What the (Bleep) Just Happened? (57 page)

results of union reforms in, 194–95

anti-Americanism of, 12, 39, 47, 206–7

media’s ignoring of facts about, 56–57

Over dinner one night in June 2011, I mentioned to a close friend that I was thinking about writing a new book but was still unclear as to its focus. Our attention then turned to the crushing of our individual freedoms at the hands of Barack Obama. As we listed example after example of the kooks’ madness, we realized that their extremist agenda had led to not just tangible damage to the economy, the body politic, and the Constitution but to the nation’s very psyche. “What the @$%&! just happened?” I sighed. We then both exclaimed, “
That’s
the title!” So my first thanks go to my wonderful friend Bettina Zilkha for inspiring me to undertake this project.

Throughout this process, I benefited from the support and encouragement of many others. I extend my deep gratitude to Adam Bellow, editorial director at Broadside Books, and HarperCollins senior vice president Jonathan Burnham, who enthusiastically championed this book from the start, to Kathryn Whitenight, who supervised the manuscript expertly, and to Jessica Gavora, whose first-rate editorial advice kept the work focused, lean, and flowing. Thanks also to my agent, Mel Berger, at William Morris Endeavor, for cheerfully nudging me—more than once—to keep going.

Several great friends also took part of this journey with me. For their hilarious contributions and for
always
making me laugh, big thanks to A. J. Rice and Matthew Fox. Their talents are unmatched. For superb research support, my gratitude to Briana Pashcow, and for her help in verifying her great-grandfather’s quotes, my thanks to Margaret Hoover and the dedicated folks at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. And for their incomparable wizardry with hair and makeup, I thank Michelle Frazzetta and Ashana Morgan for my cover look—and for their invaluable friendship.

Of course, no writing project would be complete without sundry technical nightmares. My heartfelt thanks to John Yoo, who rescued me from an ancient Word program, multiple computer viruses, and one paralyzing crash, and to the two Mikes, who kept me writing through Hurricane Irene’s weeklong blackout by powering my laptop from their truck. Couldn’t have done it without you guys. Literally.

I am particularly thankful to my remarkable family—my mom, Patricia, and my sister, Jocelyn, and brother-in-law, Alan—for their boundless love and support.

My deepest and enduring gratitude goes to Bill, from whom I received indispensable ideas and inspiration for this project and from whom I receive extraordinary wisdom, joy, encouragement, generosity, friendship, and love every day.

And finally, I will always hold a special place in my heart for President Richard Nixon, who gave me the most incredible opportunity to learn from a master. He was an exceptional mentor, friend, and patriot, who showed me again and again that an American life is a uniquely blessed one—and why it’s so worth defending.

Monica Crowley is a political and foreign affairs analyst for the Fox News Channel, and hosts the nationally syndicated radio program
The Monica Crowley Show
. She has also been a regular panelist on
The McLaughlin Group
. She served as foreign policy assistant to former president Richard Nixon from 1990 until his death in 1994, and wrote two bestsellers about her experiences:
Nixon Off the Record
and
Nixon in Winter
. She has also written for the
New Yorker
, the
Wall Street Journal
, the
Los Angeles Times
,
Newsweek
, and the
New York Post
. She holds two master’s degrees and a doctorate from Columbia University.

www.MonicaMemo.com

Twitter: @MonicaCrowley

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

Nixon Off the Record: His Candid Commentary on People and Politics

Nixon in Winter: His Final Revelations About Diplomacy, Watergate, and Life Out of the Arena

Cover photograph by Deborah Feingold
Cover design by Archie Ferguson

WHAT THE
(
BLEEP
)
JUST HAPPENED?
Copyright © 2012 by Monica Crowley. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Broadside Books™ and the Broadside logo are trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers.

FIRST EDITION

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Crowley, Monica.

What the (bleep) just happened? : the happy warrior's guide to the great American comeback / by Monica Crowley.—First edition.

p. cm.

ISBN: 978-0-06-213115-7

Epub Edition © JUNE 2012 ISBN: 9780062131164

1. United States—Politics and government—2009– 2. United States—Economic conditions—2009–. 3. Political culture—United States. 4. Conservatism—United States. 5. Obama, Barack. I. Title.

E907.C76    2012

973.932--dc23         2012015932

12 13 14 15 16
OV/RRD
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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^*
I’m not referring to “socialism” in the technical sense (government ownership of the means of production). Economic fascism (government control of industry without ownership) is a closer description of what Team Obama envisions, but I use “socialism” throughout as shorthand for government-directed redistributionism.