Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America

As the esteemed scientist Neil Tyson has said, there's hot air on both ends of the political spectrum. John Avlon shows plenty of examples of the truth of that statement in this wonderful book. This is an indispensable political read for people of reason, common sense, and good judgment. If you dislike both Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann, you'll like Wingnuts. If you're a tendentious fan of either MSNBC or FOX, you may want to skip this book. The reader will learn some things that shouldn't be controversial but are because of all the nonsense out there, 24/7,on cable news. Obama was born in America and isn't a Muslim or a Communist. (Not content to rely on his own intuition, Avlon actually asks a Communist Party member if Obama is a Communist. The answer (sorry Teabaggers) is no. (The Nazi Party also denies that Obama is one of them). But leftists aren't left off the hook, either-- 9-11 "Truthers" are harshly criticized and Keith Olbermann is displayed as the hypocrite and egomaniac that he is. A fair and balanced book--sue me, Fox News!

This is an important book. For anyone concerned with how pundits from both the far right and far left are exploiting the emotions of American politics, and burying the real issues in the process, this is a must read. There's a smoke screen created by many of the Wing Nuts serving special interests that are just the opposite of what their fans think they stand for.

This book should be required reading for every American citizen. John Avlon pulls no punches from anyone-my kind of book. Wnile he does seem to pick on the Republicans more than the Democrats, he does a very good job of nailing the truth about both of them. It is a fascinating read and amazingly difficult to put down. I have around 75% of my copy underlined. Please read it. It is a real eye opener.

Mr. Avalon has parsed and dissected the lunatic fringe on both extremes of the political spectrum. The problem is that these extremes are pushing in on the center, driving out reason, logic, and objectivity. Picture the center as the scene in the first Star Wars when the characters are trapped in the giant trash compactor. Obama derangement syndrome is right on target: the financial/corporate sector continues its criminal abuse on the consumer, but almost everyone from the top to the bottom of the food chain is more worried about imaginary government death panels and Obama morphing into Hitler. No one seems to object if they even notice that the real death panels have existed in private health insurance companies for a long time. But that's capitalism at work, so it's all right. Mr. Avalon's style is lively, concise, analytical. You don't know whether to laugh or cry as you read his book. Joseph A. Domino Adjunct Professor Palm Beach State College Boca Raton FL (...)