Customer Reviews

Straight Talk from the Heartland: Tough Talk, Common Sense, and Hope from a Former Conservative

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I found Ed on satellite radio earlier this year and just love his take on the righties and American politics. He is finally on the radio in my hometown(Columbus) and now I listen to him religiously from my cubicle(shhh-don't tell me boss).
Anyways, the book is really on point w/ everything I believe and really kept me interested from the first page to the last. I am not much on political books but this one is different because of Big Eddie's take on things. You should check it out yourself and I am sure you will become an Ed Head!

I have been listening to Ed for years in Fargo and sometimes he makes me crazy, but he always makes me think.I picked up the book yesterday and have not been able to put it down. Right or wrong, this dude really makes you think. It is great to finally have someone out there writing about stuff outside what our current regime believes is the answer.

This book is as good as Ed's radio show. Humor, pathos, and passion drive the reader through a quick history of all that is right and wrong with this country. It's great to hear a Democrat and a patriot speak up for all of us.

I find it interesting that "Pat" (the failed author) is so filled with the bitterness and hatred he/she says is in Ed Schultz's book. This is no left wing rant. It's well-researched, filled with common sense and a damn funny read. Straight Talk From the Heartland stands tall above the Limbaugh and Hannity drivel published over the years. What's so inflamatory about the truth? Trust me, Pat didn't read the book. This is a positive book! And if the Neocons can't handle the documented truth, tough noogies.

Ed just finished his visit to Portland, OR and was warmly received. For those who are politically savvy, this book tells you a lot you already know, but it's still fun to read. For those who have drunk the right-wing Kool-aid, this is a nice, short primer for them.

Ed converted from the ignorant, blowhard, Rush-copycat to a thoughtful, respectful man who admits he doesn't know it all. (This is credited to his wonderful wife.)

His honesty and passion have spurred the success of his radio show, in 61 markets in under a year.

Ed Schultz has the fastest growing talk-show in America.
A former Conservative, he is a gun-toting, beer drinking,
Liberal. While you may not agree with him, you should
find the book interesting and thought provoking.

Worth your time

I underestimated Big Eddie. I got this book because I'm a fan of his radio show, and what I got is a thoughtful discussion of America's promise, and how the Bush administration letting us down.

The first part of this book is Ed patting himself on the back, and he owes himself a certain amount of that. After all, his show is currently on a trajectory that dwarfs Rush Limbaugh's early years, putting him on track to become the biggest voice in progressive talk radio.

The second part of his book is where you find the real meat: this is where Schultz talks about what progressives need to do to save America.

Schultz's America is one where we all have four responsibilities: (1) Defend America, (2) Keep the Economy Sound, (3) Feed the Nation, and (4) Educate America. The problem, according to Ed, is that we're not doing any of these things. Ed discusses each of these responsibilities and how we're not fulfilling them in detail. Take "Defend America" as an example: the Bush administration makes a show of doing this with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, when in fact what he's doing (according to Schultz) is weakening the military and undermining the troops while the real front lines in the war on terror -- homeland security and understanding the enemy -- go unaddressed. This isn't anything that you don't already hear from Chomsky and Biafra, but Schultz is plain-spoken and disarming, and his message has a much greater impact on the reader as a result.

Readers of Moore and Franken may find this a refreshing approach to the matter of progressive politics. Fans of George Lakoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant" will find Big Eddie's book very instructive as an example of a great frame.

I graduated from the same university as Ed Schultz and interned at the tv station in Fargo where he was a sportscaster about 15 years ago. I didn't know him well, but I did think he was kind of a jerk. I visit Fargo frequently and saw billboards advertising his radio show and thought, "Great...another big, white, neocon, egotistical blow-hard."

About a month ago I saw his book in a store and thought, "Great...now the blow-hard got a book deal." You could have knocked me over when I saw he was now more independent and questioning a lot of his knee-jerk conservative beliefs. I started listening to his radio show and was impressed. He's loud, he's excitable...remind you of any conservative radio hosts you've heard of?

I met him recently when his show was live in my town. I told him all this and then said I owe him an apology for jumping to conclusions. He couldn't have been nicer or more gracious. Maybe you don't think a person can change...but plenty of conservatives seem to think John Kerry has no problem with it.

The book isn't deep, but it's entertaining, funny, and truthful to Ed's vision of the world today. Personally, it's a voice I've been waiting for.

I live 70 miles from Fargo, ND where Ed broadcasts his radio show. I have listened to Ed do play-by-play of sporting events for over 20 years, and I use to avoid listening to Ed when he had his conservative radio talk-show. I was not aware of his "enlightenment." It was only when I stumbled upon his book on Amazon.com that I became aware of it. Now I understand why my conservative parents in ND had expressed displeasure in Ed's radio show--he was no longer conservative. Because of this, my interest was piqued and so I read this book. Speaking as a person who was born, raised, and lived in the Heartland, this is a book that all people, especially those in the Heartland, need to read. Ed writes to the good and decent people of this country in a language that says, "Hey, see what these people in the White House are doing to us?!? We need to wake up and do something about it." He uses common sense to analyze and explain issues that threaten the core principles of our democracy. He uses language that commom everyday folks can relate to and understand. And he intersects it all with humor. I was constantly running to read passages to my husband, who is also a former conservative like Ed, that were funny and insightful. I am buying this book for my parents and encouraging them to read the parts about the damage being done to the family farmer by the White House. Ed is providing an invaluable service to the people of this country--being the voice of information and reason that is becoming rare in this country.

Ed Schultz is the liberal answer to conservative talk radio. In this book he provides a plan to repair the damage the extreme conservatives have done to our country in the last four years. He lists his prejudices and answers his critics. He also states that our freedom is based on Four Pillars, then examins each and gives fixes for the problems. He tells the reader what each citizen's responsibility is in making this country work as our founders hoped it would.