Democrat Books

IF you vote for the next President without first reading at least half of this book, you have no excuse.
(Use a highlighter, you'll want to share interesting points with someone.)
Don't let the people who gave this book a 1 stop you from reading it.
Maybe it has something in it they don't want you to know.
IF what this guy wrote is untrue, shouldn't Obama sue. (Both he and his wife are lawyers who got their law degrees from Harvard. They are regular people just like you and me.)
When you vote, and I hope you do, do it as an informed citizen.
It is your right and responsibility as an American to vote.
(Many countries don't have the freedom to vote.)

Since we no longer have an unbiased media to ask the hard questions of candidates they promote, we need authors like Corsi to do their job.

The most important book of our Lifetime. A must read for every voter who wants to know the truth about Barack Obama. An honest book that removes the hype surrounding Obama's life. It's no wonder Obama went ballistic when this book was published. The facts presented in The Obama Nation will open your eyes to the real Obama.

I have to say, I don't like Obama, nor do I like McCain, and still don't. I wish there were other candidates. This book is very very disturbing. I'm still gasping for air. If even half of this true, I cannot bring myself to vote for a man who doesn't pledge allegiance to the flag of our United States, who doesn't stand for America, regardless of his political rhetoric.

If you are truly open-minded, regardless of your party, reading this book will cause your jaw to drop, and skip a few heart beats. If elected, Obama will leave Americans with families and children like myself, living in fear.

Excellent and very informative ... needs to be read by all voters prior to Nov 4!

i love this book and i think the writing is amazing. idont know how he found time to write all of this but it was amazing. on the other hand it took me foreever. esepily the chacogo part. it was still amazing

Having read "The Audacity of Hope" and been incredibly inspired by it, I expected more of the same thoughtful discussion when I moved on to "Dreams From My Father." Was I ever surprised to discover an American Novel - with soaring descriptions, gifted human characterization, and appropriate suspense. Those who read this book hoping to get an inside look at a potential president will get what they paid for. Those just hoping to read a good story about the American experience will find what they want as well - even if they had never heard of Barack Obama (due to living on another planet, no doubt). As a white woman in the younger generation, with a less jaundiced view of race relations, I cringed early on at all the racial obsessions Barack entertained as a young man. Then I was grateful to get this inside look at what are true issues for my fellow citizens of color. (It's been a while since I read Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.) Once I understood that Obama was presenting his struggles with identity as an honest attempt to explain the complex issues that being interracial present, I relaxed and appreciated the candor. My only criticism, from a casual reader's perspective, is that the departures from narrative on his MULTIPLE soul-searching musings go on for pages and pages and toward the end of the book seem extensive. His editor should have just trimmed some of those for the sake of flow. The ease of reading isn't quite what it is in "Audacity," but obviously it is far and away above what most attorneys can produce in attempts at entertaining fiction.

Anyone who reads this story will be touched by the humanity and journey of a man who had a long way to go in any endeavor. His humility and determination along the journey is inspiring and touching. His path gives all American's the encouragement that the "American Dream" is still alive and possible to achieve.

I wish that every American could read this book! I was moved and impressed as I learned about who Barack Obama is. This book was written shortly after graduating from law school and before Obama entered politics. It highlights what an intelligent, perceptive, philosophical and principled person he is.

This is so much more than a simple bio. Obama's relections about the events of his life are poignant and insightful. I learned so much about the man as he recounted his real education (the one he got on the south side of Chicago) after Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard Law.

Obama's capacity to weave something handsome and strong from the disparate threads of his inheritance gives me hope that through his vision and leadership he can help our country appreciate and make good use of our diversity.

I read this book because I wanted to know more about Obama. I wanted (and expected) to like him, but unfortunately I was disappointed. This book has a very whiny, "poor me" kind of tone. Not to say that black people don't have a tough time, but there seems to be a lot of blaming "the white man" and "white folks" in general. News flash: we "white folks" don't just sit around plotting how we can make black folks' lives difficult.
Recommended reading: The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes

I wanted to see what inspired Oprah to say this was one of the most outstanding books she ever read. It was the biggest bunch of fluff I have ever read. It says we need to work together to accomplish goals and to end partisan bickering. Then it says unlike Republicans who cut student loans or spent millions to defeat Democarts. It is the life of a man who had not even been in the U.S. Senate yet. How does someone with no background win an election and the next month get a three book deal for 1.9 million and it go unnoticed? This was a novice who got paid to write whatever popped into his head for the sake of money.

