.
Bush's initial indifference to al Qaeda prior to 9/11 is astonishing. The Clinton administration had developed plans for eliminating Bin Laden, but those plans were ignored. That the Bin Laden family were good friends with the Bush family is well-known, and Franken speculates as to what might have happened to Clinton had he been so nice to the Bin Laden family, permitting a Saudi plane to fly around the country picking up family members for return to Saudi Arabia, while American airplanes were grounded. In the meantime, President Bush has broken all presidential records for the number of days spent on vacation.
The book is often uneven, some parts funnier and some more serious. Should one laugh or cry learning that many of our leaders today, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Perle, Bush, and other chickenhawks who are sending men off to die in war, did everything in their power, having their fathers pull strings and inventing flimsy excuses (shouldn't pick on Limbaugh, I think he was just too fat) to avoid service in Vietnam.
As you may know, the Fox Network went after Franken for trademark infringement because he used the phrase "fair and balanced." The judge threw out the suit as completely ludicrous and made several trenchant comments about the inability of the Fox executives to recognize satire when they saw it
.
Harvard University gave Franken a fellowship to basically do whatever he wanted, but demurred at his idea of having Harvard students write his son's college application. Franken finally hit upon the idea of having a group of students do research for his book. They bought the idea.
His first target is Ann Coulter, author of Scandal. Franken methodically picks apart her book, revealing it for the inaccurate, if not disingenuous, piece of nonsense it is. He also shows how she has blatantly lied about things. Her Connecticut driver's license shows her birth date as 1961; her Washington DL says 1963. She claims the Washington DL is correct, which means she voted as a sixteen-year-old. On one of the applications she lied about her age. Now, many people have done that, but since the US Patriot Act makes it a felony to put false information on a government ID, she could be whisked away and held without counsel for a long time. I wish they would. Simple charges she makes in her book were never checked. For example, she complains that Evan Thomas, supposedly one of those heinous liberals, was the son of Norman Thomas, four-time [sic:] candidate for president on the Socialist party ticket. Actually, he ran six times, and a simple phone call to Evan Thomas reveals that he is not the son of Norman Thomas. Coulter's book is filled with such false details. Either she is extremely lazy or a blatant liar. Franken obviously suspects the latter.
Francken has infuriated that scion of right-wing Fox Bill O'Reilly by publicly pointing out many untruths that O'Reilly has put forth. At Book Expo in Los Angeles, O'Reilly was humiliated by Franken, who categorically listed all sorts of lies O'Reilly had perpetrated on the public. Now, Franken makes clear that occasionally making a mistake on a statistic is hardly a crime, but O'Reilly's customary tactic, when challenged with the correct information from unimpeachable sources is to simply bully and yell at his challenger rather than correct the mistake. The problem is also that he makes lots of mistakes. More from the "sewer of right-wing dishonesty. When he interviewed the son of a worker killed on 9/11 on February 4th, 2003, he became enraged at the son's opposition to the war in Iraq, had his engineer cut off the man's microphone, and sent him packing saying to him after the show's end, "Get out of my studio before I tear you to f*cking pieces."
O'Reilly, who constantly rails at the lyrics of rap songs, wrote a murder mystery in 1998, Those who Trespass (about a serial killer who murders everyone who interferes with his rising television career), that took explicit sex and violence to new heights and the English language to new lows. In one murder, the victim is killed by having a spoon driven through the roof of her mouth into her brain stem. Variants of the "F" word and "B" word are used more than 51 times. Case of the pot calling the kettle black? O'Reilly is not a nice man.
Team Franken took a look at Hannity's (of Hannity and Colmes,) book to verify the factualness of his statements. Examples of disingenuousness and dishonesty abound.
Bush's initial indifference to al Qaeda prior to 9/11 is astonishing. The Clinton administration had developed plans for eliminating Bin Laden, but those plans were ignored. That the Bin Laden family were good friends with the Bush family is well-known, and Franken speculates as to what might have happened to Clinton had he been so nice to the Bin Laden family, permitting a Saudi plane to fly around the country picking up family members for return to Saudi Arabia, while American airplanes were grounded. In the meantime, President Bush has broken all presidential records for the number of days spent on vacation.
The book is often uneven, some parts funnier and some more serious. Should one laugh or cry learning that many of our leaders today, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Perle, Bush, and other chickenhawks who are sending men off to die in war, did everything in their power, having their fathers pull strings and inventing flimsy excuses (shouldn't pick on Limbaugh, I think he was just too fat) to avoid service in Vietnam.
November 24, 2007
I would recommend this book to intellectual conservatives so that they simply have more ammo to disassociate themselves from the neo-cons. I actually respect true conservative thought and this administration was not it. At all. And Franken gives a funny, sometimes enraging, flogging of the neo-con media.
It's a great book. I think, however, it preaches to the choir since the person who would read this is a liberal to begin with in the first place.
And he DESTROYS Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly...this, in and of itself, are good things...
It's a great book. I think, however, it preaches to the choir since the person who would read this is a liberal to begin with in the first place.
And he DESTROYS Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly...this, in and of itself, are good things...
October 28, 2007
Why I love this book:
1) Definitely one of the funniest book titles I've ever seen
2) Remember when, for years after 9/11, so many media and entertainment figures held themselves back from criticizing Bush administration? Al broke the silence quite a bit with this book, which was basically a "bullshit" cry heard 'round the country. After that it seemed to be way more ok for others to start speaking out. You may think he's too moderate but he's pretty clever at calling bullshit on the right.
3) There was some really hilarious controversy surrounding this book when it came out. Bill O'Reilly got in a fight with Al over this book in a heated exchange at a major Book Expo. The details of this fight are hilarious. Also Fox tried to SUE him for using the "fair and balanced" phrase in his subtitle. What happened is, the judge told the Fox representatives in court that the were full of shit and in over their heads and the case was I think literally laughed out of court
4) His sense of humor is very unique
1) Definitely one of the funniest book titles I've ever seen
2) Remember when, for years after 9/11, so many media and entertainment figures held themselves back from criticizing Bush administration? Al broke the silence quite a bit with this book, which was basically a "bullshit" cry heard 'round the country. After that it seemed to be way more ok for others to start speaking out. You may think he's too moderate but he's pretty clever at calling bullshit on the right.
