The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error: Over 100 Outrageously False and Foolish Statements from America's Most Powerful Radio

by Jim Naureckas, Jeff Cohen, Steven Rendall, et al.

Recently, the media watch organization FAIR had a novel idea for a stinging response to Rush Limbaugh's reign of error: the truth. The Way Things Aren't documents and corrects over 100 whoppers told by The Lyin' King, pitting Limbaugh versus Reality in areas ranging from American history to the environment, health care to rock and roll. It also has features such as "Limbaugh versus Limbaugh" with examples of Limbaugh contradicting himself,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156584260X
• ISBN13: 9781565842601
• Release Date: May 1995
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.0" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Loneyly Drug Addled Creep exposed

A lonely drug-addled cretin gets to feel like a real man in the isolation of a radio broadcasting booth -- his ego fed by hundreds of morphine and oxycontine pills and scads of others. Whatever comes to his mind, he says, and he doesn't give a damn whether it's true or not. For the most part he makes it up as he goes along. Giving his listeners the kind of proto-fascist stuff these simpletons love. No wonder they hate this book. Apart from one fact. Most of them are too stupid to read. Those who can, only read books that fit their twisted little minds. It's not a question of liberal and right wing. It's what puts bucks in the Rush pocket to buy drugs. Get serious. This is unAmerican stuff -- and this book is one step toward exposing it.

A fantastic and truthful book!

This is a fantastic book. Others more knowledgeable than me have gone over all of FAIR's responses and they were shown to be based on truth, and all the quotes cited were verified. An excellent book, which with out a doubt debunks the man, called Rush and his illogical ideas. A man, I might add, who claims to be a patriot? But that can only be stated if you define patriot as one who refused to be conscripted in the US military.

Hey dittoheads. You've been duped!

Oh boy, where do I start.Many years ago, when I was a mindless drone in the corporate world I developed a small love affair for a fat, boisterous man who had a TV show. I thought we was so on target and full of information that I listened to every word and couldn't wait to use something from him the next chance I was in an arguement.After awhile though, I began to feel uncomfortable with all of Rush's quick edits and the video clips ending right before I thought that the "commie-lib" was going to say something else. I even took it upon myself to read the articles that Rush was refering to and watch the news more often hoping to hear the full version of what was said.Needless to say, that made all the difference in the world. I realized within a month or two that my chubby friend was a liar and propagandist of such magnitude that I was honestly overcome with shame and anger towards myself for falling for it.I am not going to give examples from the book because you have better things to do right now (hint: buy the book.) Suffice to say that Mr. Limbaugh's love of distorting (ie: only letting the listener/viewer hear what he wants them to) and lack of fact checking have caught up to him.Bye Rush, it's been a bittersweet ride but I'm not sad to see you go.

If you don't want to read this book, you should

Time for the truth, Rush. Get a fact checker. This book is a clear demonstration of what happens when freedom of speech runs amok (or when it is taken hostage by the uninformed and angry). This is a documentation of so many misstatements that I unfortunately hear presented all the time as "gospel truth", "scientific fact". Much of it comes from Rush's own extremely warped imagination. Don't be a "Dittohead". Think for yourself, and resist the temptation to follow this leader into the abyss of the Dark Ages. By all means, read this book.

Devastates Limbaugh's Quackery

This book by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), the outstanding media watchdog group, was published in 1995, after FAIR had published a report in June 1994 documenting Limbaugh's quackery to which Limbaugh responded with venom but with little substance. FAIR printed their rebuttal to Limbaugh's response to their original report at the end of this book. This book might seem rather dated; they have gathered a few more juicy things about Limbaugh since it was published, available on their web site, especially about his antics during the budget battles of 95-96' but I don't think they have kept track of him as much. But on the whole, the documentation is excellent and the discussion of all aspects of Limbaugh--his power in the media and on capitol hill, messiah complex, racism, sexism, context of his rise to fame,etc.--as well as the prospects for developing alternatives to the center-right corporate and "public" television and radio is excellent. FAIR, though not in this book, has also been harshly critical of Bill Clinton and the Democrats. Here are some examples that they present of the more than "one hundred outrageously false and foolish statements from America's most powerful radio and TV commentator."The quote Limbaugh as saying in "The Way Things Ought to Be" that construction of public housing "actually increased during the Reagan years." The quote sthe Statistical Abstract of the U.S. which shows that there were almost twenty one thousand low income housing units under construction in 1980 but in 1988 there were only 9,700. They quote HUD figures which show that the money for construction of new housing was slashed from $3.7 billion in 1980 to $573 million in 1988. They quote Limbaugh as saying in "The Way Things Out To Be" that there was no increase in the gap between the rich and the poor during the eighties and that "Figures compiled by the Cogressional Budget Office dispel that myth." FAIR says that CBO numbers actually show that in 1980 the after tax income of the richest fifth was eight times that of the poorest fifth. "By 1989, the ratio was more than twenty to one." They quote him as saying on his now defunct TV show as claiming that the TV networks, including the "Today" show were attempting to suppress coverage of a pro-Clarence Thomas book by David Brock and that supporters of Anita Hill were refusing to come on TV to debate Brock. FAIR responded by noting that Brock had appeared a week before Limbaugh made this assertion on the "Today" show debating a Hill lawyer, Charles Ogletree.The quote him as speaking of the superiority of American health care compared to other industrialized nations in "See I Told You So" and saying that "the health of the American people has never been better," using the measurements of life expectancy and infant mortality. FAIR responded by citing the 1993 CIA World Fact Book as ranking the United States 19th in life expectancy and 20th in infant mortality. They also note that although the Unit