If you want to know THE REAL Senator Obama, this book will tell you. Don't listen to the media talking heads. Read this book. You will be impressed by a man of integrity and strength. His views are mixed, both liberal, in the middle, and conservative.

Barack Obama is an inspiration to everyone, regardless of your political affiliation. This should be required reading in schools across America.

It so happens that I'm finally getting around to writing this review just after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention and just before Hurricane Gustav is about to make landfall at New Orleans. Both events underscore the importance of Barack Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, in the public discourse of the early 21st Century. I think it's irresponsible for any American--and especially anyone who plans to vote in November--not to read it.

The next election for President of the United States is a contest between reason and emotion. At last week's convention, some of the greatest minds in the world today appeared in support of the most highly educated group of office-seekers in history (including both members of the Democratic ticket and their wives). From the euphoria evident in television broadcasts, a casual observer could get the impression that the entire event was about feelings. But it wasn't. It was about justice and poverty, nuclear proliferation and terrorism, the state of the planet and the state of humanity. Thoughtful speeches were made by brilliant people who have devoted decades of their lives to understanding these complex issues and struggling to make the world a safer, happier place.

Then Senator McCain made the astonishing choice of Sarah Palin--a woman who apparently believes in creationism but not global warming--to be his vice-presidential running mate. I believe that history will show that this was not a shrewd political move; it was an impulsive act by a famously impulsive man.

I first read a book about global warming in the 1970s. Even then, scientists knew that unchecked human expansion and the increasing burden of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would bring about dramatic changes in weather patterns, resulting in much greater variations of temperature and more violent storms than the earth has experienced in the brief period of human habitation. Hundred-year events would become annual events, and five-hundred-year storms would begin to be seen with some regularity. So why are some people still surprised that it's happening?

We are decades behind making the changes we should have been making to preserve the planet in a habitable condition for our children and grandchildren (much less generations beyond those of this century). In my opinion, we can no longer afford the luxury of political correctness or the laissez-faire attitude that one opinion is as good as another. We need someone leading the most powerful country on earth who is extremely well-informed, clear-headed, skilled in communication and consensus making, and concerned about the things we all should be concerned about. As this book makes abundantly clear, that person is Barack Obama.

Just pure, from the heart, quality work from a true patriot of the United States. Don't judge this man until you read what he believes. I was a diehard Republican until giving him a chance. I'm so glad I made the decision to read this fine work. Go Obama!

The ideas that are written about in "Words that Work" are classic and timeless - some of these principles go back to Dale Carnegie (learn the person's name) and such.

Language is everything and if it is focused inward, you're just talking to yourself. If you focus your language to your audience you will have much more success and broader impact.

I loved the way he presented his examples using corporate slogans and political speeches, it illustrated each point very well.

He also talks at length about being a republican, and I'm a democrat, but he remembered his listener and presented his position based on facts, not on personal biases.

I can't wait for the sequel to hear what he has to say about Obama and McCain and their languaging. It will be fun!!!

Need to sell a product or service? Need to convince an audience of your POV? Need to make a case for a raise? This book provides invaluable ideas, tips and concepts for everyone who communicates in writing or in person.

Great book for people who's work depend on a lot of comunication.It contains lot of useful knowledge and explanation how to orginze ur words to get the message throu. Very well writen(not that I know anything about writing)but I found it easy to read and hard to put down.

Save your money. Mr Luntz has loaded this tome with lots of pointless trivia. There is a table of jargon along with their meanings. Did you know that "bling" means bright , flashy jewelry? Or how about this brilliant insight,"What's particularly striking about the new language is that it is coming not from the older elites of society who live in wealthy suburban neighborhoods but from the hip-hop youth culture found in America's urban areas." You will not be sharing these insights at your wealthy suburban tea parties or with your hip-hop, bling encrusted pals either.

