How to Overthrow the Government

by Arianna Huffington

Powerful and enlightening. How to Overthrow the Government is an impassioned call to arms from one of America's sharpest and most independent commentators. In its pages Huffington breaks away from the party-line platitudes of Republicans and Democrats alike while challenging Amerians to rise up and take back their government. From the power of special interests to the ravages of the war on drugs, Huffington offers radical yet viable strategies for reclaiming our nation from the corporate and political powers that hold it hostage. For, as she argues, if We the People are to preserve and protect our more perfect union, we must stand up and fight for our country -- before it's too late.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Social

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Arianna Huffington is the chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of fourteen books.

In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2012, the site won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.

She has been named to Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list. Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union.

She serves on several boards, including HuffPost’s partners in Spain, the newspaper EL PAÍS and its parent company PRISA; Onex; The Center for Public Integrity; and The Committee to Protect Journalists.

Her 14th book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder was published by Crown in March 2014 and debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Reviews

[Cyrus Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although written some 15 years ago, Ms. Huffington's forebodings on the direction of US politics have come through. Looking at items such as the Orwellian deterioration of they precision of language (my favorite quotation - “I think it’s very difficult,” he said, “to know what the counterfactual would be if different policies had been pursued.” “Counterfactual” is a favorite Summers squid word. “And I’m not sure,” he continued, “we’ll ever know the answer to that counterfactual question.”), through inequality and blatant abuse of power by budding PACs, this book is even more important today.

And yes, she saw the current president as a joke candidate ... "Yet we greet with studied solemnity Donald Trump. Of course, there have always been joke candidates—but the joke used to be the point. Now the joke is on us. Trump’s White House fantasy would be pure comic relief if only the media could resist the ratings temptation to treat it seriously, adding gravitas where a laugh track should be. Do we really need Larry King asking Trump if he would reappoint Alan Greenspan? Is Donald Trump’s answer any more meaningful than Donald Duck’s?"

Alas, doublespeak and Trump are our new realities ...

[Conor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I figured this would be anything but what the cover offers, and it was. It's really more of a "How to reform the government" but that's not an exciting cover. It had the predictable 95% problems to 5% possible solutions sort of mix, and really it's stuff that anyone with any sort of political adgenda could tell you. The hate againsts pollsters was a bit of fresh air though. I liked that this was pre 9/11 and as such had some older political information, but I guess that just means that it was flirting with being outdated.

2012 Update: In retrospect, this is bullshit. This book is not about how to overthrow the government, it's not about how to "take back your country." It's about Arianna Huffington selling books with exciting titles in order to fund her lifestyle. The same lifestyle that was heavily funded by her selling the Huffington Post to America Online. All the solutions suggested are questionably effective at best, and that's if ten thousand to a hundred thousand people do the same thing. Titling a book about working within the system via whiny phone calls "How to Overthrow the Government" is like titling a book about prenatal care for women "How to hit preggos where it hurts." Incorrect, nearly off topic, and utter bullshit intended to bring more attention in a book store.

[AJ Griffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since Ms. Huffington speaks with an accent, she's obviously not an american. so what does she know, anyway?

[Kenneth Darling · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a top choice for my tastes but ehh it's whatever.
If I only read things to tickle my ears or to hold up the structure of some ideological echo chamber bubble that shelters me from opposing thoughts and beliefs, then I would be like the majority of the reviewers of this title...

I first must discuss the "goodreads" Trump Derangement Crowd... Well EVERY SINGLE One Of You Were Not Only Hilariously Wrong about the success and achievements of the 45th Presidential Administration of Donald John Trump but also are a bunch of Radical Denialists.
For over FOUR years all we heard was "Trump's gonna destroy our Democracy" "Trump is going to become a Dictator" "Trump Is Racist" "Trump is a White Supremecist" "Trump Supporters are NAZI conspiracy theorists" (maybe true about conspiracy theorists but Nazis?Just stupid) "Trump is going to cause our Economy to Crash" "Trump handled Covid terribly" "Blah" "Blah" "Blah" I could go on forever listing all the Incorrect theories (hmm who dabbles in conspiracy theorists)
Now I can also list a bunch of accurate predictions some obviously bad on Trump's doing but FAR MORE good in Trump's credit.

I must say the one thing that I find disgusting about all the irrational Anti-Trump Fascist Left and that's the HYPOCRISY that seems to flow through the veins of these folks. It's not even being attempted to be hidden anymore. It is difficult to understand how any American who has any knowledge of American History and World History could be so confused about reality. The reality that EVERY accusation purposely propagated of President Donald Trump being some dictator is literally EVERYTHING current President Har...Oops I mean Biden is guilty of. SHOCKED? CONFUSED? DENIAL? Well I can't say I'm even a little surprised considering the high amount of Foolish Thought Processing of the Modern Day American Liberal(Leftist). If a Leftist received a gift box full of Real Donkey Feces wrapped in the Blue Democratic Party Donkey paper they would think it was an honor(or payment for voting Democrat).
The plus of it all is when this Nation does continue to and eventually hit rock bottom and society finally crumbles there will be a very detailed but simple alphabetical list of Americans who were obviously complacent by ACTUALLY voting in Authoritarians painted as Democrats. And Ignorance isn't a Defense, not currently and what will be a destroyed American Justice System(the single greatest body of true justice) if half of Americans continue to go along with the monstrous Agenda of the Democrat Party.
You all will be Guilty of Appeasement and Guilty of being Willingly Insane.

