Customer Reviews

If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat: Crushing the Democrats in Every Election and Why Your Life Depends on It

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Before it was even officially released, it was already one of Amazon's best sellers. If you have listened to Hugh's daily radio show or a fan of his web blog hughhewitt.com, or if you read his columns, you already know that Hugh is a relentless defender of freedom and liberty. This book is a blunt assessment of the collapse of the Democratic Party on matters of national security, a vigorous defense of the Bush Administration's record in the war on terror and the president's leadership generally, and a candid statement on the stakes of November's vote. If you are a conservative and want to be uplifted or if you are a liberal and want to be enlightened, you need to get this book.

Like many of his conservative brethren, Mr. Hewitt will undoubtedly be the recipient of several poor "reviews" that are based far less on the book-the person in question is unlikely to have read it-than the author's disagreement with Mr. Hewitt's political beliefs. Thankfully, even those of us from Mayberry can easily discern such "reviews," as one need only look for a decided lack of information about the book or an notable failure to address the parts the "reviewer" disagreed with, much less a petty personal attack.

As to the book itself, it is as timely and relevant as one could hope. There is no more pressing issue facing our country than national defense, and Mr. Hewitt makes a convincing case that the Democratic Party lacks the credentials and possibly the will to carry the war on terror forward. He supports his criticisms of the Clinton Administration not with petty hyperbole, but with a careful analysis of the rapid terror escalation that went largely without response. Afterwards, Mr. Hewitt provides an in-depth analysis of the words and actions of powerful Democratic leaders to show the Democratic plan for the war on terror consists of little more than a recurring attack on President Bush, a plan--using the most loose sense of the word--that lacks any substance to address the increasing danger our nation faces.

The most valuable sections of the book are those that explore the impact of the blogosphere and the role each person can play in the political process. As the traditional media of network news and print continues to lose influence to the Internet, a new means of distributing news and opinion has taken hold in the form of blogs. As a professional who does the majority of my work on the Internet, I was well aware of the power blogs can yield, but I found Mr. Hewitt's primer both illuminating and powerful. I also enjoyed the section where he powerfully illustrated the role each person--regardless of their income, location, or position--can play in the political process. Had I been aware of how little it takes to influence the democratic process, I would have begun to do so long ago.

In summary, Mr. Hewitt's book is a clarion call to action for those who value freedom, understand the depth of the threat to our liberties, and seek direction in working towards denying power to a party who addresses the war on terror in trite platitudes and--in its extreme and most disturbing excesses--attacks our nation's leadership with wild conspiracy theories unaccompanied by supporting evidence.

As a former Democrat roused to my current views by the events of September 11, 2001, I believe there is no more important advice one can take than to use the methods and facts contained in this book to deny power to the Democratic Party until they have demonstrated in word and in deed that their commitment to national security is as serious as their desire to win the 2004 election. Until the Democratic Party can formulate a reasonable plan for engaging our enemy with more substance than their usual chants of "Bush lied!--and this Republican wishes they would--Mr. Hewitt's treatise and the information it contains will remain one of the essential handbooks used by those determined to secure America's future.

This book is one of the best guides I know to why the Democratic Party, as presently constituted, can NOT be trusted anywhere NEAR the levers of power. While it also includes a history of Democratic Party corruption going back to the founding of Tammany Hall, at almost the beginning of the Republic, this indispensible volume ALSO shows how the Dems have moved steadily Leftward since the late 1960's.

This book will no doubt be given a number of terrible reviews by Democrats, and other Leftists, but these may be safely ignored as the partisan "sour grapes" they are.

From an idealist (and an effective debater on the issues), some great practical advice for winning elections, especially for conservative Republicans. Also finally calls out the Democrats for their rampant electoral cheating throughout the ages. All you heard about from the media after the 2000 election was Florida, Florida, Florida, where Republicans allegedly kept black voters from the poills. What they didn't tell you was that an extensive study conducted by the Democratic-controlled FEC failed to locate a single qualified black voter who was unable to vote on that fateful day. There was an inherent racism in their claims; for example, the perfectly legal banning of convicted felons from voting was called a racist policy because it "unfairly" affected blacks more than whites.