This is a deeply cynical book by an author who never tires of telling you he was the main genius behind the "Contract with America" that helped the Republicans win control of Congress in 1994.
He starts by quoting George Orwell bemoaning the misuse of language. He then proceeds to misuse language, and purports to teach the rest of us to do the same, for the rest of the book.
According to Doctor Luntz, who has no doubt tested every word in polls and focus groups, changing the name of an activity from gambling to gaming, transforms not just the image but the activity itself, from a destructive and risky behavior to good clean fun.
Doctor Luntz has probably also tested the fact that his books sell better if he always refers to himself as "Doctor." Never are we told what he is a doctor of and where and when he earned his doctorate.
How can a corporation smash a strike? Ask Doctor Luntz (Answer: by changing the language with which the corporation communicates. Not by addressing the workers' concerns (God forbid) or improving pay or work conditions but by subtly undermining the union.
How do corporations like Enron deal with scandals and avoid government oversight? Not by reforming themselves but by changing the words they use.
Doctor Lunz praises Ford for its successful communications strategy and use of the correct buzzwords while tearing down GM for failing to use them. However now both of them are stuck selling huge gas guzzlers that nobody wants to buy.
How does big oil justify its massive profits? With words like, "Working together -- consumers, government, industry -- we'll insure diverse, relaible energy to live our lives and keep America going strong."
Doctor Luntz says he deeply respects the American people but also goes to considerable lengths to argue that most Americans are uneducated, ignorant, do not read, are not happy and are still freaked out by 9/11.
Doctor Luntz never loses an opportunity to get in a sly dig at Democrats.
To conclude, let me quote from Orwell's "1984" because the following paragraph seems to me to perfectly capture the ethos of this nasty little book:
"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?... Has it ever occurred to your, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?...The whole climate of thought will be different. In fact, there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think."

It just doesn't stop. What is this, the sixth book by stick-woman? Does it matter? It's the same book, every year. The same shtick, all the time.

I'd like to write a wittier review of this book, but it's difficult. I never bought a Coulter book, I never will. I preview these books along with other pundit offerings in bookstores, reading through them (that's 'reading' through them) until I get that shifting feeling in my stomach that tells me it's time to find a restroom. It's kind of not funny anymore. It's not answerable. You have to be immersed in the current media culture, a funny one where the media themselves take shots at 'the media' and blame liberals or conservatives or other bogeymen, in order to comment on this book in any serious way. How long can this show hold up?

This woman needs something else in her life. She's 46 or 47 now---her alleged lying about her age makes no difference anymore as she's thankfully past the expiration date for having demon spawn. She has no chance of children, which is good for the human race, but it sadly guarantees more trees will die for dozens more books. Her self hatred, deep and deeply masked, is psychically affecting the country in ways we cannot quantify. She is a pathetic little person, educated and rich and completely empty. Anyone who thrives on this kind of controversy and hatred has issues that no bestseller list will solve.

Ann Coulter once said that perhaps women shouldn't vote, since in most recent elections a Republican would have been elected every time if only men voted. Her criticisms of herself don't even make sense. Bizarrely, Ann Coulter herself is proof that women shouldn't vote, go to school (particularly law school), own property, work, or leave the house. That would put the USA on the level of the nations Coulter hates on (invade their countries and blah blah blah), which is another odd twist in her whole act.

Recommended for those just about to go over the edge, or the clinically constipated.

Ann Coulter has my deepest sympathy. Hysteria can be a very debilitating disease, causing hallucinations as well as violent and vulgar outbursts. She suffers from delusions and severe self-loathing, which results in incoherent babbling and rambling about things that she is not even aware. Serious psychological counseling may help elevate this problem, however a better remedy might be a serious commitment to another human being. With her social life in disarray, she has jumped off the cliff of normalcy, into the dark and murky waters of mania. She like many others such as Rush Limbaugh (who suffers from a Napoleonic Complex, as well as addiction to pain relievers), and Bill O'Reilly who has delusions of self-grandeur, all could use some serious psychological counseling. Their ramblings and ranting are consistent with a total loss of mental and emotional control. Without realizing it, they have all become embarrassments to themselves and their "professions." Hopefully, they will all get the counseling they need before they express themselves verbally.

