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Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics | 
| Author: Glenn Greenwald
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $12.29
You Save: $12.66 (51%)
New (36) Used (11) from $6.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 9310
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1
ISBN: 0307408027
Dewey Decimal Number: 324.2734
EAN: 9780307408020
ASIN: 0307408027
Publication Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A takedown of the GOP’s deceitful propaganda machine from the hugely popular blogger of Salon.com’s Unclaimed Territory and the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Would a Patriot Act? and A Tragic Legacy
Long since Americans were wooed by images of Ronald Reagan astride a horse, complete with cowboy hat and rugged good looks, the Republican Party has used a John Wayne mythology to build up its candidates and win elections. Their marketing scheme of evoking brave, courageous, heroic warriors has been so persuasive and strikes such a patriotic nerve, that many citizens have voted based on this manipulative imagery even when they’ve flat out disagreed with the GOP’s positions on key issues.
Glenn Greenwald puts this bogus GOP mythology under microscopic critique and successfully argues that none of these men is, in fact, a brave, strong moral warrior—far from it. Rather, most have dodged military duty, have strings of broken marriages and affairs, and live decadent, elitist lives, which they so ruthlessly condemn Democrats for doing. Such false archetypes—that GOP leaders are exclusively fit to command the military, represent traditional family values, and are fiscally restrained and responsible because they’re just regular folk like us—are so firmly entrenched in our culture as to allow the GOP to sit back and let their time-tested marketing ploy spin itself silly while avoiding debate on real issues. When they actually do voice opinions, it’s nothing more than a smear campaign of the supposed weakness and elitism of the Democrats.
To prevent this tired marketing scheme from succeeding again, Greenwald takes off the gloves and knocks down the hoaxes and myths, exposing the tactics the right-wing machine uses to drown out both reality and consideration of real issues. But he also calls on Democrats to shake off the defensive posture (“We love America too,” “We support the troops too,” “We also believe in God”) and start attacking the Republican candidates for the hypocrites they, in truth, are.
The first book to dissect the Republican Cult of Personality and leave it openly exposed in its unabashed, shameful depravity, Great American Hypocrites is a deeply necessary call-out to Democrats to attack the GOP with their competitor’s very own weapons.
Ever since the cowboy image of Ronald Reagan was sold to Americans, the Republican Party has used the same John Wayne imagery to support its candidates and take elections. We all know how they govern, but
the right-wing propaganda machine is very adept at hijacking debate
and marketing their candidates as effectively as the Marlboro Man.
For example:
Myth: The Republican nominee is an upstanding, regular guy who shares the values of the common man.
Reality: He divorced his first wife in order to marry a young multimillionaire heiress whose family then funded his political career.
Myth: Republicans are brave and courageous.
Reality: It’s a party filled with chicken hawks and draft dodgers.
Myth: Republicans are strong on defense and will keep us safe.
Reality: They prey on fears, and their endless wars make America far less secure.
Myth: The Republicans are the party of fiscal restraint and small, limited
government.
Reality: Soaring deficits, unchecked presidential power, and an increasingly invasive surveillance state are par for their course.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
No Wonder the MSM is SO Superficial! June 13, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I counted 62 hypocrites described in this book and each is well-singed by Greenwald. However, for me, the most important part of the book addressed the right-wing dirt peddlers. Does everyone know that Matt Drudge, a disciple of Rush Limbaugh, influences much of TV and print-media "news"? Editors of the recently-formed internet newspaper, The Politico, are quoted: "Matt Drudge rules our world....With the exception of the Associated Press, there is no outlet other than the Drudge Report whose dispatches instantly can command the attention and energies of the most established newspapers and television newscasts." Wow! Greenwald describes Drudge as "the lie-spewing, dirt-wallowing, right-wing Internet gossip."
Does everyone know and find it acceptable that The Politico, which is given great credibility on TV news, is almost completely underwritten by a right-wing Washington fixture, Joseph Albritton? Now we know why so much Anna Nicole Smith, LIndsay Lohan, etc. get so much coverage, and why substantive issues get so little coverage. Can we expect better? Not as long as the MSM is controlled by Neanderthals.
 THE Book for the Post Nixon/Reagan/Bush Era June 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Glenn Greenwald is the writer for our time. I think historians will use Glenn's writings as a milestone beginning the end of the corporate propaganda era. Glenn has few sacred cows except the truth, which we all know has a liberal bias. This book is another in his impressive catalog exposing the Hypocrites in the corporate media and corporate bought government. Conservative apologists and the gasbags in the media will hate it as it is filled with bonafide facts.
A dose of their own medicine May 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Greenwald writes an online column for Salon, which if you haven't read, you must. He consistently provides razor sharp insight simply not available in traditional media, such as astute criticism of said media. This book is an unflinching dressing-down of the ridiculous myths that exist out there about "conservatives," from John Wayne to John McCain. No need to list them here--if you're even looking at picking up this book, you already know what they are, and are outraged by them. My only criticism of Greenwald is that he can from time to time be repetitive in his observations and points, taking, for example, 15 pages to say what could be said in 12. That's all that keeps me from giving this 5 stars. But don't let that stop you. Buy this book. And start reading him on Salon.
 Pretty good, but not very deep May 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The book had one point throughout, which could have been made in one chapter. But that one point is pretty good.
Journeyman effort by Greenwald May 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'll preface this by saying Glenns blog is a daily stop for me. And that may be the problem. The book is well written, the information is well presented and documented and useful. But if you spend as much time as I do on the internet, there were few surprises. If you don't waste a large portion of your spare time reading about the nasty goopers like I do, this book will bring you up to speed in a most entertaining way. But while I enjoyed it because Greenwald is such a good writer, it covered little new ground for me.
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