3) There was some really hilarious controversy surrounding this book when it came out. Bill O'Reilly got in a fight with Al over this book in a heated exchange at a major Book Expo. The details of this fight are hilarious. Also Fox tried to SUE him for using the "fair and balanced" phrase in his subtitle. What happened is, the judge told the Fox representatives in court that the were full of shit and in over their heads and the case was I think literally laughed out of court
4) His sense of humor is very unique
September 28, 2007
I actually listened to Al Franken read this on Audio CD, and I loved it. The advantage here is that Al plays all the quotes by the people he's bashing (with a little more context) and he himself is just very funny how he reads.
I know the subtitle's supposed to be a joke, but this book is WAY MORE fair and balanced than anything by bona fide Ass-Holes (capitalized) like Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter (they are the Zeus and Hera of assholes). This book exposes them and all their logical fallacies for what they really are: Racist, Elitist and Deviant.
I don't think it's a good book for converting far-righters, but it makes a lot of good, logical points. It's also heart-felt and apolitical at points. (something Bill O'Reilly can't ever accomplish).
I know the subtitle's supposed to be a joke, but this book is WAY MORE fair and balanced than anything by bona fide Ass-Holes (capitalized) like Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter (they are the Zeus and Hera of assholes). This book exposes them and all their logical fallacies for what they really are: Racist, Elitist and Deviant.
I don't think it's a good book for converting far-righters, but it makes a lot of good, logical points. It's also heart-felt and apolitical at points. (something Bill O'Reilly can't ever accomplish).
March 13, 2024
I hate to bring a heavy hand to a snowball fight, but this book is actually important to me. You know how some books act as landmarks in your life, either as a reader or as an acutal liver of the world outside the window and the page? This is one of mine.
I bought it years ago with trembling glee, as the post 9/11 world of politics had become my insomniac obsession and I was in need of not only some rhetorical weaponry but an insightful, informed take on what I knew in my bones (as so many of us lefties, new or abiding, did know and were right about all along) was a shitshow non pareil.
I trusted Al Franken then as now for his wit, his humor, his sense of the absurd and patently obvious. He's not only a humorist but an educated, tasteful, sober observer of the scene. It's beyond cliche to talk about how comedians are truth seekers in disguise as funny monkeys and so I won't (or will at least try to avoid) saying this about Mister Franken.
No, Al's got...the human touch, dignity, authenticity, and even a certain kind of silly nobility in his bones. Not only does he know what he wants to say but how to say it, what the goons'll yammer about it, and why it might not only be truth to power but proper policy for an earnest statesman. At this point, I'd like to mention that, poetic minded as I am, I have never interpreted the phrase 'truth to power' in the literal sense of bending the ear of the high and mighty so much as a mode of speech in which the truth is made active, illuminated, vivid- in a word, irreducible. That's part of what Al's got.
And so I was tickled all kinds of pink when he was FINALLY elected Senator of the great state of Minnesota. He beat out a stuffy, affluent shmuck who tried to wear him down by constantly recalling and thereby prolonging a truly close election, probably tacitly hoping that an exhuasted Al would concede. He didn't. Good for him, and good for us.
Anyway, there is a quality to this book which is dated. Taking swipes at Bill O'Reilly and Coulter and the bunch doesn't have the same oomph it did back when there were still relatively important Fox blowhards twisting the national discourse, smearing ostensibly interesting and complex kitchen table debates with, well, lies...and damned lies...and innuendo...and green fog of self-righteousness and persecuted self-pity. Luckily these yahoos burned out on their own gluey corruption and hypocrisy, which was of course bound to happen some day just not as far along as it took.
I still think you can divvy up the GOP field between the archetypes represented by Billo and Hannity. Hannity is the purist, the innocent, the foot soldier, the ignorant true believer who would take a bullet for his master. Hannity used to smoke cigars- this is true, now- and he enjoyed this lesiurely activity until one day his tiny son came up to him and asked him why daddy smokes those smelly things- aren't they bad for you? Ol' Hannity couldn't take it. He took one look at the stogie and the other at his lil' tyke and chucked it forever. As a longtime smoker, I can appreciate the gesture. But you know what? IN the grand scheme of things, an equally appropriate answer would be to say 'you know what kid? Daddy's had a hard day of payin' the bills. Don't you have some homework to do or something?' and that would be that.
Another case: one day he had a couple of working girls from the Moonlight Bunny Ranch on with their portly patron Dennis Hoff. The girls explained the general Heffner line about America being hung up about sex, it's just a job, yes we have relationships outside of work, etc. Hannity couldn't believe it! He quoted Psalms: "but what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his SOUL!?" The bunnies just looked at him, blinking. It was an odd moment.
Compare this with O'Reilly's indiscretions- calling up his employee and not only verbally fantasizing about her to her face, but remarking on how he happened to be following suit in the privacy of his bedroom, if you catch my drift. Falafel.
the list goes on....
Just look at this years' race for the GOP nomination!
the point being that the GOP can be helpfully divided up between sleazy, oppotunistic hypocrites who preach family values and of course get caught with their 20' something campaign staffers becoming their third wives, blahblahblah and psychotic purists who buy the party line to the nervous system.
Anyway it's this kind of stuff which reading Al has inspired in me, take it for what you will.
I actually was able to meet someone who worked for him (an auxiliary member of the grinning "Team Franken" in the back pages) and he happily reported that Al has his down sides like anyone else, but was an essentially decent, hardworking, and conscientious boss. Good to hear.
Anyway, this book wouldn't really do much more than further any interested parties in their desire to learn, get a bit of perspective, and enjoy the process while they're at it.
Not a bad accomplishment, all things considered.
Viva Al!
I bought it years ago with trembling glee, as the post 9/11 world of politics had become my insomniac obsession and I was in need of not only some rhetorical weaponry but an insightful, informed take on what I knew in my bones (as so many of us lefties, new or abiding, did know and were right about all along) was a shitshow non pareil.
I trusted Al Franken then as now for his wit, his humor, his sense of the absurd and patently obvious. He's not only a humorist but an educated, tasteful, sober observer of the scene. It's beyond cliche to talk about how comedians are truth seekers in disguise as funny monkeys and so I won't (or will at least try to avoid) saying this about Mister Franken.