This was my first Ann Coulter book. Since many people said that it contains many thoughts of her old material, I figured it would be a great book to start with. I also had this wild idea that hearing her voice in the CD version might give it some extra power. Ann had me laughing very hard and....she made me think about a few things too. I couldn't turn it off; I really got into it. ;o)

Ann Coulter's book is massive failure. It is a compiled stack of insults and Coulter giggling over how witty she is.

I really wonder what she has going through her mind when she wrote this. Clearly, it makes no progress on issues. She merely rants to the right what they want to hear and dismisses the left. She becomes a justification or an excuse for the right to become obstinate and inflexible. The book, like her other works, does nothing except polarize political conditions, thus polarizing people themselves. Bipartisan collaboration is thus set back.

What is her purpose in writing this book? It seems to be nothing more than inflating her ego, since it obviously doesn't do anything for the issues she seems to claim to care about (you have to read in between the lines to even know what she supposedly believes in).

In her opening lines, she speaks about how her devastating wit destroys the minds of her opponents, who apparently have heard their first rational words from Coulter's mouth. Reading the book though, I see no arguments and no rationality. Just insults, followed by quotations, followed by insults, then Coulter commenting on how hilarious she is.

Really, now.

Coulter's books should be required reading in our public schools. She is a constitutional scholar, theologian and a literary talent of the highest order. Her passionate, yet entirely factual, arguments about why we should kill all the muslims and 9/11 widows and convert them to christianity are well reasoned and irrefutable. Although I don't completely understand how you would convert somebody to christianity after you have killed them, I certainly agree with her premise that we are obligated as a Christian nation to go out into the world to torture and kill all those who have not accepted our beliefs and our way of life. It is the principal on which this nation was founded.

She has openly and proudly admitted that she does not strive for objectivity or fairness. But that does not negate the facts which she presents such as Larry Craig being the greatest Senator of all time or that the hurricane katrina victims had it coming. Although she is admittedly one-sided, she is a popular commentator who is frequently seen on TV talk shows, so her opinions are valuable and must be published and sold in bookstores around the country year after year even if they may seem a bit repetitious. I, like many other 5-star reviewers here, am a die-hard liberal. But I find Coulter to be among the most reasoned and intelligent of today's political commentators. To many people it may not make sense for a liberal to recommend this book so highly, or to suggest that it should be required reading for both liberals and conservatives. Nonetheless, I thank Amazon for allowing me to express my deeply held opinion on this subject.

The Faith of Barack Obama is going to let down many readers. Those who are looking for a pro-Obama reading will not find what they anticipated. The people who are expecting to read the certainty about Obama's religious affiliations won't get what they want.

Readers who want the truth will not be disappointed.

Stephen Mansfield writes with no agenda other than presenting what he learned about Barack Obama's journey in faith. Although Mansfield has been open about not voting for Obama, that stand never shows in the book.
After a brief re-telling of Obama's childhood, including his stint in a Muslim school, Mansfield describes how Barack Obama made a spiritual journey from no faith to the Christian faith.

Important also is Mansfield explanation of new face of religion in the United States. By comparing John McCain, Hillary Rodman Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama's faith, Mansfield illustrates how faith changes through the generations. It's not your mama's religion.

The reading of this book hasn't changed my mind about whether I'll vote for Barack Obama or not. It has given me a new look at Christianity in America and its affect on American politics - liberal and conservative.

I applaud Thomas Nelson for taking the bold step of publishing this book, even in the face of unwarranted backlash.

After an overt audience preference for John McCain at Saddleback's faith forum last week, I found myself skeptical that another Christian mainstay (Thomas Nelson) could treat a democrat fairly. However, like moderator Rick Warren, author Stephen Mansfield does a respectable job proving for insight into the spiritual life of the current democratic presidential nominee in The Faith of Barack Obama.

