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Wake Up, You're Liberal!: How We Can Take America Back from the Right
 
 
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Wake Up, You're Liberal!: How We Can Take America Back from the Right (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Where are the Democrats?..." (more)
Key Phrases: cascade failure, United States, Republican Party, White House (more...)
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Declaring that there hasn't been a "real" Democrat in the White House since Lyndon Johnson, Ted Rall decries the hijacking of the government by right-wingers and the seeming powerlessness of the left to stop them. Wake Up, America! You're Liberal! features his trademark no-holds-barred invective and 30 thought-provoking illustrations. Rall, seeing the left in disarray, tells liberal Americans how to organize a vibrant, relevant alternative to rightist rule and make life better for vast numbers of people in the process. In fact, he says, in order to enjoy the mainstream majority status they deserve, liberals must strive to create a viable American left centered around an effective Democratic party.


From the Author

Why is the American left in disarray and can anything be done about it? That question has haunted progressives and others who care about democracy for several decades. With the hard-right faction of the Republican Party in control of Congress, the White House and Supreme Court, the revitalization of the left in general and the Democratic Party in general is more pressing than ever.

WAKE UP, YOU'RE LIBERAL is the result of several years of research. I examined hundreds of polls of voter attitudes, talked to numerous political experts and ordinary Americans and studied media coverage of the two major parties to come up with a theoretical new political party--one that would synthesize the liberal, conservative and libertarian impulses that drive the overwhelming majority of U.S. citizens, regardless of their party affiliation.

What I found was startling. On most issues, Americans--even Republicans--tend to favor values that could be best described as liberal. They fail to support candidates that agree with them on these issues, however, when they perceive hypocrisy or inconsistency in those men and women.

I expect that readers on the left and right will be equally surprised by much of what I have to say here, but I'm not a polemicist. This book is my political magnum opus, my first attempt to present my vision for the country and its people in the hope of restoring a vibrant dialogue between people who differ on everything but what matters most: doing what's best for America.

Oh, and for those who care anout such things: this book is all prose, no cartoons.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Soft Skull Press; illustrated edition edition (May 14, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1932360220
  • ISBN-13: 978-1932360226
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,183,795 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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52 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great- to the point and no B.S., June 11, 2004
By Daniel Reynolds (Santa Rosa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
You either like Rall or you want to see him die painfully.

I like his writing a great deal. His cartoons and editorial comments are infamous for tweaking the right wing - hard. Like a meaner, more vitriolic Michael Moore or a modern day Ambrose Bierce. He thinks that Bush is an evil dumba$$ and that Ronnie Reagan in "turning a crispy black about now". His infamous cartoon about ranger Pat Tillman elicited death threats galore.

However relatively little of that invective is on display in this book. 'Wake Up..' is pretty much focused on the thesis and subsequent applications thereof that could best be summed up as follows:
1-Liberals instituted most of the good things in American Society - health and workers safety programs, education, 40 hour work weeks, abolishing child labor, etc.
2-Conservatives currently play the game of acquiring and keeping political power much, much better; thus many people vote conservative even as those same conservatives work to screw them over.
3- The Democratic party has followed the Republicans in it's movement to the right, most Democrats are, for the most part, moderate Republicans.
4-To get back into power the Democratic, or even better a truly liberal party should be both true to itself, be unashamed of wanting basic things that any civilized country should expect to have, E.G. universal healthcare, education and a redistributionist tax model. But at the same time get its head out of it's behind and focus deeply and pervasively on a few issues. Rall points out the general scattered approach and fruitiness of the typical peace march with people carrying every type of sign, compared to the Republicans ability to stay on message.

A solidly written, pragmatic book, nearly as good as the brilliant 'To Afghanistan and back' (IMHO the best war writing since Orwell and 'Homage to Catalonia'); it is hard to believe it is written by the same guy who is such a savage attack dog in cartoon and sound bite. If you hate the guy and what he stands for (American populist socialism, in essence) go buy something by Ann Coulter instead; however if you wonder how the heck we end up with such crappy leaders and what we can do about it this is an interesting and worthwhile book.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought -- read it while thinking's still allowed, October 25, 2005
By Phrawm47 "RBV" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
-

I found "Wake Up, You're Liberal!" to be excellent food for thought.

