EDITOR'S REVIEW: HOW ONE SIDE LOST ITS MIND & THE OTHER LOST ITS NERVE

Book Review:

Bernard Goldberg, Crazies To The Left of Me, Wimps To The Right

Harper Collins Publishers – 2007

Available at all major books stores - Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Walden, Schuster, etc.

Type of Book:

Non-Fiction. A solid book that will appeal to ANY fed up liberal, moderate or conservative who feels that their principals and ideas have been sold out on BOTH sides of the isle when it comes to the Democratic and Republican parties. A quick and short read that properly tars both parties – Republicans who are afraid to be conservative and Democrats who have gone beyond the pale with liberal nuttiness.

Background:

Per Harper Collins Publishing, Goldberg is the number one New York Times best selling author of Bias, 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America and Arrogance. He has won eight Emmy Awards for his work at CBS News and at HBO, where he now reports for the acclaimed program Real Sports. In 2006, he won the Alfred I. E. duPont-Columbia University Award, the most prestigious of all broadcast journalism awards. A more complete history of this author can be found in the Wikipedia.

General Overview:

Mr. Goldberg starts off his book with a bang, chapter one lays it all out, “Just My Luck, I’m on one side and they loose their minds…I go to the other side and they loose their cojones”.

He spends the early part of the book giving some historical background to his own situation. Growing up in the 50’s in the Bronx New York to a middle class family where everyone was a Democrat and no one had ever met a Republican. He notes the terms liberal and conservative hadn’t come much on the radar yet. He discusses how his grandfather and his father were all staunch Democrats – the party for the little guy, the working man if you will, the party that gave rise to great men like FDR, JFK and others. The party that made little money, but always took care of the wife and kids and kept a roof over their heads. Blue collar backbone was the Democratic party and everyone was darn proud to be part of it.

He notes, Republicans were heard about, but no one had actually ever met one. They were known for big business, like General Motors, snooty country clubs, expensive meals at fancy restaurants and high powered jobs. Republicans didn’t represent Goldberg, his family, his friends or even the country he knew and loved.

Bottom line - Democrat good. Republican bad.

In the early 60’s, Goldberg notes how the Goldwater Presidential race impacted him as a young college student. He and his Democratic friends all talked about leaving the country if he won the election. They felt he would blow up everybody in Vietnam, drop nukes on the commies and work against civil rights. This man was conservative crazy as far as they were concerned. Fortunately, Goldwater lost and all the young Democrats so hot to trot were able to stay in the U.S.

Goldberg notes looking back at this time, he realized it was an early warning to him that Dems were becoming less and less tolerant – something this party had prided itself as one of it’s important main characteristics. What he and his friends had been saying was that not only did they know better then everyone else, but they were better then the rest too.

He notes that for the next 20 years he kept his Democratic credentials, but realized in hindsight he had just been going through the motion of being a true blue Dem for many years. As elections passed, Humphrey, McGovern, Carter and so on, he realized Democrats had been changing in fundamental ways. They were becoming elitists. By 1972, it appeared the affluent, well educated liberals – the new elite - were in and the blue collar, hard working man from the factory was out. Goldberg believes Democrats – primarily liberalism – took a hard left turn around the time of Vietnam. It wasn’t enough for liberals to protest the war. No, they had to go one step further and actually demonize the American Military and The U.S. He understood even then it was one thing to be against the war and another thing altogether to be against your own country. He also said the feminist movement went beyond the norm – asking for equality in ways that bordered on crazy. The country was in turmoil and liberals – the new kind – were angry. They were becoming closed minded and forgot how to be liberal altogether. They went from being a party that made real things – cars, steel, houses, food stuff, drilling for oil, fixing automobiles, and so on, to being a party of fads and fashions - actors, actresses, directors, singers, artists, professors, and the like.

Goldberg says he stayed true to the Dems through the 80’s and 90’s as he worked at CBS News. He felt it was still in his DNA. He said as he got older and wiser, he realized it was nurture not nature that kept him allied with this party. It took the events of 9/11, leaving CBS News and writing his first book Bias about the media that made him see the light by the late fall of 2001. That’s when his break with the left took place. He said he couldn’t take the darkness, the constant cynicism, the toxicity over Bush and the constant anger of the liberal party any longer. He said growing up, liberalism was something to be proud of in the Democratic party. The terrain of the modern liberal landscape was unfamiliar and growing more uncomfortable by the day. Thus, it was time to move on.

