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Books : The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008In association with Amazon.comRating:  - The Age of PropagandaI had hopes in the beginning where there was some insight on the rise of Reaganism, but then Mr. Wilentz slowly begins to degenerate into leftist leaning propaganda. It is not even disquised as opinion, but the old tired retoric that, if repeated often enough in some circles, it rates right up there with truth. Don't waste your time or money on this piece of political hack writing. It rates right up there with what comes out of the mouth of Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi - the party line no matter what is true or correct. Rating:  - Not a balanced work on the subjectTo read the title, one would have thought the author would present us with a thoughtful history of the Reagan presidency that would pull together the disparate views that were common to the era. This, sadly is not the case. Mr. Wilentz's credentials as a historian are quite well known. What he does with this book however is damage his credentials as it is clear that he seeks to promote his view of the events by misstating events, motives and history and by offering excuses for the left while holding the right responsible for any foible imagined. I found the early portion of the book well written and I certainly looked forward to the later half of the volume. What I encountered however was a vehicle that was falling apart as it made its journey. The closer that the book got to modern events, the more that the author offered excuses, vague innuendos and outright distortions to cast the right in a less favorable light. Rarely was a Republican given credit and often was a Democrat given dispensation. While I do not regret reading the book, I am reminded of a person tricked into paying for a ticket to a circus act that failed to live up to its promise. This was not a historical work but a attempt to skew the historical record. Rating: - Bilge...Predictable pseudo-history from an avowed Marxist. Just saw Wilentz on CSPAN. In that interview he actually praises Reagan, unbelievably. I guess he didn't write this book. By the way, the reviewer Ravitch needs to be liquidated. Rating: - Wilenz is the Nigel Tufnel of historians - clueless and self-delusional.A very funny book. My wife thought I was reading fiction (I was) because of the constant belly-laughing. I guess I never realized that all of Carter's failures were actually great successes and all of Reagan's successes were actually terrible failures. Amazing. Thank god for "intellectuals" telling us the facts (as interpreted by them). If you are looking for a good laugh rent Spinal Tap again. Otherwise avoid this diatribe at all costs. Rating:  - More campaign literature than historyUnfortunately this is a book which does a fine historian no credit. It is poorly written with many infelicitous lines but it has some value. Liberals and conservatives will both hate its nuanced appreciation of Reagan, a man of limited understanding but some firm beliefs which turned sometimes in a dangerous direction and finally in a beneficent one. The book recalls for many of us, both those who voted for Reagan and those appalled by his election, why he won two national races for the presidency: it was a reaction to the disintegration of the old Democratic Party caused by Vietnam and the destruction of the Solid Democratic South by the black uprising some call the Civil Rights movement. The fear of the black underclass motivated many to trust the rightwing Republicans for the first time and this fear continues today with the appearance of Obama as a possible president. McCain may win for the same reasons as Reagan. Obama benefitted from the Civil Rights Movement as did his wife but most blacks are no better off than before the end of segregation. Indeed many were better off on the Southern plantations. Wilentz is a liberal Democrat but he has a good sense of where Reagan properly responded to what Americans really wanted and needed. His analysis is fair and balanced, certainly more so than Fox News' contributions. Wilentz has a good handle on the reasons why Bush 43 is a disaster, the worst president since James Buchanan and perhaps even worse than Buchanan. His sympathy for Bill Clinton does not conceal the real weaknesses and deficiencies of Clinton, both personal and political. But in the last analysis this book has been gotten up for the 2008 election and it will not stand as any kind of permanent resource in our political history. Wilentz has missed the boat here, I fear. |
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