The Faith of Barack Obama appears to be written for a more conservative, evangelical audience. At points, it feels as though Mansfield uses the views of the religious right as the measuring stick for the `correct' faith. When speaking of faith, the perspective with which he compares Obama stems solely from the more conservative Christian viewpoint (as opposed to Muslim, Hindu, etc.) Given the audience, there is no fault in this, but it would be helpful to note this point to better understand the book's perspective.

In spite of the audience, Mansfield works hard to highlight Obama's message of unity to the traditionally divided factions of politics and faith. Chapter two opens with an example of then-presidential candidate Sam Brownback and Obama at Saddleback's World AIDS Day summit. At the summit, Brownback commented that he felt more `comfortable' than he'd felt when they'd shared the stage at the NAACP conference. Given evangelicals' tendency to lean Republican, Brownback turned to Obama and commented, "Welcome to my house!" In his infamous eloquence, Obama responded, "There is one thing I have to say, Sam. This is my house, too. This is God's house."

Mansfield goes on to explore how Obama has worked to bring traditionally divided houses together, to break down long-standing barriers, and to forge common ground on hostile issues. Perhaps the most hostile of these issues is abortion, to which Mansfield dedicates an entire chapter on Obama's voting record on abortion. While this chapter is the most negative tone, it is certainly an issue to be considered for those who espouse the value of human life. However, the examination of this one issue felt overemphasized as I would have liked to see a more in depth examination of his stance on other issues of life such as the death penalty, world poverty, and health care. (Mansfield does touch on some of these topics, just not as in depth as he does with abortion.)

Mansfield also includes a fascinating chapter entitled, "The Four Faces of Faith" which examines how George Bush, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barrack Obama represent four distinct sectors of America. In it, he examines how each public figure has publically lived their faith and how they reflect a various sectors of the American public. I won't elaborate more here or it would spoil his point.

"It is the healers who are best remembered," he concludes, "those who teach us to live beyond the limitations of our lesser selves." Comparing Obama to such historic figures as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Gerald Ford, Desmond Tutu, Manfield closes with deep respect for the message that Obama proclaims - that as a nation, we are broken and we need healing. He asserts that Obama's presence is "more significant for who he is than for what he does politically" because he brings to light long neglected issues in our past: racism, the poor, the "restoration of religion to the political Left", the recognition of the black church in America. While certain sections feel slightly biased, the majority of Mansfield's book is objective and fair. Ultimately, it is a challenge to those on both sides of the church fence to be willing to dialog across difficult lines.

The Democratic National Convention started today in Denver, Colorado, and it is no doubt that the nominee of the party for President will be Senator Barack Obama. With that nomination, and even before, come the questions of who is this man, what does he believe in, and where does he stand? As our nation has struggled through the recent hardships of 9-1-1, the Iraq war, and turmoils in our local communities, we are increasingly looking beyond the superficial appearances of our politicians to their core beliefs and values. We are, as a nation, more and more interested in what drives out leaders and makes them tick.

The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield seeks to help the reader find some of those answers. The book does not make a judgement call on who Americans should elect as their next president. Instead the author, by explaining Obama's upbringing and influences, strives to show what it is that forms Obama's beliefs and how that drives his thought process. The book also pulls no punches. On complicated issues such as abortion and the various laws legislating around the issue, Mansfield clearly points out where Obama has logical struggles and at times has mis-stepped his ideals. But again, the strength of this work is that it offers up the facts on those issues and lets the reader form their own opinion.

In addition to detailing the influences that have gone into the Barack Obama's faith, Mansfield also gives attention to three of the other main characters in this election - Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and George W. Bush. Not does this help to give a foot in the door on exploring those dynamic individuals, but it also helps to compare and contrast the cast of players. It is made clear that there are more than years of difference in this election, there are also differences of education, social influence, and how their faith was obtained. Revelation versus inheritance versus personal exploration are depicted as paths that help to form the destination.

This book is timely not only in terms of the election and the conventions, but also in terms of where we are currently in US politics. We are seeing, across the board, Republican or Democrat, a renewed interest in values and what goes into a person to form those values. Those values, that faith, is important to the American people and to the world. How our President puts his personal values into action in the world is important to determining how we interact with the world and where this country will be in years to come. Well written, timely, and well researched, this should be considered a must read for anyone on either side of the election interested in learning more about the candidates.