No, Al's got...the human touch, dignity, authenticity, and even a certain kind of silly nobility in his bones. Not only does he know what he wants to say but how to say it, what the goons'll yammer about it, and why it might not only be truth to power but proper policy for an earnest statesman. At this point, I'd like to mention that, poetic minded as I am, I have never interpreted the phrase 'truth to power' in the literal sense of bending the ear of the high and mighty so much as a mode of speech in which the truth is made active, illuminated, vivid- in a word, irreducible. That's part of what Al's got.
And so I was tickled all kinds of pink when he was FINALLY elected Senator of the great state of Minnesota. He beat out a stuffy, affluent shmuck who tried to wear him down by constantly recalling and thereby prolonging a truly close election, probably tacitly hoping that an exhuasted Al would concede. He didn't. Good for him, and good for us.
Anyway, there is a quality to this book which is dated. Taking swipes at Bill O'Reilly and Coulter and the bunch doesn't have the same oomph it did back when there were still relatively important Fox blowhards twisting the national discourse, smearing ostensibly interesting and complex kitchen table debates with, well, lies...and damned lies...and innuendo...and green fog of self-righteousness and persecuted self-pity. Luckily these yahoos burned out on their own gluey corruption and hypocrisy, which was of course bound to happen some day just not as far along as it took.
I still think you can divvy up the GOP field between the archetypes represented by Billo and Hannity. Hannity is the purist, the innocent, the foot soldier, the ignorant true believer who would take a bullet for his master. Hannity used to smoke cigars- this is true, now- and he enjoyed this lesiurely activity until one day his tiny son came up to him and asked him why daddy smokes those smelly things- aren't they bad for you? Ol' Hannity couldn't take it. He took one look at the stogie and the other at his lil' tyke and chucked it forever. As a longtime smoker, I can appreciate the gesture. But you know what? IN the grand scheme of things, an equally appropriate answer would be to say 'you know what kid? Daddy's had a hard day of payin' the bills. Don't you have some homework to do or something?' and that would be that.
Another case: one day he had a couple of working girls from the Moonlight Bunny Ranch on with their portly patron Dennis Hoff. The girls explained the general Heffner line about America being hung up about sex, it's just a job, yes we have relationships outside of work, etc. Hannity couldn't believe it! He quoted Psalms: "but what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his SOUL!?" The bunnies just looked at him, blinking. It was an odd moment.
Compare this with O'Reilly's indiscretions- calling up his employee and not only verbally fantasizing about her to her face, but remarking on how he happened to be following suit in the privacy of his bedroom, if you catch my drift. Falafel.
the list goes on....
Just look at this years' race for the GOP nomination!
the point being that the GOP can be helpfully divided up between sleazy, oppotunistic hypocrites who preach family values and of course get caught with their 20' something campaign staffers becoming their third wives, blahblahblah and psychotic purists who buy the party line to the nervous system.
Anyway it's this kind of stuff which reading Al has inspired in me, take it for what you will.
I actually was able to meet someone who worked for him (an auxiliary member of the grinning "Team Franken" in the back pages) and he happily reported that Al has his down sides like anyone else, but was an essentially decent, hardworking, and conscientious boss. Good to hear.
Anyway, this book wouldn't really do much more than further any interested parties in their desire to learn, get a bit of perspective, and enjoy the process while they're at it.
Not a bad accomplishment, all things considered.
Viva Al!
October 26, 2023
Al Franken, Jewish comedian and political humorist, decimates the neo conservatives, religious right, the Bushes, right wing political commentators, FOX News etc… with actually very funny parlance and more importantly the truth. The additional chapter in this paperback version of the book, is brilliant as it wonderfully describes the pitiful attempt FOX made at preventing the book's publication (pressured by one of Franken's main targets Bill O'Reilly). The book also covers obvious targets like the Iraq War, the Wall Street Journal, Hannity and Colmes, the war records / avoidance of many of the Right wing, the Gore lies, the Clinton obsession... pig faeces and more! Great read, if only to read how the Right wing press are far more politicised and underhand, than the so-called liberal press... and at times laugh out loud funny. 8 out of 12, Four Star read.
I am a conservative, but only a blinkered person enmeshed in their views can accuse the Left and Right as being equally bad, ever since the rise of the Tea Party and their ilk, the Right has just got swallowed up in its own lies, which is really sad for real conservatives like me, that look ashamed at many on our side of the aisle. Once you give up the truth you give up everything. Truth must outweigh political allegiance.
2010 read
I am a conservative, but only a blinkered person enmeshed in their views can accuse the Left and Right as being equally bad, ever since the rise of the Tea Party and their ilk, the Right has just got swallowed up in its own lies, which is really sad for real conservatives like me, that look ashamed at many on our side of the aisle. Once you give up the truth you give up everything. Truth must outweigh political allegiance.
2010 read
September 27, 2007
I don't have many five star books on my list; this one made the cut because I laughed and laughed and laughed, often out loud. Thinking back, other books have made me chuckle or smile, but I can't remember any other book just tickling my funny bone like this one. Al Franken is clever but he's not this funny in person. Team Franken, discussions with God, exposing the lies of famous conservatives, and particularly, the field trip to Bob Jones University - all classic material. What's more, Franken is smart, enlightened, and knows his stuff. No wonder he's running for Senate...and all the more satisfying that he's going for his old friend Paul Wellstone's seat.
I couldn't muster big stars for the follow up - The Truth. The Truth was hard hitting and bitter. I enjoyed it, I learned from it, I share his bitterness, but it was missing the playful touch that made Lies such a great read.
I couldn't muster big stars for the follow up - The Truth. The Truth was hard hitting and bitter. I enjoyed it, I learned from it, I share his bitterness, but it was missing the playful touch that made Lies such a great read.
July 23, 2010
0.5 stars. Okay, this one was entirely my fault. After reading and hating Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, I was still somehow drawn to open up and read this book. Big mistake and I freely admit it. As for a review of the book, my best summary would be: blah, blah, joke that isn't funny, blah...half truth...blah...out of context quote...blah, blah...political attack without evidential (or even logical basis)...blah, blah, blah...say the same thing ten different ways, none of them right...blah, blah, blah, mean-spirited, bomb throwing...blah, blah, still more jokes that aren't funny...blah, blah, blah...the end.
