16 of 23 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsI wish I could rate this ZERO stars.
By
Turdface Von Fartbutton August 21, 2009
Format: Hardcover
This book is so bad that it does not even deserve ONE star.
This is honestly one of the worst things I have ever read.
Not only is there virtually NO research in it at all, but the writing style is childish at best and downright awful in most parts.
The entire thing reads like a history report written by a grade school child who doesn't know the meaning of proper research of decent writing.
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11 of 19 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsNot a good book.
By
GEE DUBon July 2, 2009
Format: Hardcover
I heard that this was a "classic" and so I bought it to see what it was like.
No good at all. Basically the author just says that all Democrats are stupid and that they are only Democrats because they don't understand things, and that all intelligent people become Republicans.
Not even handed at all.
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29 of 39 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsJunk.
By
••TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOT••on June 23, 2009
Format: Hardcover
This "author" posts under the name "Cato" in the Amazon politics forum.
If you want to get an idea of what kind of politics this man practices, and what some of his views are, you should go look at some of his posts there.
Roughly 90% of what he posts are personal attacks on "godless liberals" or personal attacks on the President of the United States of America. He refers to all liberals as "socialists" and repeatedly chooses to ignore evidence when it is presented to him, going so far as to say that facts are "absurd" and that his arguments do not need to be based on them nor does it matter when facts disprove his arguments.
Please don't waste your time on this.
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3 of 19 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 starsAre Republicans smarter?
By
George S.on July 12, 2008
Format: Hardcover
Although I am not sure that this author has established that Republicans are smarter than Democrats (if that was his intention) it is interesting to note that a new book has convincingly made such an assertion.
Democrats and Republicans - Rhetoric and Reality: Comparing the Voters in Statistics and Anecdotesis a book that asserts that Democrats are only 75% as likely to have high or fairly high "apparent intelligence" according to interviewers for the National Election Studies. That contention is supported with extensive surveys and stats.
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35 of 44 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsBaiamonte Misunderstands History
By
KSon April 21, 2008
Format: Hardcover
Baiamonte's "idea" (GOP = good; Dems = communist) isn't a thought; it's merely a partisan rant.
He starts from a profound misunderstanding of history. He views Jefferson as some sort of ur-Libertarian, starting with a quote he attributes to Jefferson ("That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves") which actually was said by Henry David Thoreau.
There's a smidgen of truth in viewing Jefferson as something of a libertarian in some of his statements, as long as one understand that Jefferson was multi-faceted: he also believed in government and in fact grew the country and the government during his presidency. Jefferson said for example "It is a problem, not clear in my mind, that [a society without government, as among our Indians] is not the best. But I believe it to be inconsistent with any great degree of population." He also said "It will be said that great societies cannot exist without government." Jefferson may have had some libertarian leanings, yes. But he believed in government. He most emphatically believed in government.
But Ted will have none of that: he simplistically boils history down to "Jefferson was against government, so is the GOP; we are right, Dems are stupid" (his blog is not named "dumbdemocrats" for nothing). In his mind, Jefferson was a "Republican" (never mind that the party wasn't even created until some 20 years after he died) and therefore all democrats are communists (don't ask how he makes that leap... even he can't explain it).
This is "History for Right-Wing Know-Nothings." Utter claptrap.
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46 of 58 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsBlatant Partisan Diatribe
By
Amazon Customeron May 13, 2003
Format: Hardcover
I can sum up this book in exactly one sentence: "The difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans are better."
I would recommend a more non-partisan look--one that breaks down the views and makes a less biased comparison and allows you to think critically and decide on your own.
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39 of 64 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsdoes this book need that much publicity?
By
Amazon Customeron March 13, 2002
Format: Hardcover
let me share the following with you, dear potential reader/buyer of this book: as you might have experienced as well, when I was checking for new books by well-known economists such as bill easterly (the elusive quest for growth) or nobel-laureate joe stiglitz, I always ran into a review written by a certain t.biamonte, a name surprisingly similar to the author's name of this book. the reviews are extremely negative, and push those books into a highly political direction ("So, I give this book 5 stars for telling the truth and no stars for not stating that it is the Republican truth.")
what really bothers me though, is the fact that all reviews and with a similar sentence like:
" For a book not afraid to establish the truth about the entire range of Republican positions I recommend 'Understanding The Difference Between Democrats and Republicans.'"
This is the book you are looking at.
I am personally suspicious whether a good book needs this kind of publicity. Actually no, I am quite sure it would not.
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22 of 59 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 starsStill the Classic
By
Anthony Slateron August 11, 2000
Format: Hardcover
Still the Classic Primer on American Politics
The sad truth is that the press and school systems brain wash most Americans into believing that Democrats and Republicans are essentially the same. They do this partly to be polite, or to avoid controversy, and partly for monetary reasons. Accordingly, most Americans swing back and forth between the Parties based on the whimsical and temporary image they have of a particular party or politician at voting time. This book is the classic primer on the differences between the Parties that have been very consistent and evident, but very hidden, since the very first election in American History. You can get a college degree in American History and never be asked about or educated about the only really important question in American History;(is it smarter to be a Democrat or Republican?) yet this book asks it from page one so in many ways is far more valuable.
