Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics
by: Glenn Greenwald
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A takedown of the GOP’s deceitful propaganda machine from the hugely popular blogger of Salon.com’s Unclaimed Territory and the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Would a Patriot Act? and A Tragic Legacy
Long since Americans were wooed by images of Ronald Reagan astride a horse, complete with cowboy hat and rugged good looks, the Republican Party has used a John Wayne mythology to build up its candidates and win elections. Their marketing scheme of evoking brave, courageous, heroic warriors has been so persuasive and strikes such a patriotic nerve, that many citizens have voted based on this manipulative imagery even when they’ve flat out disagreed with the GOP’s positions on key issues.
Glenn Greenwald puts this bogus GOP mythology under microscopic critique and successfully argues that none of these men is, in fact, a brave, strong moral warrior—far from it. Rather, most have dodged military duty, have strings of broken marriages and affairs, and live decadent, elitist lives, which they so ruthlessly condemn Democrats for doing. Such false archetypes—that GOP leaders are exclusively fit to command the military, represent traditional family values, and are fiscally restrained and responsible because they’re just regular folk like us—are so firmly entrenched in our culture as to allow the GOP to sit back and let their time-tested marketing ploy spin itself silly while avoiding debate on real issues. When they actually do voice opinions, it’s nothing more than a smear campaign of the supposed weakness and elitism of the Democrats.
To prevent this tired marketing scheme from succeeding again, Greenwald takes off the gloves and knocks down the hoaxes and myths, exposing the tactics the right-wing machine uses to drown out both reality and consideration of real issues. But he also calls on Democrats to shake off the defensive posture (“We love America too,” “We support the troops too,” “We also believe in God”) and start attacking the Republican candidates for the hypocrites they, in truth, are.
The first book to dissect the Republican Cult of Personality and leave it openly exposed in its unabashed, shameful depravity, Great American Hypocrites is a deeply necessary call-out to Democrats to attack the GOP with their competitor’s very own weapons.
Ever since the cowboy image of Ronald Reagan was sold to Americans, the Republican Party has used the same John Wayne imagery to support its candidates and take elections. We all know how they govern, but
the right-wing propaganda machine is very adept at hijacking debate
and marketing their candidates as effectively as the Marlboro Man.
For example:
Myth: The Republican nominee is an upstanding, regular guy who shares the values of the common man.
Reality: He divorced his first wife in order to marry a young multimillionaire heiress whose family then funded his political career.
Myth: Republicans are brave and courageous.
Reality: It’s a party filled with chicken hawks and draft dodgers.
Myth: Republicans are strong on defense and will keep us safe.
Reality: They prey on fears, and their endless wars make America far less secure.
Myth: The Republicans are the party of fiscal restraint and small, limited
government.
Reality: Soaring deficits, unchecked presidential power, and an increasingly invasive surveillance state are par for their course.
A takedown of the GOP’s deceitful propaganda machine from the hugely popular blogger of Salon.com’s Unclaimed Territory and the author of the New York Times bestsellers How Would a Patriot Act? and A Tragic Legacy
Long since Americans were wooed by images of Ronald Reagan astride a horse, complete with cowboy hat and rugged good looks, the Republican Party has used a John Wayne mythology to build up its candidates and win elections. Their marketing scheme of evoking brave, courageous, heroic warriors has been so persuasive and strikes such a patriotic nerve, that many citizens have voted based on this manipulative imagery even when they’ve flat out disagreed with the GOP’s positions on key issues.
Glenn Greenwald puts this bogus GOP mythology under microscopic critique and successfully argues that none of these men is, in fact, a brave, strong moral warrior—far from it. Rather, most have dodged military duty, have strings of broken marriages and affairs, and live decadent, elitist lives, which they so ruthlessly condemn Democrats for doing. Such false archetypes—that GOP leaders are exclusively fit to command the military, represent traditional family values, and are fiscally restrained and responsible because they’re just regular folk like us—are so firmly entrenched in our culture as to allow the GOP to sit back and let their time-tested marketing ploy spin itself silly while avoiding debate on real issues. When they actually do voice opinions, it’s nothing more than a smear campaign of the supposed weakness and elitism of the Democrats.
To prevent this tired marketing scheme from succeeding again, Greenwald takes off the gloves and knocks down the hoaxes and myths, exposing the tactics the right-wing machine uses to drown out both reality and consideration of real issues. But he also calls on Democrats to shake off the defensive posture (“We love America too,” “We support the troops too,” “We also believe in God”) and start attacking the Republican candidates for the hypocrites they, in truth, are.
The first book to dissect the Republican Cult of Personality and leave it openly exposed in its unabashed, shameful depravity, Great American Hypocrites is a deeply necessary call-out to Democrats to attack the GOP with their competitor’s very own weapons.
Ever since the cowboy image of Ronald Reagan was sold to Americans, the Republican Party has used the same John Wayne imagery to support its candidates and take elections. We all know how they govern, but
the right-wing propaganda machine is very adept at hijacking debate
and marketing their candidates as effectively as the Marlboro Man.
For example:
Myth: The Republican nominee is an upstanding, regular guy who shares the values of the common man.
