Rating: 
Summary: It's the Allegations, Stupid
Review: Read this book if you want to know what conservatives really mean by "traditional values". David Brock details a blizzard of lies, perjury, smear campaigns, hypocrisy, and just plain hatred on the part of self-proclaimed guardians of morality, decency and democracy. For those who prefer tales of "traditional vices"--sex and drunkeness, well they're in here too, courtesy of the same conservative scions.Note the accompanying negative reviews of this book. You will find that, almost without exception, they ignore Brock's allegations, focusing instead on attacking (or trying to "analyze") the man himself. This of course is the old ad hominem argument--attack the speaker, when you can't refute what he is saying. Ignore these irrelevant attacks; what matters is only the question, are Brock's allegations correct? To date, no one has discredited a single one of them. Read this wild ride of a book, repudiate the corrupt cast of characters and their tactics that fill its pages, and demand and vote only for candidates of integrity. Lord knows we've had enough of the others.
Rating:
Summary: ARTICULATE RECITATION OF THE SAD REALITIES OF TODAY
Review: This book must be read by all voters in this nation so that they can be educated on the propaganda that is now prevalent in the American political process. The book is not shocking. It is sad and leaves one either very depressing or recharged to fix the problems that still plaque American hundreds of years after our founding fathers tried to establish a fair and equitable governmental process.
Rating: 
Summary: The Truth Will Set You Free. The Reader or the Writer?
Review: Blinded by the Right is in some ways a remarkable book. In other ways, it is a frustrating tale of self-centeredness and greed -- the author's. Brock is a fine writer. He is informed and clearly intelligent. In Blinded, Brock provides a first-person account of the tactics employed by the conservative Republican extreme throughout the 1990's in their effort to "spread their message" and exert the considerable power of their money and influence. The book is frightening in that political games are laid bare and the conservative Republicans look pretty reprehensible in the process. While there are just as many - perhaps more -- similar books on the opposite spectrum of politics, Brock's stands out because it is so strongly autobiographical and he was so much a part of the propaganda machine as a reporter for the American Spectator during the 90's. He wrote many of the stories that caught our attention in the news media. David Brock was one of the party's key delivery boys! Even more frightening is the fact that David Brock was a soul-less chameleon who served as a political puppet for many years. While some folks are motivated to advocate positions because of deep personal conviction, David Brock was a shallow, selfish man, essentially interested in only one cause - himself. Brock essentially proved he was willing to be anything he needed to be and to go to any lengths to advance his own standing, inflate his own ego, make himself more money, and promote his own notoriety. I can't say that I leave Blinded by the Right with much sympathy for David Brock. While Brock has obviously gone through some form of personal transformation in writing this book about his own dishonesty, he actually got quite a bit out of his personal prostitution over the years as one of the key party messenger boys. If he believes it was he that was used, I would urge another look. Even after his "breakthrough" there still seems to be disingenuousness to Brock's desire to "come clean" and his personal ego looms large throughout the book - even after his supposed "wake-up" call. I'm not really very convinced that Brock has actually changed his agenda very much through all of his soul searching. So much of the undertone of Blinded by the Right seems to sound a discordant note that "the world somehow should revolve around David Brock". Sadly, he still seems to lack very much conviction or commitment to anything other than to himself. While I enjoyed reading Brock's account of some of the zealotry that drove a wedge through American politics all through the 90's, I can't help but finish the book hoping that David Brock himself finds something to believe in that is worthy of his intelligence and giftedness. A man at middle age who doesn't have any personal conviction, regard for others, or much to believe in that is larger than oneself, quite frankly, isn't very impressive. Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Rating:
Summary: A genuine confession
Review: For someone who voted for Clinton twice, this book's expose of the far right is gratifying and frightening, as several of the most flagrant perpetrators of right-wing fascism are now in office. However, what gives this book its moral fiber, what puts it into another league from a Kitty-Kelly type expose, is that the author makes a genuine confession of what he did wrong. The political right, whose favor he actively courted, did some dreadful things, and Brock himself did some very dreadful things, which he candidly describes to the reader. No finger pointing. No lame excuses. He tells a tale of sin and repentence, with genuine soul searching and acts of contrition. This is a personal story as well as a political story. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: "It's not the votes that count...
