Book Presentation
Spanking the Donkey by Matt Taibbi
Book Abstract
Spanking the Donkey is a collection of Matt Taibbi’s observations from the campaign trail of the 2004 Democratic primaries where he found the American political system to be about as dignified and edifying as professional wrestling. Taibbi believes the press aids and abets this degenerate system because they are too lazy to challenge an arrangement that provides them with many perks. He feels most journalists are simply hacks, relying on clichés, and even sexual double entendres, to write their stories. Their sub-par writing further debases the entire political process.
Taibbi believes that, in many ways, George W. Bush is a symptom of this system - one that values superficiality over substance and encourages Americans to think that the process of picking a president should resemble a reality-based TV show. According to Taibbi, a thoughtful, intelligent and substantive candidate doesn’t stand a chance in this framework.
About the Author
Matt Taibbi is a columnist for New York Press and a contributing editor to Rolling Stone. Though a native Northeasterner, Taibbi spent 10 years living and working in Russia as a journalist for the satirical magazine The eXile. Humor, parody, and the eccentric are characteristic of Taibi’s style, which is part rant, part reasoned argument. Spanking the Donkey collects articles and observations from Taibbi’s coverage of the 2004 presidential season.
Important Note About This Ebook
This is a summary and not a critique or a review of the book. It does not offer judgment or opinion on the content of the book. This summary may not be organized chapter-wise but is an overview of the main ideas, viewpoints and arguments from the book as a whole. This means that the organization of this summary is not a representation of the book.