The POLITICS OF BAD FAITH: The Radical Assault on America's Future (Paperback)

~ David Horowitz (Author) "THE MONUMENTS HAVE FALLEN NOW AND THE FACES ARE changed..." (more)
Key Phrases: socialist faith, socialist future, radical faith, Cold War, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The author of Radical Son returns with a vigorous polemic against the American Left. Showing that liberals and conservatives have sharply contrasting views on the ideas of freedom and equality--and defining these differences in forceful prose--Horowitz goes on to blame the Left for many of what he believes to be America's ills, including multiculturalism, feminism, and economic socialism. "We speak reflexively of leftists as 'progressives,' even though their doctrines are rooted in nineteenth-century prejudice and have been refuted by a historical record of unprecedented bloodshed and oppression," writes Horowitz, an ex-Marxist who is now a staunch right-winger. In an especially controversial chapter, he charges gay-rights activists with creating a political environment that made it almost impossible for the public health community to react effectively to the AIDS crisis. Like the man himself, this book will attract lovers and loathers, depending on their political creed. For conservative readers, he performs the helpful task of clarifying their own convictions; for left-of-center ones, he provides a penetrating glimpse into the conservative mindset. --John J. Miller --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In his fiesty autobiography, Radical Son (LJ 12/96), Horowitz recounted his heady journey from Socialist Left to free-market Right. His new book is billed as a follow-up but basically revisits the same thesis advanced in the earlier work: that the ideals and values of the American Left are antithetical to the American way of life. Even after the collapse of communism, the Left "refuses to die," writes Horowitz. "Despite its dismal record of collusion and failure, the tradition of the Left is intellectually dominant in the American university today in a way that its disciples would never have dreamed possible 30 years ago." In denouncing the influence of the Left, Horowitz critiques the ideas of Eric Hobsbawm, Noam Chomsky, Isaac Deutscher, and other "anti-American" authors. Horowitz is an energetic polemicist, but his book is marred by careless statements, such as the inaccurate claim that Columbia University's "Great Books" course requires that undergraduates read "the avatars, and the fellow travellers of the discredited Left" such as Jurgen Habermas, John Rawls, and Hannah Arendt. Recommended for libraries with collections in conservative thought.?Kent Worcester, Marymount Manhattan Coll., New York
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1st Touchstone Ed edition (March 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684856794
• ISBN-13: 978-0684856797
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #583,672 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey, the guy was there . . ., March 20, 2002

By	W. K. Aiken "Corky" (One state, Two state, Red state, Blue state) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Being a staunch Libertarian who holds no truck with bureaucratic social engineering from either the Republican moralists or the Democratic PC crusaders, it is rare that a political screed holds up to the natural cynicism I bring to most reads of this sort. The vast majority are screaming, finger-pointing diatribes extolling the perfection of the authors' POV and the Satanic origin of his opponents'.

That said, I must hand Dr. Horowitz kudos of the grandest nature for his factual analysis of how our two major parties wound up where they are today. Committed Republicans can point to this clear and illustrative history of the Left and discover why they feel like they do; it is difficult to not jerk one's knees in reaction to some of the eyewitness accounts given here.
Committed Democrats can point to this clear and illustrative history of the Left and find their roots; a genaeology of their outlook helps clarify the causes of some of their actions and emotions.
Committed Libertarians, however, will still have a hard time explaining why Republicans are acting more like Democrats and Democrats often pretend to be Republicans; I wonder whether Horowitz is waxing nostalgic or prescient.

In any event, this is history that popular media will not provide. Likewise, I find it noteworthy that academic acquaintences who enjoy Horowitz will also discuss Lerner and Dershowitz equally openly. Not so for the establishment professorials I've known. For those reasons I lean more towards believing the content of this work. If, perhaps, those who disagree would explain their contention with fact and account instead of rhetorical pooh-poohs and the literary equivalent of rolling their eyes, acceptance might still be in question.

