"The Bottom Line"

Real Men Listen to Rush: A Guidebook to All That Is Truly Conservative

by Shane Fortune

Reviewed by Thomas Lindaman
08/16/04

A common perception about Republicans is that they lack a sense of humor. Those who maintain this perception have not yet read Real Men Listen to Rush: A Guidebook to All That Is Truly Conservative by Shane Fortune.

In 121 pages, Fortune hits the reader with zinger after zinger in rapid-fire succession, while at the same time giving the reader an insight into the modern conservative mindset. With chapters ranging from “13 Reasons Real Men Listen to Rush” to “A Slogan Hillary Clinton Should Not Use When Running for President,” there is a lot here to bring a smile to the face of any conservative.

But don’t think this is just a book of japes at Bill and Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and John Kerry. Underneath the jokes there is a serious undertaking: explaining the conservative mindset. (And, no, it’s not about bashing the Clintons and their allies.) Fortune points out modern liberal inconsistencies frequently while using subtly advancing a conservative alternative.

This is best shown in the chapter “Liberal Test (For Those of You Who Just Won’t Admit It).” This “test” is a biting commentary on several policies, ranging from school vouchers to drug legalization. But what adds teeth to the commentary is not the edge Fortune brings to his jokes, but the fact that he’s pointing out real liberal ideological contradictions. Fortune leaves no doubt as to where he stands in this chapter, and throughout the book.

Complementing Fortune’s writing are illustrations done by Ben Sowards. To call them anything but visually stunning would be a grave injustice. Sowards’s illustrations underscore the humor Fortune provides by offering funny caricatures of Democrat and Republican icons alike. Yet at the same time, they capture the essence of each person being caricatured in a way similar to that of still life paintings. To do even once is a feat, but to do it consistently as Sowards does is nothing short of astounding.

As fun as this book is to read, it concludes far too quickly. This is a quick read, with many chapters not being chapters, per se, but quick one-liners that didn’t fit into a longer piece. I would have liked to have seen a more in depth piece on what constitutes a “real man.” There is a chapter where real men are honored, but an explanation earlier on would have given the reader a better idea of what a “real man” is in Fortune’s opinion.

With the quickness of the read, pacing becomes an issue. At times, the chapters come so quickly that there isn’t time to really appreciate the humor before being hit with another joke. A longer book with more developed chapters would facilitate this.

Having said this, Real Men Listen to Rush: A Guidebook to All That Is Truly Conservative by Shane Fortune is still worth a read. It’s not trying to be a doctoral thesis written by William F. Buckley on the differences of liberal and conservative ideologies. It’s meant to entertain, and it does this quite well. There are quite a few good jokes and one-liners that will get you laughing. And in doing so, Fortune dispels the notion that conservatives don’t have a sense of humor.