I read this book with an eye looking for signs of bias. I didn't want someone to tell me what I should think about Obama's faith. I wanted to better understand where he's coming from. And I think this book did that for me. It gave me a fuller picture of his background and the church he's attended. We've all heard of some of the outrageous things Dr. Wright has said, but this book helped me understand where he's coming from. That doesn't necessarily mean I like it or agree, but I at least have a context.

It also highlighted the post modern nature to Obama's faith. This is a concept that is smacking me everywhere I turn, and I am searching to understand. It's like anything else, I need to understand it, so I can figure out where it diverges from what I believe and where there's common ground for a starting point.

The most helpful chapter for me was the four faces of faith. In that chapter the author contrasts Obama with John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and George W. Bush. It was hugely helpful for grasping where McCain is coming from, especially in the context of his answers in the forum.

One measure of the usefulness of any book lies in its power to provoke a reader to mindfulness of alarming conditions in one's community, one's universe, or one's own spirit. As I read and pondered Stephen Mansfield's The Faith of Barack Obama, I became increasingly mindful of certain alarming paradoxes in American political life in 2008:

* How bizarre it is that personal character is usually kept off the table in political discourse while a candidate's religion is now considered fair game. When a scandal occurs, as it so often does nowadays with Democrats, Republicans, and preachers, it is always a scandal of character, not of one's stated religion.

* The central organizing principle that underlies the uses of religion and spirituality in American political life is bold hypocrisy and outright deceit. This has been true for decades, or perhaps as long as religion has been so used, but it seems especially clear today.

* Despite abundant evidence - not least in Obama's presence itself - that we live in a post-homogeneous America, our politics are relentlessly constrained by homogenizing talking heads who are always willing to stoop low to achieve the populist posture of a "gotcha" moment in which they use association or innuendo to say, of Obama or anyone else, "See, he's not like us!"

The aforementioned condition of rampant hypocrisy is not limited to one political party or one religious denomination. It is widespread. It is not my intention to cast stones here, but simply to state what should be obvious.

Religious self-presentation has become a routine element of political campaigns, often with no more rigor than might be involved in a candidate's assertion, for instance, that she had "always been a Yankees fan." No wonder, then, how often such calculations backfire with the drawing back of the curtains and the attendant protestations that we should "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

I recall a long period in my own adult life when I might have argued that Stephen Mansfield's inquiry into the spiritual journey of Barack Obama, however elegant in its composition and thorough in its supporting research, was insignificant almost by definition. Like millions of others who were inspired by John F. Kennedy's public persona, I grew up believing that religion should have no role in politics. Even if America's mid-century notions of pluralism and tolerance operated within the boundaries of a seemingly homogeneous culture, they appealed both to our basic sense of decency and to our fuzzy notions of a living constitution that worked.

Those notions have come under relentless attack for decades, so that we are less likely to recoil reflexively from the very idea of a book such as Mansfield's, as I and many others once did at titles such as Senator Barry Goldwater's Conscience of a Conservative or William F. Buckley's God and Man at Yale.

I wonder if Mansfield's book would have the same bookshelf appeal that it has today if it had been published under the title The Character of Barack Obama. That seems a bland alternative. But when I finished reading Mansfield's book and put it down, what impressed me most was that I felt that I had just read a book of considerable rigor and thoughtfulness about Obama's character and its origins, rather than anything so specific as a book about his religious faith.

I cannot fault Obama for fronting his "faith" as he has done, or Mansfield for writing about it. Without falling into a potentially dull recitation of second-hand news, Mansfield's narrative manages to do justice to the extremely damaging - and, of course, deceitful -- smear campaigns of guilt-by-innuendo and guilt-by-association that have tarred Obama as a Muslim extremist and, by selective use of the quotations of former Pastor Jeremiah Wright, as a bitter and unpatriotic black man. Under such stress, I don't know if there is any other way for Obama to fight back, and I appreciate Mansfield's chronicle.