All that said, if the book had been funny, I would have looked past the flaws as I don't look to Al Franken for political insight. However, when you waste my time AND are boring, all of the other flaws jump off the page at me. In a word...OUCH!!!!
All that said, if the book had been funny, I would have looked past the flaws as I don't look to Al Franken for political insight. However, when you waste my time AND are boring, all of the other flaws jump off the page at me. In a word...OUCH!!!!
September 24, 2022
You gotta love a guy who can so well combine moral fury with common sense hilarity.
January 26, 2008
Franken has a quasi-Socratic disingenuousness. It's not quite that he claims ignorance while exposing the ignorance of others. What Franken claims is that he's a comedian, in contrast with the apparently serious political commentators he skewers. And he really is funny. And sharp. I laughed out loud at "Loving America the Al Franken Way," a grab bag of facets of America, rated on a good/bad/weird scale.
But often Franken sounds deadly serious. In the same chapter, responding to the claim that liberals "train our children to criticize America, not celebrate it," he says, "To a four-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad, and helping your loved one grow." It's a good point. And it is funny, sort of, that Franken's target (in this case, Sean Hannity) seems to miss it. After a while, though, the seriousness seeps through. I found some of the later chapters sad or discouraging--and funny at the same time. He's his own straight man, and it works.
But often Franken sounds deadly serious. In the same chapter, responding to the claim that liberals "train our children to criticize America, not celebrate it," he says, "To a four-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad, and helping your loved one grow." It's a good point. And it is funny, sort of, that Franken's target (in this case, Sean Hannity) seems to miss it. After a while, though, the seriousness seeps through. I found some of the later chapters sad or discouraging--and funny at the same time. He's his own straight man, and it works.
April 14, 2023
Watched Al Franken host "The Daily Show' last month, and had forgotten both just how funny and insightful he was. And then, of course, with Dominion Voting's $1.8 billion lawsuit against Fox News going to trial in the next week or so, I thought it would be fun to read Franken's admittedly dated takedown of the media giant and its in-house Coalition of Evil.
And to the extent that Franken does go after them, this is indeed a 5-star skewering - especially when he takes on the inexplicably still relevant Sean Hannity and Rupert Murdoch. But otherwise, the rest of those focused on here have either largely (and thankfully) disappeared from the daily scene - most notably Anne Coulter and Bill O'Reilly - or else finally had the simple decency to just die, such as Roger Ailes and Rush Limbaugh, may they burn in…I mean, rest in peace.*
But then, disappointingly, Franken abandons the media and takes his attack to the White House, and we're back in The Truth with Jokes territory - certainly spot-on in it's analysis of the Bush years, but now just quaintly irrelevant. Which is not to say that George W. Bush WASN'T an absolutely terrible president (and also probably grossly underassessed as an overall horrible person); it's just that, well…TRUMP.
Still, it's heartbreaking to revisit the speed with which Bush and Cheney burned through not only Bill Clinton's record budget surplus but also his carefully built-up store of international goodwill. And it's fascinating in a car-wreck sort of way to realize that if you replaced nearly every mention of "Clinton" with "Obama," and "W" with "Donald," so much of this book would feel as if it had been written just two years, ago, not twenty.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK for Franken's snarky narration, plus the actual radio tapes of Limbaugh spewing his endless bile.
READ THE ACTUAL BOOK for the delightfully illustrated mini-comic, "Supply-Side Jesus," (which is also read on the audiobook, but it's just not the same).
_________________________________
* Weird to remember, but Tucker Carlson - Fox's current reigning piece of shit - was at that time just beginning his noxious career, at - of all places - CCN co-hosting "Crossfire," before - even more bizarrely - moving to MSNBC. (Hannity, meanwhile, was still headlining Fox's "Hannity and Colmes" with the borderline-liberal - but totally spineless - Alan Colmes.)
And to the extent that Franken does go after them, this is indeed a 5-star skewering - especially when he takes on the inexplicably still relevant Sean Hannity and Rupert Murdoch. But otherwise, the rest of those focused on here have either largely (and thankfully) disappeared from the daily scene - most notably Anne Coulter and Bill O'Reilly - or else finally had the simple decency to just die, such as Roger Ailes and Rush Limbaugh, may they burn in…I mean, rest in peace.*
But then, disappointingly, Franken abandons the media and takes his attack to the White House, and we're back in The Truth with Jokes territory - certainly spot-on in it's analysis of the Bush years, but now just quaintly irrelevant. Which is not to say that George W. Bush WASN'T an absolutely terrible president (and also probably grossly underassessed as an overall horrible person); it's just that, well…TRUMP.
Still, it's heartbreaking to revisit the speed with which Bush and Cheney burned through not only Bill Clinton's record budget surplus but also his carefully built-up store of international goodwill. And it's fascinating in a car-wreck sort of way to realize that if you replaced nearly every mention of "Clinton" with "Obama," and "W" with "Donald," so much of this book would feel as if it had been written just two years, ago, not twenty.
LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK for Franken's snarky narration, plus the actual radio tapes of Limbaugh spewing his endless bile.
READ THE ACTUAL BOOK for the delightfully illustrated mini-comic, "Supply-Side Jesus," (which is also read on the audiobook, but it's just not the same).
_________________________________
* Weird to remember, but Tucker Carlson - Fox's current reigning piece of shit - was at that time just beginning his noxious career, at - of all places - CCN co-hosting "Crossfire," before - even more bizarrely - moving to MSNBC. (Hannity, meanwhile, was still headlining Fox's "Hannity and Colmes" with the borderline-liberal - but totally spineless - Alan Colmes.)
March 16, 2011
Al Franken is to be commended for exposing Fox Television and its supposed news commentators in this book which might be profitably read alongside a viewing of the documentary film, Outfoxed. I read it at the request of a friend. At the time, most of it was above my head as I do not watch television. Since then, however, thanks to the aforementioned film, a Canadian Broadcasting documentary on the same subject and some study of film clips of Limbaugh, O'Reilly and others available on the Web, I see his point and would now get more from the book. Still, the book did point me in the direction of checking out his allegations and discovering that they weren't as exaggerated as I had at first supposed.
