The Truth with Jokes

by Al Franken

Nearly a year after the presidential election of 2004, Al Franken is still checking facts, exposing lies, and trying to clear the record as he sees it. Sneering at President Bush's declaration of a mandate after a two-and-a-half percent victory, he deconstructs Bush's 2004 platform of "fear, smear, and queers," and explains how the president has done some flip-flopping of his own. He offers comment on well-known stories, including the Terri Schiavo case, and some more obscure, such as reports of forced prostitution, indentured servitude, and squalid conditions at clothing factories in Saipan (which is part of the American Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). Franken focuses on Tom DeLay's connection to the territory and his efforts to prevent bills from being passed that would have required Saipan to follow U.S. labor laws. Iraq, too, is discussed, from its planning stages to the huge sum of money currently unaccounted for, including $8.8 billion missing from the Coalition Provisional Authority's coffers.

On the home front, Franken covers President Bush's attempt at Social Security reform, explaining how they came up with the projected shortfall figure of $11 trillion. For one thing, they adjusted life expectancy to 150 years, while leaving the retirement age at 67: "That's an eighty-three-year retirement. They're never gonna get to that without stem cell research." He also takes some wickedly funny swipes at Karl Rove, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, pundits and hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, Tim Russert, and Sean Hannity, and, of course, President Bush. The Truth succeeds in providing ammunition to liberals and others dissatisfied with the current power base in Washington, D.C.--only this time (with jokes). --Shawn Carkonen

Genres: Politics, Humor, Nonfiction, Comedy, History, Audiobook, 21st Century

Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Alan 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.

Reviews

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had an office at the VA when I read this book, and was seen during lunch breaks with it open before me. I can't tell you how many veterans, some obviously wounded in Iraq, stopped to tell me what a great book this is. I'm sure it was more than a dozen. In George W. Bush's America, they were grateful that Franken told the truth about why we were really fighting overseas and the right wing media that helped the administration sell the war to the American people. Perhaps the need for this book seems less pressing now, but it is still an excellent critique of Fox News and other truth-shirkers that very much applies today. It is also still timely for the way it shows how far the US has fallen from the "idea" of a democracy we all grew up believing, and the birthers and anti-health care shout-downers demonstrate today. Debate is crippled to America today, and the truth--and therefore sound policy--is not possible without fair debate. This book is extremely well documented, and cogently argued. It is also funny, sometimes very funny. The only flaw is that the jokes sometimes go on a bit long when you want to get to the next point. This will NOT bother many people as much as it does me. Highly recommended.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al Franken is George W. Bush's worst nightmare: a savvy liberal political satirist and Harvard fellow with a massive readership. Franken and his tireless team of fact-checkers are able to spread The Truth to people who might never pick up books by Eric Alterman (What Liberal Media?), David Brock (Blinded by the Right), Joe Conason (Big Lies), Ron Suskind (The Price of Loyalty) or Richard A. Clarke (Against All Enemies).

Debunking the lies and allegations spread by "the right-wing blogosphere, radiosphere and asshole-on-TV-osphere," Franken details how the Bush team won the 2004 election through "smears, fears and queers." Believing that the Bush regime's plan was to "divide Americans to conquer them," Franken has created a reference manual that refutes propaganda issued by an administration he believes "shouldn't be running a small town hardware store much less the world's only remaining superpower."

While Franken writes with a razor-sharp wit, his intention is deadly serious: to expose how hypocrisy, bigotry, ineptitude, unchecked corruption and partisan politics have resulted in war, debt and a divided nation. Franken considers the political motives behind the Terri Schiavo case and the distortions behind Bush's campaign to privatize Social Security. Along the way he takes on the Swiftboaters, Bush's fake "mandate," Tom DeLay, Iraq and Karl Rove. Like Jon Stewart's The Daily Show, Franken has the ability to entertain, illuminate and motivate.

REVIEW OF THE UNABRIDGED AUDIOBOOK READ BY AL FRANKEN:

Franken and his research team return to what they do best: detailing allegations and accusations being spread by right-wing pundits and then debunking them point-by-point. While numerous tomes have taken on the administration's creative definition of "facts," few have the massive readership of satirist Franken or his wickedly sly sense of humor. In many ways, the unabridged audio is superior to the bound book because listeners can enjoy Franken's deadpan comedic delivery.

