Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

No matter what you think of his politics, you have to admire Glenn Beck's willingness to explore territory that other pundits (on the right and left) have shrugged off or ignored. The Federalist Papers fall into that category. Often regarded as archaic and irrelevant, the `Original Argument' for a Constitution and federal government has often been overlooked by modern theorists. Glenn Beck does a fine job of resurrecting them, and breathing life into them once again. So, why are they so important, and what is the original argument any way? As Beck states in the introduction, "What the Federalist Papers offer to us today is a guide to understanding the Founders' core constitutional principles, the theories behind their words, the why, the where and how of the foundation of America." Beck clearly esteems the Founding Fathers, and finds the Federalist Papers to be of their core work. What I find most interesting is the even-handedness Beck levies. The Federalists are known to have been pro-federal government, which in today's climate is allied with Democrats and modern liberals and against Republicans and conservatives. For instance, much of Hamilton's rhetoric is used today in defense of widespread government intervention, especially with regard to fiscal and monetary policy. But rather than denouncing the Federalists as monarchists or totalitarians, as some on the political right might be inclined to do, Beck is willing to honestly examine their work and analyze it in its context. What the reader finds is that, though some Federalist concepts certainly were statist in their effect, the core ideas are arguably the core ideas of the political right--minimum government and maximum freedom. To be sure, the concept of `Federalism' isn't just about the federal government--a balance of power achieved by individualized states is also implicit in the concept. Though this book's focus is narrow and won't stand on its own like Wood's Radicalism of the American Revolution or Morse's Juggernaut: Why the System Crushes the Only People Who Can Save It, Beck's treatment of the Federalists is one of the best out there, and can be appreciated by anyone interested in the history of American politics, on the right or the left.