Synopses & Reviews
An indispensable and enduring field guide to the arguments the left makesand the ones it tries to avoid.” The Claremont Review of Books
According to Jonah Goldberg, if the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didnt exist, the greatest trick liberals ever pulled was convincing themselves theyre not ideological.
Today, objective” journalists, academics, and moderate” politicians peddle some of the most radical arguments by hiding them in homespun aphorisms. Barack Obama casts himself as a disciple of reason: Hes a pragmatist, opposed to the ideology and drama of the Right, solely concerned with what works.” And todays liberals follow his lead, spouting countless clichés such as:
- One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter: Sure, if the other man is an idiot. Was Martin Luther King Jr. a terrorist? Was Bin Laden a freedom fighter?
- Violence never solves anything: Really? It solved our problems with King George III and ended slavery.
- We need complete separation of church and state: In other words, all expressions of faith should be barred from politics . . . except when they support liberal programs.
With humor and passion, Goldberg dismantles these and many other Trojan horses that liberals use to cheat in the war of ideas. He shows that the Progressive tradition of denying an ideological agenda while pursuing it vigorously under the false flag of reasonableness is alive and well. And he reveals how this dangerous game may lead us further down the path of self-destruction.
Review
"Jonah Goldberg is the voice of the post-Reagan conservative generation."
Review
"Goldberg draws on both the Great Books and popular culture to rip apart the commandments of the modern therapeutic society. Behind all the feel-good, come-together mush, Goldberg finds the age-old driving forces-power, profit, and plain old ignorance. The dissection of these feel-good assumptions is informal and light, but the conclusions are deadly serious-and chilling."
Review
"What can one say to the self-proclaimed 'independent' who never has nor ever will vote other than Democratic; or to the wise soul suggesting, of any conflict at all, "the truth must lie somewhere in between"? Mr. Goldberg reminds us that one must stand up and demand of the muddled and supine either an absolute declaration of their principles and acknowledgment of the results of actions having flowed therefrom or a straightforward admission of their intransigence in refusing a concise reply."
Review
"Whether you love or hate what he has to say, you've got to love the way Jonah Goldberg says it."
Review
"The puncturing of pretensions and disruption of lazy thinking are extra base hits in journalism. Doing so with humor and originality on every page qualifies Goldberg's work as a grand slam."
Review
"Straw man down! In the PC prison yard of accepted political thought, Jonah Goldberg has just shivved progressivism. Bold, brilliant, and bursting with humor, every page of The Tyranny of Clichés is right on the money. If you thought Liberal Fascism was good, wait till you read The Tyranny of Clichés --it is fantastic!"
Review
"Everyone says 'think for yourself' but very few people do. In The Tyranny of Clichés, Jonah Goldberg reveals how we've become trapped by ideas we think we understand but don't. A must read."
Review
“Jonah Goldberg is the voice of the post-Reagan conservative generation.”
—John Podhoretz, editor, Commentary magazine “Everyone says ‘think for yourself but very few people do. In
The Tyranny of Clichés, Jonah Goldberg reveals how weve become trapped by ideas we think we understand but dont. A must read.”
—Vince Vaughn, actor and producer “Bold, brilliant, and bursting with humor, every page of
The Tyranny of Clichés is right on the money. If you thought
Liberal Fascism was good, wait till you read
The Tyranny of Clichés—it is fantastic!”
—Brad Thor, bestselling author of Full Black “It might be the best and most fun-to-read primer on the tenets of conservative politics since P. J. ORourkes Parliament of Whores.”
—Mark Hemingway, senior writer, The Weekly Standard
“Whether you love or hate what he has to say, youve got to love the way Jonah Goldberg says it.”
—SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (R-FLORIDA), AUTHOR OF AN AMERICAN SON
“The puncturing of pretentions and disruption of lazy thinking are extra base hits in journalism. Doing so with humor and originality on every page qualifies Goldbergs work as a grand slam.”
—FORMER GOVERNOR MITCH DANIELS (R-INDIANA), AUTHOR OF KEEPING THE REPUBLIC
Synopsis
An indispensable and enduring field guide to the arguments the left makes and the ones it tries to avoid.
The Claremont Review of Books
According to Jonah Goldberg, if the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn t exist, the greatest trick liberals ever pulled was convincing themselves they re not ideological.
Today, objective journalists, academics, and moderate politicians peddle some of the most radical arguments by hiding them in homespun aphorisms. Barack Obama casts himself as a disciple of reason: He s a pragmatist, opposed to the ideology and drama of the Right, solely concerned with what works. And today s liberals follow his lead, spouting countless cliches such as:
One man s terrorist is another man s freedom fighter: Sure, if the other man is an idiot. Was Martin Luther King Jr. a terrorist? Was Bin Laden a freedom fighter?
Violence never solves anything: Really? It solved our problems with King George III and ended slavery.
We need complete separation of church and state: In other words, all expressions of faith should be barred from politics . . . except when they support liberal programs.
With humor and passion, Goldberg dismantles these and many other Trojan horses that liberals use to cheat in the war of ideas. He shows that the Progressive tradition of denying an ideological agenda while pursuing it vigorously under the false flag of reasonableness is alive and well. And he reveals how this dangerous game may lead us further down the path of self-destruction."
About the Author
Jonah Goldberg’s first book, Liberal Fascism, was a number one New York Times bestseller. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the founding editor of National Review Online. He is also a Los Angeles Times columnist, a Fox News contributor, and a member of the board of contributors at USA Today. The Atlantic named him one of America’s fifty most influential commentators. He lives with his family in Washington, DC.