Another audio bonus is that rather than Franken reading the text he's about to redress, he provides the actual soundclips so listeners can hear George W. stumble over his words, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh bluster and Zell Miller contradict himself. Franken is such an uncanny mimic that listeners will find it hard to tell which Karl Rove and Dick Cheney sound bites are real and which are Franken's dead-on impersonations. Listeners will find Franken's directness refreshing (he calls Bush an "utterly shameless liar" and says his administration is "fixing the intelligence and facts around the policy."). The penultimate chapter is Franken's stirring call to arms to "throw these guys out in 2006." This is essential listening for those who want ammunition to fight to preserve their human rights.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another gem by Al Franken. The difference, to me, between how Al Franken writes and how, say, Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly write (or Rush Limbaugh, for that matter), is this: He researches. He goes to the source of information for clarification. He backs up what he's saying with other sources instead of spewing his opinion and calling it fact. He doesn't say, "I have said it, so it must be true."

And? He's funny and clever as all hell.

The Truth, of course is his follow-up to Lies and focuses more on how GWB got us involved in the Iraq war and some of the more infamous shenanigans of his inner circle. It begins with the heartbreaking (to him) defeat of John Kerry in 2004 and then goes on to talk about how Bush and his cronies have used terror and intimidation to get the American people to kowtow to his administration.

Another eye-opening book, to say the least, in terms of the filth-infested wool we, as Americans, have allowed our president to pull over our eyes. And of course, I read this while GWB was still president, so I was even more irritated and outraged and ready for that bastard's term to be finished.

Franken also touches on the Terry Schiavo case and how Bush and his crew disgustingly used that woman's plight (with the permission of her parents and siblings) to try to further insinuate themselves into the lives (and deaths) of Americans. Luckily for us, it backfired on them. Of course, Terry Schiavo's situation should never have been in the national spotlight to begin with, if you ask me.

Obviously, Franken writes with a liberal slant. That's no secret and he doesn't try to keep it as such. He's proud to be a Democrat, proud to be a liberal, and so if some of his barbs at conservative Republicans seem a little harsh, they are also ultimately, sadly apt in the harsh light of day.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. And his writing style is so easy and flows so smoothly, I nearly got through it in one sitting.

By the way, Franken is a comic genuis, in case you didn't know.

[Marty Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty nice that I happened to be reading this when he finally became the junior senator from Minnesota. Makes me almost wish I lived there. Almost. I prefer to enjoy my summers. Anyway, it was a rather prescient book in terms of what ended up happening in the 2006 midterm elections, and he painted an accurate picture with regard how Bush won his second term; scare tactics and smears. What the American people got was rather disappointing (to say the least). Bungling know-nothing bureaucrats shovelling money to their friends as fast as possible. 2006 was a repudiation of that record, and Franken pointed out many of the politicized issues that had little to do with improving how Americans live, and everything to do with distracting from real changes that America actually needed. He does only mention Barack Obama a few times, but then, it was written in 2005, so its with good reason. Really enjoyed his dry humor and his grasp of the issues. He comes off as middle of the road, as I identify myself, though I have no problem being angry about what the far-right has put this country through in the past 25 years.

[Lanier · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems I'm doing everything in my power to PUT OFF this final Thesis for my LAST QC course. I picked this one up for one dollar at a B&N weekend sale. Franken always makes me laugh, and you gotta, especially when it comes to the mess we've been in since Jan. 21, 2001. I mean, if we don't laugh, we'd probably be in the LUNY-BIN!

I'm only on page 50, but Franken has given the facts with his little twists of humor, like maybe only Michael Moore can. Still, I wish there were a bit more verbatim dialogues to give the reader the "fly-on-the-wall" perspective a bit more. Like this other new memoir I picked up waiting for a movie earlier tonight; Triangle Road, by Paule Marshall, on her invitation to Europe with none other than Langston Hughes back in 1965, I wish she would expand the novel with re-constructed conversations with the Department of Defense who had to "brief" her before her trip to France.

Anyway, maybe tomorrow I'll get those 3-5 hours on my Thesis. Believe me, I know how you all feel when you want to do anything...EVERYTHING you possibly can to avoid what must be done.