There are some who feel that all the important issues facing America and Americans have been solved. For those who feel this way, doctrinaire nonsense from one or another "ism" obviates the need to examine, consider, and decide -- all that's needed is to just keep shouting ideological catchphrases at any and all problems 'til the problems succumb from exhaustion.

For the great majority of centrist Americans, however, partisan shrieking isn't enough. For them, reflecting on earlier events and examining new ideas is an essential part of good citizenship.

Ted Rall's cogently written book, "Wake Up, You're Liberal!," provides that reflection and examination. Like any of our fellow species members, Mr. Rall may not always get it right, but that's a consequence of his considering complex problems rather than arguing that simplistic catchphrases alone are enough to solve them them.

His examination also means that the word "Liberal" in the title may mislead, even disappoint, some readers. One of the books recurring themes is that doctrinaire liberals and doctrinaire conservatives alike have allowed rigid advocacy of overly simplistic, even extremist, dogma to move their respective movements out of the political mainstream.

"Wake Up, You're Liberal!" won't offend or annoy anyone who can tolerate reasoned political dialog. The book certainly isn't grounds for having Mr. Rall imprisioned, exiled, or shot as some neocons have publicly suggested.

But for those of who naively belive that any book, doctrine, or "ism" can provide the answer to any and all problems, books like "Wake Up" may present an unacceptable deviance from approved doctrine. That's true whether the orthodoxy originates from the left or the right.

For that reason alone, I strongly suggest you read this book while it's still legal to do so...
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A sharp-voiced wake-up call, November 13, 2004
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
Wake Up... You're Liberal: How We Can Take America Back From The Right is a sharp-voiced wake-up call, grounded heavily in both research and personal passion. Cartoonist, columnist, and war correspondent Ted Rall argues that most "Republican" voters agree with liberals on most issues, but have been duped into voting against their own interests and for the interests of the wealthiest, most sharply conservative, and often most fanatically religious minority of the nation. Discussing everything from high school bullying to dirty political practices to Central Asian oil politics, Wake Up... You're Liberal combines its whetted observations into an overriding manifesto to wake up, get involved, and contribute to the democratic system that makes America great.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A Bad Man
I read the book because I had heard good things about it. I was disgusted by what I saw. I've always been a moderate, so this is not the ramblings of some right wing nut who... Read more
Published on August 9, 2006 by Hooray Beer!

3.0 out of 5 stars I basically agree, but the book does have flaws
I agree, generally, with the book's basic position, which is that those of us who are not on the far right side of the political spectrum need to stand up to the onslaught from... Read more
Published on January 20, 2006 by Ludwig J. Pluralist

3.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable
It's hard to understand how anyone can have their head buried so far up their rear end that they could actually buy in to this. Read more
Published on October 27, 2005 by Allen S. Hamilton IV

3.0 out of 5 stars Outspoken author is passionate about his convictions
Ted Rall argues that liberal Democrats only problem comes down to a lack of proactive self-marketing. Read more
Published on July 10, 2005 by Robin Orlowski

5.0 out of 5 stars Put the Bite Back into Liberal Politics
In this Book, Ted Rall has as much criticism for the Democrats as for the Republicans. Predictably, Rall goes after the Republicans for their hate filled rhetoric and their... Read more
Published on June 5, 2005 by T. Hooper

1.0 out of 5 stars Ted Rall...
...advocates the death of American servicemembers, is avile man, and spews hate and venom in everything he writes.

Loser. Read more
Published on June 3, 2005 by Mumakata

1.0 out of 5 stars Wake up Ted. . . Life is not a cartoon.
Ted Rall is a cartoonist and in way's we can say that he lives in a cartoon world. He very much wants to believe in the greatness of socialism, he wants to believe that everything... Read more
Published on March 6, 2005 by Enigma

3.0 out of 5 stars Ted Rall:crazy left-wing loon or not?
If you're sick of people who just post partisan attacks or commentaries withouth actually mentioning anything relating to the book (which is 80% of the reviews for this book) then... Read more
Published on March 4, 2005 by J. D. White

5.0 out of 5 stars What is a Conservative?
A conservative: wants Taliban-like religious theocracy (only with suits and ties, not turbans), wants to disenfranchise and intimidate people from their right to vote, wants to... Read more
Published on October 31, 2004 by Wes

5.0 out of 5 stars Opened my eyes
Ted Rall should be commended for laying out all the cards on the table and calling out what needs to be fixed. Read more
Published on September 29, 2004 by Brandon L. Harlow

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