That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom: Team Obama's Assault on Tea-Party, Talk-Radio Americans [Hardcover]

Michael Graham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2010

Responsible. Independent. Hard-working. These are qualities which used to define Americans. But now we’re a nation of whiners, blamers, and excuse-makers. So says Michael Graham—radio talk show host, former GOP campaign consultant, and journalist—in his new book, That’s No Angry Mob, That’s My Mom. That’s No Angry Mob, That’s My Mom taps into the frustration and anxiety felt by hundreds of thousands of taxpayers at Tea Parties nationwide. Frustration that the government is taking over our lives; punishing success while rewarding failure; and fostering a society of Americans who don’t take responsibility for their actions and then expect the government—and their fellow citizens—to pick up the bill. Graham, known for his searing wit and controversial comments, also explains who the tea party “activists” really are: ordinary, everyday citizens pushed into action by the threat of higher taxes and increased government intrusion. Tackling everything from the economy and education to health care and the housing market, Graham argues that it’s up to us to take control back from the government bureaucrats and to restore the home-spun values of hard work, fair play, and individual responsibility. That’s No Angry Mob, That’s My Mom shows us how.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Have you hoisted a sign at a tea party protest? Asked your congressman a tough question at a townhall meeting? Liked what you heard on talk radio? If so, then welcome to the angry Mob.

Aided by their allies in the Democratic Party and the mainstream media, the Obama administration is out to silence you. As long as you support Team Obama, you’re okay. But if you disagree, they accuse you of being a violent, unhinged, hate-filled racist. Typical Americans, denounced by their own government, have been left on their own. Until now.

In That’s No Angry Mob, That’s My Mom, talk radio host Michael Graham delivers an uproarious, full-throated defense of millions of typical Americans like his mom—ordinary people who worry that Obama’s socialist policies are jeopardizing America’s future. In his unique, irreverent style, Graham fires on:
accusations that tea partiers are racists: “In the upside down world of the Obama Nation, people who spend a lifetime following Reverend Wright aren’t racists. But people who show up at a rally to oppose single-payer healthcare are.”accusations that tea partiers are terrorists: “Fashion terrorists, maybe. I doubt the typical tea partier is going to run amok in the halls of government, but many appear to have done so in the aisles of Wal-Mart.”a professor he debated on TV: “He really thought the tea parties were some dangerous new development, perhaps linked to the militia movement, survivalist cults, or—worst case scenario—the Glenn Beck show.”Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ insistence that reporters find out what tea partiers think: “Really, Maxine, you can’t figure that out on your own? The huge ‘No More Big Government!’ signs they’re waving aren’t a clue?”

The Obama administration promised “hope and change” for everyday Americans. They have delivered contempt and vilification instead. That’s No Angry Mob, That’s My Mom exposes this deception in a no-holds-barred takedown of Team Obama’s condescending arrogance.

From the Back Cover

“This book is for every typical American who’s been insulted, attacked, and abused by the liberal media just for showing up at a tea party or townhall meeting. Michael Graham uses his wit and humor like a club to give the Arrogant Left the beatdown they deserve.”
—Glenn Beck

“Michael Graham is a strange and twisted man—but in a good way. In this fast-paced, clear-eyed, and funny book, he plows through the spin, lies, and slander hurled at tea partiers, talk radio listeners, and other typical Americans. It’s Howard (“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”) Beale meets P. J. O’Rourke with a dash of Tom Sowell thrown in for good measure.”
—Jonah Goldberg Editor-at-Large of National Review Online

“Michael Graham has authored a hilarious harangue on behalf of the millions of Americans who don’t ‘know their place,’ who still think that what they earn should be theirs, and who don’t trust politicians. It’s also likely to be a call to action. Hang on—it’s going to be a bumpy ride!”
—Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (March 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596986190
• ISBN-13: 978-1596986190
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars That's No Angry Mob...Is a must Read!, March 14, 2010

By 

Sue N. (Amherst, MA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom: Team Obama's Assault on Tea-Party, Talk-Radio Americans (Hardcover)

Just finished reading the book. Loved it. Michael Graham has managed to debunk every leftist view without a single insult toward me. This book backs up every argument with FACTS unlike the progressives who's only idea is to call tea party participants "racist, teabaggers, and stupid" when questioned! Living in Amherst, Massachusetts where terroist are being invited to live once Gitmo closes (see page 13) I know only too well how the left believes their opinion is the right and only opinion. Michael's wit and sense of humor is evident throughout the book. Some parts were LOL funny. Joe Biden, need I say more? If you attended a tea party rally, or were there in spirit, or are concerned about the direction our country is heading, buy this book. You will feel vindicated and ready to keep fighting the fight!!!

