Rating: 
Summary: Not Your Typical "Liberal-Minded" Political Book
Review: Alan Colmes probably feels like Leon Trotsky on some days. It was Trotsky's fate, of course, to be laid low by an ice axe at the behest of the very revolution that he helped to spawn. But here he is (Alan, not Leon) with a very visible television gig, a daily radio program, and now a book. Yet liberals treat him like a redheaded stepchild! You'd think he was Joe Lieberman! Why is that? The answer, I think, is contained in his book RED, WHITE & LIBERAL.Colmes seemed to spring out of nowhere onto Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes. He's been around for a while, however. His radio program dates back to the 1970s. On October 1, 1990 he came to be renowned as the first nationally syndicated liberal radio talk show host (he's not, but that's an argument for another time). His program in most markets immediately followed Rush Limbaugh, the thought apparently being that stations could stir up a little right-left interest. And in some cases it worked. I used to listen to him every day, primarily for his "Radio Graffiti" feature. Listeners could call up and say one sentence over the air, then it was on to the next caller. It moved quickly and was on for about three minutes at the beginning and end of his program. It was fairly easy to get through --- Alan, alas, didn't have much of an audience --- so there were regulars who called in such as myself. There was also a really entertaining guy who called himself "The Alabama Dittohead" and who occasionally, though not always, made more sense in one sentence than Alan did in two hours. But in between Radio Graffiti, there was Alan, reliably liberal as he attempted to defend the indefensible Bill Clinton and a host of other causes du jour. It was on the strength of that program that Sean Hannity recommended Colmes to co-host the program now known as Hannity & Colmes. And, of course, he has a new radio program. Colmes often comes across as Howdy Doody to Hannity's Buffalo Bob Smith, but that is merely because he is passionate in what he believes. You can tell when Colmes has had his buttons pushed because he bounces up and down in his chair. One of the cardinal sins of our current age is to look bad on television, and Colmes in the past has raised that to an art form. But he is doing better. True, the old Alan has been manifesting himself lately as he reminds everyone each night that he has written a new book. But that's almost endearing; it's actually kind of refreshing to see a media figure like Colmes being proud of something he did without a hint of faux modesty. So more power to him. I want to assure you though that Colmes really frosts me. I spent as much time throwing RED, WHITE & LIBERAL across the room as I did reading it. It has more air miles at casa de Hartlaub than the Concorde. Some people accuse Alan of being a closet conservative but it's hard to read RED, WHITE & LIBERAL and still believe that. No, Colmes is still reliably liberal. Go down the checklist and he's right on the Left. Abortion, check! Gun confiscation, check! Increased taxes, check! Blame Bush for everything, check! Sponge Al Frankenpants has taken Colmes to task --- confronted him, actually --- for not taking the fight to Hannity directly on the program they co-host. Such criticism misses the format of the program, wherein the co-hosts confront the guests, not each other (think Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff? and you'll get it). If Colmes has needed to establish his bona fides, however, RED, WHITE & LIBERAL does that. I mean, one chapter is entitled "Bill Clinton, Our Greatest President." Another is called "Jesus Was A Liberal." But you know what? As strongly as I would disagree with those statements, they are argued reasonably. Forcefully, but reasonably. Colmes occasionally distracts from his arguments by sprinkling the chapters with transcripts of e-mail he has received from disgruntled viewers, but for the most part he stays on track. So why then is Colmes disliked by liberals? The answer, I believe, is ultimately contained in Chapter Eleven, entitled "Where Right Is Right." It's one of the shortest in the book, as one might expect (Colmes IS a liberal, after all, and the presence of the chapter in this book is remarkable in itself). But Colmes ultimately gets it. He is not part of the "blame America First" crowd, and I have a feeling that if one of the ne'er-do-wells who are fronting for A.N.S.W.E.R. came on his program he'd hand them their head as quickly as Hannity would. I mean, here is a guy --- a liberal --- who closes a chapter with a transcript of the lyrics of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A." No wonder Franken takes off on him! Colmes doesn't hew to the party line! Yes, RED, WHITE & LIBERAL infuriated me, but only because I disagreed so strongly with so much of it (except of course with Chapter Eleven). If you want to understand where that scatterbrained sister of yours (or her husband) is coming from, however, or if you're a liberal seeking to better articulate your worldview to your conservative friends, this (and it pains me, oh how it pains me to say this) is the book you should pick up. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating: 
Summary: EXACTLY WHY HES ON FOXNEWS
Review: I am a Liberal myself, and strongly oppose the twisted views and morals of the Republicans in power today. What disgusts me more, however, is how those conservatives brainwash goodhearted Americans into thinking that they actually care about issues like: jobs, family values, education, medicare..etc. All that the Republicans at the top think about is GREED (with an occasional "how to bring the church and state closer together") Their main focus is to distract us by playing on our fears by saying "Terrorists want to come to your house and kill YOU and your children." all they want is to completely unrestrict the amount of money they can obtain, and take away from the country's budget. Back to Colmes....clearly in this book, we can see he is a very weak man with poor arguments and a very poor representation of the Democratic Party. This is why Rupert Murdoch allowed him to be on Fox News. His weakness as a debater and speaker are the only reasons he is the ONLY LIBERAL WORKING FOR FOX NEWS. Talk about Liberal Media Bias, right? The radical right want to prove to their viewers that all democrats are weak and dont really care about the issues like Colmes. So, they have him represent us in a show where he is not only very weak and un-argumental, but talks approximately a quarter of the time, while his ULTRA-right wing co-host and George Bush Footsoldier Sean Hannity fluently articulates his point on about 3/4ths of the airtime.