Incidentally, why haven't the professional associations of editors, publishers and journalists come out against Fox and its supposed journalists? Or have they and the reports of such not gotten much press?
Incidentally, why haven't the professional associations of editors, publishers and journalists come out against Fox and its supposed journalists? Or have they and the reports of such not gotten much press?
February 5, 2009
I learned that Al treats the right worse than he claims the right treats liberals. He takes some decent (but not perfect) books and authors and twists their words so he can call them liars. He pull on or two unimportant things out of their books and claims that they are wrong and therefore liars.
Just a little web research shows that many of his supposed lies, really aren't. And many of the things he accuses others of are incorrect. Very troubling after he claims to have several "researchers" helping him.
And on one or two occasions, when confronted about incorrect items in his book, he retorts that it was a "joke." Sorry, not funny. Even his obvious jokes aren't that funny.
Don't bother. His book is a waste of time.
Just a little web research shows that many of his supposed lies, really aren't. And many of the things he accuses others of are incorrect. Very troubling after he claims to have several "researchers" helping him.
And on one or two occasions, when confronted about incorrect items in his book, he retorts that it was a "joke." Sorry, not funny. Even his obvious jokes aren't that funny.
Don't bother. His book is a waste of time.
January 29, 2023
This hilarious sendup by Al Franken helped me to survive both terms of the George W presidency, which I admittedly found excruciating.
Little did I imagine that an even worse president, and champion liar, might occupy the White House.
Thank you, Al Franken, for innoculating me against Fox News and the decline of the once honorable Republican Party. Though I've found recent years to be plenty disturbing, for me, they could have been worse. I was helped by reading your sendup of political life during those relatively innocent times, your "Fair & Balanced Look at the Right."
Little did I imagine that an even worse president, and champion liar, might occupy the White House.
Thank you, Al Franken, for innoculating me against Fox News and the decline of the once honorable Republican Party. Though I've found recent years to be plenty disturbing, for me, they could have been worse. I was helped by reading your sendup of political life during those relatively innocent times, your "Fair & Balanced Look at the Right."
February 9, 2008
In a way, this book is both entertaining and really, really depressing.
It's entertaining because Franken is a funny guy. He takes the same material that a hundred other writers have gone through - the hypocrisy of the media, the deliberate distortion of the truth, the greedy, grubby little schemes of the Bush Junta - and makes you laugh at them.
It's really, really depressing because, despite the laundry list of reasons why no one on FOX News should be trusted, it's still the most popular network. Despite clear and uncomplicated examples of how Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly distort, mislead and deceive, they're still considered to be beacons of reason. And despite the swaggering greed, utter contempt for the truth, and disregard for the welfare of the American people, those in the Bush administration were allowed to keep their jobs. By a narrow margin, sure, but honestly, they should have been ridden out of town on a rail. A spiked rail. Wrapped in barbed wire, covered in lemon juice and those little biting centipedes that you find under the dampest of rocks....
Sorry, I got carried away for a sec....
Before the elections in aught-four, I read everything. I followed web communities, I ordered books from Amazon, I picked up hardcovers and paperbacks and tried to keep up with all the latest advancements in politics. And, by November 2nd, 2004, I was utterly convinced that there was no way on God's green earth that Dubya could get back into office. Sure, Kerry wasn't the best we could have done, but he was demonstrably better than Bush, and many writers had demonstrated it. I trusted in the Electorate's facility for reason and common sense, and knew that they would see these men and women for the pack of jackals that they were, and promptly vote them out of office.
We all know how that turned out.
So, since then I've been, what's that word, cynical. Bitter. Burned out. I've stayed pretty well clear of books that talk about the modern political landscape, but I finished reading the Dougill book at work and didn't have a backup, so I picked this one off the shelf in the teachers' room.
And I read and I laughed and I sighed. Because nothing has changed. The people who should have been laughed off the TV set (Coulter, O'Reilly, Hannity) are still there, corrupting the collective subconscious. Dubya and his cronies are still in charge - no one of significance has been fired or indicted. It is true that public opinion has done quite a downturn since Franken published this book in 2003, which is a ray of hope, but....
Normally I would say that the election in November will be the turning point, that the Electorate will go to the polls and vote in the best interests of our nation. I would like to say that I believe that some of the truth has trickled down to the voters, and in spite of the barrage of misdirection, lies and shouting they will vote out the people who have supported the corruption of America. I would like to say that I believe that the utter contempt for the American people and American ideals that our lawmakers and officials, both elected and appointed, hold will be their undoing, and that November will mark a return to, or at least a good step towards, the reason, enlightenment and compassion that will make this nation a better one than it has become over the last six years.
But, then, that's what I said in 2004. So, y'know, I'm not holding my breath
It's entertaining because Franken is a funny guy. He takes the same material that a hundred other writers have gone through - the hypocrisy of the media, the deliberate distortion of the truth, the greedy, grubby little schemes of the Bush Junta - and makes you laugh at them.
It's really, really depressing because, despite the laundry list of reasons why no one on FOX News should be trusted, it's still the most popular network. Despite clear and uncomplicated examples of how Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly distort, mislead and deceive, they're still considered to be beacons of reason. And despite the swaggering greed, utter contempt for the truth, and disregard for the welfare of the American people, those in the Bush administration were allowed to keep their jobs. By a narrow margin, sure, but honestly, they should have been ridden out of town on a rail. A spiked rail. Wrapped in barbed wire, covered in lemon juice and those little biting centipedes that you find under the dampest of rocks....
Sorry, I got carried away for a sec....
Before the elections in aught-four, I read everything. I followed web communities, I ordered books from Amazon, I picked up hardcovers and paperbacks and tried to keep up with all the latest advancements in politics. And, by November 2nd, 2004, I was utterly convinced that there was no way on God's green earth that Dubya could get back into office. Sure, Kerry wasn't the best we could have done, but he was demonstrably better than Bush, and many writers had demonstrated it. I trusted in the Electorate's facility for reason and common sense, and knew that they would see these men and women for the pack of jackals that they were, and promptly vote them out of office.
We all know how that turned out.