[Toe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't remember this or Franken's other book. In fairness, this review comes more than a year and a half after reading the book. Franken just struck me as a petty, snide little man trying to make up for the fact he wasn't popular back in the day and was probably picked last in gym. See what I did there: attacked him instead of any point he actually makes in the book? Gee, maybe I can get a book deal now too.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to disagree with the basic view in this book, but partly because it only covers the most egregious behavior displayed by recent politicians. If you like Al Franken, you'll like this book; if you don't, you won't get much from it.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can I give a quit-in-the-middle book 4 stars? Good question.

As a coincidence of library availability, I ended up listening to this on CD at the same time I was reading Franken's outstanding Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. This book is also excellent, but felt quaintly outdated, and I enjoyed the first CD with an odd sense of schadenfreude (probably using this wrong), listening to Al's outrage at the election of George W. Bush while saying to myself, "just you wait, Al - you ain't seen nothing yet!"

But after that first CD, I was done. It's hard to work up much outrage anymore about Bush and Cheney when we're currently living through Donald Trump. Sure, it brought on a renewed sense of disgust hearing again how the Bush administration's hatred of the Clinton's led to it ignoring the warning signs of an impending Al Qaeda/bin Laden attack; and it makes me very afraid of what future crisis Trump's hatred/envy of Obama and obsession to be the "anti-Obama" in all things will lead us into. But again, I don't need historical anger when I'm so pissed off with the current situation.

Was reluctant to put this on my Humor shelf, as it's a serious-as-death story. But Franken being Franken, it is also very funny, so...there you go. It was also fun to hear Al narrate his own story, and his pre-Senate freedom to be thoroughly himself is an interesting counterpoint to his more subdued (and very necessary) post-election tone.

[Will Byrnes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Al’s books are becoming less engaging with time. This is a rehash of material that is mostly familiar to folk like me, that is people who are already well aware of the crimes of the Bush mafia. It might provide new information to people who read Al because he is Al, and are not otherwise cognizant of much by way of politics. It was not all that funny. I may have smiled a time or three, but not once did I laugh aloud. I do not need straight information from Al. There are plenty of other sources. I need for books by Al to have that extra level of humor lacking in the work of the deadly-serious. I did not get that here.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best idea: If we want to win Iraqis' hearts and minds, we should start protecting their chests and heads.

I finally felt able to read this now that Obama's been elected.

Good luck, Al! Just a couple of hundred votes to go!!

[Tommy V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because Al Franken worked for 20 years at Saturday Night Live as a writer and performer, most people think of him as a comedian first, and a U.S. senator second. Indeed, when he left the show he began writing political humour books, eventually parlaying that into his role as host of a left-leaning radio talk show. So when he announced that he was leaving his talk show to run for the United States Senate in 2008, I raised an eyebrow. I had read and enjoyed his 2003 book Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right but I wasn’t convinced that he was anything more than a political satirist. Yet the fact that he ran for senator in his native Minnesota, the state where former wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura was elected governor in 1998, made me think that he had a good chance of winning. So, I decided to pick up his then most recent book, The Truth (With Jokes), and see what he had to say.

From the outset, Franken seems like a man on a mission. Where Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them used a wide net to pull in various Bush Administration officials, conservative commentators, and right-wing organizations and expose them as hypocrites, The Truth (With Jokes) primarily focuses on the Bush Administration. Also, where the first book was loose in its jokes and asides, even dedicating whole chapters to obvious lampoon, I was struck at the seriousness of this work. Though it is comical in places, it is not without reason that the “With Jokes” in the book’s title is set in parentheses (a fact that Franken makes fun of in a couple of places, too.)

The book is divided into two parts. Franken devotes the first part, “The Triumph of Evil,” to the 2004 Presidential race between George Bush and John Kerry. Franken recapitulates how Bush won the election by exploiting the war on terror, Kerry’s military and political careers, and the gay marriage debate in three sections he labels “Fear,” “Smear,” and “Queers.” (Not to be confused with George Bush—The Early Years, or “Steers,” “Beers,” and “Wasted Years.”) Along the way, Franken comments on the questionable tactics utilized by Karl Rove, the turnaround of Democrat Zell Miller, and the debunking of statements made by conservative talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

Politics is a dirty game, and Franken helps point out the most troubling stains, like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth’s crusade against Kerry. But to anyone who followed the 2004 election season as it unfolded, much of what Franken writes appears to be common knowledge. Of course the Bush team was going to exploit the most divisive issues. Of course they were going to take something as politically explosive as gay marriage and use it as a wedge between themselves and Kerry supporters. That’s what happens during elections—candidates do whatever it takes to win. I don’t endorse that behaviour, but I accept it. And sure, I would be happy to do away with dirty politics, but unless both candidates agree at the outset to take the moral and ethical high road, candidates will always run negative, and sometimes even fabricated, stories against their opponents.

