Dictionary of Republicanisms: The Indispensable Guide to What They Really Mean When They Say What They Think You Want to Hear (Nation Books) by Katrina vanden Heuvel
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Book Reviews of Dictionary of Republicanisms: The Indispensable Guide to What They Really Mean When They Say What They Think You Want to Hear (Nation Books)
Book Review: A reference book for off-the-wall Republicanspeak.
Summary: 4 Stars
Have this witty book at hand each and every time you hear or read comments by Republican leaders, especially at the national level, so that you can discover what they really mean. A great collection of humorous definitions that unfortunately occasionally ring true.Book Review: Somewhat Humerous, but No Threat to Al Franken
Summary: 3 Stars
vanden Heuvel calls this book "the indispensable guide to what they (Republicans) really mean when they say what they think you want to hear." She goes on to state that the president and the right-wingers who put him in power deliberately and consciously never say what they mean or mean what they say. Instead we have a well-funded program of doublespeak. Thus, the "Dictionary" is provided to translate for the rest of us. Materials were submitted for a six month period, from anyone who wanted to do so, and each is credited for their submission.
Following are some example definitions:
Abstinence-Only Sex Education = ignorance-only sex education.
Alarmist = any respected scientist who understands the threat of global warming.
Baby Tax = the $25,000 in national debt dumped on every newborn baby.
Clarify = to repeat the same lie over and over again.
Fox News = faux news; White House Press Office.
God = senior presidential adviser.
Incompetence = requirement for promotion in the Bush administration.
Job Growth = increased number of jobs an American has to take after losing earlier high-paying job.
Junk Science = any theory based on data, research, experimentation and rigorous testing rather than on religious texts; any science that interferes with corporate profitability.
Pro-Life = valuing human life up until birth.
Staying the Course = saying and doing the same stupid thing over and over, regardless of the result.
Water = arsenic storage device.
Somewhat humorous, but no threat to Al Franken.
Book Review: Hilarious! And All Too True!
Summary: 5 Stars
The best way to deal with disturbing situations is to laugh at them. The Republican Party routinely utilizes code words and phrases that seem to imply one thing but in reality are meant purely to deceive. This has been truly infuriating to liberals and moderates intelligent enough to see through the rightwing's intentional duplicity, but now there is Katrina vanden Heuvel's wonderful THE DICTIONARY OF REPUBLICANISMS to help us see the humor in an increasingly sad state of affairs.
'The Nation' magazine requested assistance in compiling a code book revealing the true meanings of the more common Republicanisms, and thousands of definitions were received from across the country. The very best of them have been compiled in this book. Some of these entries are undeniably hilarious, while still being an absolutely accurate representation of how Republicans think:
"girly men n. Males who do not grope women inappropriately."
"honesty n. Lies told in simple declarative sentences -- e.g., 'Freedom is on the march'."
"staying the course interj slang: Saying and doing the same stupid thing over and over again, regardless of the result."
Like Ambrose Bierce's classic THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY, this is a wickedly funny, if painfully true, masterpiece of political satire. Highly recommended.
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