Republican Playbook, The (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The Republican Playbook is updated every two years, for each presidential and midterm election..." (more)
Key Phrases: gay westerns, domestic spying, personal destruction, White House, President Bush, Republican Party (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Uber-humorist Borowitz (Borowitz Report: The Big Book of Shockers) churns out humor at a fast clip—and here is another timely example. Filled with short memos, talking points and marginal notes from its purported possessor, George W. Bush, this is the latest update of a playbook that claims to have changed very little in recent years—except that the Internet has made it easier to "spread lies and distortions." It advises candidates to scare voters with a doctored photo of a future Democratic-controlled Supreme Court featuring the Dixie Chicks, Michael Moore and Alec Baldwin. There's a devastating sketch about how the Republic Party favors a credible voting process—in Iraq—followed by a somewhat labored Bruce McCallesque set of drawings of Republican-approved voting machines. A hilarious set of photos moves six degrees from Hillary Clinton to Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong Il. A Republican-to-English glossary translates "personal responsibility" to "welfare cuts" and "My fellow Americans" to "My fellow evangelical Christians." More silly, but still amusing, is a "Democrat to French conversion chart," rendering Joseph Biden as "Giscard Boudin." Enough serious points are presented with humor—how the Republicans fool the public with black faces prominent at their conventions, for example, or where the "war on terror" breaks down—to make this book more than just a diversion. (Oct.)
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Review

"A genuine stand-out." -- The Guardian

"Captures the zeitgeist." -- Philadelphia Inquirer

"Swiftean satirist." -- Wall Street Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (September 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401302904
• ISBN-13: 978-1401302900
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #542,532 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BUY THIS BOOK!! It might save your life., October 10, 2006

By	Katherine E. Zuckerman "AN INJURY TO ONE IS A... (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a slightly edited copy of mail I sent to Andy Borowitz. I seriously needed and loved this book. Please take a chance and buy it. As I said, above, it might save your life. Or at least your mental health!
Andy,
I sent a copy of your book to someone for their birthday, messed up the address part on Amazon and the book came to me (I did go back on Amazon and made sure that the birthday person got their own copy!). I am really glad that I made that first mistake, however. I have been reading MY copy and it is very smart, very funny, and almost frighteningly prescient. Especially the October surprise #2! You are soooo good. Instead of sinking into dispair (which is what I have done) over the whole Bush mess, especially the war, you made something sharp and poisonously funny from it. Oh, yeah. I am going to vote (much good it will do me in Idaho) but, no matter how the whole 2006 election turns out, I think I can continue to see the irony of the whole thing...now that you showed it to me. THANK YOU!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Jim Melcher, January 25, 2007

By	Front Street Reviews www.frontstreetreviews.com - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

One of the most popular political humor books in recent memory was America (The Book) : A Citizen's Guide to Democratic Inaction, put out by Jon Stewart and others at Comedy Central's The Daily Show. America was a political parody disguised as a civics textbook. Now comes another political parody in disguise, this time as a Republican strategy manual called The Republican Playbook. The book passes itself off as a top-secret manual misplaced by President George W. Bush (complete with "his" doodlings and commentaries within) on how to win elections and political points.

The trick in a book like this is to be over the top enough to be funny, yet just realistic enough to make it look and feel like what is being parodied. America succeeded in this, and so does The Republican Playbook. No opportunity to pick on Republicans is missed, particularly ones from the current administration-but the book offers "forewords" to "previous editions" from other Republican presidents that are equally entertaining. However, the book is seldom so overtaken with anger at the current administration that it loses its sense of humor, and maintains just the hint of plausibility needed to make a book like this work. The book is organized into five "lessons"that concern current political issues such as Iraq. Within these lessons. among the more entertaining sections are "Official Republican Supreme Court Litmus Test","How To Drain All Spontaneity From Your Town Meetings", and "Dr. Frist's Long-Distance Diagnosis of Leading Democrats". As he does in the last of these three, Borowitz is able to take plenty of digs at the Democrats, too. The Republican Playbook is a fun, relatively quick read that is clearly targeted to liberals, but many conservatives should be able to see the humor in it, too. This is one of the more entertaining American political parodies of the past several years. I repeatedly laughed out loud reading it, and other fans of current American politics will, too.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Andy Borowitz for President!, September 28, 2006

By	Frances S. Madeson (NY, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What would we do without Andy Borowitz to let us know that it isn't so bad that we can't still laugh? The Republican Playbook is not only clever and entertaining with laughs on every single page from start to finish, but it properly belongs in a time capsule to let future generations know that some of us were aware, appropriately appalled and energetically resisted the tyranny of our day with every resource available including a damning wit, a comprehensive vision and Adobe® Photoshop® CS2.