Ted Rall is a syndicated columnist and award-winning political cartoonist. He also gained some notoriety (and death threats) earlier this year for a Pat Tillman cartoon and a blog comment after Reagan’s death that Ronnie was probably “turning crispy brown right about now.” (And while others might also find this one unpalatable, my favorite recent cartoon of his is here.) Ted is never afraid to speak his mind, which makes him a priceless commodity.
Yet Ted is much more than a columnist, cartoonist or a blogger. For example, Ted traveled to Afghanistan before and after our invasion, has written about it and takes the time to actually learn the subject on which he’s writing. Ted has published a tremendous political manifesto: Wake Up, You’re Liberal: How We Can Take America Back from the Right. As you can tell from my reading list to the right (and last year’s if you check the archive), I read a variety of politically-oriented works. Wake Up, You’re Liberal is one of the best. Ted’s straightforward prose ranges from serious to to humor to hyperbole to cynicism but he articulates credible and common sense suggestions on why and how liberals should step forward and lead this country to all the promise it offers.
Michael Moore’s F 9/11 is getting plenty of attention and he topped the bestseller lists with Where’s My Country? I don’t agree with everything Ted Rall says or suggests or all of this theories and approaches. Yet there is more than enough there that I am convinced Wake Up, You’re Liberal is a more important and essential work. Ted is seriously looking at and thinking about the big picture. While it’s plain he doesn’t like Repugnicans or Bush, he also has little problem excoriating Democrats and the left.
Buy and read this book. Maybe the only conclusion you’ll reach is that Ted (and I) are naive, crazy, stupid, etc. On the other hand, maybe you’ll learn and use something that will help this country.
Ted is currently offering a great deal on inscribed copies of both Wake Up, You’re Liberal and his latest work, Generalissimo el Busho: Essays and Cartoons on the Bush Years. You can’t go wrong buying them the inscribed copies from Ted. If you’re not interested in an inscribed copy, Ted’s web site has links to buy all of his works.
Reverse disclaimer: I do not know Ted Rall and have never met or spoken to the man. I get no cut or economic benefit from the sale of his books or visits to his web site. I am just firmly convinced this is valuable reading.
