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Confessions of a Former Dittohead by Jim Derych — book cover

Confessions of a Former Dittohead

by Jim Derych
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Overview

Everyone knows a dittohead. In addition to being devoted listeners of Rush Limbaugh, they’re also loud, judgmental, and sure they’re always right. One of the most common phrases you’ll hear them use is “if you only understood politics you’d be a Republican.” And from abortion to gay marriage to national defense to fiscal policy, Rush details for them how it only works the Republican way.

Confessions of a Former Dittohead is the true story of how one average American turned away from the lies and distortions of Rush Limbaugh and the Republican Party to become a Liberal Democrat. Originally a diary on the popular website Daily Kos, this amazing book follows red-stater Jim Derych on a personal journey from the heart of conservative darkness to the light of liberalism, as he shares his observations and techniques with a progressive audience in the hopes of winning the battle over what George Lakoff describes as “framing.”

In addition to showing how the accumulated experiences of his life—a friend who had an abortion, a gay college roommate, his time spent in the Young Republicans—turned him away from the Republican Party, Confessions also discusses the major political and social issues of our day—abortion, gay marriage, social security, evolution—in order to show how “dittoheads” think, and what liberals and progressives can do to change that thinking.

An incredible personal and political story, Confessions of a Former Dittohead is the most important political book of the year.

Jim Derych lives and works in Tennessee.

About the Author, Jim Derych

Jim Derych's first book, Confessions of a Former Dittohead, the story of a Rush Limbaugh-listening "dittohead" who becomes a liberal democrat, was called "one of the most important books of the year" by Markos Moulitsas of Daily Kos.

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Editorials

Library Journal

With the fervency of a convert, Derych, a blogger, takes the reader through his transformation from a knee-jerk conservative and avid follower of Rush Limbaugh (a.k.a. Dittohead) to a liberal Democrat highly critical of President Bush and the Republican Party. Sometime after 9/11, his faith in Limbaugh began to falter. He began to question the claims made by conservative commentators on issues like abortion, racism, affirmative action, gay rights, and the war in Iraq, as he personally witnessed real people suffering hardships that didn't neatly match Rush's characterizations. Much of the book originally appeared on the liberal blog Daily Kos, and Derych's critical rhetoric hasn't been reduced. Apparently, he hopes his book will be a wake-up call to other Dittoheads so that they too might see the world clearly if only they came out from under Rush's spell. Unfortunately, there isn't enough here for a wide audience, so it is not recommended for general collections in public libraries. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Book Details

Published
June 8, 2006
Publisher
Brooklyn, N.Y. : Ig Pub., c2006.
Pages
200
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780975251782

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