Ignore the ideologues on the right
343609
If you are not interested in facts, then skip this book. However, if you are interested in reality, read the book for insight into the issues surrounding climate change.

I don't ever review, but I was taken aback by the overt manipulation of the review system by the ideologues on the right, unfettered by "facts" or "evidence."

The same people would rate Evolution: The Greatest Show on Earth at 1 star because their preachers, Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh told them to. Ignore them.
370598
This is a disrespectful production whatever your politics may be. Liberals are the "kinder" and "more civil" group, right? I can only imagine the screams from the left if this paper doll were Obama-themed.
3993383
The trouble is, every authority wants us to "think big," and do so in the direction they want, but offering little useful roadmapping for driving there.  "Break Through" is not an exception.  Maybe the authors plan a Part II to publish this road map.  Hopefully the style of this unwritten sequel would be easier to navigate than found in "Part I."  Reading this book can be like reading a long string of Time Magazine essays, sophistication coming across as intellect.  The difference is that authors Nordhaus and Shellenberger ARE very intellectual.  It's just that the reader will find it hard to follow their conclusions from page to page.  This is unfortunate, because their persuasion points are different enough from the "average" polemic to deserve a good hearing.

Apparently the theme of this book is that we badly need to tackle environmental (and several other large) problems from a stance of gratitude, competence, and confidence; rather than from the more usual stance of guilt, limits, and revenge.  The authors write plenty of criticism of both political Left and Right to describe the ineffective "usual stance," but mostly of the Left.  More usual, they credit the fundamentalist and evangelical religious Right for being for have stolen a march on the Left for their promotion of optimistic, fix-it-ourselves approach to life.  You do not usually hear things put this way.  True or not, their thesis provokes thought.

What does "Break Through" want to DO, though?  Most of these kind of books fade off into hand-wringing "ain't it awful" rants.  This book does not do that.  The authors persist in what NOT to do to the end, and this deserves commending.  Also deserving commendation is their insistence that far too many on the Left and Right treat their truths as "religious" or legend-like; not as science or objective observation.  However, their own stated views on such topics as the current war in Iraq and global warming are told as assumed truth - religious-like!  "Break Through" was written a couple years ago, and actual events have made these views somewhat obsolete.  In spite of all this, the book presents enough fresh viewpoint to make it interesting and worth reading.  Oh yes - the endnotes are much too long, so ignore them.
2574735
Ann Coulter (like all right wingers) traffics in policital and social emotionalism.
Right wingers never have logical arguments for their simple-minded beliefs - their attitudes are a mix of antiquated religious beliefs and out dated prejudices couched in the guise of self-righteousness.
It's all about abortion, and forcing religious beliefs on the populace. It's all about twisting and distorting facts to support their viewpoints and resorting to mud slinging and insults in the place of calm intellectual debate. Probably because they are all hysterical (and not capable of being calm) and have little intellect or logic to back up their side of things.
BTW - to 'Liz' below who called this book a 'novel'. A novel is fiction - not op ed pieces. If you want to call this book a novel then call it 'fantasy' or 'comedy'.
3034041
I see Nancy French has continued to poison political discourse with her typical right-wing "I'm right and everyone is entitled to my opinion" attitude, this time in book-length form.

I'm getting really tired of people with her extreme right-wing view constantly having their viewpoints shoved down my throat (even when I don't want to hear it).  And I'm equally tired of hearing about their right to free speech.  Any sane adult knows that, but too bad the "other side" doesn't see it that way.

Isn't it too bad that a Northerner can't have their non-right wing view all over the place in southern cities the way French did in Philadelphia newspapers?

Speaking of which, too bad French doesn't tell the whole story of how she was thoroughly ripped in every single paper where her rants appeared (and they were mostly in the Philadelphia City Paper, a free weekly).  Every single piece said the same thing: George Bush is god and anyone who disagrees with that is wrong and I don't want to hear it.  That gets tiresome after the first 100 times.

And I have a real problem with French's claims that she possesses those good ol' American values.  Her values, and definitely those of the South, are *not* everyones' values, and everyone in the South does not share those "values."  It's long overdue to hear from the non-right-wing folks fighting to have their voices heard in a part of the country that completely shuts out opposing opinions.

What we have here is a cutting-edge right-wing Republican being published time and again in a right-wing Republican-owned media.  She sure is a renegade.

Now let's hear it from the people who are of a "blue" state of mind.  - Donna Di Giacomo
2130961
A reader is not interested in an author's political stand.  It takes away from the flow of the story. I will probably not read another one of his books  even though I am not an avid conservative.
3666594
Ignore the bad reviews posted on this book and give it a fair shake. What this book does, without attacking a person's personal life, is objectively exposes the fraud that seems to have taken over the Democratic party.  And for anyone that remembers his/her history, the conduct of these "leaders" wreaks of what Comrades Lenin and Stalin expoused during their heyday. Don't recall?  The proletariat scarificies their property while the party leaders sit back on their millions.

"I have often thought that if a rational Fascist dictatorship were to exist, then it would choose the American system."  Boris Yeltsin?  Joseph Stalin?  No...our own Noam Chomsky...who pulls in millions per year and lives in an elite section of Cape Cod...Comrade.

