Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe

by Arianna Huffington

book data

50 ratings, 3.60 average rating, 19 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		18%
4		40%
3		30%
2		8%
1		4%

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published

April 29th 2008 by Knopf

binding

Hardcover, 400 pages

isbn

0307269663 (isbn13: 9780307269669)

description

For Arianna Huffington, the problem with the Republican Party is not that it is at odds with the views of progressives, but that its lunatic fringe ha...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 115)

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06/09/08

Amanda rated it:

Read in June, 2008

I saw Ms. Huffington interviewed on The Colbert Report and she was wearing an evening gown and speaking in a great Greek accent. I decided I need to read her book.

Synopsis:
For Arianna Huffington, the problem with the Republican Party is not that it is at odds with the views of progressives, but that its lunatic fringe has taken over the party and is at odds with the views of the American people. By significant majorities, Americans believe in the science of evolution, don’t w...more

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08/04/08

Alan rated it:

In 1994, I became Reuters Chief Political Correspondent and immediately plunged into covering the upcoming congressional elections which produced a Republican sweep. I well remember covering a speech by Newt Gingrich that summer at the Heritage Foundation which was preceded by an impassioned right-wing rant by none other than Arianna Huffington.
Huffington's husband at the time, Michael, heir to a Texas oil fortune, was running for the U.S. Senate in California that year spending mi...more In 1994, I became Reuters Chief Political Correspondent and immediately plunged into covering the upcoming congressional elections which produced a Republican sweep. I well remember covering a speech by Newt Gingrich that summer at the Heritage Foundation which was preceded by an impassioned right-wing rant by none other than Arianna Huffington.
Huffington's husband at the time, Michael, heir to a Texas oil fortune, was running for the U.S. Senate in California that year spending millions from his vast personal fortune. He came within a whisker of beating Diane Feinstein. He ran largely on the familiar "family values" platform so beloved of Republicans. Even at the time, Michael was seen as little more than a mouthpiece for his ambitious wife. Later that summer, I was granted a rare interview with Michael (his wife mostly kept him away from reporters) and it was quite evident who supplied the brains and thrusting ambition in that marriage.
Had he won, there's little doubt in my mind his wife would have pushed him to run for president a few years later.
In 1998, now dumped by his wife, Mr. Huffington revealed he was bi-sexual and later co-chaired the "Log Cabin Republicans" -- a group of gay Republicans.
Arianna, her hopes of become a power behind the Republican throne thwarted, meanwhile had a dramatic change of heart and reinvented herself as a rabid liberal and editor of the popular liberal blog, the Huffington Report.
In this book, she gives a brief and inadequate explanation of what prompted this change of heart. She says she was "seduced, fooled, blinded, bamboozled" by Newt Gingrich. She was always a "social liberal," she says, but has since realized the government needs to be involved to fight poverty. At the same time, she argues, the Republican Party has itself moved to the right.
As an explanation, this falls short. It was abundantly clear in 1994 where the Republicans stood on social issues. If anything, the party has become more tolerant of government activity now than it was in those days when it campaigned on a platform of closing down the federal departments of Energy and Education.
Now to the meat of this book. I have no argument with most of its content but there's nothing new here that the attentive reader of any decent daily newspaper would not already know. It starts with a violent rant against the New York Times, Washington Post and other traditional media for failing to do their jobs. There are amusing personal attacks on several prominent reporters -- Bob Woodward, Judith Miller and the posthumously beatified Tim Russert.
Other chapters deal with fiscal policy, energy, Iraq, Afghanistan, science, the environment etc etc. It ends with an assault on John McCain. Most of this stuff could be lifted verbatim from Barack Obama's website.
I don't object to any of this but it's pretty standard stuff and rather tedious. There's no original research or original arguments. It's pretty much a cut and paste job, written in haste and published to take advantage of the current political season. Liberals may buy it. I doubt anyone else will.
Huffington is a talented individual but her main talent seems to be that of constantly reinventing and promoting herself. She is the political chameleon par excellence. Just as she did in 1994, she knows which way the political winds are blowing. (less)

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08/16/08

Jeff Brailey rated it:

Read in August, 2008

Ms. Huffington has written a veritable compendium of right wing sins committed over the years of the Bush Administration that have literally ruined our country militarily, economically, diplomatically and culturally. I did not truly appreciate the breadth of the evilness nor the depth of the ineptitude of the right in general and the Republican party in particular until I read this book.

Not only does this self-confessed former Republican cogently describe the damage far right wing p...more

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07/06/08

Teri rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: anyone interested in current events

Ach! Huffington is SO smart! She is forthright in explanations, thorough with research and references, eloquent and clever with words. Each chapter focuses on an different aspect of current events to show how the public has been manipulated and even lied to. She also faults the media for not doing a thorough job of investigation and questioning. It's powerful stuff, and I'm enjoying the read while the information is bad for my blood pressure.

To hear more from Arianna, look for t...more

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05/05/08

Thirstyicon rated it:

Read in October, 2008

recommends it for: anyone who has questioned authority and the government.

This book basically reminded me of how much the Bush Administration has F#%ked up, and argues how evil the Far Right truly is. Basically it shows how the fanatics on the Far Right have taken over the Republican Party, and they need to be stopped and or kicked out. While she throws a few jabs at the Democrats, that is (obviously) not the topic at hand. Our rights and lives have been altered for the worse, and we need to change that.

Also, John McCain used to be a good man. To becom...more

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07/16/08

Susannne rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in August, 2008

After having listened to a radio interview with the author, I had high expectations for this book. I was disappointed to find out that the book is little more than a bunch of casual anecdotes, accompanied by occasional numbers and figures. The book is poorly written and not very well organized, and the Huffington does not offer the in-depth analysis I had expected, but makes the same point over and over again. I wouldn't recommend reading this book, or at least not more than, say, the first chap...more

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07/30/08

Sean rated it:

bookshelves: currently-reading

Read in August, 2008

Very interesting read so far. I would say however, if you're not up on current political affairs, this would be a rather boring book for you. Almost like a prosecutor Arianna is taking you through the Bush years from the beginning when the Republican party seemed to have a monopoly on religion through to current times where she articulates her position that the GOP has controlled the masses using fear tactics. Not done yet...[To be continued!]

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07/21/08

Daniel rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2008

What a waste of time. This is just a rehash of the headlines from the last few years. Were any of you aware that there are no WMD's in Iraq, that the US allowed water boarding, that the Katrina response was a debacle? If you're still unaware of any of these issues, then I suggest you read this pile of worthlessness, but if you've glanced at a TV or newspaper over that last few years, the there's really no need.

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03/30/09

Kristy rated it:

Read in April, 2009

love how Huffington skewers Buch & co., but no earth-shattering revelations I haven't read in op-ed pieces.

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04/29/08

Colleen rated it:

Read in May, 2008

As much as I like and agree with Ms. Huffington, this book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. And she really should have let someone else narrate the audiobook...as charming as her Greek accent can be, it was so distracting in this regard.

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12/29/08

Sandy rated it:

bookshelves: 2009

Read in June, 2009

recommended to Sandy by: Huffington Post

GREAT read. An immigrant (now citizen), a successful business person, and originally a Republican, she talks about what changed her mind and why she is now a fairly progressive Democrat.

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04/17/08

Erinn rated it:

This is THE book you need to read to understand what's happened over the past 7 years, and to be best informed about the issues facing us in the upcoming election. Don't miss it!

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