Title: Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot
And Other Observations
Author: Al Franken
Year: 1996
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Price: $21.95 US
Review by: Randy
Williams
|
|
|
|
On television and radio, in two best-selling books, and in the pages of his pricey subscription newsletter, Rush Limbaugh has cast a giant shadow over political thought in the United States throughout the '90s. When Rush weighs in with an opinion, millions of loyal "dittoheads" listen. The problem is, they listen and concur without checking to see if His Enormity is being fair or accurate. Truth be told, Limbaugh is as full of hot gas as the Hindenburg and just about as reliable. The corpulent commentator is notorious for skewing facts to fit his own rather frightening views on race, gender, social programs, and even history itself. His gift for gab is prodigious and his catch phrases (such as "feminazi") are as colorful as those godawful ties he markets. But beneath several hundred pounds of bluster and pomposity beats the heart of a backward-thinking bully who still likes Ike and wants to turn the clock back to a white, paternal, "Leave It To Beaver" America that never really existed.Al Franken, the popular satirist and Emmy-winning writer for "Saturday Night Live," has turned the tables on Limbaugh and his overbearing edicts on "The Way Things Ought to Be" with his own book of political essays, "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot." This outrageously funny volume might well be subtitled "The Way Things Really Are," for the author spends great chunks of the book refuting Limbaugh's entire agenda. And the fun doesn't stop there. Franken takes aim at Pat Buchanan, Newt Gingrich, Arlen Specter and other "leading lights" of the New Right with the deadly accuracy of a laser -- even the chapter titles ("Phil Gramm: Everybody's Favorite Bastard," "Republicans and Environmental Regulation: Like Mixing Oil and Water, Literally") are a hoot. Humor notwithstanding, this book is an informed and thorough exposé of cynical ultra-conservatives who preach traditional values -- even as they stripmine the nation of the real wages and social services that make maintaining those values possible for many households. Franken's angry rebuttal to the media mouthpiece of the Republican Revolution (and the hypocritical pols who carry out its policies) is deeply grounded in his own, very real family values -- and his desire to see the American Dream remain attainable for his children. His book is all the more powerful for that; it should be required reading for all citizens who fall outside the ranks of the wealthy and powerful elite to whom Limbaugh shamelessly sucks up.
"Given his feelings about the poor, you might find it surprising that Limbaugh has himself fed off the largesse of the government. In the form of unemployment insurance. Was Rush temporarily disabled? No...this self-described 'rugged individualist' and scourge of government handouts had the gall to file for unemployment at a time when he was able-bodied and spending his days sitting around the house eating junk food, too lazy to even mow his lawn. Does this make Rush a big fat hypocrite? Yes, it does. And so do a few other interesting facts about his life. For example, did you know Limbaugh never voted for Ronald Reagan? That's right. The man who says Ronald Reagan belongs on Mount Rushmore never voted for him. In fact, Rush didn't register to vote until he was 35 years old, after a Sacramento journalist shamed him into it...I guess that makes Rush a draft dodger in the Reagan Revolution. And while we're on the subject, Limbaugh has said several times, 'Never ever trust a draft dodger.' Meaning never trust a baby boomer who actively avoided serving in Vietnam. Guess what?"
(p. 15-6)"Frankly, I'm getting a little sick of cranky Republicans who can't keep their own families together telling everyone else about family values. Quick. What do Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, and George Will have in common? Answer. They've all been married only one less time than Rush Limbaugh."
(p. 71)
Unlike his arch-nemesis, Franken backs up his assertions with documented facts. Particularly useful are charts and graphs which clearly illustrate the extent to which Limbaugh has cooked the numbers in his relentless cheerleading for the fiscal policies of the Reagan/Bush years. Additionally, there are numerous examples of Limbaugh's penchant for quoting public figures out of context in his "mock interviews." Most telling are the sections in which Our Man Al compares Limbaugh's life story to the values he claims to champion. Of course, not all of Franken's documentation is so high-minded -- there are, for example, sidebars titled "Just How Fat Is He?" and the index is made up primarily of entries such as "Titanic, Limbaugh's mass compared to iceberg that sank the, 117." The book has one major flaw that prevents me awarding it the coveted Four Tripod Wrenches: It seems, er, Rushed. There really is no excuse for padding out the text with self-aggrandizing piffle like the account of Franken's well-received speech at the prestigious 1995 White House Correspondents Association Dinner. This sort of digression gives the author the appearance of feeling insecure about his credentials for writing about politics and social matters (maybe he had a Stuart Smalley-esque attack of self-doubt). That's a shame; when he concentrates on the issues at hand rather than on propping up his own ego, Franken more than amply proves his mettle.N.B. "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot" is available on the Web in hardcover and audiocassette editions from amazon.com.
Have you read this book? How many wrenches would you give it? (The more wrenches, the better a Tool for Thought it is.)
Tripod members give this book 2.5 wrenches so far.
You can also read and rate more of Tripod's Tools for Thought.
Map | Search | Help | Send Us Comments
