Customer Reviews

Crazies to the Left of Me, Wimps to the Right: How One Side Lost Its Mind and the Other Lost Its Nerve

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1 star:		(16)

 

 

Bernard Goldberg sold me this book as I was driving one day and heard him being interviewed. He was talking about what has happened to the Left in this country. There was a time when you could have a discussion with them about the current state of politics. No more.The reason? BDS.

This is actually a term that was coined by Dr. Charles Krauthammer, a Harvard trained psychiatrist and Pulitzer prize winning columnist. BDS is Bush Derangement Syndrome. As it was explained, I was laughing and nodding and it wasn't long before I turned into a local mall and went into their bookstore and bought the book.

Goldberg used to work for CBS. He used to be liked by his co-workers there at one time. If his book entitled, "Bias" in which he trots out some uncomfortable truths about CBS News didn't kill their relationship, this one will.

However, the Left isn't the only group that feels the lash of the Goldberg whip. Those wimpy moderates on the Right come in for their share of it as well.

It is all done in good taste and with a lot of interesting political insight as well as personal. Unless you are a gold plated Crazie or a certifiable Wimp, you will probably enjoy this book. It is humorous, educational and relevant, not the sort of virtues one finds much of in political discussions these days.

That alone makes it worth buying.

Just finished reading the book. I couldn't put it down. Goldberg dishes out the dirt to both sides-- but for different reasons. Weak, wimpy Republicans and liberals who have lost their minds. The Republicans have lost their drive and won't fight for the very principles that support their platform. They say they are for small government and they, as Goldberg puts it, "spend our money like Imelda Marcos in a shoe store."

The best was the part about Rosie. "Once upon a time she was the 'Queen of Nice.' These days she's the 'Queen of Stupid' ruling over a land of morons who hang on her every word and *actually* think she's profound"

Speaking of Imus, Goldberg writes, "There's no doubt about it. Tuning into Imus in the Morning is like watching a freak show hosted by a nasty Mother Teresa in a cowboy hat. He even looks a little like her."

This is a very rare book-- it's funny, smart, and gets right down to the point of the matter that politics in this country is dysfunctional no matter what side your on.

Contrary to the accounts of some others below, I learned an extraordinary lesson from this book. At one time, I considered the debates of political issues between the great parties to be something of dignity and intelligent discourse as fundamental matters were discussed and analyzed. I saw it as sort of a majestic dynamic validation of the concept of Democracy. It could even be dignified in the occasional angers debates engendered.

However, in recent years, I had gradually come to use the terms 'Liberal' and 'Democrat' interchangeably, just as I considered 'Conservative' and 'Republican' to refer to one and the same entity. In truth, I could be stunned at the nutty excesses of the extremes on both ends of the spectrum.

I believe now that there are real Democrats (unfortunately a minority) in the Democratic Party, and Liberals who vote the party because they're against everything the conservatives stand for. And there are actual Republicans in the Republican Party, and there are some extreme conservatives who vote Republican tickets for the same precise reason the Liberals vote Democrat tickets. Somehow, the parties got lost, or taken over, or they just surrendered. What's left is pretty ugly.

This, you see, was my dilemma. I had respected Democrats, but with the new conglomeration, it all got muddied over into a shapeless blob of pseudo-intellectual glop. But now, it is with considerable relief that I can meet a Democrat and respect him/her, but regard a 'Liberal' with the utter contempt previously reserved only for the denizens of the extreme right.

I guess I was aware that all of this was there. I just never actually took the time to see it until Bernie showed it to me. I owe him for that.

Six days ago, it was the 232nd anniversary of an important event. If Democracy is going to succeed in this land, we need another call. Ride, Paul. Paul? Paul? Where the hell are you? Was it one lantern or . . .

Goldberg is always entertaining. His books raise strong arguments which he has no trouble backing up with often thoughtful, detailed research. Many of the "average Americans" who consider themselves conservative yet are fed up with the excesses of the Bush administration will surely eat up what Goldberg has to say. Another winner. even if you don't agree with his conclusions its always rewarding to hear the other sides arguments presented intelligently.

