THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF
THE VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY
review by
Mike Nappa
THE
OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY:
The Arguments You Need to Defeat the Loony Left This Election Year
by Mark W. Smith
(Regnery)
Reader Appeal: Adults
Genre: Politics
Chances are, if you've ever voted for a Democrat you contribute to the erosion of American society. At least that's what conservative commentator and author, Mark W. Smith, would likely say. He believes he knows what's wrong with our nation and he's not afraid to point fingers directly at the Democratic party and "loony left" media elites within its circles of power.
Smith's book, The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, is at times scathing propaganda and at times eye-opening expose as it attempts to reveal the hypocrisy and spin machine tactics of so-called "Blue State" political forces. Although much too partisan (and mean-spirited) to be taken at face value, it still offers plenty of food for thought for politically-minded readers.
Smith offers interesting commentary on a wide variety of topics, beginning his book with a clever "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy" self-test to help you determine your Right-Wing Conspiracy rating. Then he jumps right into the issue of liberal media bias (an easy target) before moving into several chapters that discuss the War on Terror and the conflict in Iraq. These chapters, surprisingly, are the most compelling, simply because they reveal a number of facts that have either been glossed over or omitted from most news reports lately. (Media bias, anyone?)
Beginning in chapter eight and running through the rest of the book, Smith dishes up a potpourri of hot-button issues, spotlighting everything from the United Nations ("a failed experiment" according to Smith), tax reform, the government health care ("expect your local doctor and hospital to be as responsive as your local Department of Motor Vehicles" Smith says), Hillary Clinton, immigration, and even the death penalty.
Chock full of opinions, stats, quotes, and presented in short, nugget-style arguments, Smith delivers an easy-to-read, often entertaining book and a hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners writing style. He also presents an often annoying and intellectually insulting tone of superiority that seems to indicate a) the reader doesn't know how to think for himself or herself, and b) any reader who disagrees with his opinion is a Liberal and an Idiot.
Still, The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy finds its value when Smith is simply laying out facts and reminding us of recent history that has been edited and revised by a political agenda. For instance, chapter 4, "The War in Iraq: Saddam Had It Coming" covers some of the events and international declarations leading up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. This chapter gives a clear, bi-partisan picture of American national security interests being acted out, and (believe it or not) we actually read this in our newspapers at the time. The war and its individual elements have since been politicized to the point that polarizing political spin has replaced what really happened on both sides of the spectrum. It is refreshing to simply see unadorned facts again, and be reminded of what we were thinking when it really mattered. Smith's thoughts on Israel's importance in the Middle East and his chapter on American patriotism ("America the Beautiful") are also interesting, impassioned, and thought-provoking.
Where Smith falls short is in the extremes he presents and in the shrill, often insulting way he views anyone with a different political opinion than his. For Smith, it appears that "Liberal" = "Liar + Enemy," and in real world America (outside Eastern halls of power like Washington D.C. and New York City) that equation is far to broad and stringent to be accurate. Granted, outrageous voices like Ann Coulter and Michael Moore sell books, but by defining everything and everybody in extremist terms of political affiliation, Smith becomes a part of the problem that overwhelms any role he might play in a solution. Smith also glosses over any in-depth discussion of any one issue, preferring to give only highlights and "talking points" to argue on many issues instead. That may be the intent for a "quick read" book like this one, but it also shortchanges the reader by giving only surface information on a topic. If the reader were really to argue Smith's points in this book, he or she would be out of material within just a few minutes of debate.
If we are honest, we must say that Mark W. Smith wields too much bias to be objective on any issue covered in this book, and that some of his opinions appear to be presented more for shock value than for the true betterment of American society.
But, if we are honest, we also have to admit that this book provokes us to ask several relevant questions as we go into the upcoming election season:
-- Have we allowed--and even encouraged--our media and our liberal Democrat leaders to rewrite history which we ourselves lived through just a few short years ago? And if so, what is an appropriate response to that kind of revisionism?
-- Does one political party or another adhere more closely to Christian values? And if so, does that mean Christians should always support that party in every election?
-- Should the political arena be the primary method of advancing God’s kingdom on Earth? If so, how exactly does that play out in governing a majority of non-Christian people? If not, what role should a Christian play in policy decisions of the American government?
--Is it appropriate to define Liberals and Conservatives in terms of "Friends" and "Enemies"? Why or why not?
--What really will make a positive political difference in American society and in the world? And what is our responsibility in that regard?
Like other editors on FAMILYFANS.com (and unlike Mark W. Smith), I won’t pretend to offer simple answers to these complex questions. Instead, I will just note that in spite of it’s weaknesses, The Official Handbook of the Right-Wing Conspiracy did make me think, occasionally made me laugh, and provided important information that I might otherwise have never heard of amidst the loud and rowdy voices that compete for my vote and yours this current election season.
FAMILYFANS RATING: B. (with points deducted for unnecessary, acerbic jabs and shortcuts in logic.)
Note: For more in this area, be sure to read Larry Shallenberger's review of Kevin Phillips' book,
--MN