Colmes is a "Liberal" who has been ultimately created by Republicans. But, of course we cant trust CNN, NBC, CBS or the New York Times, because Fox News is the only Fair and Balanced network, while the rest are liberally biased!! This is one of the reasons we dislike conservatives. They create a BLATANT AND ENORMOUS bias in the Fox News Channel, and then blame some sort of bias on us. Disgusting.
Rating: 
Summary: It an average book that lacks passion
Review: Alan Colmes book is empty of passion. His words are strung together arguments that attempt to form a text for his liberal beliefs. To put his book in context it's without substance much like a boy band is to the rock music scene. Alan seems like a nice guy. I believe he feels the way he does about being a liberal but beyond that this book is totally souless. It appears to be the work of a very good editor who organized Alan's points into chapters which became a book. If anyone is to be credited, it's Alan's editor who, to me, appeared to be a driving force in making this a presentable work. Which goes back to my point about this being similar to a boy band. It's not heartfelt. It's passionless. It mimics other books much like a boy band mimics other acts but it's all contrived. There isn't any deep rooted emotions here. Alan spends time saying this conservative is my friend and that conservative is my friend to the point that he is so busy appeasing everyone that he comes across lacking depth. He fence straddles on several points to the extent that you think he was running for office or something. In short, while the points raised in the book appeared to be Alan's beliefs the book is empty of an emotional core that brings the writer into what is being said. Read Sidney Blumenthal's "Clinton Wars" to see what a real writer with heart and deep rooted convictions writes like. Those who like an "intro to liberalism" may find this book acceptable but everyone else can take a pass.
Rating:
Summary: A solid book from the ONLY logical liberal pundit in America
Review: Alan Colmes is somewhat unique in the world of liberal pundits. He can defend his ideas, and that defense is NOT the normal liberal line of "Bush is a nazi, America is evil, blah, blah, blah". Unlike the Michael Moores and Al Frankens of the world, he doesn't end up hurling insults or throwing childlike tantrums every time someone disagrees with them. Does this mean I agree with Colmes? No, but I respect him.
Rating: 
Summary: The Man With the Worst Job on TV News
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: He's the Gilligan of Fox News
Review: Not too impressed with this book. Colmes is paid to be Hannity's fall guy, because Hannity isn't smart enough to take on a real liberal. I agree with another reviewer who says
Colmes spends too much time appeasing the right. He is the straw man that Sean loves knocking down night after night on Hannity and Colmes. He's the guy everybody loves but who is always foolish and wrong. The right needs scapegoats they can laugh at. HA HA
Rating:
Summary: All hail Alan "Mr. Toothless" Colmes!!!!
Review: Sometimes (usually when I can't find the remote), I find myself watching "Hannity and Colmes" on the Fox News Channel, and I feel sorry for poor Alan Colmes. He invariably finds himself interrupted and talked over by both Sean Hannity and whatever moron they happen to be interviewing. Then when they go to commercial, I can almost see the bile rising in Alan's throat when he says the Fox News Channel features "Real Journalism--Fair and Balanced!!!" So when I saw his book for sale I bought it, thinking that this was his chance to finally speak his mind uninterrupted about his views. The result is one of the most milquetoast tomes I have ever waded through. He, of course, tries to defend his network (and not very well)...if he didn't work for Fox News (and if his publishing company wasn't another Rupert Murdoch division), he actually might admit exactly how biased it truly is!!! There is also an awful lot of empty space in the book, which makes me wonder if he really had that much to say. A lot of the book is taken up with excerpts from the show and emails that he has received over the years. Every time he uses emails or show clips, it's space that he didn't have to fill with his own words. Also, I really didn't enjoy the "O.J. Is Innocent" chapter, simply because the O.J. Simpson trial was nearly ten years ago, and I didn't think anyone cared about it anymore. So I would recommend that you wait for it to wind up on the clearance table. The wait shouldn't be too long, since I recently saw it for 75% off the cover price.
Rating:
Summary: Gave it a fair chance
Review: As an independent, I gave this book a fair chance, but had to give it up when I reached the 'Bill Clinton - Our Greatest
President' chapter. Then I glanced through the remaining chapter titles (such as 'OJ is Innocent' and 'Jesus Was a Liberal') which confirmed I wasn't acting hastily when deciding this book has no real substance. A real disappointment, because in the beginning chapters, Alan comes off as very honest and forthright.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Must-Read Book
Review: The best thing about this book is that it is very straighforward. Colme's arguements are well organized, logical, and clear.
Unlike other liberals and conservatives, Alen takes a more meaningful approach in which he presents good points without mocking the other side. I just couldn't put this book down. Alen also has a better sense of humor than I thought. He doesn't take the usual arrogant "im always right, and your all wrong" approach. He presents the fact and details, and you decide. We should have more of these honest dignified books. This book is well worth every dime. Very highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Falls Short
Review: Repetitive and poorly organized. This is little more than a rant. Dissappopinting. And this review is from a true blue Massachusetts Liberal!
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