Customer Reviews

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

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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!!!

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.

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.

Just received my pre-ordered copy and cannot put it down. As a 4-15-09, 1st time activist, just call me "Mom!" Michael has our backs and the bullhorn! Reading the "Love Letters from the Left", you will be amazed just how many insults have been thrown at mild mannered, taxpaying, Americans. Michael's cutting wit will have you laughing the fools off. The book captures the arrogance of 2009 and brings you to The People's response- Scott Brown. A must read for anyone who feels insulted or unheard and wants a good laugh. It is an educational book (common sense 101) for politicians or those who have spent too much time with MSNBC.

Michael is my favorite host on WTTK and I enjoy his columns in the Herald. Combining his humor and befuddling the loony left with those nasty things called facts, his show is entertaining and provides a bit of sanity in these crazy times. Unfortunately, in his current time slot I can only catch him for a few minutes when I occasionally dash out for lunch from WORK (usually I 'bring', can't afford going out every day). This book, using his Mom as the 'protagonist', is written in the same vein. A spot-on, enjoyable (quick) read. Michael illustrates numerous examples of lack of personal responsability on steroids, the agenda of the current administration and much more. This is all presented for the most part without denegrating the libs, simply by laying out facts. BTW Michael - being fiscally conservative (i.e. currently bent over) I refused to pay list price, I paid 1/2 of that, hopefully it didn't effect your commission ;)

Fans of MG, those who enjoy him, Jay and the rest of the great WTKK crew will find a great gem here. Graham was previously a comedian and blends this with insightful, common-sense talk and analysis each day, putting this right into the book.

Five 96.9 Boston Talks Insider Members were allowed to preview the book and below are thier "unedited" thoughts on the book!


Michael's new book offers a hilarious and stirring look at how the elite Left is not just mocking but barreling over normal, concerned conservatives who dare to speak up against ludicrous government policies and out of control spending. For readers who don't spend hours reading or listening to mainstream media, this book is a great compilation of snippets in which talk radio listeners and tea party attendees are thoroughly trashed for having the audacity to ask for government accountability. The device of using Mom as the typical concerned conservative is brilliant; the hard working, fair minded, and yes, intelligent, people who are causing this wave of involvement are normal people who have been pushed to the limit by ever higher taxation and the complete disregard for the working of Economics. If you love Michael's sense of humor and unapologetic jabs at the lunacy of the Left, you'll love this book. He so clearly points out the "Alice in Wonderland" kind of craziness that we've been dumped into, where Obama's change equates to rewarding maximum debt, no savings, and penalizing hard work. Despite the insults from the Left-leaning media, Americans are flocking to tea parties and talk radio precisely because normal people do want to be able to work hard and enjoy the fruits of that labor. Some of Michael's examples of the Administration's completely demeaning views of us voters just left me saying "Wow, really?" This book has my kids discussing it and my husband trying to read over my shoulder. I expect it to be a well-worn copy very shortly!

Fiona from Pepperell, MA

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I thoroughly enjoyed reading every word of Michael Graham's book, "That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom." It's a hilarious, but truthful look at the state of politics today. A must read for any normal everyday person who just wants to be left alone to run his or her own life. Using his Mom, as a metaphor for all of us normal everyday working people, Michael slams us with the facts about how the media and the government treat us and feel about us... It's hard to argue with the facts, especially when they are backed up with memorable quotes from the very same people who are trying to put us down.
He takes a straight forward, and funny yet truthful look at the media and our government, with straight up facts to support every argument, using just the right amount of humor so if you weren't laughing so hard you would be crying. He also points out how many accusations and policies of the government and the media are not at all based in fact, but in feeling. Michael has a way of stating the facts in such a humorous way, that you just can't put the book down.
Any person, who is skeptical about how our government is being run these days, must read this book. From the media all the way to the presidency, it's a straight forward look at politics today in a humorous light.

Jodi from Northboro, MA


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As a regular listener of The Natural Truth, Michael Graham always makes me gasp, think, and laugh and this book was no exception. That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom will make you laugh out loud and boil your blood at the same time. If you are feeling as if you just don't get it, every time you turn on the evening news and you are sick of being called a racist, an evil-monger, and stupid, you are not alone. Already fearful of the liberals and what they have the power to accomplish, I was relieved to know someone is leading the battle of defeating Obama and his agenda.

Michael will help you weed out the truth from the many news media outlets that can't seem to keep their opinions to themselves and just report the news. Readers will say to themselves over and over again "I feel the same way" throughout every chapter. He fights against the looney lefties with actual quotes that seem so unbelievable they can't be true.....but sadly they are. As a regular American citizen I was extremely angry when I heard the insults and the demeaning statements from the "mainstream media" and our federal government and it's great to know there are folks out there ready to stand up for what they believe in.

The Maestro of Boston talk radio has stepped up to the plate in the face of controversy. With humor and a unique way of deciphering the rhetoric spewing from the left, Michael will inspire you to join the Tea Party Movement and get involved to take back our freedom.

O-bot -noun
1. An American citizen mesmerized by the "Smartest President Ever".

