Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Vintage (2004), Paperback, 368 pages
Description
A simultaneously rollicking and sobering indictment of the policies of President George W. Bush, Bushwhacked chronicles the destructive impact of the Bush administration on the very people who put him in the White House in the first place. Here are the ties that connected Bush to Enron, yes, but here, too, is the story of the woman who walks six miles to the unemployment office daily, wondering what happened to the economic security Bush promised. Here are reports on failed nation-building missions in Kabul and Baghdad. Here, too, the story of a rancher who has fallen prey to a Bush-Cheney interior department that is perhaps a wee bit too cozy with the oil industry. Bushwhacked is highly original and entirely thought-provoking--essential reading for anyone living in George W. Bush's America.… (more)
Media reviews
Molly Ivins has often poked fun at President Bush for his manner of speaking, or "Bushisms." In her new book, Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America, the syndicated columnist, fellow Texan and long-time Bush critic takes on his dealings and policies, and what she says are their underreported
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effects on average Americans. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member kaelirenee
I got this because I wanted a good political chuckle. After Molly passed away, I heard so many funny things she'd said, and expected that here. Really, there were funny bits, but it was just so damn sad. As a life-long Texan, I've known Bush was bad, most of the information was old, and this book
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was frequently just a chance to hang my head and weep for the country (though sometimes those tears were from laughing so hard). Excellent book with great anecdotes and some great Southern Wit. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jcambridge
What's not to like about Molly Ivins writing, especially when your political leanings are such that you don't find it objectionable to read a humorous critique of a man who never should have been president and created most of the mess the nation finds itself in today.
LibraryThing member suedonym
I agree with themann00. I had to force myself to get through this book, and I normally love Molly Ivins' work and fly through her books. Not her best. The tone/touch was more pedantic than other efforts.
LibraryThing member melwil_2006
This is the second Ivins and Dubose book I've read, after devouring Shrub early in Bush's presidency. This book examines real people and how their lives have been affected by policy decisions made in the United States. In particular Ivins and Dubose examine George W. Bush and the people who work
Ivins and Dubose cover a wide range of areas, from campaign financing to education, the environment to food regulation. The people they talk to tend to be interesting and compelling, some of them with very sad stories. They range from the poor in the east who can't afford heating costs, to ranchers whose land is being destroyed by methane mining.
I knew some of the issues before reading the book - particularly issues related to the No Child Left Behind policy. But other issues shocked me - especially the regulations over food processing (which made me feel physically ill) and some of the judges being appointed by Bush and his people. Despite the name of the book, the probalems do not all stem from Bush, but rather from a culture of influence from big business and their big campaign donations.
The book is well written and mostly easy to read (although the finance stuff bogs you down a bit). It's funny, and interesting, and pretty shocking. There are no sources quoted during the book, but there is a long list at the back. There's always the worry with political books of how much bias is going into it, and how many errors are slipping through (Missing Australia on a list of supporters for action in Afghanistan was annoying). From time to time I worried that I wasn't getting the full story, and I'd like to do some follow up reading. The foreign policy section was a little short - but then the focus was on living in America. Overall, it was a good and compelling read.
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for him, and the decisions they have made.Ivins and Dubose cover a wide range of areas, from campaign financing to education, the environment to food regulation. The people they talk to tend to be interesting and compelling, some of them with very sad stories. They range from the poor in the east who can't afford heating costs, to ranchers whose land is being destroyed by methane mining.
I knew some of the issues before reading the book - particularly issues related to the No Child Left Behind policy. But other issues shocked me - especially the regulations over food processing (which made me feel physically ill) and some of the judges being appointed by Bush and his people. Despite the name of the book, the probalems do not all stem from Bush, but rather from a culture of influence from big business and their big campaign donations.
The book is well written and mostly easy to read (although the finance stuff bogs you down a bit). It's funny, and interesting, and pretty shocking. There are no sources quoted during the book, but there is a long list at the back. There's always the worry with political books of how much bias is going into it, and how many errors are slipping through (Missing Australia on a list of supporters for action in Afghanistan was annoying). From time to time I worried that I wasn't getting the full story, and I'd like to do some follow up reading. The foreign policy section was a little short - but then the focus was on living in America. Overall, it was a good and compelling read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kawgirl
This book made me mad. I threw it agains the wall a few times. I think other people should read it and get as mad as I did.
LibraryThing member fpagan
Sequel to _Shrub_ (1999), detailing how grimly disastrous are the mindset and policies of "GeeDubya." (I am shocked, shocked, that the authors would use disrespectful nicknames for the Nugatory Nabob of Nescience.) Scary.
LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
This is a partisan book, and it has every right to exist. A Texas Democrat, Ms. Ivins has been on the case of the Bush Family for some decades, and I very strongly agree with most of her points. This is a book to weep over, if you are lamenting the death of the more liberal America. And with the
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right to bury the opposition with simple piles of money, the average American has every right to weep for the USA from now on! Show Less
LibraryThing member David.Alfred.Sarkies
Well, it is September 7th which means that it is the Australian Federal Election, and it is also the last day that I have to put up with the internet bombarding me with all of this political advertising. I remember that only a few years ago I could flee to the internet to escape the relentless
I sometimes wonder if this is what political campaigning has become. Okay, granted, politicians lie, they always have and they always will. The only reason that they want the job is because of the power, prestige, and money that comes with the position. However the real question is whether they actually give a shit about the country that they are running, and most people simply say that they don't. This was the case in point with George W Bush. In a way he needed the votes to get himself elected, but the only America that he seemed to really care about was the America that was inhabited by the wealthy one percent. It is not that this has changed all that much under Obama, but at least he is trying to move the country in a new direction.
