Conservatize Me: How I Tried to Become a Righty with the Help of Richard Nixon, Sean Hannity, Toby Keith, and Beef Jerky

by John Moe

It has been said that everyone in America is firmly planted in red or blue—permanently conservative or irreversibly liberal. But are we all really that locked in to the left or the right? A lifelong liberal, John Moe was determined to find out. So he reset his radio dials from NPR to Rush Limbaugh, joined some of today's most influential conservative thinkers for a series of "conversion sessions," made pilgrimages to the Ronald Reagan and Richard M. Nixon museums, and spent the Fourth of July in the most Bush-friendly county in the country, in an attempt to discover if there was actually a conservative trapped inside him yearning to be set free.

Conservatize Me is a fresh, humorous, and highly entertaining look at our country's political landscape, one that will strike a powerful chord with millions of disgruntled Americans while stimulating the mind and tickling the funny bone.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Humor, Audiobook, Memoir

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of becoming a conservative for 30 days is so.....well...liberal! You would never see a conservative become a liberal for 30 days. Conservatives know they are right. Liberals always have those little doubts. We liberals have to see both sides of the issues. We worship open-mindedness as long as that open-mindedness doesn't mean we have to like Bush, harm prairie dogs and redwoods, or listen to country-western music.

John Moe immersed himself into all things conservative for 30 days. He wore conservative clothes, read conservative books, listened to conservative music (lots of country western) and watched conservative movies (early Clint "Dirty Harry" Eastwood not that later wussy Eastwood stuff). He also traveled around the country interviewing conservative commentators and writers, visiting the town where 93% of the population voted for Bush, and crashing a College Republican convention. Is there really a solid definition of what makes an American conservative? His answer shouldn't surprise anyone yet his journey to get to his conclusions is quite funny. He remains respectful to both political sides. If you are looking for Coulter-style insults or Michael Moore combat tactics, go elsewhere. Moe's book is light-hearted yet manages to make some insightful comments regarding both conservatives and liberals.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny book of one man's monthlong experiment with conservatism. He pokes a lot of fun at the traditional left (especially his fellow Seattleites)while investigating the lure of the right and he finds some great small-town folks in Idaho who represent the best of small-town conservative values. But he also points out plenty of the unattractive traits of the righties: The emptiness of Reaganism, the bad music of the Charlie Daniels Band, and the inexplicable hatred of "The Gay."

[Trin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by Super Size Me, liberal Seattleite John Moe endeavors to discover if a month of nothing but conservative books, movies, music, TV, and radio—along with trips to places like a college Young Republicans conference—can make him “become a Righty.” Fairly obviously, this doesn’t work—at best (okay, in my mind, worst), Moe contemplates Libertarianism (and ends up with a strange little man-crush on Richard Nixon—in light of the last seven years, I do have to say, the man is looking better and better). Moe’s a very, very funny writer—a frequent McSweeney’s contributor, his sense of humor meshes really well with mine, so I had a blast reading this. I wish Moe had spent some more time on the conclusion—the final thesis seems a little shallow. He’s much nicer to the Right than I would be, though. I’ve broken up with a guy after one date because he revealed he voted for Bush. (He also was in favor of arriving late to the movie theater so we “wouldn’t have to sit through the trailers”—WTF is that?) I suppose it fits with the tenets of the Left to be compassionate and try to understand the Right, but I find it virtually impossible to do, especially in the current political climate. So kudos to John Moe for doing it for us. He’s a better man than me.

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, so he rips off Morgan Spurlock. Doesn't matter. He stereotypes a bit, but only a bit--turns out not a few "Yee Haw's" in the south vote Bush no matter how many countries he bombs. And pay particular attention to what he says about the Gipper's daily schedule, on display in his museum. It's no small wonder we survived the Cold War.

[Brett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another in the long tradition of the "stunt book." The stunt in this case is the author, whose politics seem to be pretty run-of-the-mill liberal, will for one month participate in all the cultural activities usually associated with conservatism, in an effort to understand the appeal.

That means he will listen to conservative music, wear patriotic clothing and cowboy boots, and travel to conservative areas of the US to talk with people and get a feel for what makes them tick. The tone of the book is very much "let's all get along" and "we're all in this together" sort of gentle humor. He's not out to excoriate anyone as he does his best to maintain an evenhanded pose, even knowing ahead of time that the whole idea is silly. Most of the jokes he makes are at his own expense.

