Rating: 
Summary: One Star TOO Many
Review: James Carville points an accusatory finger on the cover of his book, WE'RE RIGHT AND THEY'RE WRONG, and then spends under two hundred pages setting out to prove his point. Contained in this slim volume are a lot of witticisms, common sense observations, and some devastating facts and figures that he brings out in support of his philosophies. You may not agree with what he says in the book, but you can't deny the power of his passion and the clarity of his thoughts.Carville has a folksy commonsensical writing style. He throws in numerous references to his childhood and family in Louisiana. One of his philosophies that he attributes to his Cajun mother is the idea of the "5/65 Democrats". She espoused the idea that there are only two important activities that a person should be engaged in between the ages of five and sixty-five - either having a job, or training for a job. Carville revisits this idea many times after its introduction, effectively using it to counter right-wing assertions that government programs encourage laziness and inefficiency. He repeatedly points out that helping people find jobs and giving them access to training are the two things he finds to be of paramount importance. He angrily dismisses the arguments of cutting education and training programs in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Although the book was written to coincide with the 1996 Presidential and Congressional Elections, there is still plenty of relevant material here. Carville's responses to Republican's plans such as school vouchers, the flat tax, "big government" and others still resonate today. And some of the passages that have dated are still interesting to read about in a purely historical sense. Although the Clinton Health Care package will never see the light of day, Carville's defense of it makes for fascinating reading. He also dedicates numerous pages to all of the liberal programs that have been opposed by conservatives but which have definitely proved their worth. He defends the programs, pokes holes in the arguments of their detractors and offers suggestions for improvement. With many political books devoted purely to pointing out mistakes and foibles, it's reassuring to read someone defending ideas that have been helpful and effective. As the title suggests, Carville divides the book fairly evenly between defending the left-wing concepts that have merit and attacking the right-wing ideas that are flawed. It's a balanced approach. And, thankfully, Carville spends the required amount of time needed to site his sources. Fourteen pages are reserved merely for Carville to name exactly where he is taking his statistics, quotes and facts. This is an invaluable service; if you want to look up these things for yourself, you only have to search. It's a pity that the people who would learn the most from this book are the ones who are least likely to read it, either though disagreement with Carville's previous statements, or just a disinterest in politics. The writing style is simple and straightforward enough not to alienate any political novices, while containing enough meat to satisfy the political junkies in the audience. The Ragin' Cajun served up a winner.
Rating: 
Summary: He's bald and pointing at *you*!
Review: James Carville points an accusatory finger on the cover of his book, WE'RE RIGHT AND THEY'RE WRONG, and then spends under two hundred pages setting out to prove his point. Contained in this slim volume are a lot of witticisms, common sense observations, and some devastating facts and figures that he brings out in support of his philosophies. You may not agree with what he says in the book, but you can't deny the power of his passion and the clarity of his thoughts. Carville has a folksy commonsensical writing style. He throws in numerous references to his childhood and family in Louisiana. One of his philosophies that he attributes to his Cajun mother is the idea of the "5/65 Democrats". She espoused the idea that there are only two important activities that a person should be engaged in between the ages of five and sixty-five - either having a job, or training for a job. Carville revisits this idea many times after its introduction, effectively using it to counter right-wing assertions that government programs encourage laziness and inefficiency. He repeatedly points out that helping people find jobs and giving them access to training are the two things he finds to be of paramount importance. He angrily dismisses the arguments of cutting education and training programs in order to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. Although the book was written to coincide with the 1996 Presidential and Congressional Elections, there is still plenty of relevant material here. Carville's responses to Republican's plans such as school vouchers, the flat tax, "big government" and others still resonate today. And some of the passages that have dated are still interesting to read about in a purely historical sense. Although the Clinton Health Care package will never see the light of day, Carville's defense of it makes for fascinating reading. He also dedicates numerous pages to all of the liberal programs that have been opposed by conservatives but which have definitely proved their worth. He defends the programs, pokes holes in the arguments of their detractors and offers suggestions for improvement. With many political books devoted purely to pointing out mistakes and foibles, it's reassuring to read someone defending ideas that have been helpful and effective. As the title suggests, Carville divides the book fairly evenly between defending the left-wing concepts that have merit and attacking the right-wing ideas that are flawed. It's a balanced approach. And, thankfully, Carville spends the required amount of time needed to site his sources. Fourteen pages are reserved merely for Carville to name exactly where he is taking his statistics, quotes and facts. This is an invaluable service; if you want to look up these things for yourself, you only have to search. It's a pity that the people who would learn the most from this book are the ones who are least likely to read it, either though disagreement with Carville's previous statements, or just a disinterest in politics. The writing style is simple and straightforward enough not to alienate any political novices, while containing enough meat to satisfy the political junkies in the audience. The Ragin' Cajun served up a winner.
Rating: 
Summary: Biased? Who, us?
Review: Just as an interesting experiment to see the kind of institutional bias that Coulter is talking about, compare the editorial review of her book in Booklist (shown above) with the review of James Carville's "We're Right, They're Wrong." From the review of Carville's book: "One can almost see the sneaky twinkle in Carville's eye--and the light reflecting off his skull--as he quotes GOP myths and debunks them...About a third of the book is devoted to rapid responses and extended answers to standard Republican rhetoric..." From the review of Coulter's book: "For those who don't know Ann Coulter, she is one of those blond, right-wing, talking heads who pop up on cable--the most outspoken one...Page after page of invective follows..." Enough said.
Rating:
Summary: We're Right, They're Wrong
Review: Just like Harry Truman, the Ragin' Cajun' gives 'em hell. James Carville wants to put Democrats back on the offensive. Carville, chief strategist of Bill Clinton's 1992 War Room, is out to break the GOP'S Contract with America.
