Rush Limbaugh claims his talent is on loan. With this book, Franken demonstrates that he owns. The frankly Democratic author's shtick reminds us how much of a free ride conservatives have gotten in the mainstream media. For instance, he really drives home the weirdness of the conservatives' preachiness about "family values" in light of Newt Gingrich's and Bob Dole's first marriages, and Rush Limbaugh's first, second and third marriages. And he has great fun with Rush's and Newt's miraculous draft deferments in a chapter where he imagines all of the great conservative "chicken-hawks" out on a Vietnam war patrol under the leadership of Ollie North.


From Publishers Weekly
Franken, a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live and in feature films, does to Limbaugh what the conservative talk-show host has been doing to Democratic politicians for years. Using admitted half-truths and out-of-context quotes, he skewers Rush & Friends as no liberal has done in years. Franken does a retrospective of Limbaugh's life from when he "fed off the largesse of the government in the form of unemployment insurance"; how he failed to register to vote until he was 35; how he used two airline coach seats to fit his opulent hind-quarters; and how he got a 4-F deferment because of a pilonidal cyst. There are two hilarious sketches: "My 'Conversation' with Rush Limbaugh" uses out-of-context quotes to corner Rush in much the same way that Limbaugh once had a "conversation" with Hillary Clinton; and "Operation Chickenhawk," with Ollie North leading Vietnam draft-dodgers Limbaugh, Quayle, Buchanan, George Will and Clarence Thomas to their demises in Asian rice paddies. Franken also doesn't have anything nice to say about Newt Gingrich, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Phil Gramm and others of the haranguing right. A mean-spirited, albeit funny, diatribe that will delight liberals. Illustrations not seen by PW. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Had your fill of liberal-bashing since the dittoheads and the Newties came to power? Ready for some skewering of right-wing foibles for a change? Then you'll love comedian and writer Franken's pin-pricking of one particular bag of hot air, Rush Limbaugh, and his conservative cohorts, Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Pat Buchanan, etc. No, there is nothing subtle about the humor here, but it is very well written and sure to be a big seller, especially since it is scheduled for heavy publicity plus serialization in Playboy and George magazines. If you share Franken's political views, you'll love it; if you don't, buy it anyway, because library patrons will be asking for it.-?Pamela R. Daubenspeck, Warren-Trumbull Cty. P.L., Warren, OhioCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Author Franken takes on Limbaugh, as well as two Pats (Buchannan and Robertson) and a Newt. A born stand-up comedian, Franken sounds much like satirist Stan Freburg--but with the political barbs of Mark Russell. S.I.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Okay, so maybe Ditto Heads won't like this book, but Republicans with a sense of humor might find it amusing, and Democrats will be holding their sides and falling on the floor laughing. Franken, long-time Saturday Night Live writer (and Stuart Smalley alter ego), puts on another of his hats here, political satirist, and it fits extremely well. Many people think that Limbaugh and his radio and television commentaries have received a free pass for far too long. He does seem to misstate facts with alarming frequency: in 1991, he claimed that Styrofoam was biodegradable and paper wasn't. In his book, See, I Told You So, he wrote, "There are more acres of forest land in America today than when Columbus discovered the continent in 1492." Franken makes it his personal mission to clear up all these pesky inaccuracies, having some fun with Limbaugh along the way: a sidebar answers the lingering question, "How Fat Is He?" Limbaugh, however, is not the only politician who gets his facts checked here (note the "other observations" part of the title). In 1994, Franken points out, Newt Gingrich claimed that 800 babies a year were being left in dumpsters in Washington D.C. He was only 794 off. One hysterical chapter has Ollie North leading a platoon of guys who never actually made it to Vietnam through the rice paddies. That would be Phil Gramm (deferments), George Will (deferments), Clarence Thomas (4-F), Pat Buchanan (bad knee), and Gingrich, who didn't go but says sometimes he regrets it. Funny would probably be enough here, but Franken's book is more. He also offers plenty of solid information--from the maligned liberal position, for a change--about GOPAC, the economy, health care, and other issues of the day. Watch out, Republicans--Franken proves humor is the best revenge. Ilene Cooper

