Customer Reviews

MuscleHead Revolution: Overturning Liberalism with Commonsense Thinking

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I listen to a lot of talk radio, so there was very little in this book that was new to me. That said, what was new to me was interesting and made me want to learn more. In particular, I would like to understand more about the history of how both the Republican and Democratic parties contributed to, or fought against, the civil rights movement.

Beyond a few detailed examples, such as some accounts of some horrific crimes committed against and even by children, this book is written at such a high overview level that most anyone who attends a church in a conservative denomination of Christianity and listens to talk radio could have written it. It says what other conservative commentators have been saying for years, only with less detail.

About the only thing new that Kevin McCullough brings to the table are his proprietary nicknames for the fighters in the culture war: the "musclehead" conservatives with common sense are fighting the "Diabolic Dagger Society" of liberal media, academia, and entertainment. I expected more.

Another way to look at this book is as "Ann Coulter lite". In fact, on page 44 the author writes, "A MuscleHead, or a commonsense conservative, understands and believes that there is a God. Many liberals, by contrast, believe they ARE God." This is a slight modification of a classic "Ann Coulterism" that she's been saying over and over. The way the author writes this, it seems as if he wants the reader to think that he coined this phrase himself.

In fact, wrapping up conservatism in Christianity was to me a weakness in this book. Of course many Christians are conervative, but a person doesn't need to be able to quote the New Testament to see that sexual anarchy will destroy a society, or at least make a society evil and dangerous. That's common sense, right?

Also, the book seemed to fail it it's primary objective, and that is to "overturn liberalism with commonsense thinking." I kept waiting for the action plan, brilliant insights as to just what can be done to fight these evil liberals, and all I got was "There's strength in numbers." There are more of us than there are of them, so arm yourself with faith and truth, spread the word, and keep pressing on. That's about it! Again, I expected more.

About the only thing I got a lot of from this book is examples of the evils of liberals, and there was very little there I had not already heard or read about.


The bottom line:

If you are a Christian conervative who:

Feels called to do more than go to church and wait for the Rapture, and...

You are becoming concerned about the creeping evil in our society, and...

You want the conservative side of the culture war summarized for you without biting sarcasm or a detailed bibliography (there is a bibliography, but it's short and not chapter by chapter), and...

You have not already read books by authors like Ann Coulter, Tammy Bruce, or Shelby Steele, then you might get something out of this book. It's a place to start.

If you have already read a number of books by the authors mentioned above, and you've been listening to talk radio for the last two years, you could just about write this book yourself.

This is basically a lightweight "ra ra" book for people who go to church every Sundy and listen to talk radio. I got through it in two hours. To me it was almost completely derivative and redundant, but it may not be for you.

Kevin McCullough shoots for the lowest common denominator in what best be described charitably as a badly researched and biased work, and more realistically as garbage. McCullough aims to only stir up controversy and outrage with highly implausible and sometimes fictitious anecdotes and examples.

Nothing new here. This is just the same old same old found in books by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and a host of others. It's as if Kevin just wanted to cash in on the popularity of conservative books.

Like other books of this ilk, don't buy it new. Wait a few months, and you'll be able to get a like-new copy for about $1.

Kevin McCullough is an arrogant fool who's opinions cannot be trusted after his gross misrepresentation of facts in relation to the video game "Mass Effect." It is clear from his review that he has never played the game, and likely did NO RESEARCH WHAT-SO-EVER on the contents of the popular and widely acclaimed game. From Kevin's Townhall.com post on the game,

"It's called "Mass Effect" and it allows its players - universally male no doubt - to engage in the most realistic sex acts ever conceived. One can custom design the shape, form, bodies, race, hair style, breast size of the images they wish to "engage" and then watch in crystal clear, LCD, 54 inch screen, HD clarity as the video game "persons" hump in every form, format, multiple, gender-oriented possibility they can think of."

This grossly false and obviously ignorant and uninformed recount of the game is comically incorrect and a desperate attempt at garnering attention by using such sexually charged and homophobic language. Mr. McCullough is using a widely held bias and fear of videogames to make outlandish claims that no one outside of the gaming community will dispute because they have not, nor ever will play the game. His readers trust that he could, at the very least, accurately recall the plot and actions of a straightforward action videogame. But, sadly, he cannot. He seeks attention for his book and his own personal causes and if he has to outright lie and create controversy out of thin air and his homophobic imagination then he will. Obvious and verifiable facts be damned he will lie if he wants to. That is not someone I will ever respect the opinion of.

I just wish he'd spare us his pontificating and come out of the closet already.

The MuscleHead Revolution in my opinion should become the primer for all who have not yet become hardened politicos and for those who are seeking to develop a rational plan at how to form their worldview. McCullough's ability to speak plainly to the matters (and several of tremendous importance) that face us today was coupled by his effectiveness in bringing out such potent illustrations of where the left has gone wrong. But what I found to be most helpful was his practical ways I can "muscle up" my mind, the minds of my children, husband, community, and world. I have noticed what McCullough refers to as the "deficit of clarity" in how we think in our world today - and this book is a clarion call to get us back to the point of rational action, proactive, informed by our faith, and unleashed by liberty. I'm buying a copy of this book for every high-schooler in my church's youth group, and I would encourage others to do the same.

As always, I recommend using a fact check tool like the internet before reading any pundit's (conservative's or liberal's) book. Pundits of both parties like to bend facts to fit their arguements using misquotes or misrepresentation of actual events.

Mr. McCullough bypasses misrepresentation and heads straight into downright lies. A quick check of some of his "facts" illuminated his many falsehoods. Either he resides in a deeply disturbed fantasy world or he is just lying to sensationalize his work.

It's people like him that distort and ruin the political landscape, preventing the common people from making an informed choice.

Musclehead Revolution is a tremendous introduction to conservative thought. Deeply religious and wonderfully commonsensical Kevin McCullough illuminates the causes that create the rift between liberalism and conservatism in today's America. The writing is crisp and easy to read, and the stories he tells are interesting and illuminating. McCullough demonstrates why irreligiosity and arrogance are the hallmarks of the contemporary left, while the right is characterized by faith in a Higher Power -- and why that makes a difference in the political arena. Most of all, Musclehead Revolution is a call to get involved, and once again, McCullough succeeds. Musclehead Revolution is a good buy, particularly for college students just being confronted with the indoctrination of their professors.

then get this book! This was the biggest waste of money I have ever spent!

Einstein said that commonsense is all the prejudices learned up to the age of 18. Beware of any book which offers "commonsense" as the basis of its solution to complex problems.

Try this. When the author uses "commonsense" replace it with "this author's idea".

And I use the word 'idea' in its loosest sense.