[Nora Peevy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book is misleading, but I'm giving it three stars because it is an informative read for anyone not familiar with the issues addressed. Huffington is very thorough about discussing all the plights of Washington and our political system. Sadly, almost two decades after this book was written, not much has changed, but the methods she suggests are somewhat in line with the Indivisible movement currently sweeping through the states like wildfire. They are effective. If updated satistics are used, it's be even more horrifying how much the campaign finance reform movement is needed, as well as getting third party candidates and new blood into our government. Much of her book is spent outlining what is wrong; this is why the title is misleading, but her solutions are good. I'm impressed with her including the radical idea that our schools should be teaching ethics and we should hold our politicians and the media to those same ethics. *GASP* It's scary to hear her discuss Donald Trump; that man hasn't changed a bit in twenty years. Everything Huffington argues in this book can help explain why Trump fever swept the nation and how we ended up with the most incompetent, wreckless, and highly unethical president in our nation's history. (This is just my opinion, but an opinion shared by many. And I believe history will tell a tale of terror darker than any Stephen King novel ever written.) Let's just hope we can salvage ourselves from the wreckage before he burns our entire democracy down. *smh*

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable to read; Huffington's opening is funny and personable. A little depressing to read it two decades after it was published, as many of the things Huffington calls out as problems in America haven't been addressed in all that time.

[EmptySet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't actually show me how to overthrow the government

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huffington definitely makes good points, among some extremely distasteful ones. The book is otherwise misleading and poorly organized. 2/5.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stats are outdated and the title is a bit misleading, but it would be interesting to see how a book like this would be written in the shitshow this country has turned into.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice, but do the right people read this. That thought arises almost every time I read a common-sense book. The insights I read are lost in me as I don't communicate them onward.

[N.D. Wisard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoa, couldn't even get half way through. Outdated, boring political blather. The End.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great all around illustration of what is wrong with our political process. It was written pre election 2000 so it is excellent source to see just how far we've come. There is of course no reference to 9/11 and it is interesting to throw that in the mix as you use it to analyze our society.

Ms. Huffington is an excellent writer. She seems quite neutral in her views of parties, preferring rather to go for right over politically correct.

Two of my favorite quotes are:

"As Bob Dole so passionately defined the debate during the last presidential campaign: 'The Republicans want government to grow by 14 percent while the Democrats want it to grow by 20 percent.' Wow I guess we're lucky we avoided civil war."

"So instead of electing a chief executive officer to oversee the surging economy that has become our country's sole measure of success, we should be looking for leaders who can mobilize, educate, and inspire us to solve the problems that seethe beneath the high-flying Dow."

This last quote I love because in the end we did elect a business man to run our country.

In the end this book feels me with fear at how bad things are. Ms. Huffington is not even talking about original intent of the Constitution she is just promoting telling the truth and being honest. If we are so far from that how will we ever get back to the point where honest men are debating the future of our nation. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams may have disagreed entirely on the nature of our government but at least they were honest with each other and the people. I long for the day of men like that.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I love Arianna Huffington on Bill Maher, and as much as I respect her for her unrelenting pursuit of glasnost in American politics, I don't love her as a writer. She has that "lowest common denominator" style that is knee-jerk snarky, but lacking in any true wit or cleverness. Here's an example from page 30:

"After watching Clinton get away with untruth after untruth, many other public figures have also adopted Spin-glish as a second language. "I'm not a politician," said Elizabeth Dole before she put her presidential campaign out of its misery, a boast as phony as Strom Thurmond's orange hair. How can a woman who served under five presidents, including as head of public liaison for the Reagan White house--as political a job as there is--claim with a straight face that she's not a politician? Maybe if politicians actually served the public, the word wouldn't be something to be ashamed of."

Cue the hissy cat-fight sound effect. I'm not impressed by her ideas, either. Psst, you want to know how we overthrow the government? Community service. Sorry, should I have prefaced that with a Spoiler Alert? It's a shame this book isn't great; the title has so much potential.

Huffington did convince me that no reform in any sector is possible without serious campaign finance reform. She then convinced me that campaign finance reform is completely impossible.

(And yes, I am ten years behind in my reading.)

[Luciano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to give Huffington creditfor how she calls pout people in government. She does not care what side of the aisle a person is on, if they are doing something they shouldn't or doing something they should for that matter, she spits it out for everyone to see. She does not care too much about ruffling feathers. That's refreshingly obvious. Will it change anything? Probably not. Things won't change until such time that we reach critical mass as a nation and collectively throw ourselves on the wheel of The Machine and make it stop.

[Sean Sexton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huffington challenges the current state of American government as a plutocracy, run by corporate money and special interest lobbyists. She criticizes politicians as having lost touch with the real issues and having become beholden only to their own reelection.

Huffington starts out by pointing out all the areas in which our government has become completely ineffective. She goes on to issue a call to action to the American people--to fight for campaign finance reform and to overthrow the current government--from the inside out.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14323830

[Nic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whoa, couldn't even get half way through. Outdated, boring political blather. The End.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like her, she's interesting and smart so I picked up the book, it is what it is... nothing to write home about...nothing in it really jumped out at me worth going into.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting discussion of politics circa 1999. Unfortunetly its becoming dated very fast.