78 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book, full of things all Republicans should heed, September 25, 2000
This review is from: The Art of Political War and Other Radical Pursuits (Hardcover)
Horowitz has captured in this book what many thoughtful Republicans and observers around the country have attempted to convey for years: Republicans do not communicate their message in a manner that endears them to large blocs of the voting populace, and they do not make their opponents the enemy of those same voting blocs - a practice leftists have perfected over the years. That practice is called The Art of Political War.
Horowitz is a concise and relentless thinker, creating hard realities in this book that even the most self-acquitting Republican politico would be hard-pressed to ignore. He makes succinct that Republicans have failed to position themselves on the side of women, minorities and the poor, and as a result have been easily painted as intolerant, mean-spirited and hateful. Electoral results from 1996 and 1998 bear him out on this, and it is clear from this year's Bush effort that some in the GOP are taking heed of his counsel - with the Bush emphasis on the state of education a primary example. Horowitz argues forcefully and thoughtfully that the failure of the US education system can be laid squarely at the feet of the Democratic Party, who have controlled the school boards and city councils of every major city for the last 60 years. He contends that because Democrats are so beholden to the teachers' unions, they will rip away the bottom rungs from poor and minority children in exchange for hordes of campaign cash from the fastest-growing and most undeserving union in the country: the white-collar government worker. He could not be more correct, and the teachers' unions could not be more shameful.
I saw on an ad recently where Horowitz' book has been endorsed by Karl Rove, chief strategist to the Bush campaign, as "the perfect guide to winning on the political battlefield by an experienced warrior." Every Republican interested in changing the culture of the party and winning elections should take note, buy this book and read it cover to cover.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
48 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horowitz Tells The Truth That Liberals Hate, September 21, 2000
This review is from: The Art of Political War and Other Radical Pursuits (Hardcover)
Horowitz as a former Communist and radical liberal knows how they think, feel and act. He knows all their dirty tricks and how they pull them off. These insights are further developed in his books "The Politics of Bad Faith - The Radical Assault on America's Future" and also in "Hating Whitey and other Progressive Causes".
He clearly reveals the underlying principles of Liberals, which apparently many of them do not even recognize. They have a missionary zeal to remake humanity in their image, and remake the country according to their viision - which is drastically different from the founding principles of the United States. The use of smear campaigns and character assisination apparently is acceptable because Conservatives, in their minds, are truly "bad people", and it is "right" to do anything that advances their cause.
Like any other utopian scheme, their "Liberalism" is bound to end in disaster, as has Communism and all other forms of totalitarianism and is well on the way in the United States now.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who honestly seeks to understand what is going on politically, and why things have been going as they have.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Controversial Snack for the Conservative Glutton, February 11, 2002
This review is from: The Art of Political War and Other Radical Pursuits (Hardcover)
Anyone interested in conservative politics has probably heard of David Horowitz, inexhaustible political author, columnist extraordinaire, ... among other things. A couple of his more notorious books are "Hating Whitey" and "Radical Son".
Horowitz writes in a consistently aggressive style and he always stays true to his Conservative Libertarian ideals. One particularly interesting book of his is "The Art of Political War And Other Radical Pursuits". This title was released in the year 2000, prior to the infamous Presidential election fiasco.
This book is split into two main sections, as its title is divided. And also, as the title suggests, the first part of the book seems to be patterned after the classic, "Sun Tzu, The Art of War".
In the first section of the book, Horowitz clearly defines the players, the rules, and the tactics of this "political war". The liberals are predictably playing outside of the traditional rules, while the conservatives stand aside and complain about the fouls. There are no shortages of specific examples to illustrate these truths, and Horowitz is not afraid to draw conclusions.
He calls for fighting fire with fire. I'm just not so sure that the politics of personal destruction works all that well. I'd rather see the conservatives stick to their principles and avoid playing the game altogether. Either way, the first section of the book stands tall as a beacon of conservative understanding in modern politics.
The second half of the book is even more interesting as Horowitz covers a variety of controversial topics. One of his most popular topics is "Hating Whitey", his book and the title of a thought-provoking chapter in this book. He clearly holds true to his overall outspoken position against racism of any form. Considering that he is a former Black Panther, I find him to be credible when he speaks about white racism. Yet, even considering his hardcore civil rights career, which continues to this day, he is labeled a "racist" by demagogues from the left at every prospect. And he continues on, fighting the oppression from these very leftists with which he used to associate.
His strongest point in this chapter lies in the negative results of the 'help' of the mainstream Black civil rights leaders. Horowitz concludes, "The continued suffering of disadvantaged black communities and the continued under-par performance of black school children is a price the well-heeled civil rights establishment is apparently willing to pay for guilt tributes from all-too-accommodating white 'oppressors'." Jesse Jackson is truly an extortionist, and Horowitz lets him have it.
One particularly poignant chapter is entitled, "Guns Don't Kill Blacks, Other Black People Do". Horowitz fills the chapter with scary statistics that point toward a dire situation in the US where people need to promote and accept personal responsibility for social ills, rather than laying the blame on other people and inanimate objects. He makes sense.
Another standout chapter, "The Intellectual Class War", covers the peculiar fact that many of the most outspoken anti-capitalists are the most successful capitalists in the country. The very people who benefit the most from our liberties are those who tirelessly try to destroy it. Again, Horowitz bombards his reader with hard evidence that is undeniable.
Perhaps the most satisfying part of the book is his detailed analysis of three prominent Leftist elitists who concocted their own biographical information to suit their agenda. Let me just say that the conclusion is priceless.
David Horowitz speaks to the average citizen when he writes. He is a former hardcore Leftist, and shouts with authority and believability on these matters. He also takes the opportunity to attempt to set his record straight, being that his is a regular target in the politics of personal destruction.
This is a book that should be on every conservative's shelf. It is straightforward and honest, as well as enlightening. Sometimes a shock to the system is needed to make forward progress. This could be it. I highly recommend this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