If you're truly concerned about fraud during the 2000 election, look at the underhanded and possibly illegal actions of the Democratic party in winning razor-thin margins in Missouri and Nebraska. For instance, the Dems got a court order (later overturned, but too late to matter) from a pet Democratic judge to keep polling places open in parts of Missouri past the time they closed everywhere else. These polling places were in heavily Democratic areas (naturally). (Gore tried to pull a similar stunt in Florida, by calling for a recount only in Democrat-dominated precincts.) Even today, in Nevada and other battleground states, election officials are catching Democrats "registering" thousands of dead bodies as "voters." But do you hear about these and other dirty Dem tactics from the mainstream media? Surely you jest?

In his worthy book, Hewitt calls out liberals such as the reviewer below from America's heartland -- New York City -- for deliberately leaving out the whole story when they cite misleading statistics. The totally arbitrary cut-off for point for this liberal's claim is the past 20 years. Maybe the reason he or she chose 20 years, as opposed to 50 years or 100 years, is that Democratic presidents are responsible for America's entry into the vast majority of the major wars of the 20th century: WWI (Wilson -- 53,513 American deaths), WWII (FDR -- 292,131 deaths), Korean War (Truman -- 33,651), Vietnam War (Kennedy, Johnson -- 47,369).

The only major wars started by Republican presidents in the past 100 years are the two Iraqi wars of 1991 and 2003. Total deaths from both wars (thus far)? About 1,000. Even if you add in deaths from 9/11 (and there is a very good argument to be made that 9/11 resulted from the missteps and inactions of the person who occupied the White House for eight long years immediately prior to that fateful date -- Bill Clinton -- rather than Bush, the guy who had been in office a mere eight months by that point), that's still far, far fewer than the number of American lives lost in any single war Democratic presidents have involved us in.

Unlike the deliberately deceptive reviewer below, I'm not trying to point a finger of blame at Democratic or Republican presidents for the wars we have been involved in. Unlike many liberals, I don't think our presidents push America into war cynically or unnecessarily. In each case they honestly believed that war was a necessary evil in order to enhance our security.

A just war is like a dangerous surgical procedure that removes a potentially fatal tumor. If the patient refuses surgery in order to avoid short-term risk and pain, the long-term prognosis is much worse. Sadly, many in contemporary society are so short-sighted that they have no concept of momentary sacrifice for greater gain. Fortunately, not everybody has such a limited horizon. Read this book. It will expand yours -- and provide good fodder for arguing with your liberal friends.

A few years ago early on a Tuesday morning, I'm driving to work listening to the radio. When the host of the show returned from break w/out the usual "bumper music" I knew something was up. My bubble of a world was popped. My first "JFK/what were you doing when you heard...." experience had just occurred, and since then, unlike so many Americans, I have not forgotten. Hugh Hewitt was the radio voice who broke the news of 911 to me.
I listen to a lot of talk radio but eventually, I get tired of hearing the usual group of conservative hosts out there, even though I agree with them on most everything.
Michael Medved is a horrible movie critic. Michael Savage is nothing more than a crazy man. Imus needs his ass kicked. Pragers not as smart as some people think. Rush is right, but he's an ass. But Hugh Hewitt is a man so decent, funny and so intelligent, on talk radio he stands alone.

IF IT'S NOT CLOSE THEY CAN'T CHEAT... has all the talking points and gives them in the most concise way. This book nails it. In it, Hugh includes the texts of Dubya's great speeches and he highlights the most powerful parts. And by the way, anyone who thinks President Bush is just reading what speech writers have written for him, you're wrong. Read Karen Hugh's "Ten Minutes From Normal", or David Frum's "The Right Man", or even liberal journalist Bob Woodward's "Bush at War" and you'll see he's really the one in charge. Stick with "it's all about the oil!!!" Idiots.
Also, there's a history of voting corruption that's fascinating, and as someone who appreciates great quotes from great men, the book has many.

I am a proud UNION iron worker. Because of our training and hard fought wage I make a decent living, enough to support a wife and 4 kids. However, I'll go dig ditches or ride my bike and hang out in front the Home Depot before I'll vote for a worm like John Kerry and his little girlfriend, Edwards.
Get the book, read it, take notes and then give it away. HURRY. Our lives really may depend on it.

No secret agenda here, as you can tell from the title. Republicans should buy this book. As one who did, I hope Democrats will not, because many of its pragmatic political lessons could be applied by either side.

