[.ca] Red, White & Liberal: How Left Is Right & Right Is Wrong (ISBN 0060734337)

From Amazon.com:
If ever there was book destined to get negative customer reviews, it's Red, White & Liberal: How Left Is Right & Right Is Wrong by Fox News host Alan Colmes. That's not to say this broad defense of liberal beliefs is a bad book, but conservatives who watch Colmes on TV will get upset about his opinions and liberals won't be available to rush to his defense because, not really being a target demographic of Fox News, they probably haven't heard of him. But Red, White, & Liberal has its merits. Whereas many liberal books of its era take on Fox News, the community of conservative pundits, and the Bush administration for being liars or worse, Colmes leaves the mudslinging out. The result is a bit toothless, but the idea of a book that's mostly a case for what's good about liberalism instead of what's terrible about the right is a bit refreshing. There are some problems. Many of Colmes' assertions--Bill Clinton was the best President ever, O.J. Simpson was innocent--seem more planted to provoke Republican ire than part of a constructive argument. Colmes' extensive use of passages from his own show, "Hannity & Colmes," is edited to make him sound as pithy as possible, and quoting one's self as an expert is kind of lazy, really. Key passages from listener e-mails are also included, and while they're often hilarious, Colmes is still cherry picking; the complaints are from violent nutballs and the compliments are from charming folks who use complete sentences. It's also curious how little mention there is here of Sean Hannity, Colmes conservative co-host, who so dominates their shared talk show that a Colmes book feels a bit like a John Oates solo album. In the liberal pantheon, Alan Colmes is no Howard Zinn (heck, he's no Michael Moore or Al Franken either), but he makes a simple and entertaining defense of the liberal perspective. Now go read those customer reviews. --John Moe

The Man With the Worst Job on TV News:
You have to feel sorry for Alan Colmes. He is the "designated liberal" on FOX News. His book is the printed form of the way he is presented on TV. He is the,"Liberal that Conservatives can Like Personally although they politely disagree with his views." He is like many black enertainers were earlier in the forties: the guy greed-heads can point to and say 'Why can't they all be like him?" He is there for Sean Hannity to verbally step on night after night while Rupert can say, "See, It's balanced: One conservative, one liberal." Colmess has chapters about the innocence of OJ and the greatness of Clinton. Give us a break, Fox. Could be replaced on TV with a real straw man. This book exists for the worst "fake balance and equal time" reasons.Don't buy it Just go to the book store and move Sean Hannity's book to the "Fantasy" section.

Nicely defends liberalism, but is readable by everyone:
I picked up this book in a used bookstore after I began to watch Alan Colmes on TV. A lot of other reviewers on here slam this book and its author for not being as much of a hardass as his co-host, Sean Hannity. However, I really enjoyed this book. I thought that it does a pretty good job making the case for liberalism, although I doubt it'll change the minds of any staunch conservatives. It does, however, reasonably explain and defend the typical liberal stance on a lot of issues, such as being against the war in Iraq, the separation of church and state, etc. He also explains to those nasty, ultra-religious conservatives (such as Ann Coulter) that many liberals aren't the knuckle dragging, America-hating, God-detesting atheists against every kind of family values that the conservatives make liberals out to be. All in all, I thought it was a great book that adequately defends the case for liberalism, and is readable by everyone, regardless of political ideology.

It's not just for liberals anymore:
One thing I have always admired about Alan Colmes' political views and the way in which he presents them is that he has the ability to compartmentalize an issue. I am not a liberal, nor a conservative thinker. As one of the other reviews mentions, this is a collection of Alan's ideas and arguments... agreed. But, with all of the Powells and O'Reillys of the world, isn't it nice to read a different perspective every now and then? I believe anyone interested in learning would enjoy reading this, regardless of political stance.

Coming From the Station that is Fair and Balanced!:
I am mostly a conservative, but liberal on some issues. Mr. Colmes presents his case to both sides of the political opinion, and seems to do a fair job of it. This book is a great read for both sides! Kudos to Mr. Colmes!

Boring, boring and boring:
I am a loyal liberal obsessed with how the Bush administration is ruining America's image both here and around the world. I bought this book because I knew I'd be able to relate to Colmes's view points and maybe learn something new. All Colmes does is use e-mails from his viewers to prove his point. What is his point? That Republican conservatives are all jerks who send him hateful e-mails. Every once in a while he'll throw in a self-serving e-mail that says something like, "I'm a Republican and I watched your show and now I'm voting Democratic!" About half way through the book I decided that this was a waste of my time. Colmes tells us what we already know and puts me to sleep doing it. I wanted to like this book so badly, but all I've done is recommended that no one waste their money on this book.