Reality: He divorced his first wife in order to marry a young multimillionaire heiress whose family then funded his political career.
Myth: Republicans are brave and courageous.
Reality: It’s a party filled with chicken hawks and draft dodgers.
Myth: Republicans are strong on defense and will keep us safe.
Reality: They prey on fears, and their endless wars make America far less secure.
Myth: The Republicans are the party of fiscal restraint and small, limited
government.
Reality: Soaring deficits, unchecked presidential power, and an increasingly invasive surveillance state are par for their course.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Rehashing
Great American Hypocrites reminds me of a closing argument at a trial, or a review for a final exam.
If you're well-read, or at least moderately so, there's probably nothing at all new here. John Wayne, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Rush Limbaugh, Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, Saxby Chambliss, Bill O'Reilly, and a myriad of other members of the GOP and right-leaning media, including just about the whole crew behind the war in Iraq are draft dodgers - ... Read More
Rating: 
- THE BARKING DEMAGOGUE ON THE BID TV SCREEN SCREAMS BEHIND SMOKE AND MIRRORS: PAY NO ATTTENTION TO THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Greenwald pulls back the curtain to see those real men.
We have been lied to America and we have loved every minute of it.
Time to wake up. Pull back the screen. Read this book.
Time to pay the piper for tunes we did not even hear.
We did not dance. Wall Street did. Now we pay for it.
Read this book.
Bush was a cheerleader in his exclusive all-boys prep school in Massachusetts, and his grandpa the Senator for Connecticut ... Read More
Rating: - Just plain ......
STUPID.If you think Ann Coulter is a biased idiot you will love Glenn Greenwald.I read this hoping for a reasoned and inteligent argument and emded up with a pile of horse toots instead.My bad for thinking any book in this politically charged climate would be rational or intelligent.If you are already a drooling left wing natzi then this book is for you.If you want insight.Look elsewhere.
Rating: - Applauding LOUDLY !
Thank you Mr. Greenwald for shining a light on the truth of the hypocrites who call themselves, America's Value Patriots. When in fact they are the panzies who run from America's needs !Self-proclaimed patriot John Wayne was not a very good actor, but instead a fellow who was a hypocrite in all aspects of his life, as you point out. As a kid I thought he was "slow", like a buddy of mine was in real life.
Also your book points to Ann Coulter as being a "talk-a-lot-do-nothing". ... Read More
Rating: - An entertaining polemic...
...provided you're Democratically- (as opposed to democratically-) inclined. Glenn Greenwald's object in life appears to be to take the fight to the right-wing Republican loonies, to repossess the ground that they have taken and dominated for so long, namely, the ideas that Republican men are real men, Republican women are real women and Republican little furry green creatures from Alpha-Centauri are real little furry green creatures from Alpha-Centauri, and only they can be trusted to bring security, low ... Read More
- RehashingGreat American Hypocrites reminds me of a closing argument at a trial, or a review for a final exam.
If you're well-read, or at least moderately so, there's probably nothing at all new here. John Wayne, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Rush Limbaugh, Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, Saxby Chambliss, Bill O'Reilly, and a myriad of other members of the GOP and right-leaning media, including just about the whole crew behind the war in Iraq are draft dodgers - ... Read More
- THE BARKING DEMAGOGUE ON THE BID TV SCREEN SCREAMS BEHIND SMOKE AND MIRRORS: PAY NO ATTTENTION TO THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAINGreenwald pulls back the curtain to see those real men.
We have been lied to America and we have loved every minute of it.
Time to wake up. Pull back the screen. Read this book.
Time to pay the piper for tunes we did not even hear.
We did not dance. Wall Street did. Now we pay for it.
Read this book.
Bush was a cheerleader in his exclusive all-boys prep school in Massachusetts, and his grandpa the Senator for Connecticut ... Read More
- Just plain ......STUPID.If you think Ann Coulter is a biased idiot you will love Glenn Greenwald.I read this hoping for a reasoned and inteligent argument and emded up with a pile of horse toots instead.My bad for thinking any book in this politically charged climate would be rational or intelligent.If you are already a drooling left wing natzi then this book is for you.If you want insight.Look elsewhere.
- Applauding LOUDLY !Thank you Mr. Greenwald for shining a light on the truth of the hypocrites who call themselves, America's Value Patriots. When in fact they are the panzies who run from America's needs !Self-proclaimed patriot John Wayne was not a very good actor, but instead a fellow who was a hypocrite in all aspects of his life, as you point out. As a kid I thought he was "slow", like a buddy of mine was in real life.
Also your book points to Ann Coulter as being a "talk-a-lot-do-nothing". ... Read More
- An entertaining polemic......provided you're Democratically- (as opposed to democratically-) inclined. Glenn Greenwald's object in life appears to be to take the fight to the right-wing Republican loonies, to repossess the ground that they have taken and dominated for so long, namely, the ideas that Republican men are real men, Republican women are real women and Republican little furry green creatures from Alpha-Centauri are real little furry green creatures from Alpha-Centauri, and only they can be trusted to bring security, low ... Read More