Review: ...but who counts the votes." (Joseph Stalin) This book has generated controversy -- from rightwingers enraged over the author's treason, to leftwingers skeptical of his biting of the hands which fed and later bled him. "Blinded by the Right" does come off more as revenge than conscience. And the author is the self-confessed liar who smirkingly fabricated the most far-fetched sleaze about opponants of the radical Right. But nothing in Brock's latest book is exactly a revelation or expose' -- who isn't already aware of all the stones of scandal backfiring into the fragile glass houses of the oh-so-hypocritical Right? Collected and collated, all this dish does, of course, make for some entertaining (and scary!) fare. But that is not what makes it interesting to me. Rather, it's Brock's personal story, his involvement with all these unsavory characters and their agenda. For I can identify with Brock's early embracement and his ultimate rejection of the Grand Old Party, which has been hijacked by extremists such as the [Un]Christian Coalition. After all, it was that consummate Conservative, Senator Barry Goldwater, who first denounced religio-political movements as unAmerican "evil", and who declared that the only concern about gays in the military should be "whether they can shoot straight". And back when the words "conservatism" and "conservation" had the same root, it was President Richard Nixon who created the EPA and first signed environmental bills into legislation. No surprise, therefore, that Hillary Rodham (Clinton) had been such a zealous campaigner for Goldwater... and Nixon was the first President I helped elect. (Ironically, so many Republicans nowadays deny having voted for Nixon, one wonders how he ever achieved that landslide second-term victory!) I became disenchanted with the GOP during Reagan's regime, during escalating Cold War insanity and the rise of the "religious reich". Whereas David Brock had just begun his own descent. Having fled the leftist radicalism of his college contemporaries for the staunchly anti-Communist stance of the Right, he soon found his own niche in the GOP's new "moral-values" mudslinging, focused on the personal lives of its opposition. Brock now apologises for his smear & sneer assault on Anita Hill. And he exposes the entire sleazy Vast Rightwing Conspiracy to "kill Clinton", which karmically claimed a host of adulterous Conservative casualties. One chapter deals with the Paula Jones scandal. Hypocritical religious groups spent thousands of dollars arranging Jones' make-over from garish strumpet to naive Christian maiden. (This futile endeavor was rewarded by Jones' subsequent flirtation with Penthouse Magazine.) Even when no sexual sludge can be dredged to smear political opponants, rightwing campaign committees resort to such vile slander as the widespread lie about (R. AZ) Senator John McCain's "collaboration" with his VietCong captors. If the "new" GOP is so unaverse to defiling its own, it's not surprising that its enduring spokesmen, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, would blame the terrible events of September 11 on "liberals, feminists, pagans, and homosexuals". Those vicious accusations shocked David Brock and finally severed his ties with the "new" Republican Party. As a fellow registered Independent, I found his claimed recovered "Conscience", at least, compatible with my own. Like Brock, I'll continue to support worthy Conservative candidates who emphatically denounce rightwing extremists and "religious" fanatics.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing On More That A Few Levels
Review: Blinded by the Right is in some ways a remarkable book. In other ways, it is a frustrating tale of self-centeredness and greed -- the author's. Brock is a fine writer. He is informed and clearly intelligent. In Blinded, Brock provides a first-person account of the tactics employed by the conservative Republican extreme throughout the 1990's in their effort to "spread their message" and exert the considerable power of their money and influence. The book is frightening in that political games are laid bare and the conservative Republicans look pretty reprehensible in the process. While there are just as many - perhaps more -- similar books on the opposite spectrum of politics, Brock's stands out because it is so strongly autobiographical and he was so much a part of the propaganda machine as a reporter for the American Spectator during the 90's. He wrote many of the stories that caught our attention in the news media. David Brock was one of the party's key delivery boys! Even more frightening is the fact that David Brock was a soul-less chameleon who served as a political puppet for many years. While some folks are motivated to advocate positions because of deep personal conviction, David Brock was a shallow, selfish man, essentially interested in only one cause - himself. Brock essentially proved he was willing to be anything he needed to be and to go to any lengths to advance his own standing, inflate his own ego, make himself more money, and promote his own notoriety. I can't say that I leave Blinded by the Right with much sympathy for David Brock. While Brock has obviously gone through some form of personal transformation in writing this book about his own dishonesty, he actually got quite a bit out of his personal prostitution over the years as one of the key party messenger boys. If he believes it was he that was used, I would urge another look. Even after his "breakthrough" there still seems to be disingenuousness to Brock's desire to "come clean" and his personal ego looms large throughout the book - even after his supposed "wake-up" call. I'm not really very convinced that Brock has actually changed his agenda very much through all of his soul searching. So much of the undertone of Blinded by the Right seems to sound a discordant note that "the world somehow should revolve around David Brock". Sadly, he still seems to lack very much conviction or commitment to anything other than to himself. While I enjoyed reading Brock's account of some of the zealotry that drove a wedge through American politics all through the 90's, I can't help but finish the book hoping that David Brock himself finds something to believe in that is worthy of his intelligence and giftedness. A man at middle age who doesn't have any personal conviction, regard for others, or much to believe in that is larger than oneself, quite frankly, isn't very impressive...
Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking Must Read!!
