Conservatize Me

How I Tried to Become a Righty with the Help of Richard Nixon, Sean Hannity, Toby Keith, and Beef Jerky

By: John Moe

Narrated by: John Moe

What would happen to a liberal's mind if he subsisted entirely on conservative media and rhetoric? That's what critically acclaimed political humorist, NPR commentator, and McSweeney's contributor John Moe sets out to learn in Conservatize Me.

We always hear how everyone in America is firmly planted in red or blue. They're permanently conservative or irreversibly liberal. But are we all really that locked into the left or the right?

John Moe, raised in a family of proud left-wingers and living in deeply liberal Seattle most of his life, sets out to determine if what we believe is based on environment or actual conviction. Moe puts himself on a strict conservative regimen: He resets his radio dials from NPR to Rush Limbaugh, goes head-to-head with some of today's most influential conservative thinkers for a series of ""conversion sessions,"" and through it all tries to maintain positive standing with his lefty wife and young but already liberal kids.

Conservatize Me will strike a powerful chord with millions of disgruntled Americans ready for a fresh, humorous, and highly entertaining look at our country's political landscape. Will Moe end up getting a Dick Cheney tattoo and swearing loyalty to the Christian Coalition? Will he get a Dennis Kucinich tattoo and dedicate his life to cooking vegan food at protest rallies? Listen and find out.

Becoming Conservative

I really enjoyed this book. The only reason I didn't give it four stars is because it was abridged. John Moe did a great job reading. It was funny, but not ROTFLMAO funny, but very amusing. I would recommend it, especially to any liberal who listens to conservative talk radio or watches Fox.

Finally a balance

Finally someone from one side of the political spectrum tries to move the other way. I believe the majority of Americans find themselves in the middle, yet are convinced by the media that they have to be on one side or the other.
John Moe keeps you engrossed in his experiment. You laugh with him, feel his frustration, and experience his personal growth throughout the process.
4 stars for being creative, entertaining, and intelligent.

This explains so much

I spent years trying to fit into a conservative world, and it just made me crazy. Listening to Moe’s experience of trying to force himself into the world of conservatism I understood why. The harder he tried the more hostile he became. No matter how hard he tried to focus on simple “family values” his intellect rebelled. After awhile it just hurts “physically and psychically” to continue trying to make the complicated difficult world simple.

A polarized peer review

I was scrolling through my recommendations for audible and, as a fairly leftist independent who has recently been starting to delve deep into the abyss of partisanship over the quarantine, I thought I would give this story a shot.

I don’t know what I was expecting. Dense political research? Empirical data and respectful yet nuanced debates over partisan speaking points? An analysis over the dictionary definitions of Conservatism versus Liberalism neatly juxtaposed with the real-life implementation of their beliefs? And I don’t know why I just decided to accept that into my life on a random Tuesday at 8am. What I can tell you is that I wasn’t expecting to be sitting on the I-95 in my hybrid SUV with The Angry American stuck in my head craving beef jerky and Starbucks. I do think, this is a good and worthwhile thought experiment, albeit based on extreme stereotypes and uninformed assumptions.

Liberal Snark

Author uses the premise to coat an unpalatable pill of Liberal condescension and snark. Kept hoping for some redemption or insight, but alas there was none. I don't think the author made any serious effort to be open minded, nor did he come away with a single position altered by one iota. He started a liberal, bashes conservatism throughout, and comes out a liberal fully intact and utterly unmoved. A total waste of time unless you are a liberal looking to have all of your misconceptions validated.