Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing is Turning America Into a One-Party State (Paperback)

by Sheldon Rampton (Author), John Stauber (Author) "It was like hell had opened up," said Danny Smalley, as he testified in court about the death of his 17-year-old daughter, Danielle, on August..." (more)
Key Phrases: conservative foundations, liberal bias, conservative movement, White House, United States, Fox News (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
No more bed-time stories...these guys are here to wake you up. -- Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

Review
No more bed-time stories...these guys are here to wake you up. (Greg Palast, author of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (May 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585423424
• ISBN-13: 978-1585423422
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #530,215 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-documented and quite FRIGHTENING, June 19, 2004

By	Lance C. Huffman "d_meeker" (Litcfield Park, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was a very compelling look at the well-organized machine that is the right. I was impressed with how well-documented the book was, using the words of those on the right to make the case.

Those that criticize the book will have to refute an awful lot of quotes and facts by their conservative friends. With all the quotes, citations and endnotes, I don't know how one COULD refute the general claims of this book.

What was most frightening for me in this book was the push by the right to completely "wipe them [the left or the democrats] off the face of the planet." This quote by David Horowitz, political strategist for the right, is telling. As the book points out, for the Democrats, politics is a debate between two opposing camps or schools of thought. For the Republicans, it is a war for dominance. I am frightened by a group that does not welcome discourse, especially when that group is so powerful politically and economically. Squashing the political opponent seems very anti-American to me.

Read this book. Then vote.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Salutory, June 28, 2004

By A Customer

The country has been so bombarded for deacdes by the claim that the media is liberal, readers like the one from Syracuse believe it, ignoring the power, reach and influence of the Wall Street Journal; talk radio, especially Rush Limbaugh; and MSNBC and Fox. Furthermore, the campaign has shifted all media rightward. But even Republicans have admitted the claims of a liberal media are a shell game, and a brilliantly successful one at that. This book and David Brock's The Republican Noise Machine and Eric Alterman's What Liberal Media should be read by all citizens who want to maintain and strengthen American democracy.

38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important book, May 28, 2004

By	Mark Nicosia "zenpunk" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

like the other books by Rampton/Stauber, this one cuts thru the lies that the common man is constantly bombarded with by big, corporate owned media and politicians who are in the pockets of big money corporations. Turn off FOX and CNN and Clearchannel and other "news" sources which are owned by billionairres and require that you only hear their side so they can wage their wars and abuse populations for the sake of their bottom line. Wake up america... you're brainwashed... just look at the last review. Pew poll, indeed. Come on, read something Rupert Murdock wouldn't approve of.

A great book... get their others too.