Moe does his best to carry this off some dexterity, but the project loses its appeal pretty quickly, even with his charm as a writer. I admit that I don't have a lot of patience for sitting down with David Frum or Jonah Goldberg and gamely trying to find some common ground. I guess it's good that they were able to have a civil conversation but these guys back in 2006 were fresh off being major cheerleaders for the Iraq War and its associated carnage (Frum) and publishing a book length argument that liberals are responsible for fascism (Goldberg), and making nice small talk with them feels pretty strange to me. Of course, now all these years later, both of them are also among those small coterie of anti-Trump republicans as well, so perhaps they don't even speak for conservatism in much of any realistic sense.

I will say the section where he goes to Idaho and has a heart-to-heart with the mayor of the main city in the most pro-Bush county in the country is one of the better sections of the book, and his trip to the College Republicans convention is fairly funny, though more so because in this section he is less concerned with walking on eggshells so as to not spoil his conservative cred, and he is free to offer up some more freewheeling observations.

In spite of Moe's good-natured storytelling, I was frustrated throughout the book by the obvious pointlessness of the exercise and ultimately the muddled ideas that the reader is supposed to take from it. Everybody can make a good point once in a while and we should try to be nice to each other? Ok, sure. But did I need this book to tell me that? If this attitude seemed like a relic of times gone by back in 2006, it is even more so now as our nation has drifted into more and more alarming forms of right-wing politics.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, my hubby and I enjoyed this audiobook. A few times, we laughed right out loud. A reflective, humorous, tongue and cheek examination at the conservative side of the fence without cheap shots. I think folks on both sides of the political fence would enjoy John Moe's experiment and findings. I know of at least two conservatives that do. Definitely worth a read/listen.

Note: This was a book that I received from a member at
Bookcrossing.com

[Tom Buske · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious! The basic premise is that a Seattle liberal looks at conservative life in the US to see if it holds any appeal for him. He talks to many conservatives and does things like shooting guns, driving an SUV and singing country songs at karaoke bars to try to get a feel for cultural conservatism. I think he is fair and meets conservatives throughout the book that he has very high regard for. I don't want to give the whole thing away but he also finds much in conservative philosophy to admire, with the possible exception of the rampant fear of some on the right of The Gay. I must have laughed out loud 100 times reading this book and that's not bad. I would recommend it to people of all political stripes.

[peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What seems to start out as a fairly tongue-in-cheek examination of the "right" side of U.S. politics is actually a remarkably thoughtful examination of culture and policy in contemporary America. Moe keeps the humor rolling right along, making this a breezy read. The laugh-out-loud moments are balanced by thoughtful reflection on the "liberal" aspects of Richard Nixon's presidency (signed the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, etc.) as well as an apparently undiscovered lust for beef jerky.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this book to be hilarious, and it was. I didn't expect it to be moving, but it was that too. Moe's approach to his project, and the book he wrote about it, was serious but not solemn, and nearly all the laughter is at himself rather than at the people he's showing us. In the end he shares some insight that is important, valuable, and contrary to what the talking heads whether red or blue want us to believe. Can't recommend this one too strongly.

[Albert Qian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute attempt at trying to relate to the right without actually doing so. It's an even more interesting listen during the Trump era, but as far as getting-to-kn0w-the-right books go, Hillybilly Elegy probably does it in a more tasteful way. But if you do have a few hours... give it a whirl.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started strong, faded a bit at the end. Light, witty narrative. Recommended.

[Katrina Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to preface this review with the fact that it was done during the post-9/11 Bush years, before the Tea Party and before Maga even existed. You can see the seeds of these as he travels and interviews, but overall it was a bit depressing seeing how civilized the discourse between the parties was then - but we thought it was super divided.

His writing is very approachable and entertaining and I feel like there was a lot of lessons to learn.
Lesson 1: Beef Jerky is the best
Lesson 2: Changing your morals is hard on your mental state, and that is really what he was doing. Our leanings in politics tend to align with your moral values and when you abandon them for beliefs that are opposite of yours, there will be consequences.
Lesson 3: Eating food loved by and listening to only conservative musicians sounds bad for anyone's health.
Lesson 4: In most of America, whether liberal or conservative, we are just looking at our communities and trying to to what we think is best for them. Unfortunately, the people in higher powers (PACs, Corporations, Billionaires, Think Tanks, Mega Churches, News Media, Social Media, and now Podcasters) have way more influence over our elected officials than the people they represent.