FROM OUR EDITORS

Piercing political satire from veteran Saturday Night Live writer Franken, whose incisive observations have turned the Beltway on its ear and made him our reigning liberal humorist. Includes hilarious discourses on Colin Powell, Bob Dole, Arlen Spencer, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and such controversies as feminism, affirmative action, and family values. On family values: "Frankly, I'm getting a little sick of cranky Republicans who can't keep their own families together telling everybody else about family values. Quick. What do New Gingrich, Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Pete Wilson, and George Will have in common? Answer. They've all been married only one less time than Rush Limbaugh."

ANNOTATION

Move over P.J. O'Rourke! From Al Franken, America's premier liberal satirist, comes a hilarious homage to the wonderful and always absurd American political process that skewers a whole new crop of presidential hopefuls--just in time for the 1996 presidential election. This mass market edition has been updated with more than 25 pages of new material.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the grand satirical tradition of Swift, Rabelais, and Twain comes -- Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot - And Other Observations -- a scathing -- but uncompromisingly fair -- look at America's largest talk show host and the rest of the Republican right. Penned by the Emmy award-winning Saturday Night Live writer whom John Podhoretz of the New York Post has called "the man responsible for some of the most brilliant political satire of our time," Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot tackles the issues and the politicians in ways few have dared. On the subject of Rush Limbaugh, Franken lets the facts speak for themselves. Listen to Rush, the "rugged individualist" and enemy of government handouts, explain how his second wife made him stop sitting around the house eating junk food and go file for unemployment insurance. And learn all of Rush's several explanations for how he avoided the draft. Of course, when it comes to draft-dodging Republicans, Rush isn't alone. Reading Al's Vietnam short story, "Operation Chickenhawk," you'll savor the exploits of Privates Limbaugh, Gramm, Quayle, Buchanan, Gingrich, and George Will as Lieutenant Oliver North leads them kicking and screaming into combat. And don't miss Al's informative discussions with the man who has "the easiest job in America": Rush Limbaugh's fact-checker. And much, much more.

SYNOPSIS

Irreverent, and hilarious, Al Franken doesn't just say that Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot in this book, he shares his thoughts on everything from health care to Gopac to the economy. The New York Times said it best in their review: This book is "funny, angry, and intelligent". With new material written especially for this trade paperback edition, and Washington constantly brewing with new scandals,"Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot And Other Observations is as timely as ever.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Comedy writer Franken skewers conservatives in a book that spent 23 weeks on PW's bestseller list. (Nov.)

Library Journal

Had your fill of liberal-bashing since the dittoheads and the Newties came to power? Ready for some skewering of right-wing foibles for a change? Then you'll love comedian and writer Franken's pin-pricking of one particular bag of hot air, Rush Limbaugh, and his conservative cohorts, Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Pat Buchanan, etc. No, there is nothing subtle about the humor here, but it is very well written and sure to be a big seller, especially since it is scheduled for heavy publicity plus serialization in Playboy and George magazines. If you share Franken's political views, you'll love it; if you don't, buy it anyway, because library patrons will be asking for it.

Library Journal

Had your fill of liberal-bashing since the dittoheads and the Newties came to power? Ready for some skewering of right-wing foibles for a change? Then you'll love comedian and writer Franken's pin-pricking of one particular bag of hot air, Rush Limbaugh, and his conservative cohorts, Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, Pat Buchanan, etc. No, there is nothing subtle about the humor here, but it is very well written and sure to be a big seller, especially since it is scheduled for heavy publicity plus serialization in Playboy and George magazines. If you share Franken's political views, you'll love it; if you don't, buy it anyway, because library patrons will be asking for it.

AudioFile - Steven I. Ramm

Author Franken takes on Limbaugh, as well as two Pats (Buchannan and Robertson) and a Newt. A born stand-up comedian, Franken sounds much like satirist Stan Freburg but with the political barbs of Mark Russell. S.I.R. ￯﾿ﾽAudioFile, Portland, Maine

John Podhoretz - New York Post