Goldberg moves into the next chapter dealing with his conversion to conservatism (although he notes that he’s heavily libertarian on many important issues over-all). His liberal friends felt he had gone to the dark side. He notes, “The whole idea strikes them as preposterous, too crazy to be taken seriously. After all, they figure, I’m not a racist. I can read and write. I’m not married to my sister. And I don’t drool on myself. So, how in the world could I possibly be conservative?”

With tongue in cheek, Goldberg notes it’s a good thing liberals remain open minded and hate stereotyping.

He notes he felt more attuned as he grew older to the conservative movement as it appealed to him on many levels; smaller government, restrained spending, closed borders, being left alone and operating more efficiently at the state level, keeping the family unit intact, being allowed to practice or not practice your faith of choice, etc. He liked their honesty, integrity, intelligence and faith.

Unfortunately, over the past few years, Goldberg notes his turn to the party of restraint has been no easy task either. Too many Republicans forgot how to be conservative and sold out their principals in recent years for political power and personal gain. Over-spending, not cracking down on open borders, not standing up on affirmative action and marriage issues and more have caused him serious frustration.

Goldberg feels strongly that Democrats AND liberals have reached a point where they have lost their minds.

Goldberg also feels strongly that the current Republican party foolishly tried to hang onto power by cashing in on their traditional values. In a nutshell, they wimped out.

He feels that true conservatives still believe in important and critical things and that may be the redeeming factor for this nation in the long run.

He wonders if Election Day 2006 was a wake up call for everyone.  Perhaps it was well past time to take a look at the baggage of our personal histories and decide what stays and what goes.

The rest of the book is short chapters of say 4-5 pages that talk about current issues and events of importance and how each party differs on the issues. Such as Don Imus saying dumb things, Sharpton, the NAACP and our status on affirmative action, Fox News Derangement Syndrome, Ann Coulter free speech limits, San Francisco style liberal actions, Mel Gibson drunken videos and religious movies, other political issues like immigration, abortion and English as our unifying language. He remains tough on both parties when they falter and supports them when they remain stable and sane.

Goldberg is able to produce some sassy little zingers now and then to keep things moving along such as:

”There’s an old line about how politicians are like diapers. They both need to be changed, a lot, and for the same reason. This of course, is unfair. Diapers serve a useful purpose”.

“Republicans like to spend like crazy, but not raise taxes. Democrats like to spend like crazy and raise taxes. Why do I keep thinking of the Jim Carrey movie Dumb & Dumber?”

“Without hard questions it’s too easy to fall back on the old feel good liberal platitudes about how “racism” is the root of all our troubles and about how more “diversity” is the solution. The only way to put an end to this cycle of dishonesty and denial is to begin asking uncomfortable questions and speaking uncomfortable truths.”

“As for liberal intellectuals, they think that because they’re well educated and supposedly enlightened, then by definition they can’t possibly be bigots. That’s what makes them so dangerous. They hold important positions at important universities and because of that they have the power to make bigotry (at least seem) more legitimate. If it’s coming from some goober in overalls, that’s one thing. If it’s coming from a professor at prestigious university, well, that’s something else entirely”.

“Real men say kill every last one of those bastard terrorists and I don’t care how you do it. Thus, real men vote for Republicans”.

Goldberg ends his book pondering the 2008 election.

Will Democrats stay hard to the left and keep being who they are and thus, show the rest of America how insanity really looks? Or will they morph again and take advantage of another open opportunity they didn’t earn, but were wise enough to take advantage of as they did last fall? Better yet, will they get in touch with their roots from 50 years ago and represent again a hard working class of Americans from all over the U.S. and not just the elite coasts as they did from our father and grandfathers generations? Time will tell.

Will Republicans seize a new opportunity and remember what they stand for, what is their core beliefs and not allow themselves to be compromised?  Will Republicans be smart and savvy enough to take advantage of Democratic weakness and as Rush Limbaugh notes, “you can always count on the Democrats, at some point, to revive conservatism in this country by being just who they are”. Or will Republicans continue to sell out their principles and thus, take another “thumping” in the poles and give the Democrats all three houses of government? Time will tell.

My Personal Review:

I was looking for something political to read without the usual destructive grenade tossing so early into a pre-election cycle. The title alone captured my attention as what better to read than someone with enough perspective to poke a little light fun at BOTH parties, their current strengths (few) and weaknesses too (many).

I’m confident many will relate well to Goldberg’s journey from Democrat and Liberal to Conservative/Libertarian. His background, evolution and growth will resonate with many I’m sure. I would recommend this book to anyone open to light political reading.

