Political Humor, U.S. Politics & Government - 20th Century, Corruption & Scandals, Presidents of the United States - Biography, U.S. Politics & Government - 1992-2001, Public Opinion - United States

It's the Stupidity, Stupid

Name: It's the Stupidity, Stupid
Author: Harry Shearer
ISBN: 9780345434012

by Harry Shearer

Write a review

Overview

"In the aftermath of, shall we say, certain events, it seems almost cretinous to ask why some people hate the forty-second president of the United States. Bill Clinton let down his friends and followers and subordinates, caused no end of legal fees to many of them, and, more ominously, made it possible for William Bennett to unleash upon the public yet another bilious stream of self-righteous posturings. . . ."

But there's more there than meets the eyewitness news. Now, in this shrewd, on-target, wickedly funny book, Harry Shearer unbuckles the Beltway to examine why, of all people, Bill Clinton has inspired such profound and persistent loathing in a sufficient number of Americans to propel his presidency to the "kinda like Nixon" section of the history books.

Is it because our leader hides behind women's skirts? is seen as a traitor to his race by his southern compatriots? represents the immoral Woodstock generation to those who have fond memories of the depression? Shearer investigates every avenue (and back alley) and, along the way, debunks Hillary's vast right-wing conspiracy theory ("A conspiracy by its nature should be a fairly tightly controlled operation, like the Mafia or Scientology"), explores the animosity inspired by lawyers and journalists, and asks the question on everyone's lips: Is there any real difference between sucking a prostitute's toes and being a news analyst for Rupert Murdoch?

About the Author, Harry Shearer

Inside the creative mind of Harry Shearer is a little bit of everyone--including a profoundly overblown heavy metal bass player, the boss of a cartoon nuclear power plant, a cloying suburban neighbor, an unctuous television anchor, and Richard M. Nixon, among many others. Shearer is not a legendary schizophrenic. Rather, he's one of America's foremost humorists, observers, and chroniclers of contemporary lives. Whether he's playing a role in a major motion picture, writing a screenplay, creating a comedy television show, or performing on radio, it's his job to out both the humor and humanity that always, he believes, dwell within.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Kirkus Reviews

A review of Shearer's thin satirical treatise is like one of those trailers that you know contain all of the movie's good parts Shearer-star of screen, (Spinal Tap), TV (The Simpsons), amd radio (his own show)—wonders why some people hate Clinton so much when he really hasn't been all that bad a president. Things are pretty good, if a bit dull; Clinton wanted to be Kennedy and ended up Eisenhower, but that's no reason to hate him. Hate itself is not always bad, Shearer suggests, and he provides a list of things we really, and justifiably, hate: airline food, telemarketing, lists inserted in small books just to pad them. But why Clinton? Some supporters might hate him for his always safe positions (had he been a woman of his generation, he would have burned half his bra), but they don't. Sure, some people got pretty upset after the Lewinsky thing-Democrats wanting to got reelected, for instance-but there are some people who hated him way before that. Culture has a lot to do with it, Shearer concludes. Clinton grew up southern poor, and he has offended that culture. He hangs around with rich Hollywood types. He married a northern girl. Of course, he cheated on her, but he still married her. He dodged the draft. Beyond regional reasons for hating Clinton is the fact that he has been self-righteous, and this has not served him well as his reckless exploits have become known. So even though Shearer finds most of Clinton's deep enemies to be "cranks and bigots," themselves "donning the raiment of moralists," they have helped us see Clinton more clearly. In an odd way, Shearer concludes, William Jefferson Clinton may have gotten the enemies he deserves. Jonathan Swift's reputation as asatirist will remain intact, but this book does offer about an hour's worth of silly reading pleasure. . .