So, since then I've been, what's that word, cynical. Bitter. Burned out. I've stayed pretty well clear of books that talk about the modern political landscape, but I finished reading the Dougill book at work and didn't have a backup, so I picked this one off the shelf in the teachers' room.
And I read and I laughed and I sighed. Because nothing has changed. The people who should have been laughed off the TV set (Coulter, O'Reilly, Hannity) are still there, corrupting the collective subconscious. Dubya and his cronies are still in charge - no one of significance has been fired or indicted. It is true that public opinion has done quite a downturn since Franken published this book in 2003, which is a ray of hope, but....
Normally I would say that the election in November will be the turning point, that the Electorate will go to the polls and vote in the best interests of our nation. I would like to say that I believe that some of the truth has trickled down to the voters, and in spite of the barrage of misdirection, lies and shouting they will vote out the people who have supported the corruption of America. I would like to say that I believe that the utter contempt for the American people and American ideals that our lawmakers and officials, both elected and appointed, hold will be their undoing, and that November will mark a return to, or at least a good step towards, the reason, enlightenment and compassion that will make this nation a better one than it has become over the last six years.
But, then, that's what I said in 2004. So, y'know, I'm not holding my breath
August 10, 2007
this book is an excellent account of what most americans are too lazy to figure out for themselves - that the republicans and their cronies are liars. and not just your typical political liars, i.e. how every politician who has ever walked the face of the earth is a liar. i'm specifically talking about how their lies corrupt the very fabric of american society, turning neighbors against neighbors, promoting a culture of ignorance, creating a wave of petty and empty patriotism that has created some of the world's most troubling problems, and thus lowered america's economic, military and political standing throughout the world.
December 21, 2016
Lies and the Lying Liars Al Franken It seems the only way to be a liberal partisan is as a humorist. I'd like to think that every book he sold brought Franken closer to the senate. Hey, maybe that means Jon Stewart will run for senate?
Library copy
Library copy
September 2, 2017
This was excellent! It really was a fair and balanced look. His modus operandi was to research the conservative talking head's claims either through Lexus Nexus or by simply calling the people involved in the story and finding out what really happened. Several events he was involved in and used his experience. Usually there was at least some humor but it deserted him when he talked about what the Right did to smear the funeral of his friends Paul Wellstone and his wife and daughter and several aides and pilots who died in a tragic airplane accident. He refuted several things that the Right came up with regarding the funeral, that it had been a politicized event by the Democrats, among other canards and that it was planned to attract attention. No, the two remaining sons realized while drowning in tributes, physical and otherwise, that they would have to have a public funeral to accommodate the grief of people of the state and many many others who knew and loved their parents. BTW there is a fascinating chapter about Barbara Bush. So much for the mistaken view that she was a sweet grandmotherly sort! It makes sense and I had always suspected that her views and methods had to be similar to what the family used and I was right. It taught me a lot about the methods used to slime people. After reading this, I have to say I've lost even more respect for the Republican party. It used to be that they had a political philosophy you could respect but disagree with. Now that all seems gone and rule seems to be their only goal. I can also see how trump arose in the political atmosphere that the Republicans and their right wing fanatical buddies in the media engendered. Highly recommended.
January 27, 2008
Franken’s politics and his exposure of the witless right wing of the 24/7 news media are spot on, however I didn't find the book all that funny. To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of Franken's comedy, finding him more entertaining when he's wearing his political commentator hat and unloading on the GOP. Though Lies and the Lying Liars... is a bit dated, there is a prophetic feel, considering what I feel we are now witnessing - the beginning of a long but steady crumbling of the conservative movement. Fox’s ratings are down, the party can’t field a unifying candidate, the economy is a wreck, we’re stalling on 2 wars, and overall people simply don’t trust the Republican Party as they once did. Had I read this book upon its initial release, it might have made me want to pull my hair out in anger. Reading it now still made me want to pull my hair out, but at least that feeling came with a smug sense of “I told you so.”
This book was written for a very specific audience. Regular viewers of the No Spin Zone wouldn’t touch this book to burn it, which is somewhat disheartening. Franken, Daily Kos and Co., Moore, and Air America have been so demonized by the right that their message is too often ignored by the people that need to hear it the most. I understand it’s satire and a certain amount of irreverence is necessary, but therein lies the problem. This type of writing only solidifies what its readers already know and/or believe, and therefore might turn everyone else off. Still, I think Limbaugh and friends should require their fans to read this book; if only to try and discredit it (which of course they wouldn’t be able to do).
This book was written for a very specific audience. Regular viewers of the No Spin Zone wouldn’t touch this book to burn it, which is somewhat disheartening. Franken, Daily Kos and Co., Moore, and Air America have been so demonized by the right that their message is too often ignored by the people that need to hear it the most. I understand it’s satire and a certain amount of irreverence is necessary, but therein lies the problem. This type of writing only solidifies what its readers already know and/or believe, and therefore might turn everyone else off. Still, I think Limbaugh and friends should require their fans to read this book; if only to try and discredit it (which of course they wouldn’t be able to do).
December 4, 2007
Funny...outrageously funny....then sad, almost depressingly sad...then funny again once you realize January 2009 is almost here. Word to the wise, don't listen to the audio book while trying to get some sleep after your toddler has gotten you up for the third time in the middle of the night...it is so funny you won't want to fall asleep. Oh, and also, don't try to listen to this when your toddler is awake...unless you want him thrown out of preschool when he repeats some 'colorful' language.
February 1, 2008
Even though this book is very satirical and funny, there's also a lot of good information here---things I didn't know about certain conservative morons. Also, unlike his less-intelligent detractors, Franken also provides documentation for his claims.
April 28, 2021
I do not think that I have ever laughed out loud more when reading a single book, it was satirical, comedic, and straight up hilarious, I can honestly say that Franken is a new hero of mine, and Al, if you ever see this review, I accept the challenge to a fight, because what could be better than a democrat fighting a republican?? Two democrats fighting each OTHER now THATS not for sissies!
July 29, 2025
Quick review… If you’re a fan of Al and at least fall somewhere close to center on the political spectrum, then you’ll enjoy this. I found it very funny.