I'm sure some far left, overly sensitive liberals will cry and weep in horror that they are made to look bad (“where’s my protest sign, it’s time to march, you’ve said mean things to us”!).

Far right, overly aggressive conservatives will reach for the second amendment as they are made to look equally bad ("sir, we need you to step away from the vehicle and drop your weapon...”).

But, come on, that’s half the fun of the book.  Being mature and wise enough to REALLY see the good points and the bad points to each party and trying to figure out where each of us stand. Not just where your family stood on politics, faith and our nation, or where your college professors influenced you to stand, or where the local cable, t.v. and newspaper outlets want you to believe, but where YOU stand after extensive research, reading and soul searching. Anyone who has taken a journey of self discovery will appreciate this book.

I give Goldberg kudos because he gets his point across crisp and sharp without a lot of fluff in the middle. I like a guy who gets to the point and doesn’t put a lot of tail spin on important issues. He speaks from experience and the heart and thus, his points are well taken. Even if you don’t agree with all his conclusions, he reminds the reader we can all have discussions and agree to disagree without going bonkers. He points out so well that, “We no longer speak the same language, liberals and conservatives. We don’t listen to each other. We have different ‘facts’, which we use to come to different conclusions. Maybe it’s always been like this, but it feels worse now than ever”. I concur.

Maybe a book like this, one that provides with sharp clarity what’s wrong with each party as much as what’s right, is perfect for the current election season. It might make some curious and interested people take a new look at what they really think. And, maybe change some minds along the way too.  At a minimum, those who have taken his journey (and I'm sure they are in the millions) won't feel so alone. (I include myself here!)

I give him 3 ½-4 stars (3 1/2 for writing style and length of articles, 4 for content) out of 5.

Reviewed by:

Bridget Dupont-Tingley

Editor, The Local Area Watch

Comments

[Brandon]

Bridget,

I enjoyed your review of Goldberg’s latest and may very well check it out one of these days. While I can’t comment about the book itself (not having read it), I’m curious about one of the things you cited -- I'm not sure if it's an excerpt from the book or your own commentary -- and wonder if you might clarify it a bit more.

Toward the end of the general overview section of your review, it reads, “Will Democrats stay hard to the left and keep being who they are and thus, show the rest of America how insanity really looks? Or will they morph again and take advantage of another open opportunity they didn’t earn, but were wise enough to take advantage of as they did last fall?”

I’m not exactly sure what is meant by “open opportunity,” or, for that matter, why or how the Democrats failed to earn it, but I read that statement as meaning that there was some kind of insubstantial wedge issue that Democrats cleverly capitalized on and somehow, what … fooled the American people into voting for them?

It remains to be seen, of course, whether they will be able to earn reelection in ’08 by actually doing something positive with their newfound majority – I’ll be the first to admit that I have my doubts. If politics over the last 20 years or so is any guide, the Democrats will give themselves ample opportunity screw things up any number of ways. But let’s not pretend that ’06 was about anything other than the debacle that is Iraq and how Republicans have screwed it up beyond imagination. The voting public spoke more clearly than it has in recent memory, and in the simplest terms it said: “We want the Democrats and not the Republicans,” cut and dried. It was no fluke, no accident, and certainly not some amorphous open opportunity that that pollsters and spin doctors manipulated as a tool for deceiving people. The Republicans’ record in that area has spoken quite loudly for itself, and that alone is why they no longer control congress.

[Bridget - The Editor]

Hi Brandon,

Your questions and reply are well taken.

Mr. Goldberg spends about eight pages at the very end pondering the 2008 what-ifs? In the general over-view section, I did try to summarize his points to the Republicans and the Democrats (as to avoid constant quotes - and rehashing of the book - why should someone buy it if I give them everything, right?). So, I tried to do a quickie summary in about 5 paragraphs for each party what he did over those eight pages.

Since you asked though, (I'll put in most of his words below so, I don't paraphrase anything wrong)...

"Mr. Goldberg states that he feels the Dems won in 2006 for many reasons - yes, the Iraq war was one big item, but also corruption, out of control spending, and the general perception that Republicans abandoned their principas - in a nutshell - they sold out and people were ticked off! He said he traveled the country extensively prior to the fall election and one thing he heard loud and clear - Conservatives were angry and with Republicans at that. It was a quiet rumble at first and then grew and grew until election day. He felt the Dems ran on one issue - "We're not Republicans". Proving you really can beat something with just about nothing.