Hewitt deals with issues here not so much from advocacy as in their pragmatic political context. So for example, he's is a pro-life Christian who realizes that national security issues dwarf abortion concerns right now. For a broadcast professional he's enthusiastic about emerging outlets, giving examples of how news stories bubble up from micromedia, like the blogosphere. He understands which campaign contributions matter, and which waste your money. There's a particularly thoughtful chapter on supporting community businesses which support your politics, and even some expert advice on how to be an effective talk radio caller. He speaks respectfully of his personal friends on the opposite side of the aisle, but as the subtitle warns, is resolutely determined to beat them decisively at the polls.

For the busy reader who doesn't have time to plow through one of Ann Coulter's deeply annotated bricks, the good news is that the chapters are short, and the strongest ideas are the simplest. For example, Appendix I lists ten key talking points for 2004. Number one: Our enemies hate and fear George W. Bush because they believe, correctly, that George W. Bush is trying to kill them.

Hewitt's book is an excellent Republican political action primer for a post-9/11 world.

Hugh Hewitt's blog (www.hughhewitt.com) is one of my daily stops. With Hugh, you are guaranteed to receive a fresh perspective on the cutting-edge news of the day. His interests and reading are wide-ranging, but his focus on the important topics of the day is clear, focused like a laser. In If It's Not Close," the key is winning. Not "by any means possible" winning, but "controlling the major issue" winning. In this election, the major issue is national security.
The importance of winning grew out of the Californian experience of the recall election. Many people forget how tenuous the recall election was. First, it was on, then off, then on. If it would have been close, it would have been challenged immediately. Thank God, it wasn't, because Arnold has single-handedly rescued us from the brink of disaster.
Sure, the liberal media didn't help Arnold win, but neither did Tom McClintock, one of the Republican "purists." In this book, Hugh makes a great case for the Republican "purists" and "extremists" to give up their pet causes and agendas just long enough to cast a vote for George Bush. Only an overwhelming win, 5% or more, will give the Republican Party the mandate to accomplish its cultural goals.
As a gift, this book is better for Republicans who've lost their way than it is for "girlie man" Democrats. Like John Podhoretz' Bush Country, this book is an apologetic for George W. Bush.

Lucid, well written, compact, persuasive. Nukes all liberal propaganda cliches. Though one has to admit that it is like killing sparrows with a shot gun. Anyway, it takes all the lies against George W. Bush and show them as such. Very useful book, particularly in an election year(and no, George W. did not steal the 2000 elections, this is the USA not Congo, as Hewitt would explain to Michael Mooore.

The appendices are worth the price of the book themselves.

His humour abounds and for as serious a thesis, this is a pleasurable read.

My favorite section was VII: Tone and Focus. The recent Reagan funeral and remembrance showed its importance and lasting significance.

First of all Hugh Hewitt is a genuinely talented talk show host. He's witty. He can poke fun at himself. He asks good questions. With that said, I have some concerns with this book. Let me explain.

Hewitt recommends practical advice for winning elections in our determined epoch of cruel politics. Many of his suggestions are spot on and should be headed. However, the point I depart from Hewitt is on his seeming emphasis on elections not as a means, but as an end in themselves. That is, he appears to desire to have conservatives in office merely to have conservatives in office.

Let me get more specific. Hewitt suggests that if Republicans want to win elections they must avoid controversial subjects like the environment, guns, and abortion. (By the way, when was the last time you heard Hewitt mention any of these topics?) While this might make for savvy guidance for winning elections I believe it turns a blind eye to the opportunity to reform culture by being a cogent and persuasive voice in the public square on central issues.

Yes, I'm aware of the answer. After the elections are won there will be time to promote specific topics. However, I don't often hear conservatives espousing conservative ideals either inside or outside of election races. Maybe old habits die hard? Maybe they're already looking towards the next election? Why bring up something as controversial and devisive as abortion?

If the true goal is a culture that reflects sound and moral values, but conservatives are mostly concerned with `retaining office' rather than fighting for just laws I believe the cultural slide with be alarmingly abrupt. There is a tremendous didactic opportunity, which comes from being in office. It's called the bully pulpit - and it requires resolve and courage to use it wisely and rightly.

I think of one of the great Reagan anecdotes where the president was warned of the `political ramifications' of a decision he was about to make. He responded by asking the advisor to only talk to him about what is right to do and not what is `politically expedient'. Maybe that's a crude example of what I consider to be the ideal, but I suggest Hewitt has lost sight of this.