LET'S STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH: More Poitical Subversion from Jim Hightower.

HIGHTOWER, Jim

ISBN 10: 0670033545 / ISBN 13: 9780670033546

Published by Viking / Penguin Inc., New York, NY, 2004

About this Item

Yellow boards with orange textile spine. Orange print on spine. Tight, sound and unmarked. 234 pages including index plus 2 of ads. Dust jacket has vertical crease in front inside flap. In mylar and not price clipped. Anti-Bush political commentary. Seller Inventory # 008563

Bibliographic Details

Title: LET'S STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH: More ...

Publisher: Viking / Penguin Inc., New York, NY

Publication Date: 2004

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Near Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Signed: by Author

Edition: First Printing

About this title

Synopsis:

The columnist and radio commentator sheds new light on the current state of the union as he looks at life in the United States today, including a selection of satirical essays, indictments of the status quo, uplifting anecdotes, asides, games, cartoons, and puzzles. 100,000 first printing.

Review:

Author Jim Hightower is not, as the title of his recent book about the George W. Bush administration indicates, a fan of equivocation. "The Bushites are--let me put this politely as I can--NUTS!" he writes, "They're insane. They're zealots totally dedicated to implementing their plutocratic, autocratic, militaristic, and imperialistic vision of America." The chapters in Hightower's book are prefaced by a series of reasons Bush fans may give for supporting the President followed by blistering and often highly entertaining refutations of those reasons. However, Hightower phrases the pro-Bush reasons to sound as boneheaded as possible, thus giving himself an easier time shooting them down. Meanwhile his down-home humor and polemical wackiness can be tiresome, occasionally getting in the way of efforts to clearly make a point. But don't be fooled by the wackiness: Hightower has done his homework and presents disturbing evidence of the dangers of Bush policy, particularly in the areas of food safety, personal privacy, and the environment. Unlike many on the left, he largely avoids the war in Iraq and the reasons given by the Bush administration for fighting it but that focus on domestic life helps Hightower avoid the pitfall of attacking everything Bush has ever done and being left to spend only a limited amount of time on each. Let's Stop Beating Around the Bush was published in July of 2004 just as the presidential election was heating up and it is very much a book of the moment, featuring references to the need to win the election and attempting to give those who oppose Bush some talking points for when they talk to those who support him. Neither those talking points nor this book are likely to change any minds but Jim Hightower's humor and energy provide are welcome in an election season. --John Moe