Reading Franken’s outrage, though, I couldn’t help but think that this was a case of sour grapes. The man he backed had lost, incredulously Franken believes, and instead of moving forward, he revisits the past so that he can list all of the bad things the other side did to Kerry.

Where The Truth (With Jokes) really gets rolling is in the second part, “Seeds of Collapse.” Franken recounts the blunders and corruption in the year after Bush’s re-election. He makes fun of what the media referred to as “Bush’s mandate”, pointing out that Bush won the popular vote by only a 2.5% margin. He then goes on to examine the ineffectiveness of this so-called mandate, by highlighting the public’s strong reaction against Bush’s planned restructure of Social Security and their disgust with the Republicans’ meddling in the Terri Schiavo case. The chapter on Social Security is particularly interesting because Franken connects the dots to a 25 year-old battle against Social Security waged by conservatives.

The Iraq War and its continuing quagmire take up a few chapters as Franken first traces the roots of the Bush Administration’s policy makers, specifically those of Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz from the Reagan years through 2005. From there he examines the corruption of no-bid contracts and other deals that were not closely observed.

Franken saves his most potent venom, though, for the sleazy doings of Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff. These two became the poster boys of the corruptible nature within Washington, and Franken dives headfirst into the muck to bring to light the stories of Delay’s Saipan sex slave/sweatshop connection and Abramoff’s fleecing of Native Americans.

The 2006 paperback edition of The Truth (With Jokes) includes an epilogue where Franken lists more embarrassing moments for the Bush Administration, from their slow response to Hurricane Katrina to Dick Cheney shooting his hunting buddy in the face. Unfortunately, Franken can’t resist including a self-congratulatory pat on the back for hammering away at some of these stories on his radio show. I can only hope that he is not to be taken seriously when he writes things like “thanks to me, Americans have caught on to this President.” But then I remember how he appeared as Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live shortly after his movie, Stuart Saves His Family, came and went from the theaters. He made a comment about how ignorant the movie audience was—after all, Siskel and Ebert gave his movie “Two Thumbs Up,” so why hadn’t anyone seen it? Maybe it was all done in the name of comedy, but Franken seems to have a streak where he thinks he has made a bigger impact than he actually has.

One thing I like about Franken’s books is that he adds sources to his material. He isn’t just making things up or playing loose with the facts like some political writers are wont to do. Many of his sources are referenced by internet addresses. When I sampled a few for authenticity, I discovered that the links can all be found via Al Franken’s website. However, there are points he raises that would do well to have a reference, such as when he mentions the superfluous hearings the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has held.

If Al Franken is serious about his duty as a United States Senator, I think he will bring a fresh perspective to the national debate. Let’s hope that he doesn’t forget to infuse his role with a little humour because sometimes that is the most effective way to diffuse lies and the lying liars who tell them.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stopped reading it because, while it was informative and often funny, I felt like I had better things to do with my time. It was very educational, but also depressing, but not in a way that felt edifying to me at this point in my life. I have other things to do.

[Cameron DeHart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Lies" and "Giant of the Senate" last year, and decided to start this one after Al left the Senate earlier this month. I have mixed feelings about his departure, but his books are so darn entertaining that I can't help but feel incredibly disappointed in him.

You don't know what you've got til its gone. And I'm really gonna miss Senator Al Franken.

[Jay Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating - 8.2

Quite an informative & educational read as I had been lax on my US politics wrt the Iraqi War; Not overly surprised by the corruption & ignorance of the Bush administration nor the election tactics

Will be very interesting to see if there is the same level of underhandedness when the Democrats win the next election; Learning about Saipan & its abuse was interesting & we will see how it turns out

Interesting Thoughts
Bush won the election by 2.5%, the lowest margin of victory since Woodrow Wilson. They did it by fear, by smear and by queer.