After reading "Culture Warrior" by Bill O'Reilly, "Shut up and Sing" by Laura Ingraham and "Bamboozled" by Angela McGlowan, I thought I was finished with this genre. There couldn't possibly be any program, politician , person, or pig ... left to expose, skewer or roast over the proverbial coals.

I accidentally stumbled onto Mr. Goldberg's latest book while visiting a local bookstore. They allow customers to peruse books in comfortable chairs without constraints (I can not fathom how they make a profit this way ... but, I digress).

For the first time I (guiltily) sat in one of these chairs with this provocative book, thinking I would quickly peruse and discard it. Not only did I stay longer than anticipated ; I ended up buying my copy, taking it home, and reading it overnight ... to the chagrin of my wife, children, and Labrador Retriever.

I loved this book! Also intriguing was Mr. Goldberg's concept of offering evidence what a person has done, and then succinctly summarizing what many have felt but were afraid to express --- due to political correctness. He navigates this barrier with aplomb, attitude, and ferocity...regardless of the political spectrum.

If you are bored with one celebrity's or politician's faux pas, turn the next page and you will be introduced to a new subject of interest. This eclectic list makes his latest effort a quick, compelling, and enjoyable read. It is done with a sense of humor and marvelously written by one who has worked with and interviewed many of the individuals in the book.

I plan to keep it as a reference source for future protection when I hear these people quoting political views ... and giving their "feelings" about events (a euphemism for someone who hasn't a clue about the facts) that affect the survival of our culture, people ... and Labrador Retrievers.
Reggie Johnson, Success-Tapes.Com

Goldberg's no-nonsense and often humorous writing makes for a provocative, yet entertaining and educational read.

If you're wondering why neither side can seem to get this country into shape, Goldberg will explain it to you from the point of view of a liberal turned conservative who isn't afraid to tell it like it is.

But that doesn't mean he sides with the Republican party. In this book he bashes the right who he determines to have forgotten what conservative values are all about.

The left, on the other hand, Goldberg says, has lost millions-- including himself. Why is that? Lunatics like Rosie, Don Imus, and others suffering "Bush derangement syndrome".

Overall, you will have more than a few good laughs and end up seeing politics in another light.

But for the rest of us fairly sane people...

Goldberg calls all of us (mainly the Dems) out on the carpet in this one. Sure, the truth hurts, but someone has to say it and he does a fine job. If you have your feelings hurt easily you may want to turn away. He makes me feel alright with my conservativism and makes me feel OK to admit it in public.

Although I also liked his previous books, this one I think hits the mark. He give good common sense thoughts without playing politics. I find the book easy and enjoyable reading, not too heavy and not too punishing to the offenders. It's a book for both sides or for people who want to see both sides.

Bernie's book is an important summary of the political spectrum today. Like Bernie I find much to be annoyed about both left and right. Its refreshing to know that there a more people out there who are fed up with the forces that seem to be driving our political process today. Maybe one of these days we'll have a party?

Hurrah for Bernard Goldberg! I was cheering him with every page I read.
Few contemporary authors have Goldberg's media insider credentials and he uses them superbly, again, to unmask the inner world of the mainstream press.(Or as Rush Limbaugh so accurately calls them, the "Drive By Media") Add to that his no nonsense straight from the shoulder political analysis and the reader gets a completely comprehensible and uncomplicated look at today's incomprehensible and complicated worlds of the press, politics, and pop culture.
Goldberg could well have named this book the "Death of Common sense" but that title was already taken. This book is both comforting,and infuriating in that Goldberg confirms and reinforces my own view that that today's politicians,celebrities and news reporters seem to live in their own Alice-In-Wonderland fantasy worlds.It would be nice, but surely too much to think that those groups that Goldberg writes about, might have the courage to take a good hard look at themselves and do some serious soul searching about what they've turned into.
Three Cheers for Goldberg and this excellent book.