One star, only because zero is unavailable. More drugs for the “in denial” crowd. I read this book. I get the motivation for it. If you’ve spent years voting for and giving money to a failed cause (the giant Ponzi scheme that just collapsed from the deregulation championed by those of this political ilk, as well as that pesky matter of the war in Iraq — embarrassing issues for the people who championed those things), it’s very painful to admit error. So instead, back to the pen! Good job giving Faux News its latest talking points. Cherry picking the flaws of the New Deal is easy. Ignoring the obvious benefits of the New Deal in pursuit of an obvious political agenda makes the author a shill for the powers that WERE (thank God), as they frantically try to resurrect their party. Hard to do, when at this point even the most fervent rightwinger can’t ignore the fact that Republican policies plunged this country into an economic crisis. Let the market police itself, they know what they are doing! Drown the govt in the bathtub! And hey, these problems we’re having, it wasn’t us that caused them! It was Clinton! Hey let’s go further back, it was Roosevelt! Yes, that’s it! It was minorities getting loans, not the Wall Street bankers playing a Las Vegas game. The position they take seems to be, hey, we’ve been right all along, it’s just that Bush, well he, uh, he lost his way! The catastrophe on Wall Street? It’s the Democrat’s fault, see I can explain it right here, look what FDR did, his mistakes….. wow can’t wait to go count my money from the Heritage Foundation, and now I have a book tour, and all the people in denial about what they have wrought with their votes for an endless war in Iraq will come and see me, and buy my book, hurray! Anyway, the next generation will pay the price when the bill comes due, and the Chinese call in their loans. The greatest threat to our democracy of the modern age, ignored by these rightwing shills — the fact that the Chinese essentially own us at this point. We have been fools, we threw open the doors of the bank vault, championed by guys like this author, the money is gone. Yet, the right wing STILL can’t admit error. Nope, let’s go back and rewrite history. Astonishing the lengths people will go to, to justify their mistakes and errors in judgment. No solutions from the right, none of that. Sure, we’ll listen to the rightwing now, why now? They’ve done such a good job for our country, right? Good lord, how can anyone still believe that?

Absurd, faith-based, capitalist propaganda. FDR and his policies were the savior of the American economy. Any attempt to paint it otherwise is absolute nonsense!!!

Google “Reviews Burton Folsom New Deal Raw Deal” and you’ll get hundreds of hits–almost all from conservative and ultra-conservative publications and sites. There is a reason and it’s not because of “left-wing” prejudice. Anyone, left right or center, who is familiar with the actual history of the New Deal will see this book for what it is: far-right economic ideology masquerading as historical scholarship. Of course the New Deal had mixed results, but the impact of the New Deal was far more complicated (and overall positive) than Folsom would have his readers believe. After the total corruption of government by the Bush administration and after the complete meltdown of our economy brought on by the very economic policies that Folsom and other conservatives celebrate, however, it is hard to take their analysis or their recommendations seriously.

This is Conservative revisionist history at it’s worst.

If you are one of Rush Limbaugh’s DittoBots or a worshiper of the Ayn Rand cult, this book is definitely for you. All of your preconceived notions will be reinforced and validated without any pesky things like “facts” or “reality” to get in the way of your Free-market Love Fest.

However, if you are a serious student of history or government policy, look elsewhere as this is not a scholarly work but rather a work of fiction designed to pander to an audience that prefers ideological orthodoxy to real historical inquiry.

Sadly, zero stars wasn’t an option, so it gets one.

Burt Folsom is not what he wants you to believe he is.

This book is full of lies.

Burt Folsom has an agenda. It is both religious and political. Consequently his point of view is biased. Bias does not make for good research.

Folsom is associated with the Free Enterprise Institute. The Free Enterprise Institute claims to be a “free market think tank”. One of its leading programs is the “Center for the American Idea”. The Center promotes Burkean conservative principals, otherwise known as traditional conservatism which is a political philosophy that developed in the United States following World War Two. These are organizations whose members reject notions of the right of the individual, individualism, liberalism and social progress. They revived interest in “the permanent things” that they believe ground society yet refuse to recognize that the only thing permanent is change.

As is almost universally the case with biased intolerant conservatives, Folsom takes partial quotes, out-of-context, and reapplies them as he sees fit to promote conservative agenda.

Taking Folsom’s word about anything in this, or any of his books, is akin to asking the Pope about religion. You’ll get a qualified full dose of religion alright. But it’s going to be Catholicism and not much else.