But I admit that I will be somewhat more interested, if Obama is elected (as I hope that he will be), in an updated chronicle of the testing of his faith during his tenure as president. Whatever the ability of any campaigner to dance righteously across the religious dance floor of contemporary presidential politics, it is when a candidate becomes president that he (or, in the event of two very plausible circumstances, she) embarks upon a season of relentless preaching from America's most powerful pulpit.

Should such a book become appropriate, I hope that Stephen Mansfield will write it.

This book is an excellent read for those political junkies who are following this election day by day.

Drew Westen draws on both basic neuropsych research and political research. He is not always clear which of the two he is using in his conclusions. This is a well written book by a committed Democrat. His analysis of why people vote for particular candidates is interesting and believable. Yep, this is why they made Socrates drink the hemlock. A must read for all who hope to vote in an informed way or who intend to run for office.

As a psychotherapist and author, I'm amazed at how Westen makes such a complex, well researched subject so compelling and fascinating. I am rarely a nonfiction reader out of my genre of psychology, but this book is a pleasure to read. Westen explains how the parts of the brain work together and helps us easily understand the role of emotion in deciding not just the fate of the nation but everything political. I have recommended this book to all my friends.

The Republican Party, to its credit, has exploited this fundamental principle of politics for decades, while many Democratic candidates have retreated into a "safe" strategy of not offending the electorate.

This has lead to an extremely unhealthy state of one-party dominance at many levels of government.

Westen utilizes brain science and research to prove that taking a clear stance on a controversial issue, even if it is the "wrong" stance in the view of the pollsters, will garner more votes that hiding behind a staid shield of non-offensive double-talk.

"The Political Brain" by Drew Westen is an important contribution to the political science literature in general and an inspiration for Democratic Party supporters in particular. Mr. Westen's knowledge of psychology and the cognitive sciences provides insight into how the individual develops a political consciousness. Showing how the Republican Party has gained advantage by developing an emotionally fear-laden narrative designed to exploit the electorate's psychic sensibilities, Mr. Westen argues that Democrats can and must develop a compelling counternarrative that appeals to the American public's better angels in order to inspire their supporters and win consistently at the polls.

The first section discusses the mind, brain and emotion in politics. Mr. Westen draws upon the latest scientific research to explain how emotion is integral to the brain's cognitive function. Mr. Westen recites passages delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Bill Clinton to illustrate how political messages are most effective when they tie issues to emotionally resonant themes and images. Importantly, Mr. Westen also deconstructs the neoliberal ideology of Ronald Reagan to help us better understand the importance of evolutionary psychology and crafting popular messages with curb appeal.

The second section provides a blueprint for executing emotionally compelling campaigns. Mr. Westen explores the multiple layers of voter intelligence to reveal how Republicans have successfully used subliminal messaging to activate the public's feelings of anxiety in order to get people to vote against their own material self-interests. The author stresses that when Democratics shy away from conflict, voters instinctively detect weakness; therefore he recommends that Democrats cede nothing and go after issues that many voters tend to perceive as Republican. To that end, Mr. Westen offers a series of principled narratives on contentious issues such as abortion, affirmative action, gay rights and gun control that he believes could easily help the Democrats gain majority support by activating the American voter's sense of fairness, freedom and equality of opportunity. While perhaps not fully convincing on all subjects, Mr. Westen amply demonstrates that a coherent and inspirational counternarrative is possible.

Unfortunately, this otherwise excellent book succumbs to a transparent attempt at self-promotion by forcing readers to go to the author's website to read the footnotes. Boo! Yet despite this minor deficiency, I highly recommend this timely and fascinating book to everyone.

Veteran author, columnist and GCN live radio host Webster Tarpley lays bare the tentacled arm of the insane Zbigniew Brzezinski and his main mouthpiece and puppet Obama.
Tarpley outlines the crafting of this Manchurian candidate and the seriously apocalyptic vision that Obama will be used to fulfill culminating in WW3 with Russia.
Look out for his new 'unauthorized biography on Obama' coming soon!

