Just How Stupid Are We?
Facing the Truth About the American Voter
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Narrated by:
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Eric Michael Summerer
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By:
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Rick Shenkman
About this listen
The only thing everyone seems to agree on, in fact, is that the American people are entirely blameless. InJust How Stupid Are We?, best-selling historian and renowned myth-buster Rick Shenkman takes aim at our great national piety: the wisdom of the American people. The hard truth is that American democracy is more direct than ever - but voters are misusing, abusing, and abdicating their political power. Americans are paying less and less attention to politics at a time when they need to pay much more: Television has dumbed politics down to the basest possible level, while the real workings of politics have become vastly more complicated.
Shenkman offers concrete proposals for reforming our institutions - the government, the media, civic organizations, political parties - to make them work better for the American people. But first, Shenkman argues, we must reform ourselves.
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Moyers on Democracy
- By: Bill Moyers
- Narrated by: Bill Moyers
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Abridged
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People know Bill Moyers mostly from his many years of path-breaking journalism on television. But he is also one of America's most sought-after public speakers. His appearances draw sell-out crowds across the country and are among the most reproduced on the Web. Richly insightful, and alive with a fierce, abiding love for our country, Moyers on Democracy is essential listening.
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You can't help but think critically
- By Ida F. on 09-29-09
By: Bill Moyers
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The Red and the Blue
- The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism
- By: Steve Kornacki
- Narrated by: Steve Kornacki, Ron Butler
- Length: 17 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Red and the Blue, cable news star and acclaimed journalist Steve Kornacki follows the twin paths of Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, two larger-than-life politicians who exploited the weakened structure of their respective parties to attain the highest offices. For Clinton, that meant contorting himself around the various factions of the Democratic party to win the presidency. Gingrich employed a scorched-earth strategy to upend the permanent Republican minority in the House, making him speaker.
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Simply marvelous
- By Hector Gonzalez on 10-04-18
By: Steve Kornacki
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Makers and Takers
- By: Peter Schweizer
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In Makers and Takers, Peter Schweizer broadens his scope to examine the damaging effects of liberal philosophy on ordinary Americans. Drawing on national polls and academic studies, as well as the revealing testimony of liberals themselves, Schweizer shows that liberals are, on the whole, less honest, less generous, lazier, and more materialistic than their conservative counterparts.
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Excellent!
- By Eileen J. O'Connor on 03-08-16
By: Peter Schweizer
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Bannon
- Always the Rebel
- By: Keith Koffler
- Narrated by: William LeRoy
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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To understand the Trump White House, you need to understand Steve Bannon: what's driving him, what his true role is, and what he's trying to accomplish on behalf of the American middle class. White House reporter Keith Koffler penetrates the fog surrounding the mysterious senior White House advisor, tracing Bannon's wild and distinctly American path to the White House in this first-ever honest biography of the controversial figure.
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The "real" Steve Bannon! Great read!
- By Amazon Customer on 12-20-17
By: Keith Koffler
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Troll Nation
- How The Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters Set On Rat-F*cking Liberals, America, and Truth Itself
- By: Amanda Marcotte, David Talbot - foreword
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The election of Donald Trump in 2016, like most of his campaign, came as a shock to many Americans. How could a man so lacking in capacity, so void of any intellectual heft, become the president of the United States? How could a man with no detectable personal qualities outside of resentment and the will to dominate appeal to millions of Americans, enough so that he was able to win the highest office in the land? With this book, journalist Amanda Marcotte will outline how Trump was the inevitable result of American conservatism’s degradation into an ideology of blind resentment.
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Disappointing
- By Steven Finkbeiner on 08-10-18
By: Amanda Marcotte, and others
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A Slobbering Love Affair
- The Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media
- By: Bernard Goldberg
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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According to Bernard Goldberg, the media crossed an important line in the 2008 presidential race, moving from their usual unthinking liberal bias to crass partisanship of the crudest kind, practically acting as spin doctors for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. In A Slobbering Love Affair, his most provocative book yet, Goldberg demonstrates how the media launched an unparalleled effort to ensure the election of the man they regarded as the One.
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spot on!
- By Eunice on 05-28-09
By: Bernard Goldberg
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Bad News
- How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy
- By: Batya Ungar-Sargon
- Narrated by: Batya Ungar-Sargon
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Today’s newsrooms are propagating radical ideas that were fringe as recently as a decade ago, including “antiracism,” intersectionality, open borders, and critical race theory. How did this come to be? It all has to do with who our news media is written by—and who it is written for. In Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy, Batya Ungar-Sargon reveals how American journalism underwent a status revolution over the twentieth century—from a blue-collar trade to an elite profession.
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Balanced, informative, and insightful
- By J. B. Eibel on 06-06-22
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Working Class Republican
- Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism
- By: Henry Olsen
- Narrated by: Derek Shetterly
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
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Conventional political wisdom views the two most consequential presidents of the 20th century - FDR and Ronald Reagan - as ideological opposites. FDR is hailed as the champion of big-government progressivism manifested in the New Deal. Reagan is seen as the crusader for conservatism dedicated to small government and free markets. But Henry Olsen argues that this assumption is wrong.
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Refreshing and insightful
- By Thomas Marks on 12-16-19
By: Henry Olsen
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In Trump We Trust
- E Pluribus Awesome! (That Was the Easy Part) and Is Fighting for US
- By: Ann Coulter
- Narrated by: Ann Coulter
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
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Donald Trump isn't a politician - he's a one-man wrecking ball against our dysfunctional and corrupt establishment. We're about to see the deluxe version of the left's favorite theme: Vote for us, or we'll call you stupid. It's the working class against the smirking class. Now Ann Coulter, with her unique insight, candor, and sense of humor, makes the definitive case for why we should all join his revolution.
