The Spectacle Blog
Do my eyes deceive me? My book is up on Amazon. Adorned by the title, After the Hangover: The Conservatives’ Road to Recovery, it is on its way to the bookstores for an April 20 pub date. Already the notion of “Hangover” has caught on. Today’s Washington Post headlines Kathleen Parker’s piece on Republican excess “The GOP’s Michael Steele Hangover.” Yes, “Hangover.” Well, in my book I note that the Republicans’ excess has been going on for some years now. Ever since the late Bush years, practically every elected Republican official whom I encountered looked like hell: blood-shot eyes, wobbly on the feet — overall quite crapulent. They had been spending like drunken sailors and veering as far from conservative principle as their insobriety would allow them. Yet in my book I offer a road to recovery. Call the book a therapeutic. Call me Doctor Tyrrell.
Yet it is a little creepy to see the term “Hangover” already being applied to the Republicans. Could it be that we are going to see a reprise of the days when my book titles, The Liberal Crack-Up and The Conservative Crack-Up inspired all the talk of various and sundry political “crack-ups”? Will “Hangover” become as popular a diagnosis of the political condition as “Crack-Up” became?
If so, remember when I apply these terms I anticipate laughter. As William Churchill said, a joke is a serious thing.
The man Hardball host Chris Matthews calls "the legendary R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr." has done it again. His latest book, After the Hangover, offers an insightful and delightful exploration of the past, present, and future of American conservatism. Click here to read a free excerpt.
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http://spectator.org/blog/2010/03/31/hangover-time
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Cameron Browning| 3.31.10 @ 12:23PM
Ah, the great RET. Many of the folks that comment on this website are big-time heavy breathers, but RET will always keep me coming back.
Ken (Old Texican)| 3.31.10 @ 12:35PM
Mr. Tyrrell,
I am suffering "too thin air" hangover, sorta' like when I get too lazy to string oxygen lines in my plane and fly high to jump a mountain pass.
Please, forgive my heavy breathing.
As your commenter above indicates, he is in a state of "higher than thou" hypoxia. heh
Cameron Browning| 3.31.10 @ 12:53PM
I joke. I was thinking of The Spectator's John Corry when I used that phrase (a phrase he used in a book review in TAS), and apologize for using it. It's offensive. Having said that, I do think many of the comments on this site are absurd. That is to say I don't expect the United States to spontaneously combust anytime soon. But, I suppose, that is what comment sections are designed for. A little venting doesn't hurt anyone, heh.
Ken (Old Texican)| 3.31.10 @ 1:56PM
Cameron,
Apology accepted, joke acknowledged. I hope you could enjoy my witty riposteee.
"Spontaneously combust" ? ...as in instantly? No.
Down here in Texas, due to our lumber/timber industry, we have any number of BIG piles of sawdust and chips. I played on/in some of them as a kid.
My granddad and dad, always cautioned us that while playing and tunneling, if we felt the pile getting warmer .....run like hell. (smile).
( Hey, we didn't have child car-seats either, and I was splitting firewood with a double edged axe at age seven up on the family farm. Whoah, child endangerment these days).
Cameron, if I may push the analogy a little further, those sawdust piles did combust when oxygen was introduced deep inside them...after reaching a certain ambient temp.
I am frightened. Not so much for myself. I have fulfilled my "bucket list" in life.
I am frightened for our country...my kids and grandkid's future.
I honestly believe the Obama administration is communist, (pardon the shorthand).
Perhaps, "would be communists" is more accurate.
That estimate is based upon their own words.
Sir, to a large degree, "working capital" has already gone "galt" all across the country. Hundreds of thousands of small business owners/officers are even as I write, quietly going "galt" out of self preservation.
I am one, and I know a BUNCH of them.
Yes, sir, we are breathing heavily. We are running like hell to keep our people paid.
Cameron Browning| 3.31.10 @ 2:35PM
Well said my friend.
Tim| 3.31.10 @ 1:42PM
April 20? Hitler's Birthday! More proof of the right wing hate blah blah blah blah...
TennesseeVolunteer| 3.31.10 @ 3:40PM
Ken, you are so right about the small businessmen who are going Galt until the worst passes. I am in construction material manufacturing and am hanging in there for when things turnaround which maybe three years instead of 8 months.
It is clear to anyone that has a brain and is in business that the strategies that are used and suggested by this administration are government controlled and have NO CHANCE!
At first I thought O'bortion was incompetent but now I know all of them are EVIL and intend to bring our country down so they can remake it in their Communist image. It is great comfort to me and others that there are so many other Natural Patriots like you out there. Strength and Honor.
SoCon| 3.31.10 @ 7:36PM
"O'bortion." Ouch! That one left a mark.
Ken (Old Texican)| 3.31.10 @ 4:49PM
Tenn Volunteer,
Thank you. I calls 'em as I sees 'em. (and I always remember simple handles on a situation and induct from there.)
You know, in Texas we have a particular reason to thank Tennessee Volunteers. Thirty some-odd volunteered to stand with Travis and Bowie at the Alamo to give Houston a chance to gather farmers and tradesmen to whip a dictator's ass at San Jacinto.
We, with "volunteers" from Tennessee are pretty good at whipping dictators' arses.
God bless
Ken (Old Texican)| 3.31.10 @ 5:38PM
Tennesse Volunteer,
speaking of which... enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc
Kindle on iPhone Conservative| 3.31.10 @ 7:00PM
Yo, Mr. Tyrrell,
I went to Amazon and lo and behold no Kindle version. I would like to carry your book with me at all times so I need a Kindle version of it to download into my iPhone. Thanks for your magazine and website I have been a reader of the mag for a very long time and of the website since its inception. They are very informative and I enjoy them very much. Your new book in Kindle format would be very appreciated.
Ps, while you are at it could you get the rest of your books made available on Kindle too? It's a big market.
todd sheen| 4.22.10 @ 10:26AM
seems an interesting book, i should have this one.
Todd