Terror Management Theory argues that human behavior and culture can be understood as a response to fear and death. Death-related thoughts will drive people to re-affirm their existing cultural worldview and to support charisma leaders versus task leaders.

Bush changed the enemy from Al-Qaeda to Iraq and continually brought up terror as part of a re-election strategy. At the end of the day, most Americans thought that Saddam was behind 911

In the RNC speeches, there were 62 references to Saddam and 1 to Osama Bin-Laden.

P112 - Barrack Obama DNC Speech
P116 – Republicans posing as gay activists

Global Disaster Information Network was killed by the Republicans so that Gore would not have any wins on his résumé (they knew he was running for President)

Flip-flopping on the war and Terry Schiavo

Saipan – a US controlled isle that uses slave labor but can still sport a made in the USA label. Saipan has prominent US retailers that can ignore US labor laws and who require powerful allies in Washington.

Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff were the key Republicans who kept US retail interests within Saipan. Workers have to pay the Chinese government to work in Saipan and are kept in rat-infested barracks where no children are allowed and abortions are forced.

Abramoff was also in hot water over his defrauding of Native Americans and casino revenues. Ripped off the Tigua tribe

The Bush approach to Social Security is for the benefit of asset management companies and not in the interest of the public. Numbers were invented and communicated that would make privatization look plausible
Best article ever published is ‘Blind into Baghdad’ by James Farrow. All studies on the reconstruction of Iraq were ignored and oil interests were the primary consideration

Haliburton was awarded $7B in no-bid contracts from the vice-president’s office, which just happens to receive $12M/month and has 400M options.

$8.8B went missing in aid for Iraq. By June 2004, only $0.4MM of $18.4B had been spent on Iraqi needs.

The uprising in Iraq is caused by civilian casualties of which there has been $100M in Iraq.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conclusion: I really do like Al Franken. This book is funny, moving, infuriating, and revealing– particularly with reference to Carl Rove and Tom Delay. What disgusting human beings. Obviously, Al Franken shares a great many of my beliefs, and that’s one thing that he has going for him, but really, after listening to this, if you’re still able to admire and support the Bush *regime* I can’t understand it. I’m pained that the interests of certain special interests groups have been served more than the interests of the common man – because there are so many common men…and our representatives don’t seem to know who it is that they are representing. Is this because the differences between class are so many? Or is it just politics and political squabbling that warps the minds of our Congress? I’m not sure. I’m not sure what the answer is. I flirted briefly with the idea of working with a true Democracy, where people vote for what they want and don’t work through representatives. Would that make it better? Maybe we’d be encouraged to be more involved. Giving us time off to do that, too, would help. There’s a problem with keeping politicians in power. Their goals seem to be reelection and staying in power and they aren’t about fighting for legislation that their supporters actually want, or bringing up issues that their constituents actually care about. If I am any example of the common man I just see govt as a huge and unwieldy entity that does its darndest to screw with things I care about – with the ultimate goal of making them disappear. It is riddled with corruption and finding an honest and responsible person in that nest of hornets is awfully hard to do. And, since the parties are so divisive, all of the smear tactics will be employed to make any actual good person look horrible. What to believe?

I would hope that people do not dismiss this book out of hand, by saying, oh that’s just a bunch of liberal mumbo jumbo, or oh that’s just some comedian. There are serious problems with our system, and in our government right now, and they need to be addressed.

Al’s great with impersonations – so it’s great having him read the book.

[Simon Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

LAUGHTER IN THE DARK

Written in the deep dark days after George W. Bush's first election victory (2004), Al Franken's "The Truth With Jokes" must have been therapeutic for those in the United States who were horrified at the results of his first term and were counting on a Democratic victory to put things right.

Franken begins with a dissection of the Republican parties election strategy - Fear! - with extremely sharp wit that certainly puts to shame many of the British Political Comedians I've read, though admittedly the American scene is richer in material to work on: Jack Abramoff, Tom De Lay, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, George W Bush and a whole host of other dodgy, devious and disingenuous Republicans litter the pages of this book. Still with the '04 election, Franken moves on to debunking the smear campaign targeting John Kerry and his Vietnam War record. To a rational human the sheer shamelessness of the attack given Bush's record during his period of National Service (occasionally putting in an appearance with the Texas National Guard) is astonishing.