This book would have been humorous back when it was written, but now, it just seems like salt in the wound that is modern political discourse. It still was a good listen, but I definitely would think twice if you are feeling a bit of ennui about the state of politics in the US.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It's entertaining, well written, and sort of funny. What would you expect from a very liberal writer who is looking into right wing conservatism? Well, this is, and at the same time, isn't it what you'd expect. The writer spends some time working conservative stereotypes. Funny if you are honest. At first he is a bit of a Dick, and then at one point, a bit of an ass. No matter how much he pretends to understand conservatives there is always an air of condescension.

It's a good read for anyone who enjoys politics and smattering of thoughtful issues discussion.

I'm an independent so I enjoyed most of the issues described. Some of the rhetoric is tired and decisive.


Read it!

[Jordan Fuja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is interesting to read in 2018, when our politics are absolutely insane. It’s interesting how both liberal and conservative views have shifted (and stayed the same) since 2005. I think it’s good to read it now, if only to understand that people have struggled with the binary nature of American politics for a while, and it’s important to listen to the other side and seriously consider what they have to say. It was also really funny, Moe is an entertaining writer and I actually laughed out loud multiple times.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Irreverent and profane with no real understanding of the differences between one conservative and another. There were funny bits. The best take away is the final understanding that one needs to sincerely listen to all points of view even if you don't agree before or after. Respect that others have differences. Even among conservatives there are many differences and nuances.

[Gretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, fun and light look at conservatism in the early 2000s. What ends up begins most interesting snot this book l, is how much both conservatism, liberalism and American culture in general have changed in the last 17idh years

[Colm Slevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

No hate to the author—he’s a good writer and pretty funny. I didn’t find myself wanting to read more, yet I did want the book to be over. Moe’s commentary is interesting but I don’t want to read conservative talk points on todays politics and I especially don’t want to about 2006 politics.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some dated, but somewhat entertaining - subject just as title and subtitle say. Not really sure how hard he tried.

[D.J. Desmond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing stood out to me

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book overall, basing the premise on super size me and diving into the polar opposite of his leanings seemed an interesting premise but the hope that the author might become truly conservative seems unlikely at best from the onset.

The book always seems very tongue in cheek and rarely feels like an open hearted fully committed immersion. That being said there are some surprises that ultimately may not redeem the right wing for most liberals but did open my eyes to just how far into partisan politics we've fallen... written during the George W. Bush presidency it seems strange that Obama would follow and that ultimately Trump's presidency makes this experiment seem even less palletteable than it seems possible... oh how far we've fallen from the days where bipartisanship was possible even within my own life time it starts to seem like we never got along and we never worked together. I do wish there were an updated version of this book with a foreword that might explore just how much is different and just how much is the same since this book was written.

It's a pleasing read but if you are searching for some revelatory moment of understanding from either side of the political spectrum? I fear you'll have to undertake your own journey. Right leaning folks will find this book disingenuous (and possibly insulting) and left leaning folks will never find themselves far from their own political bias while reading about this fool's errand. The idea of this book is still very compelling and entertaining but... a month in someone else's shoes is maybe not enough time for this idea.

[Editrix (Amy Lewis) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, but it sometimes felt as though the author was trying to force himself into stereotypical or superficial situations for "The Experiment" rather than making an honest attempt to gain insight into the conservative viewpoints. For example, what do eating beef jerky or listening to Kid Rock for 30 days have to do with one's political ideology? Why did the author choose not to explore in any detail the influence of fundamentalist Christian beliefs on politics (and vice versa)? That said, his conversation with the mayor of Rexburg, Idaho (located in the county with more than 90% of its votes going to George W. Bush in 2004), as well as his insights afterward, were more nuanced.

Also, this isn't Moe's fault, but the publisher's decision to put footnotes at the end of each chapter rather than at the bottom of the page was downright annoying, especially given that most of these were jokes/asides and not really worth flipping back and forth for.

Perhaps I'm just burned out on the "Hey, let's do something wacky for an extended period of time and get a book deal out of it!" genre. But while Conservatize Me had its funny moments, overall I found A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically a more thought-provoking and worthwhile read.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

If I had rated this book at the halfway point, it would easily have been 4 stars, maybe 5. I had more than one coworker poke their head in the break room at lunch and ask why I was laughing out loud, and I was constantly reading "just one more part" to unsuspecting friends.

