Customer Reviews

Voting to Kill: How 9/11 Launched the Era of Republican Leadership

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Geraghty has written the must-read book of the political season. It portends that even in the face of crappy poll numbers and an occassionally ill-focused agenda, Republicans are likely to continue their string of electoral successes in large measure because voters don't trust the Democrats and the American left to successfully prosecute the War on Terror.

Geraghty's book is exhaustively researched and yet remains a pleasure to read. His blogger's wit and irreverance combines with spot on analysis to make this the political book of the year.

Geraghty makes a persuasive case that the war on terror is not an election issue, but THE issue, and the reason why the Republicans are likely to dominate for some time to come unless the Democrats change their tune. Unfortunately, he makes an equally strong case that the Democrats probably won't change their tune in the foreseeable future, due to a large constituency that doesn't take terrorism seriously.

Geraghty does overstate his case in some instances, and understates it slightly in others, which is why I gave it 4 stars rather than 5. It's a pretty good book, but with a little more editing it could have been a great one.

A number of writers at the National Review foolishly believe that it might be good if the Republican Party is rebuked in the November elections. Thankfully, Jim Geraghty has his head screwed on tight. The author clearly understands that the Democrats cannot be trusted with national defense issues. We are at war with Islamic nihilism and this struggle cannot be won if terrorism is considered merely a nuisance to be handled by our local police departments. No, the terrorists must be either killed or imprisoned. A middle ground solution is not viable.

The catchy title of chapter ten says it all: "You Can't Win If You're Angrier at Halliburton Than Osama bin Ladin." Too many Democrats perceive George W. Bush as far more of a menace than Islamic terrorism. One can't "Even Trust Hawkish Democrats," adds Geraghty. Such individuals are placed under enormous pressure by the leftists surrounding them on a daily basis. The risk that they might eventually capitulate is not worth taking. Geraghty points out that it is downright weird when left-winger Senator Hillary Clinton is "The Democrats' Most Unlikely Hawkish Role Model." Republicans, however, still "need to appear as reluctant warriors" and not overly eager war lovers. Destroying terrorists is a necessity, and not an inherently enjoyable activity.

The war on terror will not end anytime in the near future. Tragically, the GOP is the only game in town. We cannot afford to have "The Party of Terrorists' Rights" running our government during this Post 9/11 era. Please read Jim Geraghty's book before entering the voting booth next month. You should also consider buying a few extra copies to give to your friends and neighbors.

David Thomson
Flares into Darkness

David Avender's "customer review" above is plagiarized verbatim from my October 9, 2006 National Review book review of Geraghty's book. It is easily available online under the heading "Still a majority?"

This is a wonderful book by a great author. Jim Geraghty is a smart, insightful, and funny man. Though I disagree with his political views the book is very good at presenting both sides of the argument. Read it and Love it!

One could be tempted to toss Jim Geraghty's thesis in the trash, given the results of the recent elections. But to suggest that voter concerns about security and terrorism evaporated would be foolish. Geraghty's work is still persuasive, and there's little evidence that an effective security message (and effective security MEASURES) do not resonate with votes. But when you have several scandals, including one involving a creepy congressman and some barely-legal pages, it's kind of hard to persuade voters you are uber serious about security. "Voting to Kill" could have used a bit more rigorous editing -- some passages are a bit redundant, and a check on how to spell Inez Tenenbaum's name would have been helpful. These are minor quibbles, though. Candidates and campaigns who want to take seriously the security concerns of average Americans should read this book.

Jim Geraghty is a great writer. He's entertaining. Insightful. A very good wordsmith. His "HillarySpot" blog is essential reading for the conservatively-inclined.

Yet he got the 2006 midterm elections horribly horribly wrong. Interesting reading for a retrospective view on why the Republicans erroneously failed to see themselves in serious trouble going into the '06 midterms. Overall, though, the shelf-life on this book has passed its expiration date.

...if the entire premise of your book is blown out of the water by an actual election?

Ouch.