He also points out that Pelosi stayed out of site in the last few weeks leading up to the election so, voters wouldn't notice how left wing she really is. The Hollywood crowd stayed out of sight and out of mind as well which we rarely see - something interesting was going on when they keep quiet at times like this. And finally, the Dems placed a few well positioned moderate Blue Dogs in typical red states and won over some conservatives by having those candidates be against abortion and for guns - the kind of Democrat, in other words, who doesn't look anything like a Democrat.

John Kerry was the only visible screw up when they let him out of his padded cell (Goldbergs exact words) with his botched joke.

In the end, liberal Democrats pretended they weren't liberals and even WITHOUT any new ideas about ANYTHING, they won.

Liberals, after all, are liberal. He says that means they will continue to support abortion, even late term abortions. They will continue to protest that young girls do not need parental consent to get abortions. Racial grievance groups will continue to yell about racism in America. Feminists will continue to whine about the male dominated culture. And practically none of this will resonate with the average Americans - the ones who make up a majority of our country's citizens and live between Manhatten and San Francisco.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Goldberg doesn't have much to say about the war effort. I would add that the Iraq war was not the main reason people came out to vote and change sides short term. It was all the issues above too. Even with the Iraq war not going good, the nation still doesn't want to be a two time looser (Vietnam, possibly Iraq). They want the job done and done right for Iraqi citizens and for our domestic and national security long term. Americans voted in this area for a clean up, change and correction - not for defeat.

Mr. Goldberg notes, in the end, if a party (the Republicans) is going to pretend to be conservative and say they stand by limited government while spending boatloads of taxpayer money on nonsense and if you are going to betray everything you supposedly stand for, the voters WILL notice and realized you stand for nothing. No one respects a panderer. Thus, Republicans lost and they deserved it, he said. When voters say they believe Democrats are the small government party, you know something has gone terribly wrong."

Based upon his analysis and take on things, the Dems won by taking advantage of all that the Republicans had done wrong, not by creating or inventing anything new for this country. Kuddos to them for seizing this opportunity. So as to your question of whether the Dems cleverly capitalized on these things - yes they did. It wasn't about fooling the voters. The Dems were option "A" and they simply were a better choice than the sells outs, The Republicans, option "B". The voters spoke up and told the Republicans, clean up your act or you'll be out of office again next time. Same with the Dems, do the same thing, you know your fate as well. They are ALL on notice this time.

But....Dems will need to be careful because conservative ideas are still very much alive and well in this country. They caught a lucky break once. The next time they will need to really earn it. And that, is much of what Mr. Goldberg has to say at the end. Hope that clarifies things for you.

Glad you liked the review!

Regards,

[Cindy]

Bridget,

In today's world, some might view Goldberg as a flip-flopper if he was in the political arena. He had positions long term and over the last few years he changed. Thus, the flip and the flop.

Since he is an average citizen, he doesn't get that title. He is allowed to change his mind as the times change. I'm fine with that and same with politicians. I support growth and movement as long as it's done with true mind and heart not just for the all mighty vote for office.

Haven't read the book yet, but will consider it now.

Thanks for the heads up.

[The Editor]

Hello Cindy,

Your comments are correct.

Politicians get tagged with the flip-flop title often when they migrate on an issue. It's one thing if someone has a true conversion due to research, discussions and a new mind set. It's something else all together when it's done for a political vote.

I feel Mr. Goldberg moved to a new position the right way. I can understand his change of heart and mind as I went through it myself about 7-8 years ago.

We appreciate your thoughts!

Regards,

Bridget

[Brandon]

Bridget,

Oddly enough, I find myself agreeing with you (and/or Goldberg), in that the Democratic party as a whole did run its campaigns with “We’re not Republicans” as the unofficial slogan. As a proud, unabashed liberal (although not a registered Democrat), this lack of clarity and backbone has long been a source of frustration for me, coming as it does from the only major party that allegedly comes closest to representing my views.

As you more or less correctly point out, “In the end, liberal Democrats pretended they weren’t liberals, and even without any new ideas about anything, they won.” While I don’t think it’s quite that simplistic, I concede there’s a whole lot of truth in that statement, but it seems that only strengthens my original contention, which is that the war was THE deciding factor in ‘06.

Yes, many Republicans were upset with what they [correctly] viewed as Bush’s abandonment of traditional conservative values (fiscal restraint being perhaps one of the most glaring examples), but that alone would not have been enough to give Democrats such a decisive victory.