Review: If you ever wondered how someone like Hitler was elected in a democracy and went on to lead his country to the brink of ruin--this book provides some frightening insights into the process. If only half of what Brock discloses is true, this book is a wake up call to any who value freedom and our way of life. The hypocritical and zealous quest for power engaged in by the so called "Christians" of the religious right and the right wing conservatives who hide under banners of "family values", "compassionate conservative", and other such nonsensical labels shows these people to be strict adherents to the -- end justifies the means --philosophy responsible for some of the most horrible crimes in history. Anyone who allows themself to be blinded by the empty rhetoric of the right wing in our country is coming close to committing treason against our very way of life. I hope that many will read this and be invigorated to support our democratic ideals as well as to begin to seriously question the way in which information is spoon fed to the public under the watchful eye of the mainstream media. Some of the info in this book should have been huge stories which were never given any attention. One of many examples is the complicity of the Wall Street Journal in Vince Foster's suicide. The rampant hypocrisy evidenced by the leaders of the Republican Party in 1990s America was mind boggling and frightening. Their interest in power for it's own sake should be a stern warning to those who would support them in the future Read this book if you want to know something about what to watch out for and pay attention to in the future. Exercise your right to vote and demand that those who profess to lead us to a moral high ground have the ability and capacity to walk that road themselves first!
Rating:
Summary: Scary!
Review: I found myself feeling scared, despondent, hopeless, but also, finally, slightly hopeful, at the way our country works. On the one hand, it's frightening to think of such extreme, psychotically hateful people making the country's political wheels turn. But in the end, I got to thinking that to some degree these activities and their lack of results perhaps show that our system DOES work, at least largely. I mean, granted some people got into powerful positions who perhaps shouldn't have, but hasn't that been happening here for 225 years? And in the end, the country is still here, moving on to other issues. I thought it was mostly well-written. (Frankly, contrasted to some of what I've read lately, I was impressed just by the fact that I didn't find any typos!) In spite of the serious, complex subject, I found it entirely readable, having no trouble reading it in large chunks. In fact, I recommend reading it that way, so you don't keep forgetting who the key players are. My only criticism of the writing is that he kept switching back & forth between referring to someone by their first name and then by their last name, which I found annoying and confusing, and just added to the amount of conscious attention you had to pay to the names, often requiring going back to verify that the 2 names are the same person. It was also quite an education in which organizations and publications are part of the conservative agenda. I found myself wishing the book came with a score-card listing all these conservative proponents, and telling me who really owns what.
Rating:
Summary: A little bit smearing, a little be sneering
Review: David Brock names names, gives a dense amount of information in a train-wreck of a book. The right so far has not sued (cannot sue if it is true?), however in a twist of fate that makes me believe in Karma, the R's started their own smear campaign against the author. It could not happen to a nicer guy... Brock is the author of "The Real Anita Hill" in which the phrase, "a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty" was born. There is probably no way to estimate the amount of hurt this man has inflicted on innocent bystanders throughout his career, and to have a "mea culpa" book try to explain it all away is really tacky. (And even now, Brock continues to smear: in one of the funniest sequences he describes how Matt Drudge wanted to get in his pants. An interesting way for one gay man to out another gay man, print the dirty email describing what you want to do.) I don't believe in death bed conversions in the movies, nor here. Brock's time line of events does not add up. If he was so repelled by the right wing starting with TrooperGate, then why did he continue to do their bidding through the impeachment fiasco? He explains it away as a paycheck. Not convincing. His new-found convictions do not ring true. Brock is as likely to put his new principles into practice as Nancy Reagan is to work in a drug rehab clinic. This is Public Relations, pure and simple. He is looking for his second act, this time on the other side of the aisle. But this is not to say that this book is not fascinating, it is; but it cannot be believed verbatim. So, while he makes bold statements (without attribution -- take his word for it, please. Brock only lies when it is important. Or convenient. Or easier than doing real research...) about what happened and why, and even about what various other people were thinking, he does not back it up with any evidence. Brock's ego shines through, and as a testimonial to it he uses a ... terrible trope: whenever he is telling a story of something repellent he did, the author writes about himself in the passive voice: "Mistakes were made." He should have said, "I lied." Ok, so Hillary is right: there is a vast right-wing conspiracy. Did you really doubt it? OK, so (many) family-value Republicans are hypocritical, racist, homophobic, and misogynistic. Do you really need to give this man [money] to learn this?
Rating: 
Summary: Will someone explain this
Review: Brock is attempting to hype himself as a reformed right-winger but now the truth has come out that Brock was a Left-Winger who switched over for...you guessed it $$$. Now Brock is attempting to claim the he went from the Right-Wing to the left Wing...Confused I BET YOU ARE! After reading most of the book I have a feeling that the joke is on the readers, with Brock's history of lying and switching sides for profit, I wonder if his next book will be called "Left Out" how the Democrats brainwash the average citizen. With Brock's track history -don't doubt it! The other thing that's funny is how he claims that Gay Republicans (Sullivan and alleged Drudge) are racist to themselves and he actually attempts to pass this theory in his book. I also can't understand why the liberals love this book since his track history is so cluttered he's hardly the person to rally behind. I guess being an Independent has allowed me to view this book in a non-biased way. Hurry up and buy this book before he writes "left Out" to please the Conservatives
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