R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.—intimately familiar with the ideology and personalities of the conservative movement in the United States from the inside—analyzes who was right and what went wrong. And, in the process, he outlines the conservative agenda for the “next ascendancy.”
My Review: I hoped that After the Hangover would provide a look inside American political history and those involved in shaping it, but I found little insight into American conservatism. The book is more about Mr. Tyrrell and individuals he knows.
In an effort to sound l intellectual, the author leaves the average book lover scrambling for a dictionary. My eyes glazed over in several sections and I was tempted to start skimming. I thought the writing was so dry that it was difficult to finish, but I did.
One section of the book has a long entry about his friend William F. Buckley. Unfortunately, he used his book to express a strong dislike for Mr. Buckley’s son where he details the son’s bad behavior at his father’s funeral. Mr. Tyrrell’s tirade was rude, unpleasant, and the entry served no purpose except to air Mr. Buckley’s family “dirty laundry”. He did a disservice to his friend.
The end of the book is the author’s proposed agenda for the future of conservatives. He agrees with Steve Forbes’ flat tax, an altered Social Security program, and health care reforms. Quite honestly, his agenda is simplistic and rather mainstream.
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