August 1, 2010
As I write this, the White House Correspondents Association is deciding which news organization should get the coveted front-row center seat in the White House briefing room, recently vacated by the venerable journalistic legend, Helen Thomas. Back in the real universe, it went directly to NPR, without any debate or hesitation. Because NPR has the distinction of actually being a news organization. It’s filled with real live actual journalists, committed to informing people.
But that’s back in the real universe, the sane one. Not this crappy universe we’re in now. In this pathetic excuse for a universe, they are actually considering giving the seat to Fox, which is not and never was, and, barring the intervention of benevolent deities or aliens, never will be, a news organization. They are, in fact, the exact opposite of a news organization.
When people listen to NPR for an hour, they will know more than they did an hour earlier, unless they were listening to Car Talk. If people listen to Fox for an hour they will actually know less than they did when they started. Because, as Al Franken's book demonstrates effectively and hilariously, Fox's mission is to ensure that people are misinformed. They are anti-journalists, at an anti-news agency. I would not be surprised if their staff is composed of positrons and anti-protons, and that, were they to come into contact with an actual journalist, they’d be annihilated in a great explosion of gamma rays.
Fox has an agenda, and the agenda is not to inform people. Some surveys conducted shortly after Bush's gulf war was launched revealed that a majority of Fox viewers believed that inspectors had found WMD's in Iraq and that Saddam Husein was linked to Al-Qaeda and the attacks on September 11. These things are not true and not a shred of evidence has ever emerged suggesting otherwise. But somehow Fox viewers were convinced of the truth of those two demonstrably false things.
Just to keep things straight:
Therefore watching Fox is actually less informative than watching Gilligan’s Island. Or even listening to Car Talk.
Similar studies today would undoubtedly show that a majority of Fox viewers believe that there is evidence that President Obama is not an American citizen or that he is a Muslim. Or that the recently passed health-care bill contains provisions for the erection of “death panels” that will decide to haul your grandma off to slaughter. This is only true in the case of one US citizen: Tripp Johnston.
These are not matters of reasonable people differing reasonably on matters of opinion. These are gross misrepresentations of basic facts, which is Fox's bread and butter. (They don't have toast. Toast requires science.)
A friend of mine suggested that the large number of people that consider Fox to be a valid source of news and information gives it journalistic legitimacy. I could not possibly disagree any more strenuously, certainly not without dynamite anyway. Truth is truth and a lie is a lie, no matter whether one, a thousand, or a million people believe it.
Fox is not news. It’s not a reliable source of information. It’s a source of lies, deceit, and disinformation. They do not employ journalists. As noted, journalists would probably explode if they walked onto the premises. They employ propagandists. Professional liars who are very good at making people believe the world is different from the way it actually is.
Franken manages to point out this sickening state of affairs while still maintaining a sense of humor, something I try and often fail to do. I think I need to read this book again, or I really might explode.
But that’s back in the real universe, the sane one. Not this crappy universe we’re in now. In this pathetic excuse for a universe, they are actually considering giving the seat to Fox, which is not and never was, and, barring the intervention of benevolent deities or aliens, never will be, a news organization. They are, in fact, the exact opposite of a news organization.
When people listen to NPR for an hour, they will know more than they did an hour earlier, unless they were listening to Car Talk. If people listen to Fox for an hour they will actually know less than they did when they started. Because, as Al Franken's book demonstrates effectively and hilariously, Fox's mission is to ensure that people are misinformed. They are anti-journalists, at an anti-news agency. I would not be surprised if their staff is composed of positrons and anti-protons, and that, were they to come into contact with an actual journalist, they’d be annihilated in a great explosion of gamma rays.
Note to Fox viewers. That was a reference to something called "science," another concept foreign to Fox, along with truth. Science is the same thing that tells people called scientists that the Earth is actually more than 6,000 years old and that global warming is real. It also makes toasters work. Go ahead: Try praying for your bread to turn into toast. Not very effective is it? Now try science. Hey now, look at that! You’ll be amazed to learn that this “science” gizmo also works with understanding the atmosphere!
Fox has an agenda, and the agenda is not to inform people. Some surveys conducted shortly after Bush's gulf war was launched revealed that a majority of Fox viewers believed that inspectors had found WMD's in Iraq and that Saddam Husein was linked to Al-Qaeda and the attacks on September 11. These things are not true and not a shred of evidence has ever emerged suggesting otherwise. But somehow Fox viewers were convinced of the truth of those two demonstrably false things.
Just to keep things straight:
People who watch or listen to actual news: Correctly believe that no WMDs were found.
People who watch Gilligan’s Island reruns all day: Do not know whether or not WMDs were found. Do not care. Want Doritos.
People who watch Fox: Believe that WMDs were found.
Therefore watching Fox is actually less informative than watching Gilligan’s Island. Or even listening to Car Talk.
Similar studies today would undoubtedly show that a majority of Fox viewers believe that there is evidence that President Obama is not an American citizen or that he is a Muslim. Or that the recently passed health-care bill contains provisions for the erection of “death panels” that will decide to haul your grandma off to slaughter. This is only true in the case of one US citizen: Tripp Johnston.
These are not matters of reasonable people differing reasonably on matters of opinion. These are gross misrepresentations of basic facts, which is Fox's bread and butter. (They don't have toast. Toast requires science.)
A friend of mine suggested that the large number of people that consider Fox to be a valid source of news and information gives it journalistic legitimacy. I could not possibly disagree any more strenuously, certainly not without dynamite anyway. Truth is truth and a lie is a lie, no matter whether one, a thousand, or a million people believe it.
Fox is not news. It’s not a reliable source of information. It’s a source of lies, deceit, and disinformation. They do not employ journalists. As noted, journalists would probably explode if they walked onto the premises. They employ propagandists. Professional liars who are very good at making people believe the world is different from the way it actually is.
Franken manages to point out this sickening state of affairs while still maintaining a sense of humor, something I try and often fail to do. I think I need to read this book again, or I really might explode.
February 8, 2009
Believe it or not I really did enjoy reading this book. The premise of it, in my opinion, is that Al Franken and his Harvard-financed rag-tag team of hand-picked Republican haters (hereafter called TeamFranken) set out to show that any popular political pundit who criticizes Democrats has lied, and because of this we should never believe anything they say. His main targets are Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, the Bush administration, and Bill O'Reilly. Along the way he smacks around Bernard Goldberg and Fox News. For the most part he does point out some pretty suspect behavior.