Tired of the fake, controlled, contrived taking points both for and against Obama in the corporate media? Check this book out. Even if you disagree with everything the author says in the book, you'll still have a whole new perspective on this thanks to Tarpley.

This book shows the hidden side of Saint Obama, and the crazed neocon/fascist agenda of those who puppeteer him. If anyone thinks either candidate for office is going to be any different than what we have, they haven't read enough.
Webster hits the ball out of the park with this one.
America DIED 11/22/63 and the same agenda is still going on....today it looks like war with Russia is back on target which should make Brezinski very happy.

First, let me begin by saying that I am no supporter of Barack Obama and believe that his election as president would be a colossal disaster. However, if I am to be fair minded I have to judge Tarpley's OBAMA-THE POSTMODERN COUP with the same objectivity that I would if he had for example published his book using MCCAIN instead of OBAMA in the title. I have no objection to any book written as a polemic. Indeed I have written numerous favorable reviews of polemics, but in those cases, each polemic that I praised was grounded in fact and backed by credible documentary evidence. Make no mistake. Tarpley's book is not much more than flimsy charges tinged with guilt by association. It is true that Barack Obama is a political lightweight but it ought to be up to the American voters to decide their ballots based on the facts, and in this case the facts that call into question Barack Obama's competency have been thoroughly documented elsewhere to such an extent that there is no need to indulge in the sort of conspiracies in Tarpley to derail Obama's quest for the White House. I shall not rehash here the Trilateral Commision brouhaha nor the Zbigniew Brezhinski controversy since neither is referenced by reliable footnotes. What emerges then from Tarpley is that the "coup" of the title exists only on the fringes of a discourse that is neither rational nor convincing. The left has no monopoly of character assassins.

I couldn't put it down. I learned alot. I had questions about a lot of things and independently did my own fact checking. and it all checked out. His conclusions seemed a bit out there, but the more you read and think about it and check it out, the more it seems to be spot on. Definitely worth the time and money.

I have read his book reviews, but there is nothing like HEARING Obama's voice. To "babysue"; what has Obama done to you personally? I've checked out everything you have reviewed and each and every one of your reviews were bashing Obama. You exhibit PURE HATE. It's one thing to disagree with a person's personal opinions/views, but to bash and hate is a bit too much and unnecessary. My God, I hope you are not a teacher at any level, but especially early education. I think you are a great example of what happens when hate is taught.

This CD set provides a remarkable and powerful insight into the man who is running for President of the United States. Hearing the written words in his own voice is a fascinating way to learn more about Barack Obama. I highly recommend this set for anyone who wants to capture the history of this election on CD and also enjoys listening to books as an alternative to reading for long trips in the car, etc.

These audio books make for informative and pleasant listening while I am driving,working around the house or walking around my neighborhood. Barack Obama's narration is clear, interesting and expressive. I would recommend it to anyone.

The Grammy award winning recording of the Essential Barack Obama did not disappoint me at all. I wanted to read his 2 books and thought since he is such a great speaker with a dynamic speaking voice,I would get the recording of his books.I sit back,close my eyes and listen to his words and the ways he intended them to mean.I never bought an audio book before,so this was quite a treat to enjoy.

I bought this CD for my daughter as a classroom tool and she did use it, along with web clips of the other presidential candidates, in her English class. She tells me that Obama is articulate and has a beautiful voice so this CD is a joy to listen to -- so much so that she won't let me borrow it and the multi-disc set is packed away and going to Europe with her this summer. There are abridged versions of both his books and an excellent introduction on these discs. When I bought this, I didn't realize it was such a bargain. Highly recommended. I guess I'll be buying my own.

As always Alan and Dave give us the straight data and the words directly from the mouths of the criminals. No wringing of hankies, no Chicken Little cries from PETA and none of the condescending, hysterical hyperbole from the Left.

Gun owners now have a clearly defined identity for the proverbial "They" who would remove our rights if allowed to do so.

Bear in mind that the people portrayed in this book have taken an oath to Protect and Defend the Constitution of the US.

The Constitution, not their dogma, not their party, and not their position. Self evidently not only are the failing that oath, but they're actively ignoring the oath and are seeking to destroy our Second Amendment rights.