Unfortunately, the humor can only get you so far - at least on a book that purports to be something more than a humor book. It's hard to take Moe's attempts at a true social conservative seriously when he often seems not to. When he's making a true effort to parse out what a modern conservative is (and in the process, what a modern liberal is), it's fascinating as well as funny; his interviews with major conservative figures is fascinating and thought-provoking. But there's too little of substance, and too many jokes about tacky pro-America Walmart shirts and country music.

I wish Moe had gone full-humor or committed more to his social experiment in politics; the indecisiveness robs both of their potential punch.

(Except for the Dick Cheney jokes. Those will always be funny.)

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its actually almost a three star book.

I think there was some decent humor and I understand what the author was going for but the conclusion was sort of weak and spent more time soul searching than anything. The author explains his quest for meaning in conservatism but rather than accept that much of it is just misguided he attempts to overly rationalize it all. And rather than deeper analysis he goes to a concert towards the end and gets high on chewing tobacco.

Hunter S Thompson it is not.

The book was clever but it wasn't my drink of choice. If you want reason just read "What's the matter with Kansas." But if you are looking for more enteratinment I suppose "Conservatize me" is passable.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great "Super Size Me!" premise, with a bit of a let down ending. While it's certainly a funny book, he didn't go into the experiment with the intent of mocking conservatives. He checks out the Intelligent Design museum, he listens to Fox News non-stop, and he learns, as some of us in the country could probably afford to, that political beliefs don't make the person. (apparently there are friendly, decent people who are conservatives. who knew?) It's a biased book, certainly, but it's less insulting than anything ever written by Al Franken, Michael Moore, Bill O'Reilly, and especially Ann Coulter.

[Clark Carlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book in my car and enjoyed it. It's definitely dated -- written before President Obama was in office -- and you know that the author isn't ever genuinely tempted away from his liberal mindset. It's very funny at times and starts off well but is more uneven after that. Moe likes to keep it light but the book might have had more weight if he had done a better job at presenting the viewpoints of conservatism's smarter people. He doesn't go too deeply into the question of how people become conservative or liberal and pretty much skips the whole psychology of political mindsets. It's okay listening for the drive to work.

[Ali O'Hara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost finished this book, but I got engrossed in other things. This book inspired me... inspired me to add a shelf entitled 'meh'. It was mildly amusing, easy enough to read but really pointless. I suppose one might realize by reading this that smart people on both 'sides' often have similar beliefs, but I think smart people already know this, and if you're not smart, you're not going to notice that small part of the book. In fact, if you're one to believe a lot of stereotypes, you might miss the point of this book's playing along with them. Or I think that was a minor point. Anyways, meh.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, this book wasn't great or earth-shaking, but the dude is from Seattle (and talked about places I've been to) and it was more engaging than the other books I had on hand. The description says most of it. The born-and-bred Seattle-ite was surprised to learn that - gasp! - even conservatives aren't monolithic of thought. No matter what Fox News says.

The one interesting bit for me was when he was talking to conservative intellectuals (Bill Kristol, Rich Lowry). I am a fairly avid political junkie, and I gotta say, I was pretty surprised by some of the things they said.

[Jarrah Gioconda · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone whos views lean liberal, this book interested me a lot about what drives "the other half". Its a great blend of professional interviews and personal anecdotes from all over the spectrum of both political leanings and Mr. Moe does an fantastic job of narrating his feelings but explaining his confusions and decisions in a way that lets the reader form their own opinion. For a book with such a decisive and divisive topic, it would be easy to lean one way or another but Mr. Moe does and outstanding job finding balance and middle ground without going all "Pollyannaish".

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good book. not great, but it is good. i like how the author really listens to the people he meets, and continues to take with him, an openness and willingness to empathize with all people. he is willing to stand his ground, or when certain times have come, change his mind on a couple things. this book is easily classified as 'current events,' but i believe it fits rather well into modern sociology.
i hate rodeos, so obviously that section got a snarl from me either way.

[Gina Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy crap--this book was hilarious. I saw it at a bookstore several years ago when I was in Seattle and just now got around to reading it. I'm pretty moderate, so I get so sick of people on the left and right being self-righteous about their views. I enjoyed all of the different methods he employed to 'try' to become conservative (even though I think he thought that he wasn't going to convert) and I appreciated his conclusion at the end. A quick, fun, easy read.