Synopsis
Al Franken, formerly of "Saturday Night Live," uses his rapier sarcasm to take on conservative politicians and pundits, from Limbaugh to Pat Robertson, from Arlen Specter to Newt Gingrich, as well as Colin Powell and Ross Perot. A sampling: "If you ask me, the man who has the easiest job in America is Rush Limbaugh's fact checker."
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1996-02-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 271 pages | | Height: | 9.0 in | | Width: | 6.0 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 15.2 oz |
Publisher's Note
In the grand satirical tradition of Swift, Rabelais, and Twain comes...Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, and Other Observations...a scathing--but uncompromisingly fair--look at Americas largest talk show host and the rest of the Republican right. Penned by the Emmy award-winning Saturday Night Live writer whom John Podhoretz of the New York Post has called "the man responsible for some of the most brilliant political satire of our time," Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot tackles the issues--and the politicians--in ways few have dared... Exploding Medicare Costs: "Why not shoot the elderly into space? Stay with me. Because Im not just thinking about the budget here. Im talking about science. Just think how many more manned space operations NASA could undertake if they didnt have to worry about getting the astronauts back." Crime: "I have a radical gun-buyback idea that I guarantee would be a huge success. Heres how it works: hand in a gun, get a free vial of crack." Newt Gingrich: "Many of us, like Newt, have acknowledged smoking dope and reading Toffler in the early 70s. But after reading his book, I think Newts dirty little secret is that he smoked dope and watched The Jetsons." Phil Gramm: "If you get beyond the fact the Gramm is ugly, mean, hypocritical, has a boob fetish, and drives his wife like a mule, he does have a certain folksy charm." On the subject of Rush Limbaugh, Franken lets the facts speak for themselves. Listen to Rush, the "rugged individualist" and enemy of government handouts, explain how his second wife made him stop sitting around the house eating just food and go file for unemployment insurance. And learn all of Rushs several explanations for how he avoided the draft. Of course, when it comes to draft-dodging Republicans, Rush isnt alone. Reading Als Vietnam short story, "Operation Chickenhawk," youll savor the exploits of Privates Limbaugh, Gramm, Quayle, Buchanan, Gingrich, and George Will as Lieutenant Oliver North leads them kicking and screaming into combat. And dont miss Als informative discussion with the man who has "the easiest job in America": Rush Limbaugh's fact-checker. And much, much more.
Industry Reviews
"Mr. Franken, best known for his appearances on 'Saturday Night Live', is a surprisingly witty social commentator....He also trashes himself: a parody review of his book calls it 'vile' and 'mindless tripe'. Funny, angry, and intelligent is more like it."
New York Times Book Review - Susan Shapiro (01/21/1996)
"As one may surmise from the title, ad hominem is his modus operandi, and he attacks with a wonderful lack of civility. To be sure, it's the nutcakes on the political right, the religious bigots, and the paranoid paramilitary that he disses, and he does it with two murderous weapons: satire and facts. Franken's sarcasm is an assault weapon...."
Coleman
Many people think that Limbaugh and his radio and television commentaries have received a free pass for far too long. . . . Limbaugh, however, is not the only politician who gets his facts checked here. . . . In 1994, Franken points out, Newt Gingrich claimed that 800 babies a year were being left in dumpsters in Washington D.C. He was only 794 off. One hysterical chapter has Ollie North leading a platoon of guys who never actually made it to Vietnam through the rice paddies. That would be Phil Gramm (deferments), George Will (deferments), Clarence Thomas (4-F), Pat Buchanam (bad knee), and Gingrich, who didn't go but says sometimes he regrets it. Funny would probably be enough here, but Franken's book is more. He also offers plenty of solid information. <BR>Annotation copyright H.W. Wilson Company.
Booklist - Ilene Cooper
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