Customer Reviews

Surrounded by Idiots: Fighting Liberal Lunacy in America

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

As a conservative it never ceases to amaze me that nationally syndicated talk show hosts feel compelled to write books. Obviously it is a testament to their inability to get their point across within fifteen broadcast hours each week. Gallagher's opus is no exception. From Sean Hannity's sycophantic forward with its grammatical faux pas to the closing self-deprecating remarks in the final chapter it is a mediocre read at best and fails to offer any convincible solutions toward "fighting liberal lunacy in America".
This book is much like his show: considerable drivel about how things should be in his opinion and how those who don't share his philosophy are `idiots'. According to Wilkipedia.org an idiot is defined as "... a person with a very severe mental retardation or a very low IQ level..." Mike's opponents on the Left are not idiots. Idiots, by the above definition, would be incapable of holding public office or maintaining successful careers in entertainment or academia.. The root cause of their lunacy is driven more by ingratitude to this great nation more than anything. Gallagher fails to grasp this simple fact.
He writes: "The thrust of the book that you now hold in your hands is political". Gallagher himself has incorrectly assessed his own writing. It is anything but political. Bashing politicians, entertainers, and academicians who are left of center does not provide for interesting reading, is tantamount to childish name-calling, and is hardly a persuasive political strategy. Rather than harp upon the ills of society, comparing them with the "back when I was a kid" mantra, Gallagher would have been better served to focus on the political issues that have aided in the political and cultural decline in which we as a nation find ourselves. Sadly, Gallagher is incapable of such critical thinking. If he is, he has certainly squandered a golden opportunity to get to the core of the issues that his limited time on air prohibits. And should we be surprised? His book follows a format similar to his radio show. He touches on certain pet peeves, titillates the reader with a few anecdotes to invoke emotions, and then moves on. There's no expanding on an issue to provide a historical context as to why certain shortcomings ever came about and offers no solutions to the same.
Ridiculing people because of their physical appearance is rhetoric echoing across high school campuses from coast to coast. Gallagher's profession demands a higher acumen of the English vernacular as opposed to calling overweight people "fatties". His reference as such lacks empathy and condescending comments like this are better left unwritten. Accept it, Gallagher. Some people are not as motivated toward personal weight control as you are. Kudos to you for your accomplishment. Don't use it as a soapbox to disparage others.
Surrounded by Idiots is no more a political read than Mother Goose. It is a biographical retrospective written by a Rush Limbaugh wanna-be, who is one of the worst talk show hosts in the business and who has managed to convince enough of the right people that his opinions are worth syndication on national radio, but have little or no potential of making significant cultural or political change.

Mike Gallagher is a liar. I was on hold for a topic and I was told that they already had enough callers with my opposing point of view. Three minutes later Gallagher says nobody called in to oppose him on the topic!! This liar believes he can get away with that stuff, and he often does. There are postings on the internet of Gallagher also committing blatant lies. Gallagher is a man who believes he is more intellectual then he actually is though. There are 12 year olds who are deeper thinkers then Gallagher. Absolute drivel.

Unlike reviewers who bash any opinion but their own, this review attempts to focus on the style and content of the book, not Mr. Gallagher's politics.
I read this book when Gallagher's show was added to the WIND-Chicago-lineup. He, Hugh Hewitt and Michael Medved were also coming to Chicago for a discussion of Obama's first 100 days in office. Since Gallagher was new to me, I'd hoped to learn something deeper than his radio show persona.
While I thoroughly enjoy Gallagher's program, the book left me wanting. It reads like a transcript of his show. So much so, I could almost hear him reciting it. There was no real insight into the basis for his conservatism, no deep revelations from his life. More or less an extension of his show. I wanted every day Mike. I already know--and like--radio Mike.
Mike wrote this before his wife contracted, and succumbed to cancer, making some of the anecdotal information unwittingly bittersweet. Otherwise, the book is rather dull, lacking inspiration or substative insight. Perhaps this is why there hasn't been another book.
The upside: Mike Gallagher is a dedicated patriot with a heart for America as big as the continent. Skip the book and tune in your radio. You won't be disappointed there.

Did you know that when this book is on the shelf in the library, Ann Coulter is on one side and Newt Gingrich is on the other? Yup, surrounded by idiots. Hey, he said it!

After trying to read this new book by talk show host Mike Gallagher ( I finally did finish it) 2 thing became very obvious, someone who dispises liberals as much as Gallagher must be surrounded by like minded conservatives and spending his life surrounded by idiots is begining to have a sad effect on Mr. Gallagher, this book reads as if it were written by an idiot.
I must admit I was pretty sure this book would run the same lines as those written by Mike's commrades, Hannity, Savage, Coulter. Hillary Bad, USA/GOP good. Social programs Bad, USA/GOP good. Liberals Bad, USA/GOP good. Surprise I was right!
The bottom line is if you apply a talk show host approach to solving todays complex problems you would have a cure for cancer tomorrow, it's just not that simple. This books low brow title and approach add nothing new to the arguement of how to lead this country. Wait for the paperback release, if there is one.

Having gone Coast to Coast begging people to buy this piece of garbage without a single sale, this sad sack nows exploits his own children hoping to get any shred of publicity

ego out of control and sinking fast. what a blowhard.

On his daily talk show, Mike Gallagher says that he "has no secrets." Yet the BIGGEST secret of all - the one he wants nobody to find out about - wasn't even mentioned in Surrounded by Idiots. Find out why. Simply GOOGLE the words THE GALLAGHER CHRONICLES into your search engine and you'll discover a side of Mr. Gallagher that he does everything humanly possible to keep private.

First of all, I liked this book. If there is a concern I have it's how darn serious this has all become. People yelling at eachother. I mean they make a million dollars a year and there's a limo downstairs waiting to take them home to Tarrytown and they're yelling at eachother. Novak just walked off the set after uttering the second 'no-no' word. Well, Mike Gallagher has some fun. Kudos to him.

It's a funny life. He doesn't express himself as a seer out to save America from itself. Yeah. He makes no bones about targeting liberals. I mean Bernie Goldberg targets "people who screw up America." At least it's a little covert. But like Coulter, Gallagher puts on his gloves and makes no bones about who is in the ring with him.

I do enjoy his humor. I am uncomfortable with parts of the liberal view. Apparently, a majority seem to be also. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean I want to arm my children and live in the basement and use my GranDad's WWII short wave radio.

Gallagher has fun. Makes a couple of good points and laughs at himself and us from time to time. Highly recommended. 5 Stars. Larry Scantlebury

Gallagher uniquely weaves stories of his personal life with a compelling poltical commentary. While it is hard to agree with all that he has to say, his arguments about the policital enviroment of the United States and our place in the world are persuasive.

This is a great read for anyone who is interstread in a personal sucess story, a loving relationship, and using those as backdrops for a common-sense political position.

Surrounded By Idiots gives a fresh commentary of Mike's observations of how American liberals have tried to distort the values in which the United States were founded and his personal experiences give us an opportunity to get to know the person outside the talk radio studio. Mike wants Americans to start thinking about how our vote will impact not just our lives in the future but the lives our future generations. A great read!