In We're Right, They're Wrong, Carville serves up a sassy, no - holdsbarred response to the right - wing myths spewing out of Congress and polluting the AM airwaves. Carville rips apart Republican bluster and [extreme] programs and offers smart, compassionate, no-nonsense alternatives. Tired of getting browbeaten at neighborhood barbecues and school board meetings? We're Right, They're Wrong gets progressives off their heels and back on the attack. With Carville's trademark wit, political savvy, and street smarts, We're Right, They're Wrong is a broadside for our times, the most provocative book of the 1996 campaign season.
Rating:
Summary: One Star TOO Many
Review: Mr. Carville needs to switch to decaf! How about being progressive and recognizing that the Democrats are confused about the fact that in order to protect the economy you must first preserve the safety of the American people. The war on terrorism persists, and IRAQ is a one spoke of the wheel in that war. The Dems need to stop repressing the American public, stop the politics of personal destruction, and start working towards making this country great again. The things that made this country great were not more government programs, but allowing the average American the opportunity to realize the American dream of free market capitalism. Government spending does not create jobs....Free Market spending does.
Rating:
Summary: In defense of the left.
Review: These days, the right-wing conservative side of US politics has done a pretty good job of demonizing their opposition. Truly, they've pretty much managed to make bad words out of terms like liberal, Democrat, or even environmentalist. The premise of Carville's book is that the political right isn't correct just because they're more vocal. He lays down some common sense to explain the liberal position on issues, and hopefully give the beleagered liberal some fortifications to defend themselves on the issues. I wouldn't neccesarily consider myself a Democrat these days, rather just a Moderate Liberal perhaps more in-line with the Green Party even, but I found strength in what Carville has to say in this book. I highly recomend it, for an alternate, less-heard position in all the anti-left rhetoric flying about.
Rating:
Summary: In defense of the left.
Review: These days, the right-wing conservative side of US politics has done a pretty good job of demonizing their opposition. Truly, they've pretty much managed to make bad words out of terms like liberal, Democrat, or even environmentalist. The premise of Carville's book is that the political right isn't correct just because they're more vocal. He lays down some common sense to explain the liberal position on issues, and hopefully give the beleagered liberal some fortifications to defend themselves on the issues. I wouldn't neccesarily consider myself a Democrat these days, rather just a Moderate Liberal perhaps more in-line with the Green Party even, but I found strength in what Carville has to say in this book. I highly recomend it, for an alternate, less-heard position in all the anti-left rhetoric flying about.
Rating: 
Summary: Clearly dated, but still filled with gold nuggets
Review: This book was published as a piece of pro-Clinton [information] during the 1996 presidential campaign. Consequently, there is a certain datedness to much of what Carville has to say, plus a generous dose of campaign rhetoric extolling the virtues of the Democratic approach to (domestic) government policy. In truth, Bill Clinton is presented as far more of a populist progressive than was actually the case. So why should anyone read this book now, nearly six years later? First, James Carville is a smooth-talker who entertains as he explains. His down-home, aw, shucks approach to the issues would almost have you forget what a shrewd political tactician he has proven to be. If nothing else, he does an excellent job of explaining what the Democratic Party has purported to stand for since the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt, i.e., the notion that government has a proper and constructive role to play in regulating business, providing basic human services, and providing a "safety net" for people who suffer misfortune as a result of economic setbacks, natural disasters, or just plain bad luck. He also provides much useful and carefully laid-out descriptions of some of the more successful government programs that unfortunately, people in this country have either forgotten about or have come to take for granted. The context for Carville's book back in 1996 was the attack on "big government" by Newt Gingritch and the rest of the conservatives who swept into Washington in 1994, purportedly with a mandate to fulfill a "Contract With America." Although it turned out that they had no such mandate at all, for a time it seemed to be almost universally accepted that "government does nothing well" and that "liberal" is a dirty word. Carville's spirited defense of those things that government HAS done well succeeds in demonstrating just how shallow and yes, self-interested the reactionary attack on many useful and constructive programs actually was. Given that Newt and his crew largely faded away from the front pages during the latter portion of the nineties, what is the importance of Carville's treatise now? The truth is that the current administration is proving to be the most conservative in recent history; consequently, it apparently has every intention of accomplishing through the executive branch what it was unable to accomplish through the legislative branch a decade ago. Because the events of September 11 and beyond have demonstrated that government does matter and can do some things well, the rhetoric associated with this new conservatism is somewhat different from what we heard from Newt and his allies. However, the basic theme of pro-corporate pandering to the ultra-rich remains the same. Consequently, much of what Carville says in this book regarding the regressive and reactionary nature of much of the agenda of the Republican right remains absolutely on target. For that reason alone, people interested in politics and government will benefit from reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Repubs and Cockroachs?
Review: This book would be a very funny book if it were not so true. Repubs have been lying to us for years now and many gullible Americans have walked willingly into their imaginary world which has been presented as kind, supportive, and evenhanded. Mr. Carville in We're Right, They're Wrong has turned on the lights and the Repubs are scarring for the baseboards, as any self-respecting cockroach would. Read this book... it is time for progressive democrats to stand up and start stomping our feet...
Rating:
Summary: Time to beat the walls!
Review: This book would be a very funny book if it were not so true. We have been mislead for years now and many gullible Americans have walked willingly into an imaginary world which has been presented as kind, supportive, and evenhanded. Mr. Carville in We're Right, They're Wrong has turned on the lights and the there is much scarring for the baseboards, as any self-respecting cockroach would. Read this book... it is time for progressive democrats to stand up and start stomping our feet...
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