It's Getting Ugly Out There: The Frauds, Bunglers, Liars, and Losers Who Are Hurting America

by Jack Cafferty

"Very little of my backstory qualifies as Hallmark Card material, but it may help you to make sense of the way I see and interpret what's going on around me."
-Jack Cafferty

For the millions who watch the "Cafferty File" on CNN's The Situation Room, Jack Cafferty stands for common sense-the much-needed voice of reason who skewers right-wing nut jobs and liberal eggheads alike. For years, he's voiced the views, hopes, and fears of the average American in inimitable style. Now, in It's Getting Ugly Out There, he brings that level-headed wisdom to bear on the most critical issues facing us today-and explains why Americans must take our country back from those who are harming it.

"It's been a target-rich seven years for someone like me who enjoys pushing people's buttons and sticking pins in things that need pricking, from rich and fatuous celebrities offering foreign policy analysis to the latest lying Beltway blowhard impaling himself on his sword of pomposity. . . . Anyone familiar with my daily 'Cafferty File' segments on CNN's The Situation Room knows I'm not exactly what you'd call the mainstream media's poster boy for feel-good news and commentary. In your face is more like it."

"I'm no shrink, but I have the sense Bush has carried an angry chip on his shoulder much of his pampered life, seething just beneath the good-old-boy surface."

"The bottom line is that our government no longer works for us. The government works for the lobbyists who have had a big hand in influencing (if not helping to draft) legislation favoring not the average American citizen but instead big health insurance, pharmaceutical and oil companies, and defense contractors, among others. These are the guys who can make the kinds of political contributions that are needed to finance today's multi-million-dollar political campaigns."

"We want our troops home, but we also want a new army of elected officials to march into Washington and take a fresh, uncorrupted look at the needs of the vast majority of Americans. If these two parties, however 2008 breaks, can't fix what's broken, this way of life as we've known it may vanish into some deep, dark crevasse."

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 27, 2007

Reviews

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have seen Jack Cafferty on CNN's "The Situation Room," then you have a pretty good idea of what he is like. A lot of this book draws on segments and e-mails from his viewers to that program. However, in between the chapters dealing with current events, there are autobiographical chapters where Jack talks about his early days as a journalist, his family, and his struggle to overcome alcoholism. I think those chapters are interesting, and they can be moving at times.

Jack Cafferty is a common sense man, pure and simple. He will rail on either political party and their foibles without any compassion. The only reason I did not give this book more than three stars is that the material he draws from his work at CNN, for me at least, is stuff I have seen. I actually recall a few of the segments he refers to. Also, if you are fairly well informed, then he is not revealing anything new. However, the book is worth reading to get a sense of what a lot of Americans with common sense are thinking about the incompetence of the government. Sometimes, I think he does not go far enough. Worth reading, but you might want to just skip and choose the parts you read.

I borrowed it via Interlibrary Loan. I don't recall for sure how I heard of it. It may have been promoted on CNN, and I got curious.

[Ben Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's outrageous, accusatory, curious, questioning and questionable. He raises issues on politics, war, personalities, ethics, and relishes the fact that he questions everything that's controversial. The best part about It's Getting Ugly out there is Cafferty's negativity about everything. Negativity and optimism are controversial guinea pigs for this heavy hitter, and he takes every issue he can and tries to hit a home run with them. It's a good read, but you might get bored from his negative outlook on the US Government.

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[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Cafferty provides a non-partisan, scathing review of our country's current political state, as well as our recent past. For every person who would call him a "crazy liberal" for his extreme contempt for all that is the current Bush administration, there is another person who would call him a "crazy right-winger" for his no-nonsense critique of Clinton's presidency. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a recap of the past 7ish years. Yikes!

[Todd Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

CNN pundit Jack Cafferty delivers an extended denunciation of the politics of the past 8 years. He attacks both the right and left, but saves his harshest criticisms for Bush and his many incompetent political appointees. Cafferty includes a personal narrative which appears periodically throughout the book.

While not particularly insightful or informative, Cafferty makes some good, if superficial, points and the book is entertaining to read.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Cafferty is by far the most cynical man I have ever read commentary from, and it is good. Besides giving a decent comprehensive review of modern American politics and social commentary, he also gives a brief insight into his past and upbringing, which is nice when considering the source of the commentary.

A good book, but at times, the excerpts from "everyday people" becomes tedious at best.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The autobiographical sections were interesting and provided insight into Jack's way of looking at things. The political sections often descended into a diatribe without giving any suggestions for solutions. It could be thought provoking at times, but I ended up skimming through much of it.

[Eric Castiglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this book down. His insight of the president and congress is alarmingly on target.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you watch Jack Cafferty on TV he is a bit of an ASS. This book gives some of his background and makes his oppinions easier to swallow.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy reading various political books written from different perspectives. Almost always find more food for thought.

[Mike Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a prelude to reading "Now Or Never". I love Cafferty as a commentator. His writing style is not much of a variant from his speaking.

I enjoyed it immensely.

[Stephanie]

He says it like it is. Easy read.

[Stephen Chung · Rating 1 out of 5]

can't stand his book.

[Stevie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Toesnorth's mom]

good!