Mike's Election Guide

by Michael Moore

In his first book in five years, Michael Moorebrings us the definitive guide to the 2008 election. After a diastrous war, the failure to catch bin Laden, millions of families who have lost their homes, the Katrina debacle, soaring gas prices feeding record oil company profits, and the largest national debt caused by the biggest spending and borrowing administration in American history, the country has had it with conservatives, right-wingers and Republicans...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446546275
• ISBN13: 9780446546270
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Everything that you wanted to know about this election, and wish you didn't...

This year has been one of the crazier ones in politics that I can remember -- and I've been voting for over thirty years now, having seen a great many politicians come and go -- mostly go. And sadly, trying to keep up with it all on the television or the Internet is an exhaustive chore, beset with mind-numbing propaganda and enough spinning to make a spider look like a lazy bum. As I've been a fan of Michael Moore since he released The Big One, I figured I would give his latest book a try to give me some understanding of what I'll be facing when I step into that booth come November 4, 2008 and make my selections. Given with his usual tinge of sarcasm, and is this really happening? angle, I found Mike's Election Guide 2008 to be a dizzying turn through the issues. The cover, in brilliant primary colours, and a beaming Mr. Moore on the front, is presented in a mock-tourist-guide format. It's a blend of very tongue-in-cheek and more than a little seriousness dished up in a series of essays and occasional rants. This time, Mr. Moore goes after the Republicans in a big way, and at times, in way that made me a little uneasy. At times the tone gets a bit on the crazed side, but if you sift, there's still some nuggets of true inspiration and knowledge in here. More importantly, there's some information that everyone in America should think about. The first section, "Ask Mike!" is a series of questions and answers, mostly by (I hope) fictional people and a quickie lesson in basic civics for those of us who were too tired to pay attention in high school. Little bits such as what are the Electoral College, why Canadians think we're the crazy neighbors living downstairs, and other burning topics such as gay marriage, McCain's temper, and other delights. I felt that most of it was downright silly, but there are a few bright spots. The second section, however, is pretty likely: How to Elect John McCain... or How Many Democrats Does It Take To Lose the Most Winnable Presidential Election in History? And it's pretty much that simple. My usual cynical nature kicked in at this point, and I just read in grim horror at where things are likely to go in the next 54 days. Ten Presidential Decrees for His First Ten Days and Six Modest Proposals To Fix Our Broken Elections are interesting, and thought provoking. These, and the last chapter, I found the most interesting to go through, and I found myself agreeing with some of them. Here Mr. Moore does cycle back the ranting a bit, and at least, what he mentions here will give the reader some food for thought. One Last Job To Do When the Election is Over: All I am going to say about this one is that I can't agree more. You'll have to read it and decide for yourself. Why you need to read this book: Go to page 157, and look at the lists of candidates that are up for reelection this year in the House of Reprensentives and Senate. Yes, it's that important -- remember, if you don't get out there and vote this year, w

Entertaining!

"Mike's Election Guide" begins with an "Ask Mike" chapter. The first involves a shopper who took the president's advice 7 years ago and rang up about $30,000 in credit card debt, while his ARM payment doubled. The shopper asks Mike if this means the terrorists are winning. Mike's Response: No - we won because you went shopping. While nearly 1.4 million homes foreclosed in 2008, and we have 10 times the bankruptcies filed now vs. the Great Depression - this is a small price to pay for freedom. Another asks about American flag lapel pins. Mike responds telling us that we live in an age where its not what you do that counts, but how you accessorize. When asked why the Vietnamese imprisoned the nice John McCain, Mike suggests asking him if it is moral to drop bombs and missiles in heavily populated areas (as McCain did), and also recommends being wary of McCain's temper. In a chapter titled "How to Elect John McCain," Mike opines that Democrats appear to be professional losers, so pathetic that they lose even when they win (Gore's 2000 vote majority). To help party doofuses and pundits he suggests that Democrats continue saying nice things about McCain (his global warming and campaign finance positions, war hero status), following McCain's lines about expanding "faith-based" initiatives, getting ready to invade Iran, and creating a health plan that doesn't cover everyone. Mike's Suggestions for Obama's First Days in Office: 1)Bring back the draft, for children of the richest families. 2)Outlaw profit-making in healthcare, while pointing out that fire and police departments are already socialized, and that drug companies do only 17% of the drug research in the U.S. 3)Ban high fructose corn syrup - we consume an average of 63 lbs./year, and its introduction coincides with the growth of obesity in America. 4)Stop paying more taxes than the French. Actually we pay an average of 19% vs. their 22%, but its far greater when one adds in healthcare costs, higher education costs, and day care - all covered by French taxes. 5)Defeat Al Qaeda by drilling water wells in the world's impoverished areas. 6)Make Social Security solvent by having the rich pay their fair share. Mike then proceeds to provide a list of crimes for which '43 ought to be impeached, primarily dealing with misrepresentations and mismanagement involving Iraq, as well as Valerie Plame's exposure as a CIA agent. Mike ends by identifying strong Democrat contenders to take Republican Senate seats (23 of 35 open seats in 2008 are Republican held), along with their counterparts in the House.

Hilarious and Spot on!

I ordered this book on my Kindle and am enjoying it immensely. Michael is funny and oh so right. Common sense is what he is advocating. There is nothing "liberal" about it. Just plain common sense and rationality.

A friend gave it to me. THANK YOU!

I've been a big fan since TV Nation - but I didn't think Mike's newest book would be for me. A friend surprised me and got it for me. THANK YOU my love! More than a mere "guide" this newest book is true red-white-and-blue Michael! I was surprised at how much fun I had reading it. Your cultural and political observations cut to the bone and which you serve up with sweet tasty irony. Perhaps the reason most right-wingers dont like Michael is that irony is a hard concept for them. It's a biting bit of truth delivered as a tasty morsel to go down easy. I highly recommend this book for content, price, and easy to travel size. But mostly I highly recommend Mike's 2008 Election Guide because it's writtten by a sane person in a dysfunctional culture and thus helps to keep sane people supported and grounded. With love, Nerissa Oden