He is at his best when deals with issues such as Bush's Social Security Reform where he combines razor sharp wit with a sharp appreciation for the facts. This carries on through to his treatment of a number of issues including Gay marriage, Abortion and the Iraq War. Franken's critique of the Iraq War is on the left of the Democratic Party, which is to say that it is within the mainstream of "reasonable" thinking on the issue and not as critical as it could to be, though certainly funnier than it should be.

A brilliant, confidently written and laugh out loud read from start to finish, though as a committed Democrat (who now sits in the Senate) his confident expectations of future victory for his party being a New Dawn for America seems a little on the myopic side; as do some of his apologetics and celebrations of the Clinton era. Fortunately these are sufficiently tongue in cheek not to mar what is an extremely funny (if now somewhat historical) demolition of the pretensions of the Bush era as it entered its second term. It easily lives up to dual claims the title makes.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not as good as the first "Lies ...etc." I may be feeling this since I read it immediately after (and not before) Lies. I was a bit saturated, I guess by book 2. A few that claimed to be of the "Left" panned it because the thought it was "mean-spiritied" I have little patience for this evaluation. It's satire. And it probably strikes a cord with the choir of the faithful (UGH! I hate that word).

Maybe it doesn't work in places or at all, but mean-spirited is simply not a valid reaction. I am convinced that these folks are just neo/paleo-con sand-baggers that want to feign a genuine dislike. People of this ilk cannot resist foisting dirty tricks in all realms.

While I agree with detractors that feel the book does not elevate the discussion, this has been deep in the shitter for a long time and there are clear culprits. Franken is one against a tsunami of hate speech from a well-monied media and church-based machine.

I dislike and distrust the particular brand of bible-bound liars that are commensals of FOX. Anyone who can get up every day and reaffirm the non-truths of the bible, would also be willing to lie about most anything else to defend any belief.

The conventional press, is weak kneed and lazy in their approach to balance the media coverage. Too often they even mime the unsubstantiated barrage of tripe from the one-sided FOX. Out with them all.

[Joey Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Al Franken, I really do: his passion, his dry wit; he's a very fine writer. And on one hand I love it that the Democrats have a crusader like him, and his message that his political party really effed it up in the last two elections by responding to Conservative slander by turning the other cheek, taking the "higher road," is right on. I agree that Democrats have to fight back and get their hands dirty.

On the other, I find his generalizations about Republicans not just irritating, but perhaps a little irresponsible. He really lays into the Republican party going back to Barry Goldwater's run for president and makes it out to be one big conspiracy to bring our country to its knees. It just doesn't make sense to me how much of this could be true, although I do think Franken hit the bull's eye with how Bush won the second election: scare and smear tactics with a heatlty dose of lies.

I am a doctoral student of 14th- and 15th-century European politics and literature, and history shows that never is one side 100% correct, although each side tends to think that it is. It is the classic literary set-up for a tragedy. Franken is definitely onto something in his sharp, even poisonous censures of the Republican party. But like I just said, it's the classic set-up for a tragedy.

[Blair Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watch the Daily Show semi-regularly, so I thought I was used to hearing the Republicans being slammed, but whoa baby. I’ve come out of reading The Truth with a greater disdain for the current U.S. administration than before. I realize that Franken’s probably taking some liberties, but if even half of what he says is true (and it feels right), these are some nasty nasty people. In addition, even if the book were all lies, it’d be worth reading just for the funny. He really knows how to hit my buttons – I enjoyed the way the book was written even more than the content. A sample:

In books like this one, too often cases are made on the basis of anecdotes and generalities. For example, in Bernard Goldberg’s biased Bias, the author relies on a story about a colleague calling Gary Baure “a little nut from the Christian group” as proof of a media-wide anti-Christian, anti-short people, anti-nut conspiracy. See? I started this paragraph with a generality and tried to prove it with an anecdote. That kind of sloppiness doesn’t cut it here.

Self-reference and a warning against attempting to prove things via anecdote. That either does it for you, or it doesn’t. It does it for me.

