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Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America Paperback – February 23, 2010

by John Avlon (Author), Tina Brown (Foreword)
3.4 out of 5 stars 82 customer reviews
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There is a newer edition of this item:

Wingnuts: Extremism in the Age of Obama
Wingnuts: Extremism in the Age of Obama
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New & Upcoming in Politics
Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Betrayed the Reagan Revolution to Win Elections (and How It Can Reclaim Its Conservative Roots)
Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Betrayed the Reagan Revolution to Win Elections (and How It Can Reclaim Its Conservative Roots)
Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Betrayed the Reagan Revolution to Win Elections (and How It Can Reclaim Its Conservative Roots)
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Beast Books; First Printing edition (February 23, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0984295119
  • ISBN-13: 978-0984295111
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

151 of 168 people found the following review helpful
I think he got it right
By Stephen Tobey on March 23, 2010
Format: Paperback
Conservatives will probably say the book has a liberal bias. Liberals will probably be somewhat disappointed.
The author tries very hard to go after extremists on both sides. The problem, however, is that if you don't clearly take a side, everyone assumes you're biased against their side.
He tries to be a voice of sanity and goes after truthers as well as birthers (and also correctly points out that the birther movement was started by a Hillary Clinton suppoter).
I especially like the part where he examines three of the most over-the-top complaints about Obama: that he's a Communist, a Nazi and the Antichrist, talking to actual Communists and Nazis.
I doubt the book will change many minds. I've long felt that as much as people say they want civility, they really don't. They want the name-calling and demonizing of the opposition. Many of them, I'm sure, would think less of Ronald Reagan if they knew he routinely had a beer with Tip O'Neil at the end of the workday (or deny that ever happened).
Still, when all you hear from one side or the other is how the country is being destroyed and the sky is falling, it's refreshing to hear some more reasonable voices.
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68 of 83 people found the following review helpful
Wingnuts brings us no closer to the middle
By Andrew on April 19, 2010
Format: Paperback
Avlon has his heart in the right place, but the execution misses the mark. When bookshelves are dominated by legitimate wingnuts, its refreshing to see this book, calling for what essentially amounts to a third-party, one not beholden to irrational extremists. Millions of independents are waiting for a group of intellectual leaders preaching moderation and rationality. I certainly appreciate Avlon as he attempts to lead the charge.

Content-wise, I found the first half of the book uninspired. He spends endless pages quoting the nutcases he finds at rallies and town halls. Sadly, he adds little of his own insight. The net effect is that you feel like you're at a zoo, marveling at curious creatures from a distance. Fine, but we've all been exposed to these "wing-nuts" on television (either put into positive light by Fox News or cast as morons by MSNBC). If you're politically aware enough to pick up this book, you're already aware of all of its contents. This book is essentially a series of conceits, an opportunity to look down on the Sarah Palin's and Glenn Beck's of the world in order to feel some sense of moral superiority. When Avlon DOES come up with his own hypothesis, it is merely a rehash of Paul Krugman's theory that Republicanism has devolved into racial fear-mongering (to be fair to Avlon, he only really pins this generalization on the new fringe of conservatives). I wasn't impressed when Krugman wrote his political theory, and I'm not impressed now.

Stylistically, I understand what the Daily Beast is doing. They want to translate a series of blog articles into the print world, increasing the speed of publication, allowing on-topic books to hit the shelves while they're still pertinent, while gaining some intellectual capital. This didn't work for me.Read more ›
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31 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Picture of Olbermann on the cover ????
By Alex K on June 4, 2010
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Lets be honest, this book is about wingnuts of the right. Olbermann on the cover may be advertizing trick, attempt to look balanced or whatever, the book is not about people like him. Actually, only couple of pages even mention him and the biggest "wingnutty" thing that Olbermann has done ? Writing an angry special comment against Don Rumsfeld when Rummie compared anti-war people with Nazi appeasers. Seriously ??? THAT is the biggest thing about person you put on over, in the world of millions birthers and truthers ?
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80 of 102 people found the following review helpful
Avalon's Wingnuts: Right on the Money
By Joseph A. Domino on March 17, 2010
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Mr. Avalon has parsed and dissected the lunatic fringe on both extremes of the political spectrum. The problem is that these extremes are pushing in on the center, driving out reason, logic, and objectivity. Picture the center as the scene in the first Star Wars when the characters are trapped in the giant trash compactor. Obama derangement syndrome is right on target: the financial/corporate sector continues its criminal abuse on the consumer, but almost everyone from the top to the bottom of the food chain is more worried about imaginary government death panels and Obama morphing into Hitler. No one seems to object if they even notice that the real death panels have existed in private health insurance companies for a long time. But that's capitalism at work, so it's all right. Mr. Avalon's style is lively, concise, analytical. You don't know whether to laugh or cry as you read his book.

Joseph A. Domino
Adjunct Professor
Palm Beach State College
Boca Raton FL
(...)
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54 of 69 people found the following review helpful
Worth reading...
By M. Nicley on March 24, 2010
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book does a good job of exposing the political extremists on both sides, though it spends considerably more time addressing those from the right than from the left, because, as the author says, the right-wing extremists have been "louder" lately.

Makes some good arguments, especially against districting laws.

If you're a centrist, this book will probably confirm your beliefs. If you're not, you will probably see some arguments against the other side and ignore those against yours.

When it's all said and done, it's worth the read.

I received the book in a timely fashion, and it was in great condition. (Good work, Amazon.)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

People like this seem to think they've been appointed to determine ...

John Avlon is a liberal pretending not to be. His "independent centrist" schtick is nothing more than a pose. Read more

Published 27 days ago by Xx Mazzy
Fresh air at last!

Finally, an author who truly understands the nature of the wings of U. S. opinion. A balanced, well-reasoned, analysis. Deep enough for a close rereading.

Published 2 months ago by Kindle Customer
Five Stars

Wing ut are frightening

Published 4 months ago by R. R. Jamison
Bipartisan take on the extreme partisans and what gave them birth...

A delightful book tracing wing nuts in politics from the beginning onward. Great reading for those who are tired of headlines only of the extremes.

Published 4 months ago by diane wimberley
Great discussion about the disease of fanaticism in America

...not a liberal or conservative point of view, John talks about extremism as it is active on different sides American political life. Most (75-80% ? Read more

Published 10 months ago by almac
this is amust read!

This book is absolutely fascinating....and frightening! The politics in America today are so very divisive and this book explains perfectly how we got here!

Published 12 months ago by Grams Kelley
Written with good humor, but so very true

I am in total agreement with Mr. Avlon. These wingnuts are just that and one can't help but wonder how anyone could believe the things that these people say. Read more

Published 12 months ago by tom maney
Well worded critique of extremism, on both the left and right

John Avalon does a good job of putting into words what many in the moderate middle feel about those on the political extremes. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Todd Adams
Five Stars

funny and informative

Published 12 months ago by john f.
Four Stars

I gave this as gift and my friend loves it.

Published 13 months ago by baldtophermanie

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