Makers and Takers: Why conservatives work harder, feel happier, have closer families, take fewer drugs, give more generously, value honesty more, are less materialistic and (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: world values survey, liber als, conserva tives, New York Times, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Schweizer (Do as I Say [Not as I Do]) expands his critique of modern American liberals to contend that liberalism not only leads to social decay, but can also lead to personal decay. Drawing upon polls and psychological studies, the author argues that conservatives work harder, feel happier, have closer families, take fewer drugs, give more generously, value honesty more, are less materialistic and envious, whine less... and even hug their children more than liberals. Schweizer is noticeably silent on current affairs; instead, he focuses on the culture wars of the 1990s, demonstrating how Clinton lied... and did so in a fine fashion, that Al Gore has also told lies and that the Clinton administration was notable for its tolerant attitude toward drugs. Schweizer refrains from making substantive commentary on the upcoming election; he spends more time attacking Garrison Keillor, for whom he reserves a special distaste. The readable prose and vigorous defense of Republican voters ensure that this book—despite its dated material and lack of analysis of the current campaign—will rally and rouse conservatives. (June 3)
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Product Description

In Makers and Takers you will discover why:

* Seventy-one percent of conservatives say you have an obligation to care for a seriously injured spouse or parent versus less than half (46 percent) of liberals.

* Conservatives have a better work ethic and are much less likely to call in sick than their liberal counterparts.

* Liberals are 2½ times more likely to be resentful of others’ success and 50 percent more likely to be jealous of other people’s good luck.

* Liberals are 2 times more likely to say it is okay to cheat the government out of welfare money you don’t deserve.

* Conservatives are more likely than liberals to hug their children and “significantly more likely” to display positive nurturing emotions.

* Liberals are less trusting of family members and much less likely to stay in touch with their parents.

* Do you get satisfaction from putting someone else’s happiness ahead of your own? Fifty-five percent of conservatives said yes versus only 20 percent of liberals.

* Rush Limbaugh, Ronald Reagan, Bill O’Reilly and Dick Cheney have given large sums of money to people in need, while Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Michael Moore, and Al Gore have not.

* Those who are “very liberal” are 3 times more likely than conservatives to throw things when they get angry.

The American left prides itself on being superior to conservatives: more generous, less materialistic, more tolerant, more intellectual, and more selfless. For years scholars have constructed—and the media has pushed—elaborate theories designed to demonstrate that conservatives suffer from a host of personality defects and character flaws. According to these supposedly unbiased studies, conservatives are mean-spirited, greedy, selfish malcontents with authoritarian tendencies. Far from the belief of a few cranks, prominent liberals from John Kenneth Galbraith to Hillary Clinton have succumbed to these prejudices. But what do the facts show?

Peter Schweizer has dug deep—through tax documents, scholarly data, primary opinion research surveys, and private records—and has discovered that these claims are a myth. Indeed, he shows that many of these claims actually apply more to liberals than conservatives. Much as he did in his bestseller Do as I Say (Not as I Do), he brings to light never-before-revealed facts that will upset conventional wisdom.

Conservatives such as Ronald Reagan and Robert Bork have long argued that liberal policies promote social decay. Schweizer, using the latest data and research, exposes how, in general:

* Liberals are more self-centered than conservatives.
* Conservatives are more generous and charitable than liberals.
* Liberals are more envious and less hardworking than conservatives.
* Conservatives value truth more than liberals, and are less prone to cheating and lying.
* Liberals are more angry than conservatives.
* Conservatives are actually more knowledgeable than liberals.
* Liberals are more dissatisfied and unhappy than conservatives.

Schweizer argues that the failure lies in modern liberal ideas, which foster a self-centered, “if it feels good do it” attitude that leads liberals to outsource their responsibilities to the government and focus instead on themselves and their own desires.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; Stated First Edition edition (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038551350X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385513500
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #375,214 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect summer read!, June 4, 2008

By	Ally - See all my reviews

Peter Schweizer is the master at busting open locked doors. In Makers and Takers he clears up common misconceptions about conservatives that the left feeds America through the mainstream media. Not only is the content interesting, but Schweizer writes in an entertaining way. This book is the one you MUST read; but a warning: once you begin you'll be so addicted you don't want to stop!

32 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars though-provoking with explanations about the left and right in america, June 11, 2008

By	j. mehoft (middleofnowhere, nc) - See all my reviews

finally a book that explains the basis for liberal and conservative philosophies and does so in a way that shows how the left in america are a paradox of themselves...this book showcases why the left in america think the way they do, act the way they do, and go about their daily lives in a manner that is more hypocritical than anything...full of quotes, stats, and stories that explain why the left in america, from its politicians to the media to special interest groups, dont even stand for what they say they believe in and they go ahead and say it anyway...a must read for anyone who wants to understand the political ideologies of people go much farther than how they feel about certain political issues...their political ideologies are a reflection about the very foundaitons about how they view life in general...entertaining and useful because although the content does not praise the right, it does use evidence that supports the right and allows the reader to make his/her own decisions based on the reading

34 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Munchausen Syndrome Politics, June 25, 2008

By	Robert R. Fisher (Tallahassee, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Peter Schweizer has elevated the national debate again. Rising above the he-said/she said din of cable news debates, Peter has produced a well-researched and fascinating analysis of the psychology that is inherent in liberalism. By reviewing scores of peer-reviewed, large-scale public surveys; Peter exposes many misperceptions that are regularly promoted in the media.

The public has generally accepted many of the precepts of the liberal message: Conservatives are mean, self-centered, cheating, uncharitable, and unhappy - the facts just don't bear this out.

In a sense all of these false beliefs and constructs define factitious disorder syndrome. Better known as Munchausen syndrome, these disorders are characterized by exactly the same self-delusional and malingering traits exposed in Makers and Takers.

If Munchausen by proxy means inflicting the disorder on others, then surely the United States is the left's proxy. Those who are naturally inclined to resist personal responsibility and accountability find a happy and willing enabler in liberalism. Since the primary motive of Munchausen is to obtain sympathy, nurturance and attention; the drumbeat message of liberalism over the last 40 years is surely a sirens song and a likely motivation to perpetrate this fraudulent view of conservatives.

The question I have is this: If one man, researching publicly available data on his own can produce this work, how could the thousands of so-called political science professors and researchers have missed it all this time?