Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government

I've developed an appreciation for Glenn Beck's view of government, his respect for the role of our founding fathers, and his challenge to citizens to become responsibly involved. Consequently, I sought this book. I haven't been disappointed.

This is a great book. It's not what I expected - in a good way. The quality far exceeded my expectations - 100% full-color and packed with pictures, diagrams, charts, quotes, cartoons, and lots of Glenn's trademark "A.D.D." observations. Not what you get in a standard book of political commentary. The Presidential Smackdown is hilarious. But in spite of all that, the information contained in the book is excellent and it's presented in a way that makes it easy to understand and helps you see through the so-called "facts" that are being thrown at you from every direction, from media, from government, and from a generally uninformed populace. Highly recommended for anyone interested in liberty and freedom.

This turned out to be an unexpectedly good book, I mean I know Glenn Beck, every now and then I was watching his show at CNN Headlines and now still I am an occasional viewer of his show at Fox; I was thinking what else can he tell me in this book that he hasn't told me yet on TV? Surprisingly this book wasn't rehash of the same old talking points and the same old arguments; I found quite a bit of fresh thoughts in there and had a lot of fun reading it (actually, listening to it, as I had audio version read by Glenn Beck himself). Also in response to some prior reviewers who wonder what happened to the "intelligent conservatism"? Intelligent conservatism does not matter; organizations like Heritage foundation and other conservative think tanks can produce tons of scientific (intelligent) reports, but no one will pay attention to them. Only personalities like Glenn Beck who know how to ridicule liberals and progressives, how to defame liberal elites and elected politicians, are capable of turning a tide of public opinion strongly against liberalism. Whether you like it or not, Jon Stewarts and Michael Moors of the world can only be counteracted by Glenn Becks and Ann Coulters of the world. Welcome to the 21st century!

This is an excellent book that provides a wealth of information to help you support your conservative views on a multitude of topics. It is chock full of references so you can back up your arguments with the original source and not have to reference Glenn Beck himself as your source. This is so much better than An Inconvenient Book in this respect. It is thoughtful and entertaining - "the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment".

Glenn Beck has a unique ability to irritate those on both the left and the right. Keith Olbermann accuses him of being a tool of the GOP. Mark Levin thinks he is a lightweight who's "afraid" to call himself a Conservative. Both men are wrong, because both men (unlike Beck) are deeply invested in the electoral success of their political parties. Beck, on the other hand, is deeply invested in the success of certain principles no matter who promotes them. Conservatives who think that Beck is hurting the cause by attacking the GOP might do well to remember that Republicans have not nominated a true conservative for the presidency in over 20 years, and they have paid a steep price as a result. From the start, Beck makes clear that "Idiots" does not refer to Liberals. Idiocy, rather, is a state of mind, and it can affect both the left and the right. However, Beck is indeed a conservative who believes in the original intent of the constitution, so naturally progressives of all stripes are the primary targets."Idiots" is a good book, with clear arguments against all varieties of conventional wisdom. I would only advise that a lot of these arguments don't lend themselves to a basic overview. After putting this book down, pick up more in depth explorations of the economy and politics by Jonah Goldberg, Thomas Sowell, Thomas E. Woods, etc. Incidentally, I am not persuaded by the claims that Beck steals the ideas of others and claims them as his own. Again, anyone who listens to Beck knows that he is very open about who he reads, and is frank about the fact that he has learned much from them. Stating conventional wisdom is not plagiarism. And, if he hasn't mentioned you, he probably hasn't read you.