Tucker Carlson

I’m still young enough to remember a time when the new Esquire or Vogue or Rolling Stone was anticipated for the type of journalism that didn’t strive to beat you over the head with some sort of moral or right think—when writing was unadulterated and sought to capture life as it was and not how the author thought it should be. “The Long Slide” by Tucker Carlson is a refreshing time-capsule of that type of journalism. It’s a pleasurable read, funny, serious, and absurd. Held against the current zeitgeist it exposes the calorie-rich sustenance deprived drivel we’ve been being fed this last decade. The articles herein are heartfelt, curious, and honest. I read it in a day as page after page I smiled, gasped, laughed, and shook my head. Makes me want to dig out some of those original Hunter S. Thompson pieces and relieve the magazines of my youth.… (more)

I never read current political books, but this one was highly recommended by a relative, and I felt compelled to give it a shot. It wasn't exactly what I expected . . .Carlson is much more of a populist and less of a conservative than I anticipated. He addresses many of the issues where there is major contention in the U.S. between the progressives and the more extreme conservatives, and basically points out that the middle is being left out in the cold by the elites. He talks about a variety of topics - from war to feminism to environmentalism. I found myself agreeing with many, but not all of his observations (I'm more libertarian and more pro corporation - who knew), but the overriding theme is that the elites of this country are quite self serving, but at the same time want to feel good about themselves by taking meaningless moral stances that don't actually jive with the reality that normal Americans face. I thought he supported that thesis quite well.… (more)