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Doesn't deliver on it's promises.
- By Greg Hill on 08-24-16
By: Ann Coulter
What listeners say about Just How Stupid Are We?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- John
- 11-14-08
Cynical but accurate
This book presents some very interesting points about the problems with the American voter but does so in a very round about fashion. The first several chapters finds the reader assaulted by a storm of statistics--one after another--which are interesting at first but get boring and redundant eventually. Imagine having the results of 45 independent studies about the reasons why people like vanilla ice cream read to you in succession. After the third set of statistics you can't help thinking, 'Okay, I get. Now what's you point?' It helps if the author takes a moment to connect a statistic to the greater picture to prevent the statistics from combining into one long run-on thought. The statistics are all relevant though some are superfluous.
The next section would offend most Americans who like to believe that there is something inherently superior about our world view. It is very cynical about the average American attention span and propensity to absorb trivial social details (i.e. Britney Spears/Paris Hilton) while lacking similar levels of knowledge about politics, structure of government, and history. I expected the book to take a cynical view from the onset but I was surprised how nonconstructive the criticisms were. The author beats up on us pretty badly (albeit deservedly so). This did finally change in the final chapter with a discussion of social and institutional changes needed to remedy the problem. This discussion was a long time in coming however. Though I appreciated all of the points the author eventually made, I fear many people will get frustrated and tune him out before finishing the book (perhaps proving his point).
The main point of thought: the author suggests that some people are in fact too stupid to vote then provides some insightful food for thought for both sides of the argument. I think this food for thought provides the real value of this book and makes it worth the read despite its flaws.
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22 people found this helpful
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- Vargas
- 09-19-11
Excellent Description of a Real Problem
I have to begin by saying I'm not sure why conservatives feel so victimized by this book. This book is NOT an attack on either party. On the contrary it is an attack on ignorant voters who don't know enough to justify being on one side or the other. The author is not arguing that everyone should vote for the Liberal/Progressive candidate, he is arguing that most people don't know enough about the issues or where each party stands to make an informed decision one way or the other. So, I have to shake my head at the rampent percieved victimization of Conservatives who couldn't even make it "through the first two chapters" without feeling slighted. Perhaps if they had, they would have learned something.
As for the book generally, I think anyone who is interested in the political process should consider getting this book. It's the best way to be so disgusted with the average voter that you will feel obligated to get out there and cast a knowledgeable vote. Whether you are Republican or Democrat you shouldn't be offended by this book, you should be offended that there are millions of people out there influencing elections based on innacurate information without bothering to educate themselves. THAT should be offensive to you. We live in a democracy and one of the most important function every citizen plays is to cast an informed ballot on Nov 4th every two years. With that in mind, this book should be a kick in the pants for the average voter, and if it motivates even one person to do a little homework before they vote then its a 5-star book as far as I'm concerned.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Derquan
- 10-12-15
Nice Job Eric
Great voice, the bias of the book was not interpreted in your own either. Impressive.
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Overall
- Gary
- 03-28-10
"Left Bias" but good book
I enjoyed the book. The auther made excellent points about the real fault of current political problems .... the American voter (or non-voter). However, I would estimate that 90% of his examples focused on right-wing abuses. There is no doubt that such abuses exist but I feel he could have spent just as much time on left-wing political shenanigins. It was as if Jay Leno only told "Republican Jokes" and never focused on the humorous (and sad) stories related to Blue State Leaders. That said, this is a good book and I recommend it.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Allison B
- 09-14-09
Poor, naive Libs v/s evil, manipulative Repubs
While the stats that overwhelm a majority of the book do a great job of supporting Shenkman's primary argument, that the current American voter is less civic-minded and more influenced by TV and entertainment, he uses this argument to bash one side's faith in the voter and the other's manipulation of the voter.
As someone who feels that BOTH parties have good and bad qualities, and BOTH have let us down, I was really hoping for a more unbiased look at American politics. Shenkman spent most of the book appearing only mildly one-sided, only to end the book completely left.
In the end, it felt more like a Michael Moore movie... good stats and facts completely manipulated to be one-sided when they have ample application to politics and corruption in general and across the board.
If you're a Liberal, you'll love it.
If you're a Conservative, you'll be offended.
If you dislike the polarities of both parties, it's a somewhat interesting read if you take it with a grain of salt and leave the author's choice of application behind.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Tom
- 10-16-08
Why isn't there a no star rating.
I think 5th grade was the last time I was talked down to like in this book by this elitist. What the heck was I thinking. I know it is important to listen to other points of view, but this guy will win no one over and I am sure he will alienate some of his side. I lasted two chapters and then moved it to an old iPod, so I could get the pleasure of destroying this drive with a hammer. Someone be sure to let me know if I missed something in the latter part of the book. Don't bother to tell me how uneducated I am, because I got all of that I needed in the those two chapters.
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42 people found this helpful
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- Jim
- 12-09-11
More importantly, how stupid do you think I am?
Lets begin on a positive note. The narrator is great! buy books that are read by this guy, just not this one.
The author is a Journalism professor in Seattle. I can accept that most journalists are left leaning. The "profession" attracts that type of person by design. It makes sense. However, I would also like to believe that your average Journalist is smarter than the average person. The more I read the more I find that it is not the case.
This book is full of errors of logic. This book is actually an assault on logic. When the author does, perhaps mistakenly, make a cogent point, his premises are entirely false.
If you are looking for a philosophically titillating argument about democratic politics, this is sadly not the book you are looking for. I had such high hopes that it was. But I was, alas, crestfallen.
However, if you are looking for a baseless attack on the Bush administration and a petulant rant about the ignorance of southern "hicks" (eg Republicans), than this is the book for you!
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2 people found this helpful