I guess the reason that I have become so disenchanted with politics is that the right wing parties seem to believe that they are the only party who are capable of managing the economy and running the country. However, managing a country and managing one's personal finances are two completely different things. It is okay to cut away non-essentials when managing your own house hold budget, but when it comes to managing a country, things change dramatically because the definition of non-essenstials change. Okay, granted, many of the right wingers seem to believe that they should not be paying for something that they are not using, such as public schools. However, the cost of a decent public education has become so prohibitive that I am actually loathe to have children because I cannot simply afford to give them a decent lifestyle.
The problem with the whole user pays idealism is that it is first of all simply plain selfish. While the top 1% enjoy the benefits of living in an advanced democracy, the rest have to scrounge money together to simply make ends meet, and that is not counting the fact that many of us end up going into debt to simply make those ends meet. In my time I have seen university education go from being free to being prohibitive. In fact, there are a lot of people at my work that have dropped out of university and started working simply because they cannot afford to go to university. Then there are people like me who are saddled with a HECS debt but am not earning anywhere near enough money that justifies the two degrees I have. Okay, I consider the HECS debt to be a claytons debt, that is a debt that is not really a debt. However, that may change with the new government (who I can forsee attacking the lower classes to support their upper class friends). In a way, with the cuts to public education, and to university, those of us in the lower classes are not only being denied education, and good quality education at that, but also the ability to earn a decent income.
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bombardment of political advertising that dominated our televisions during the election campaigns but now, thanks to Barak Obama (and to a limited extent, Kevin Rudd) this has all changed. Due to the success of both parties in moving election campaigns online there is now nowhere you can escape the relentless bombardment of soundbites trying to convince you why you should not vote for the other guy.I sometimes wonder if this is what political campaigning has become. Okay, granted, politicians lie, they always have and they always will. The only reason that they want the job is because of the power, prestige, and money that comes with the position. However the real question is whether they actually give a shit about the country that they are running, and most people simply say that they don't. This was the case in point with George W Bush. In a way he needed the votes to get himself elected, but the only America that he seemed to really care about was the America that was inhabited by the wealthy one percent. It is not that this has changed all that much under Obama, but at least he is trying to move the country in a new direction.
I guess the reason that I have become so disenchanted with politics is that the right wing parties seem to believe that they are the only party who are capable of managing the economy and running the country. However, managing a country and managing one's personal finances are two completely different things. It is okay to cut away non-essentials when managing your own house hold budget, but when it comes to managing a country, things change dramatically because the definition of non-essenstials change. Okay, granted, many of the right wingers seem to believe that they should not be paying for something that they are not using, such as public schools. However, the cost of a decent public education has become so prohibitive that I am actually loathe to have children because I cannot simply afford to give them a decent lifestyle.
The problem with the whole user pays idealism is that it is first of all simply plain selfish. While the top 1% enjoy the benefits of living in an advanced democracy, the rest have to scrounge money together to simply make ends meet, and that is not counting the fact that many of us end up going into debt to simply make those ends meet. In my time I have seen university education go from being free to being prohibitive. In fact, there are a lot of people at my work that have dropped out of university and started working simply because they cannot afford to go to university. Then there are people like me who are saddled with a HECS debt but am not earning anywhere near enough money that justifies the two degrees I have. Okay, I consider the HECS debt to be a claytons debt, that is a debt that is not really a debt. However, that may change with the new government (who I can forsee attacking the lower classes to support their upper class friends). In a way, with the cuts to public education, and to university, those of us in the lower classes are not only being denied education, and good quality education at that, but also the ability to earn a decent income.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Book on CD read by Molly Ivins
The subtitle really says it all. Oh, how I miss Molly Ivins!
Ivins was a political commentator / journalist based in Texas. In an earlier book, she and Dubose examined the George W Bush’s flawed policies and abysmal record as governor of Texas. In this second book on
It’s a somewhat dated book, today, and yet frighteningly appropriate in this “primary” season. Ivins doesn’t pull any punches and gives many examples of the effects of his ideology and policies on mainstream Americans struggling to make it – heck, forget “succeeding,” they’re struggling to survive.
Molly Ivins does a great job reading the audio. I feel like my best friend is just telling it like it is over a morning coffee (or a scotch at the bar)….
The subtitle really says it all. Oh, how I miss Molly Ivins!
Ivins was a political commentator / journalist based in Texas. In an earlier book, she and Dubose examined the George W Bush’s flawed policies and abysmal record as governor of Texas. In this second book on
Show More
“Dubya” they look at his presidency and how he has used many of those same strategies in running the nation. It’s a somewhat dated book, today, and yet frighteningly appropriate in this “primary” season. Ivins doesn’t pull any punches and gives many examples of the effects of his ideology and policies on mainstream Americans struggling to make it – heck, forget “succeeding,” they’re struggling to survive.
Molly Ivins does a great job reading the audio. I feel like my best friend is just telling it like it is over a morning coffee (or a scotch at the bar)….
Show Less
Subjects
Physical description
368 p.; 5.18 inches
ISBN
0375713115 / 9780375713118
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