[Waltor · Rating 4 out of 5]

as much as I want to believe this is just as biased as the hate filled ranting of Ann Coulter and Pat O'Riely...all of Al's observations have the "ring of truth", it makes sense, everything fits. I have never been satisfied with the right's claim that liberals just "hate freedom" seriously who hates freedom? Liberals hate the freedom rich and powerful people have to exploit the poor? that makes sense! Not only does Al give us a more plausible view of the events of the era, but he gives us a sense of what the motives of the right wing characters he exposes might be. I cling to a hope that his rhetoric is hyperbolic...but I am an optimist. I suspect he is right on, and we have been taken for ride nearly as destructive to the moral authority of America as that of 1930s Germany. I am not going to say Bush was a Nazi, that is silly, but he showed the same absolutist resolve. It is now 6 years after this book was written and we see to our horror that the damage is not easily repaired. Faced with the impotence caused by the deadlock of our two party system, the desperate masses will probably swing in the other direction. I can only hope the next administration has the some sense or even a desire to act on behalf of our nation.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love traveling, especially overseas. But the thing I truly hate when I go is realizing that pretty much every European I meet knows more about American politics than I do. This phenomenon may result from: our respected legacy following WWII, globalization (see: McDonalds), Hollywood (see: the TV show Dallas), questionable foreign policy (see: Operation Iraqi Freedom) and the flying circus of media representation, reporting both a skewed version of American values (see: misconceptions about the prevalence of polygamy) and more accurate American values (laws allowing us to own an unlimited number of semi-automatic killing machines).

Because I'm sick of being an ignoramus, I've begun my American Culture and History self-education, which this time, shall include more than just the fabulous Colbert Report. Al Franken's book was a great spoil of a read, witty and enjoyable and inspiring if not tragic. While thoroughly Democrat, Al never misses an opportunity to shout out to Republicans he feels are respectable, and at the end of his book, in his imagined future, convinces the Democratic Congress to give seats to his partisan brothers in an attempt to make our country not blue or red, but a beautiful purple.

Read, learn and enjoy!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually start reading Al Franken books in airports, because when you have a little time to kill it's really gratifying to pick up a book that lets you slam through 50 pages without trying. Then two years ago I was at a used bookstore while visiting my sister and happened upon a cheap copy of Lies and the Lying Liars, so I picked it up and was half done by the time I flew out a day later. Now I consider it a sort of tradition to buy Al Franken books and leave them at Syl's place for me to read while I'm there, which I don't mind because there are always tons of old hardbacks of his books that people give away. Truth be told, I find Franken's humor a bit hit or miss, but he generally comes across as a decent human being with his heart (and head) in the right place, and plus his books are just so damned easy to read. Obviously, as political literature these should be at most a jumping off point, possibly bringing your attention to events and articles that you can then go and explore in more depth, and Franken's pretty good about providing notes that allow you to do so. I'd offer to lend anyone my copy, but you'd have to get it from Winston somehow.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally heart Al Franken, his humor, his politics and his method for building an argument (including the footnotes and 20 pages of sources). I also recognize that he's not for everyone. My dad, for example. Franken is openly liberal and openly comedic from that position, which combine to make him seem bias to some people who will never read his work as a result. I can even understand that. So as I was reading The Truth with Jokes, I was wishing that Franken would publish an abbreviated edition without the jokes and indignation, however righteous, and market it as purely political commentary. Because that would be the kind of actual fact-based journalism that we should be demanding from our news sources. Like instead of reporting on what a politician says, I would like to hear what they said this time, what they've said on the same and related issues in the past, if the statements check our factually, if there are significant political contributions in the mix, and maybe what the person running against them says about the same issue. That's what I call journalism and isn't it sad that we need to be bribed with jokes to read it.

[Teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just serves to further prove that the media has way more power than most people believe. If you think we are any less brain-washed than the Russians or Chinese then you are deluding yourself. It just happens to be the "independent" media that is controlling it instead of the government.

I just now got around to reading this, but I bet there are some who are longing for the good-ol-days when GW was president compared with what we have now!

