Has anybody out there read or care to comment on Al Franken's book Lies and the lying liars who tell them. While it claims to offer a balanced view of the right, it's of course somewhat lopsided. But he makes his points well and the book is downright funny in (many) places.
I've read it and enjoyed it. Nothing can truly be "fair and balanced" as we all have our biases, but Franken certainly makes some strong arguments regarding the right-leaning media. I especially enjoyed Supply Side Jesus.
Posted by: david at August 20, 2004 11:44 AM
My favorite part was the letter he wrote soliciting abstinance success stories. He sure is adept at spotting hypocracy.
Posted by: rkc at August 20, 2004 4:17 PM
Anybody have a copy floating around?
Posted by: James at August 21, 2004 4:06 PM
I just read it last week. Supply-Side Jesus was good, as was his trip to that unaccredited religious school in South Carolina. It's funny to read that book and then go to work and read all the comments on the messageboard with people quoting Rush Limbaugh. [shudder]
Posted by: Chris Hill Festival at August 21, 2004 5:48 PM
James I'll bring in my copy -- I agree Chris, the Bob Jones thing was amazing. Too bad they were so nice to him; he could have been meaner in his book otherwise.
Posted by: rkc at August 21, 2004 11:28 PM
I read it, and while I agree with Al Franken on a lot of stuff, I thought that he was too preachy, and I don't like being preached at. I also found it hard to believe him, since sometimes it seemed like he wasn't doing any better job than the people he was attacking.
I also didn't like the Bob Jones part. It wasn't necessary.
Posted by: Nathan at August 23, 2004 3:08 PM
Nathan, could you elaborate on "it seemed like he wasn't doing any better job than the people he was attacking?" James, the book is out now in paperback so its pretty cheap these days. Or your local library will probably have a copy.
Posted by: david at August 23, 2004 3:35 PM
Nathan, you talk about Franken being just as bad as his targets and the Bob Jones part not being necessary, but the book has a different intent than Limbaugh, et al. It is supposed to be humorous, so while he could make his point better by simply refuting what they say, it would be quite dull. Likewise the Bob Jones chapter broke up the repetition of chapter after chapter about the republican talking heads.
Posted by: Chris Hill Festival at August 23, 2004 7:20 PM
Did you notice that he briefly mentions Wash U. as one of the schools his son applied to in the Bob Jones chapter?
I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
BTW, I would recommend 'All the President's Spin' by Bryan Keefer for anyone interested in learning about how the administration's PR machine works.
Posted by: mjuster at August 29, 2004 10:58 PM
I did notice the casual WashU reference. However, a quick search of the wustl directory and faces reveals no Frankens at WashU.
Posted by: david at August 30, 2004 2:55 PM