A critical examination of the substance of the work coupled with an arms-length perusal of the respective reactions convinces me that Horowitz speaks truthfully. Now, the question is where do we find anybody who can actually do with his presentations what needs to be done?

49 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An essential tool to identify the falsehoods of the left, January 16, 2000

By	J. P. Ledbetter "Jim Ledbetter Sr." (Ridgecrest, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: The Politics of Bad Faith: The Radical Assault on America's Future (Hardcover)

Among the many dozens of books I have read concerning our founders, their philosophies, their dreams and the various other aspects of our Republic and our Republican Form of Government promised in the Constitution. I find this book by David Horowitz to be perhaps one of the most impressive and educational justifications to abandon the liberal philosophy and move more in line with our founders. It is however, also among the three most difficult I have found to read, comprehend and reach the end of in one-piece. For there is on almost every page some interesting, informative and deep seated principle, piece of knowledge and insight that must be underlined or highlighted, slowing down the process considerably. And one must read with care not to miss the wealth of information in all these words of wisdom. Mr. Horowitz has done a superb job of bringing the reader into a better understanding of the failures of the Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler and other philosophies of the extreme left and many of our left wing representives today. And how anyone who follows these failed policies and ideals must find excuses for the devastation and terrible toll they placed and still inflict upon the community of man. There are three main ideas that I perceived from David. First that the core principles of any political philosophies (in our case the right and left, Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals) of the world, when taken to extremes, all converge at a point resulting in, Tyranny, Despotism, Communism and Slavery. And all these things should be shunned and avoided by Americans. Second that our childhood beliefs, which were to some extent in the past simple brainwashing by listening to our parents could be thrown off, once emancipated, if we chose to. Which David did not, until late in his lifetime after finding out some simple truths the hard way. Yet we also find that that condition has been changed now. And in our current society has become a form of government manipulation and brainwashing that continues on for an entire lifetime. Thereby making us slaves to the politically correct, the socialistic social workers and the puppeteers of an aristocratic political establishment that used handouts to enslave the people, and let us not forget the Media Moguls. Television or the visual screen in every home and movie theatre has become mans greatest enemy and will be the instrument of his downfall because our leaders did not regulate it's use and protect our values, character and virtues from it's assassinating effects. Our lack of vigilance has allowed us to become the underdogs in a struggle for true liberty and freedom, and we are loosing badly. And third that all these leftist philosophies lead to Slavery, and those so-called progressives are the architects of that condition. There are four kinds of people that will approach this book. The first will put it down after a few pages and say...boring! The second will put it down after falling asleep several times somewhere in its interior, due to the intensity and level of intellect of Mr. Horowitz insights. The third will read it and fail to get the point, refuse to get the point or rant and rave at him for being a traitor to their liberal causes. And the fourth will find this book invaluable for identifying the beginning and continuing causes for the liberal virus that infest the American Dream and the world. In any case a classic work by David Horowitz that should be on all reading list.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Horowitz has a powerful mind - read this book!, May 4, 2000

By	D. Gregory (New England) - See all my reviews

In my youth, I loved stories of the protesting efforts of Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and their peers. But sadly, neither of those two lived long enough to arrive at a stable place where they could impact public dialog in a long term, positive way. David Horowitz however, has. As an ex-Left Wing extremist, he knows whereof he speaks.

If you ever felt strongly against the Vietnam War, or "Nukes" or "Corporate America" or feel strongly in favor of such things as "Gay Rights" or "the Environment", you should read this book.

Not that David will speak as expected on those topics (he doesn't). Rather, you should read this book because by following his crystal clear review of his own (and others) thoughts and actions as a Radical Leftie, you can more effectively vet your own thinking process in that area.

Protesting and railing against traditional things as a way of life all sounds well & good when you are doing it, but if you step back and study what's really driving the mind set of the people and leaders of the Left, you begin to recognize the pernicious and destructive undercurrent in Left Wing motivation. As I said in my title, David Horowitz has a powerful mind. Not only that, but his information is very accurate. Was it Jack Nicholson who (in a movie) said "You can't handle the truth!"?... Don't read this book if that's you.