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just got this back from a friend I'd lent it to after reading it when it came out, and re-read it over the weekend. Franken's writing style makes it easy to blow through a book over a few days. Like Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, which was heavier on the funny and lighter on the serious stuff, The Truth is an entertaining book, but not a great one. If you agree with Franken (which I do), you're going to laugh at the jokes he sprinkles into his presentation of facts with which you're probably already mostly familiar. If you don't agree with him (and I'm glaring at you right now, whoever you are!), you're probably going to be put off by his mockery of everything Republican and pay less attention to the facts. Don't get me wrong, I dig Al Franken's political comedy to a degree surpassed only by how much I dig Jon Stewart's, but if you're not already in his camp, you're probably not going to be converted by his jokes, and there are better places to get a history of the GOP corruption he outlines.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part watching paint dry ~ I had to skip through most of the 911 stuff, it is very detailed and I appreciate that he went throught the official reports, but I'll just skip to being angry all over again, without the excruciating details; part fascinting - the Jack Abramoff and Tom Delay stuff about the Indian gaming & Saipan factories was disgusting and outrageous, I cannot believe that every American does not know about and care deeply about the events and the hypocricy surrounding them, enough to demand REAL change in the way our country is run. A good companion to Michael Moore's Dude, Where's My Country, read just prior, and Al Gore's Assault on Reason, just started, in this triumvirate of outrage about the hijacking of our country by idealogues and hypocrites. Enjoyed Al's personal touches & family stories, in fact I want to e-mail him now that he's in the Senate and ask him if he is able to effect any changes in the structures he describes in the book. I hope he is remembering and practicing the philosophy, Be just and Do Good.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know exactly what you are going to get with Al Franken. If you are a liberal, you are going to love his debunking of the fabrications, misleadings, self-contradictings, and outright lies of the the far right. If you are conservative you are going to hate his self-righteous demagoguery. In this book, which is rather dated at this reading, Franken explores the myths that led to George W. Bush's re-election in 2004. He seems more than a little bit bitter and expresses it with a sharp sarcastic, satirical tone. This book is more political diatribe than humor, although it does have genuinely funny moments, although I don't think anyone who is even a little right of center will find them so. Karl Rove, Bill Frist, and Sean Hannity take the bulk of the abuse, but there is plenty of blame to go around. On or another, this book will leave the reader angry - either at Republicans for misleading the American public so badly or at Franken for his obvious attempt to prop up misguided liberal thinking. Your attitude will more than likely determine your reaction.

[Debbie P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this book if you have no desire to throw your shoes at Bush, and you think he was qualified to be president based on his stellar military and business record and you think he's earned worldwide respect for America and you think the Iraq war was worth it and you fight terrorism by shopping -- no sacrifice.

Don't read this book if you like torture, the state of the economy, the deficit, Patriot Act, the brain trust of Rumsfeld & Ashcroft, and giving medals to people that screwed up the war, and a historical 1st of cutting taxes during wartime, Bush's plan to invest your Social Security in the stock market, and you think the mission was accomplished back in 2003.

But otherwise, the book is pretty interesting and sums up some of the issues of the last few years. Props to Bush...he didn't plant WMD's. But I bet they thought about it!

Imagine the George W. Bush presidential library of the future....this book won't be in it.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Truth (With Jokes)" is long on both the truth AND the jokes. Al Franken, the author of such hard-hitting (and also very funny) books as "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" and "Lies and The Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at The Right" and now Senator Franken from Minnesota, hit another one out of the park. Less funny the the other political texts I mentioned, it is a much more series book on the state of politics, and political malfeasance in particular, in America. Though particularly damning of the Bush Jr. administration, he has criticisms to spare for all Right-wing blowhards, nut-jobs and criminals who are ruining our country here at home and ruining our reputation abroad. While the conservative movement is what is wrong with this country, Senator Franken is a breath of fresh air and hopefully a movement in the "right (meaning correct in this instance)" direction.

Read this book to learn the truth (and jokes)!

Power to the Liberals!

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never read the charmingly titled Lies and the Lying Liars who tell Them, but Franken has made the move from telling political one-liners and gags to becoming a serious commentator. The Truth is way too partisan to appeal to anyone outside the ideology, but like similar books from both sides of the aisles, it will be very readable to those who agree with him.

For those who likes Franken radio shows, the book treads the same line- funny, but it's intent is to argue GOP talking points and offers a real criticism of the past administration.

Franken does his research here, and as much as the book is a comedy, Franken was (it now appears) plotting what would be the ideas that would put him in the Senate.

If politics isn't your thing, then you might skip this one. If you are a liberal and are a fan of people like Franken or Olbermann, and like someone who goes on the attack for your side of things and is looking to take the Right to task, I think you will like this book.