Kowabunga

If It’s Not Close They Can’t Cheat

This is a handbook on winning elections and why it is not only important that the GOP wins, but why it is critical for GOP victory. It is also a book I wish I had read, had it been available, 10-15 years ago. It would have prevented a lot of bad voting decisions.

Hugh Hewitt, famed AM Radio Shock Jock, presents sound arguments why winning elections by large margins are needed, how the political process works, and why not only being involved, but understanding the key issues, is critical in understanding the political process.

In the second chapter, Hewitt describes the Six-party system and how that each of the two major parties, Republican and Democrat, are actually three parties merged into a single, larger, entity. He also goes into detail on each of these three aspects that comprise the Republican and Democratic parties, how they differ, who makes up their leadership and what they stand for. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

But wait, there’s more. Hewitt doesn’t just stop there, he dedicates a section on why political parties are important, specifically the two major parties, how money comes into play and why our contributions to the party and to individual campaigns not only matter, but are crucial to success. (It is interesting to note that I made my first campaign contribution this year, just before reading this book.) Money is the life blood of the campaign and the party, and this particular theme is emphasized several times, for without cash, there can be no victory.

He then dedicates a section on message delivery, covering the old media (newspapers and letters to the editor) to the latest in technology: the Blogosphere. The attention he dedicates to the current trend in information distribution is not unwarranted, and although he gives some good examples of why Americans should read blogs, his point on the importance of Blogs was recently driven home by the revelation that certain documents used in the 60 Minutes report on President Bush’s ANG record as being forgeries designed to discredit the President. The bloggers, from the gang that comprise the The Northern Alliance Radio Network to Little Green Footballs, the guy who took one of the messages, typed it into MS Word, and overlaid it with one of the forged documents, showing that they were an exact match, something that would not have been possible had the forged document actually been typed on a 1970’s era typewriter. Hewitt rightly refers to the Blogosphere as the new media, and its bloggers like these who have paved the way for this new medium.

Overall, this book is dynamite. It is easy reading, flows nicely from one point to the next, and a pure joy to read. Hewitt also includes a recommended reading list, and it is not out of ego that he recommends his own book (along with several others) as places to start for independents and others in the middle ground of the political spectrum to learn why the Republicans need to be retained in office, and elected to additional offices. It is a must read for anyone interested in the political process, not just this year with the impending Presidential election, but for the next several election cycles as well.

The book can be ordered directly from Hugh Hewitt on his website. Tell him Sqotty sent you.