Republican Gomorrah

Inside the Movement That Shattered the Party

By: Max Blumenthal

Narrated by: William Hughes

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Republican Gomorrah is a bestiary of dysfunction, scandal, and sordidness from the dark heart of the theocratic forces that now have a leash on the party. It shows how those forces are the ones that establishment Republicans, like John McCain, have to bow to if they have any hope of running for president. More that just an exposé, Republican Gomorrah shows that many of the movement's leading figures are stained by crisis and scandal: depression, mental illness, extramarital affairs, struggles with homosexual urges, heavy medication, pornography addiction, serial domestic abuse, and even murder.

Inspired by the work of psychologist Erich Fromm, who asserted that the fear of freedom propels anxiety-ridden people into authoritarian settings, Blumenthal explains in a compelling narrative how a culture of personal crises has defined the radical right, transforming the Republican party for the next generation and setting the stage for the future of American politics.

©2009 Max Blumenthal (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

" Republican Gomorrah is an irresistible combination of anthropology and psychopathology that exerts the queasy fascination of (let's face it) something very like pornography." ( The New Yorker)
"A brave and resourceful reporter adept at turning over rocks that public-relations-savvy Christian conservative leaders would prefer undisturbed." ( The New York Times Book Review)

If you care about our country, listen to this book

I have been a Blumenthal fan for many years, but this is by far his best work. I must admit, it scared the "bejesus" out of me, but it's the kind of scared we all need to be if we really want to change the way our country works. The narrator was excellent and the book is almost too easy to listen to because you get so caught up in the craziness of the story.

Frightening

Republican Gomorrah reinforced my worst fears about the "religious" right.I have long been concerned about the power of the fundamentalists in this country. It is truly unnerving to hear how unscrupulous these "Christians" really are.Blumenthal thoroughly exposes the roots of these ruthless shysters. His book should be a wakeup call for all freedom loving Americans.

Very Insightful

This book shows how the GOP has evolved and what it has turned into. l

good, if partisan, history of the religious right

There was a ton of story in here that I would've struggled to piece together on my own. Certain characterizations of the mindset of conservative religious people made me cringe a little, but the number of people (e.g. James Dobson, Rick Warren) and the place of certain events (e.g. Terry Schiavo) that the book explained to me made it worth it

A history book with no solutions

It's great to hear what I've known all along. We have all been witnessing the grandstanding and lies of those who engage in self promotion and subversion of the ultra right.

The party of Abraham Lincoln is no more.

The Republican party, the political movement founded by Abraham Lincoln and secured by Dwight Eisenhower was hijacked by short sighted fundamentalist well before Donald Trump.

How close they came to having it all!

Interesting, though somewhat depressing, read, focusing on the highly dysfunctional James Dobson of "Focus on the Family" and his takeover of the congressional Republican caucus, and Bush Administration, to the extent that both dared do nothing without his direct approval.
First part chronicles chronicles the rise of Dobson (who strongly advocates regularly beating children) and his allies; the second part highlights scandals of Vitter, Craig, etc., giving few new details, but highlighting the born-again movement's hypocrisy and political expedience, concluding in a profile of the sheer nuttiness (and potential danger) of The Palin Gambit - the "witch" her Kenyan pal had bragged about driving from his town was actually a caretaker of several orphans, still living in the town, held in high regard by the locals.

I'm definitely interested in more from the narrator - he's good!

Buy It!

Everyone with a brain should get this book. I couldn't stop listening to it. It was packed tightly with information and read very well. A must listen to fully appeciate their insanity and what we, as a country and a people, are really dealing with. I came away with a new understanding (and I am already well-informed) of truly how much money and how out of their minds the Right really is.......that they're nuts and dangerous!

Timeless

Really great even now so many things still revelant
Really well read
I wish it kept going right up until now

The title is appropriate

This is a book great for background listening, it does not require one’s full attention. Admittedly, there were parts of this book that are squeamish. I fast forwarded through parts I found objectionable or sickening. If you are in the mood for salacious stories about political figures, this book will deliver. The most informative and surprising information was how various evangelical groups wormed their way into a powerful force in Congress.