Christine from Litchfield, NH

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Michael Graham has done it again. His insights into the Tea Party Movement and politics in general really shine through in this book.

He is a master at his art. From taking on the "O-Bots", to big government, to healthcare, to immigration and the administration, he absolutely has it nailed.

This book is very entertaining, and informative. I would call it a must read for anybody who has an interest in the politics of the day, or for our friends on the other side.

It made me laugh; it probably made his mother cry. But it is a fantastic read nonetheless, and I would highly recommend it.

Christopher from W. Bridgewater, MA

In the interest of full disclosure, and before I begin discussing "That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom," I want to acknowledge that I am the veteran of two Houston tea-parties. I attended the first event out of curiosity, the second out of hope that someone in government might actually listen to what was said there. Of course, no one did.

Let's face it. Politicians think citizens pay so little attention to what happens in our national and state capitols that they will believe anything a government spokesman tells them. These same "representatives of the people" believe, often correctly, that a little bit of spin will cover even the dumbest legislation, most vile criminal acts, and worst wastes of taxpayer money imaginable. But, at some point, politicians are no longer able to baffle the public with BS - and that is when things get ugly. When character assassination of its critics becomes the government's weapon of choice in political debate, a tipping point has been reached.

Radio talk-show host Michael Graham has organized tea-parties in the Boston area, events attended by his mother, among others. Graham sees who attends the tea-parties ("retirees, military vets, small business owners, and suburban families"), has read the hundreds of handheld signs, and has experienced the tea-party atmosphere first hand. What he describes in "That's No Angry Mob" is almost exactly what I observed for myself in Houston: a gathering in large numbers of citizens concerned that the country is being relentlessly driven toward bankruptcy and that the future of their children and grandchildren is in jeopardy.

The government's response to all this citizen concern has been to label every single attendee of a tea-party event as a racist and/or a domestic terrorist. Even the Speaker of the House, tear in her eye and tremor in her voice, hints that she fears a deranged assassin or two will be motivated by what he or she hears at a tea-party. And, of course, the national media share the Speaker's concerns, as well as her lack of subtlety and self-awareness.

"That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom" offers little new information to those who have paid attention to recent current events. It does, however, offer a nice recap of the absurdity of the government's response to the threat it feels from citizens (many of them elderly) wanting to ask questions of those who should have their best interests in mind. Graham, who is also a former stand-up comic, has a keen ear for comic timing and uses comedic one-liners throughout the book to keep it relatively light despite the intensity of the hatred directed at him (and all tea-party attendees and talk-radio listeners) by those so determined to minimize them by destroying their reputations.

Despite the way Graham uses humor in discussing the very personal attack on Americans who dare openly disagree with the administration's policies, he makes serious, and distressing, points like this one: "And the liberals who suspect (and some who openly proclaim) that most Americans are selfish, bigoted dolts, have amplified that message. They divided America into two groups: people who support Obama and his policies on the one hand, and racist holdouts on the other." To many tea-partiers this is the most distressing thing of all about today's politics. Never in recent memory has the race card so often been pulled from the bottom of the deck to shut down legitimate public dissent. Is this what we have come to?

Rated at: 3.5

I have the pleasure of listening to Michael Graham on WTKK here in Boston. He talk show is always informative and humorous and this book is nothing less than that. Michael does an incredible job of discussing his experiences with the Tea Party movement, and of course his mom's, as well as the reactions of others in the main stream media, the Democrat Party, and the Presidency to the movement. He discusses the impact that the movement has had in the current political environment and how average working class American's have finally stood up in the face of the great political machine. The book is a very fun and very easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning about the Tea Party movement and how the average American is now getting active and getting involved.

Approximately five years or so ago, I had dinner with friends in the Bay Area, where a lovely guest named Barbara joined us on her return from her native England where she had attended her annual family reunion. (She has lived and worked in this country for years.) Bush was being 'worshipped' by some at the table and excoriated by others. Barbara glowed with her happiness to be back in America. I was curious to know why... wasn't England a free country? (I've learned a LOT since then!) Ye-ess, she offered somewhat hesitantly. And paused. And then beaming with heartfelt gratitude, she announced, "But freedom SMELLS so much better in America than it does in England!"
That was then. This is now. Freedom doesn't smell so good here anymore, I am grieved to note, and it threatens to smell much worse by the day. I am a news and information junkie and have watched and listened to gazillions of hours of television and radio news; and read a gazillion books since the beginning of the primary campaigning leading up to the 2008 election. Graham's book is masterfully written, with a lovely, bitey, light hand, out-loud laughter, and many contributions with great clarity, that I had not run across in the other gazillion books I've read. I love this book and find it valuable for every reader, and every voter. If the earlier reviewer named Fritz found it lacking and wishes for a different kind of book, please feel free to email me and I'll send you a long list of books to suit those needs. THIS book meets ITS intended purpose PERFECTLY, and I thank Michael Graham very much for the effort, energy, talent, excellent information, and his mom, all wrapped up in the gift that it is. Thank you so much.