62 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Defense of the Tea Party Movement, March 10, 2010

By 

Fritz R. Ward "dayhiker" (Crestline, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom: Team Obama's Assault on Tea-Party, Talk-Radio Americans (Hardcover)

Recently an Amazon friend wrote a comment under one of my reviews complaining that tea party participants were openly talking about nullification, the concept that states and local governments can nullify federal laws. This harkens back to the separatist south, he noted, with the implication that anyone who would believe such a thing is racist. Of course, it also harkens back to various liberal and libertarian constituencies that opposed the Bush administration's "Real ID Act" by encouraging state and local agencies to oppose it, but no one ever accused these "nullification" advocates of racism. But the broader point was a suspicion of people who attend tea parties and otherwise are active and vocal about their opposition to the policies of the Obama administration. Who are these people, and why do they arouse such heated passions? Talk show host Michael Graham's answer is that they are ordinary people who represent a significant new force in politics, and they cannot be simply written off by name calling.

In general, the "agenda" of the people who attend tea parties, according to Graham, is personal responsibility. They dislike government bailouts, whether to GM or Melanie Griffiths-Evans (a real estate agent who nonetheless managed to default on her Adjustable Rate Mortgage). It is not, Graham argues, that people who listen to talk radio (as opposed to NPR) and attend tea parties lack compassion. He claims conservatives contribute more to private charity than liberals. But tea party activists dislike rewarding those who make bad decisions. They also dislike government run health care and they especially dislike being told they are stupid (or racist) if they voice their objections. But they are, for the most part, not "intellectuals" in the sense that their opposition to government health care does not come from reading Milton Friedman; it comes from visiting the post office.

Graham concedes that there are a few rabble rousers among those who attend tea parties, just as there are more than a few leftist kooks who still promote vast conspiracy theories about how elections were stolen in 2000 and how the US blew up their own towers in 2001. (Fair warning; there are a fair number of right wing kooks who also believe that sort of thing.) But on the whole his take is that the tea party movement is made up of middle class people who are simply fed up with adding nearly 2 trillion to the deficit in a single year and who would rather run their own lives.

I found this book a moderately convincing and I say that as one of the "elitist" snobs who opposes socialized health care precisely because I read (and understand) free market economists. My main contact with the tea party crowd was at a local debate between a Democrat and Republican candidate for a state legislative office and they were very polite and thoughtful, and somewhat more critical of the Republican. They knew what the Democrat stood for and even found some common ground with him, but the previous Republican candidate had broken his no tax increase pledge on his very first budget vote, so they were understandably skeptical of people pandering to them.

Beyond that, however, I was a little put off by this book. It has a very chatty style which is what I should expect from a talk radio host but nonetheless I like more analysis and less anecdotes. The book spends a lot of time dissecting the attacks made by "Team Obama" on the tea party crowd. And undoubtedly the administration has tried to marginalize their increasing large number of opponents as extremists. But I don't think every left wing blogger can be categorized as part of "Team Obama" any more than I think every right wing hack is a "birther." Nonetheless, the strident opposition to the Obama administration cries out for some sort of analysis and simply labeling these people as racists (or as "my mom") will not do, regardless of how convenient these labels are for a given political agenda.

My own take is fairly simple. Obama won because people were fed up with George W. Bush. Specifically, they were upset at how long two wars were taking. Beyond that, many Americans, for whom fiscal responsibility is a big deal, were upset at Bush's 700 billion dollar bailout (more than a few fiscal conservatives, myself among them, actively hoped the Repubicans would lose for that alone) and in general the previous president's policies on immigration and his own venture into socialized health care (prescription drug coverage) alienated his base without attracting any real support from the left. Obama, a man without a record, said all the right things. He would support a transparent government; no secret deals. He would impose fiscal discipline and pay for any new programs with cuts elsewhere. He would not raise taxes on anyone making more than $250,000 a year. And he would bring our troops home. Obama has since broken every one of those key campaign promises and people are upset. And they are becoming increasingly vocal about it. So naturally, the administration and its supporters are faced with a choice: they can actually do the things that won them the election, or they can attempt to marginalize their opponents. They are going with the latter strategy and all polls suggest it will come back to haunt them this election year.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The title captures it perfectly, March 28, 2010

By 

MD (Massachussets) - See all my reviews

This review is from: That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom: Team Obama's Assault on Tea-Party, Talk-Radio Americans (Hardcover)

The Left cannot stand how ordinary non-ivy league educated people can think for themselves and protest the policies of the government in a peaceful manner. Should they not get paid attendees to carry predesignd signs, run amock, damage property, threaten violence, silence opponents like the lefties do?

No, so what the left can do is brand them as an angry, racist, violent mob.