Mike's Election Guide [AUDIOBOOK] (Audio CD)

~ (Author, Reader)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Undoubtedly, Moore is at his best challenging the status quo or exposing the hypocrisy of the political system, which he certainly utilizes in this short guide for the 2008 election. However, we also get the worst of Moore in his own self-aggrandizing proclamations. While certainly filled with relevant material every American should be considering in the upcoming election, it also repeats too much from his earlier documentary and text-based works. Moore proves particularly animated as a narrator, more so than in many of his films. His jovial and excited tone can certainly keep listeners attention throughout this brief production. Moore's distinct personality enhances his material, offering a reading filled with all the sarcasm, excitement and purposeful naïveté that he loads into some of his questions and propositions. A Grand Central paperback (reviewed online). (Sept.)
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Review

Read by Moore with his trademark sardonic sense of humor, the book is less a guide to the election than it is a manual that analyzes the list of mistakes the right wing has made in the last eight years. Moore is always good at looking at both sides of the story with raw honesty, and this book is no different. He gives listeners plenty of reasons to vote for Obama, but more prominently, a plethora of reasons not to vote for another four (or eight) years of a Republican administration. Ultimately, Moore offers an entertaining reading that will keep listeners engaged. (Audiofile )

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Hachette Audio (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600245269
• ISBN-13: 978-1600245268
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #439,683 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very funny, even if you don't love Moore, August 28, 2008

By	J. Davis (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mike's Election Guide 2008 (Paperback)

This book is extremely funny. Moore takes silly questions and answers them in a Colbertesque absurd way. You don't have to be a leftist--I'm not-- to enjoy reading Mike's Election Guide. It is flat-out funny. Even a FOX News anchor can enjoy this book. Incidentally, it's a quick read--I finished it at the bookstore in a half hour. Well worth the low price.

46 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A friend gave it to me. THANK YOU!, August 27, 2008

By	Nerissa Oden "thevideoqueen" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mike's Election Guide 2008 (Paperback)

I've been a big fan since TV Nation - but I didn't think Mike's newest book would be for me. A friend surprised me and got it for me. THANK YOU my love! More than a mere "guide" this newest book is true red-white-and-blue Michael! I was surprised at how much fun I had reading it. Your cultural and political observations cut to the bone and which you serve up with sweet tasty irony.

Perhaps the reason most right-wingers dont like Michael is that irony is a hard concept for them. It's a biting bit of truth delivered as a tasty morsel to go down easy. I highly recommend this book for content, price, and easy to travel size. But mostly I highly recommend Mike's 2008 Election Guide because it's writtten by a sane person in a dysfunctional culture and thus helps to keep sane people supported and grounded. With love,
Nerissa Oden

24 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining!, August 31, 2008

By	Loyd E. Eskildson "Pragmatist" (Phoenix, AZ.) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mike's Election Guide 2008 (Paperback)

"Mike's Election Guide" begins with an "Ask Mike" chapter. The first involves a shopper who took the president's advice 7 years ago and rang up about $30,000 in credit card debt, while his ARM payment doubled. The shopper asks Mike if this means the terrorists are winning. Mike's Response: No - we won because you went shopping. While nearly 1.4 million homes foreclosed in 2008, and we have 10 times the bankruptcies filed now vs. the Great Depression - this is a small price to pay for freedom.

Another asks about American flag lapel pins. Mike responds telling us that we live in an age where its not what you do that counts, but how you accessorize. When asked why the Vietnamese imprisoned the nice John McCain, Mike suggests asking him if it is moral to drop bombs and missiles in heavily populated areas (as McCain did), and also recommends being wary of McCain's temper.

In a chapter titled "How to Elect John McCain," Mike opines that Democrats appear to be professional losers, so pathetic that they lose even when they win (Gore's 2000 vote majority). To help party doofuses and pundits he suggests that Democrats continue saying nice things about McCain (his global warming and campaign finance positions, war hero status), following McCain's lines about expanding "faith-based" initiatives, getting ready to invade Iran, and creating a health plan that doesn't cover everyone.

Mike's Suggestions for Obama's First Days in Office: 1)Bring back the draft, for children of the richest families. 2)Outlaw profit-making in healthcare, while pointing out that fire and police departments are already socialized, and that drug companies do only 17% of the drug research in the U.S. 3)Ban high fructose corn syrup - we consume an average of 63 lbs./year, and its introduction coincides with the growth of obesity in America. 4)Stop paying more taxes than the French. Actually we pay an average of 19% vs. their 22%, but its far greater when one adds in healthcare costs, higher education costs, and day care - all covered by French taxes. 5)Defeat Al Qaeda by drilling water wells in the world's impoverished areas. 6)Make Social Security solvent by having the rich pay their fair share.

Mike then proceeds to provide a list of crimes for which '43 ought to be impeached, primarily dealing with misrepresentations and mismanagement involving Iraq, as well as Valerie Plame's exposure as a CIA agent.

Mike ends by identifying strong Democrat contenders to take Republican Senate seats (23 of 35 open seats in 2008 are Republican held), along with their counterparts in the House.