When you’ve got a war that is projected (conservatively) to cost a cool trillion dollars before it’s all said and done, when you’ve got upwards of 30,000 American servicepersons dead or injured (and untold tens of thousands of Iraqis – which so few people in this country even bother to acknowledge, let alone care about) – when you’ve got all of these things and more, and when the people in charge of it can’t a). provide a rational explanation for why it’s happening, and b). provide any reasonable assurances that an end is in sight, then I’m afraid “We’re not Republicans” is a wholly sufficient campaign slogan for the other party, and that’s sad and pathetic for liberals and conservatives alike.

[The Editor]

Hi Brandon,

Thanks again for your thoughts.

Maybe the reason you are disappointed with the "lack of backbone" with the Dems is that they are not the party you thought they were or who they are now? I made a change a few years back because I, like Goldberg, hung in there as I thought they were the party I knew from generations ago. The real Dems of today are much different than the Dems we all hope and wish.

I feel the war issue was a victory factor for the Dems, just not as much as the major media made it out to be. On top of the other issues as Goldberg noted so well, the war effort was the final straw that broke the camels back. People were disappointed with Bush, the administration and the war effort. Frankly, Americans are understanding and patient with war IF and WHEN we win and kick butt. Americans get a bit weak willed when the going gets tough, costs go up, deaths and injuries increase and the war effort is not clear cut toward a path to victory. Meaning, some Americans simply can't stay in the fight if they can't see the finish line. Although these concerns are justified, I just think conservatives have more stamina to fight the good fight no matter how long it takes whereas liberals and some Dems have a very short fuse and patience level for very difficult issues like conflict and war.

Research has shown that when wars are won within a two year window, everyone is supportive. When wars go into the three, four and long year windows, support plummets. We are in such a curve now. The biggest disappointment is not that we can't win this war, it's our attempts and will so far have been limited. There is nothing this country can't do if we put all our time, effort, energy, man and war power behind it. We are choosing NOT to do this and that is why we are not claiming long term success and victory yet. Wars of this nature cannot be won piece meal or with limited involvement by citizens(such as Bush telling everyone go shopping and live a normal life after 9/11 - normal life?! We are at war! Everyone conserve on energy sources, buy war bonds to support the effort, do extra projects for veterans and their families, sign up for volunteer service for your country and so on). We didn't win previous wars on half a tank for goodness sake. It took everyone pitching in on the effort to win. Because the vast majority of Americans have done nothing on this war effort but provide critical commentary, the enemy has our play book on this lack of interest, effort and will and we are at a serious disadvantage now. Everyone knows war is awful and ugly. Once we enter into it, we must prevail. No other optional should be acceptable.

Definately factor in as important the things Golberg clarified earlier - Pelosi out of site, elites staying quiet, Blue Dog Dems positioned well and the biggest factor - Republicans over-spending, selling out their principals and being involved in corruption cases. People were not only upset with Bush and his "so called principals", but they were even more upset with their congressmen/women and the senators who lost their principals even more. True conservatives don't sell out their principals and they made sure those who did sell out heard them loud and clear. They didn't show up to vote at all due to their disappointment, they voted for Blue Dog Dems or they obstained on certain officials that disguted them. All these things factored into the understandable loss for one group and the expected victory for the other. The war issue was a factor for sure, just not the ONLY factor.

Regarding the war issue...I will be submitting a review on an important book called, The Truth About Muhammad next week. I think it will help clarify that even if the war effort hasn't been well executed, quickly fought anad and victory seen yet, our final efforts will be critical against Islamic extremists. I will be sharing information about the Qur'an, Islam and Muhammad as so few Americans know about these issues. They all need to be factored into our current war efforts. Issues like our foreign policy, our potential aggressivess for democracy and freedom and not having U.N. love fests just simply extra catalysts for our enemy to find a reason to come after us. Trust me, my review will show they have all the ammo they need long before we factor in policies, occupation and world wide organizations. Afghanistan and Iraq are but pieces of a much bigger world puzzle on extremisim. Until Americans understand the message that a large majority of Muslims are hearing and following through upon based upon their religious doctrines, we will not be able to fight this war and come out the victors. Many people are simplifying this war or worse denying the terrorist issue at all. By doing that, we set ourselves up for much worse tragedies down the road. With people getting war weary, those who have our number will gain a further edge. We can't allow that to happen. My book review will hopefully be an eye opener to readers. Some will choose not to hear the message. I hope the rest do.

Stay tuned. I'll be interested in your feedback.

As always, your comments and thoughts are appreciated. Even as a proud, unabashed blue, blue liberal :-0

Thanks Brandon.

Regards,

Bridget