Think this is written by a muckraking "wingnut"? Read the book and see for yourself.  But be prepared for facts, not a lot of name calling or shots at a person's family, race or religion.

Is this book off the mark?  Check out the crass comments regarding the blue collar worker by Michael Moore or the fact he takes production work to Canada to avoid paying union wages.  Moore, the friend of the union worker.  Or the horrid attempts at comedy by Franken at the expense of homosexuals and breast cancer survivors.  This man wants to be a US senator?

It is a shame these people are considered leaders in the Democratic party and they continue to receive support and funding for their actions.  Where are those liberals people like me admire?  The Joseph Leibermans?  The John Kennedys?

As noted above, the liberal "leaders" profiled in Mr. Schweizer's book will come across sounding exactly like those glorious members of the Communist party, comrade...speaking for the working man while keeping expensive dachas out of sight/out of mind.

It is about time we open our eyes to issues on both the conservative AND the liberal side and recognize we need to find some new leaders...not Franken, Carter, Moore or MoveOn.org...
1315967
Read this and keep on the good fight of RIGHT vs WRONG (aka the left).
736478
The Jefferson project is an exercise in making a case for fascism.  All democrats are sorry excuses for human beings and almost all conservatives are the good guys.  The protagonsts' solution for a new form of government is in, my humble opinion, ill advised and unworkable.  If you haven't done so yet, read America Rising by Tom Paine.  It is equally ridiculous from the left wing point of view.
2289235
Dems worship with no political balance. You might as well read the NY Times or Washington Post, or watch CNN, MSNBC.
The blatant bashing of Republicans is a turn-off. I did not finish the book and deleted it.
2034873
Oh, you mean libertarians... The primary thing I dislike is how the book puts everything into the left-right mindset. The "left" or "right" mindset is misleading because it fails to factor in "libertarianism" vs. "authoritarianism." It is a 2-D diamond, not a 1-D line. Libertarianism is nothing new; in fact, libertarianism is based in classical liberalism before the word "liberal" became synonymous with socialism. I hope it is "rising" and undoubtedly Southpark has contributed. Libertarianism does not spoonfeed morality, but it does call for limited government and economic and individual freedom.

Most libertarians hate both the right and the left, and as the Republican Party is firmly in the authoritarian quadrant and the "conservative media" blindly follows the Republican Party in the same way the "liberal media" blindly follows the Democratic Party, I don't understand why newsmedia shouldn't just strive for objectivity instead of taking sides or creating a media war. Basically, I think the book is a good read, but the approach is a bit skewed.
852552
A thinly disguised right wing rant. The "travel" part appears to only be there to support the author's one sided political and religious views. This was one of the rare times I did not rad the comments. Will not make that mistake again.
318559
This book is so right wing that it aches.  a couple of examples:
  The 5 pages on Ronald Reagan by Ms. Cross used the book on Reagan written by Newt Gingrich.
  A so called timeline of American events has for the year, 1931:
  "President Hoover, calling it "the Great Depression" initiates measures to counteract unemployment rate of 16 percent.  Rate rises to 25 percent in 1933." [THANK YOU MR. HOOVER]
  "Hoover signs act to make "the Star Spangled Banner . . ." the U.S. official national anthem."  [MR. HOOVER, YOUR GREATNESS IS ASSURED]
  "World's tallest building . . .Empire State . . . is completed"
  And that is it for 1931.
  Ms. Cross says that an "editorial board of academics well versed in American history, culture and literature" selected the 100 Greats. I will not put their names down.  They would really be embarrassed.
  The two tomes  under this title really cost a bundle.  If you have a lot of bucks to spend foolishly, get it.
2788575
Too politically biased.  Why can't just tell the story without attacking Republicans and endorsing Democrats?
2041651
More "progressive" alarmism. The usual tired left-wing claptrap about how awful Trump is because he is not trying to turn the USA into an open borders, anti-white liberal free-for-all. Stand up for your values, even if the left tries to demonise you!
2477151
This guy was a Conservative.  These punks prancing around now using "Conservative" as an advertising gimmick to get themselves elected and reelected are anything but.  They're social reactionaries, would-be theocrats, and far Right Wing extremists.  If anyone wants to understand "Conservatism," this is the book they should start with, and then they should read Eisenhower's speeches, and then everything ever written by Thomas Jefferson.  Having said all that, I'm not a Conservative (and I'm certainly not a social reactionary, would-be theocrat, or far Right Wing extremist);  I'm a Progressive Leftist.  But I'm also not lost in a polarizing Bifurcation Fallacy the way those who have yet to escape the lie of the "two" party system are.
206717
ANNNNN!!
Pleeeeze don't wrap your thorough research, sensible correlations and important message in a title and subtitle so thoroughly designed to alienate non-conservatives. I'd have liked to present your content to several leftish family and friends. But the title guarantees they wouldn't open the cover to see my inscription.
You provide the choir with good arguments, stats and talking points. But please market your hard work and substance in ways that might reach and convince more people left of center.