Because Franken was a writer for Saturday Night Live, the book was funny, in a satirical way. Toward the end of the book though, TeamFranken breaks from their theme and starts in on why the GOP stole the election, why Clinton was the greatest President, and why all things liberal are way better than all things conservative. For me this was where he lost his credibility. While I didn't feel like fact-checking every piece of information in the book, there were some items (the election and Iraq come to mind) that have been hashed and re-hashed so much that even I could see that TeamFranken were the ones lying and misleading. Also Bernard Goldberg does a much better job of pointing out problems with the MAINSTREAM media being liberally slanted in his book than TeamFranken could even begin to refute. TeamFranken spent much of their time bashing the Washington Post, FoxNews, and the Wall Street Journal.
It was entertaining to see his attack on Bob Jones University backfire. He basically lied to them about being interested in enrolling his nephew there. He does say they were very friendly and not too threatening with their ideals. But that doesn't stop him from trying to tie the University's founder to Nazi Germany by way of some valuable campus art. Of course the reason he tells the Bob Jones story is to point out that to be a good liar you must be really mean and have no ethics or morals. He therefore is not a good liar. He is a liberal, and liberals are good.
A lot of the rest of the topics included Barbara Bush, the Wellstone memorial, the tone in Washington, the environment, racism, education, and weapons of mass destruction. Franken's issues with these topics may have some truth behind them, but in my opinion, his complaints all boil down to politics. Both sides are going to massage statistics and subtly mislead people to get votes. I didn't put much stock in these rants. As Franken himself says (twice), "statistics don't lie". But, as they say, if you beat statistics long enough, they'll tell you what you want to hear.
At the end of the day, though, this was a Republican bashing book in much the same vein as a Hannity or Coulter book. Read this book if you enjoy drinking the Liberal kool-aid.
Because Franken was a writer for Saturday Night Live, the book was funny, in a satirical way. Toward the end of the book though, TeamFranken breaks from their theme and starts in on why the GOP stole the election, why Clinton was the greatest President, and why all things liberal are way better than all things conservative. For me this was where he lost his credibility. While I didn't feel like fact-checking every piece of information in the book, there were some items (the election and Iraq come to mind) that have been hashed and re-hashed so much that even I could see that TeamFranken were the ones lying and misleading. Also Bernard Goldberg does a much better job of pointing out problems with the MAINSTREAM media being liberally slanted in his book than TeamFranken could even begin to refute. TeamFranken spent much of their time bashing the Washington Post, FoxNews, and the Wall Street Journal.
It was entertaining to see his attack on Bob Jones University backfire. He basically lied to them about being interested in enrolling his nephew there. He does say they were very friendly and not too threatening with their ideals. But that doesn't stop him from trying to tie the University's founder to Nazi Germany by way of some valuable campus art. Of course the reason he tells the Bob Jones story is to point out that to be a good liar you must be really mean and have no ethics or morals. He therefore is not a good liar. He is a liberal, and liberals are good.
A lot of the rest of the topics included Barbara Bush, the Wellstone memorial, the tone in Washington, the environment, racism, education, and weapons of mass destruction. Franken's issues with these topics may have some truth behind them, but in my opinion, his complaints all boil down to politics. Both sides are going to massage statistics and subtly mislead people to get votes. I didn't put much stock in these rants. As Franken himself says (twice), "statistics don't lie". But, as they say, if you beat statistics long enough, they'll tell you what you want to hear.
At the end of the day, though, this was a Republican bashing book in much the same vein as a Hannity or Coulter book. Read this book if you enjoy drinking the Liberal kool-aid.
December 16, 2015
I don't know if I would necessarily call this "fair and balanced" but I get the pun. I will say that this was interesting and I jotted down quite a few things to look into more on my own. I may lean more toward Franken's side of the debate, and I think that he did a heck of a lot more research than, say, Ann "Here Comes the Hate-Spewer" Coulter has ever done, but I'd like to read a bit more on some topics. I think he asked for us to take quite a bit of this at face value, stating that he'd done the research, and it's not that I don't trust him, but heck, the book's about liars. I'd be silly not to look into this stuff more on my own.
I did think that there was quite a bit of humor in this book. Franken has never been on top of my "Favorite Comedians" list, and I can't even say I was much of a fan of his SNL stuff either, but I did find myself chuckling a few times.
But then I found that he derailed a bit and got off topic a few times, especially towards the middle-end of the book. His anecdotes about his adventure to Bob Jones University wasn't necessary, and felt a little out of place in this book, considering that they didn't lie (other than stretching the truth about their Medical program courses) and weren't the focus of the book, so... Kinda lost me there.
But overall, I thought that this was interesting and kind of funny.
I did think that there was quite a bit of humor in this book. Franken has never been on top of my "Favorite Comedians" list, and I can't even say I was much of a fan of his SNL stuff either, but I did find myself chuckling a few times.
But then I found that he derailed a bit and got off topic a few times, especially towards the middle-end of the book. His anecdotes about his adventure to Bob Jones University wasn't necessary, and felt a little out of place in this book, considering that they didn't lie (other than stretching the truth about their Medical program courses) and weren't the focus of the book, so... Kinda lost me there.
But overall, I thought that this was interesting and kind of funny.
December 16, 2012
If Al Franken wanted to make a point, he failed. Politicians in general are dishonest and obnoxious, so he could have gone that route and focused on everyone equally, but instead he tried to assert the blind premise that the conservative right is made up of individuals who are somehow worse liars than anyone with beliefs similar to his own. Further, he is hypocritical. And he swears too much.
I did like reading about what was happening in early 21st century politics. I was still in high school when all of the events in this book were happening, and was only just starting to pay attention to the news. I feel like I have a more firm understanding of pre-9/11 American politics, so I don't at all regret reading the book.
I still think Al Franken is a liberal apologist and an extremely biased writer. Most of the book was dedicated to his own personal vendettas, spewing bile and vitriol in the name of doing us all the humble service of outing those mean Republicans – while evidently never pausing to question whether he was actually pretty darn mean himself.
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