At first I thought this book was a little on the silly side. S.E. Cupp and Brett Joshpe are trying to rebut a bunch of the myths out there about the Right. That they are “Elitest WASPs” for instance, or that they are “humorless,” or that they are “undemocratic,” “homophobic,” “foreigner-hating,” “warmongers.”

But why do I care if the Right is “cool” or funny? Obsession with image is a liberal game and the Right will never get anywhere if they are primarily concerned with being cool.

But as I started reading the book, I realized the project was much more than that. While on the surface, they are investigating conservatives and Republicans, underneath it asks some very interesting questions about the Left. Why is the Left so humorless, self-righteous, prudish and racist?

These sorts of questions are raised in the context discovering where all these stereotypes come from and why they are propagated so fiercely in the media. The more you read, the more you realize how depserately insecure the Left is. They desperately need to be the coolest, funniest, smartest, most tolerant kids on the block … just like it was high school or something. But just like High School, the kids most concerned with being cool are the most likely to be hiding deep empty spaces, either in their hearts or in their heads. Such is American politics.

Another thing that makes the book interesting is the ongoing narrative about what it’s like being the only non-liberal in a circle of liberal friends and just how absurd and hillarious it really is. I remember years ago a friend of mind almost couldn’t look me in the eyes after finding out that I voted for Bush in 2000. In fact, we still dance around the political issues because we don’t want to reopen old wounds.

The perspective you gain on other’s and your own beliefs by being a philosophical minority is priceless. You no longer get upset when confronted with someone who sees the world differently. Instead you tend to view it as an opportunity for great dialogue.

If I had to nit-pick, the one thing that bugs me about the book is that Cupp and Joshpe seem to use the terms “conservative” and “republican” interchangeably. They don’t talk much about libertarians and never really define what they mean by “the Right.” While it would take a whole book to do the discussion justice, a little more discussion up front about it could’ve helped.

That said, so far I’m thuroughly enjoying the book and recommend it for light, but relevant reading.