Responding to the Right

Brief Replies to 25 Conservative Arguments

By: Nathan J. Robinson

Narrated by: Nathan J. Robinson

"[Robinson's] clipped and rapid narration conveys the air of a terrifically excited professor eager to share his enthusiasm with his audience. Recommended for those on either side of the aisle seeking to engage on the big questions of our day with clarity and truth."—Booklist

This program is read by the author.

The editor of Current Affairs artfully and efficiently debunks a series of common right-wing arguments.

Are taxes theft? Is abortion murder? Does regulation destroy jobs? Is white privilege a lie? Conservative talking points are everywhere, and through well-funded media like Fox News, Breitbart, and YouTube’s "Prager University," the right has an impressive record of packaging its views for a general audience. Clearly, the left needs to do a better job of fighting back.

Luckily, Current Affairs editor Nathan J. Robinson has developed a reputation as a meticulous slayer of irrational and bigoted arguments. He has tangled with the likes of Ben Shapiro, Jordan Peterson, and Charles Murray, exposing their flimsy logic and distorted facts with forensic thoroughness and savage wit. In Responding to the Right, Robinson blasts right-wing nonsense with devastating intellectual weaponry, revealing how everyone from Ann Coulter to the National Review uses fear and lies to manipulate the public. He gives a detailed explanation of how conservative arguments work and why we need to resist them, then goes through twenty-five separate talking points, showing precisely why each one fails.

This essential handbook is a stimulating source of issues to debate and a comprehensive challenge to dozens of dominant orthodoxies. It sets a new standard for leftist critique, and would be an invaluable addition to the arsenals of the millions of progressives fighting the political battles of our age.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2021 Nathan J. Robinson (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Robinson reads the right so you don't have to (though maybe you should) and tells you what they say, why it wins converts, and how to beat them at their own game."—Cory Doctorow, author of Radicalized and co-author of Chokepoint Capitalism

"Responding to the Right is a delightfully readable book from an author who never fails to charm. It deflates the right’s more bombastic claims while making a compelling case for a more progressive standpoint."—Aero Magazine

"The bulk of the book is a run-through of 25 common points of debate that Robinson dismantles by calling out their rhetorical hyperbole, disingenuous misreadings of history, willful manipulation of data, or outright bigotry...Robinson’s approach is snark-free, and though he’s confident in his rebuttals, he never postures as superior."—Kirkus

Factual and relatable

This book took me awhile to get to listen to. Once I started, I found that the arguments presented and how the author explains the fallacies in them was so easy to follow. Worth the read or, as I did, listen on audible.

Fair, brief as necessary, and persuasive

- Fair because each conservative argument gets a “steel man” which always includes quotes with context
- Brief as necessary because often the conservative argument is intuitive but not sound, so it takes more time to refute the argument than it takes to make it (also, Robinson consistently provides quotes and “steel mans” the argument, which takes necessary space)
- Persuasive because Robinson uses plain language and compassionate arguments supported with rigorous research when possible (sometimes differences in opinion come down to differences in foundational values, so no argument or data can do much so change an opinion)

Robinson also starts and ends with an open and respectful and realistic mindset. He engages with each argument fully. He respects conservatives as people with arguments worth attending to. He recognizes that sometimes people won’t be persuaded.

I enjoyed reading the book and listening to the audio. The book also serves as an excellent reference.

Well done...

With so much noise from conservatives and a general lack of civics education in schools, it's hard for average US citizens to comprehend what's happening in today's divided political landscape and how they are being used as pons in a dangerous plot to dismantle democracy and vote against their own best interests. Mr. Robinson does an excellent job of defining the problem and building a logical and well-thought-out argument to counter the often false narrative of conservatives and why it is in the average US citizen's best interest to push back against political schemes that only serve to advance the interests of the wealthiest people and dismantle democracy. This is a well-written and thought-provoking examination of today's political environment, and anyone interested in a better future should read this book.

Great book, and necessary reading for Leftists

For anyone who hopes to have a better response to conservative talking points than scolding those who find them persuasive, Robinson’s book is a great introduction. He thoughtfully and carefully unwinds the rhetoric of the right (and the conservative worldview) in a way that reveals views which if stated plainly run the gamut from foolish to demonstrably untrue and finally to monstrously unjust. A fine book.

Blew through it

He gets to the meat of issues but makes it digestible. Good stuff. Stuff good.

Worthless for knowledge, fun to refute his refutations

For example he says Jordan Peterson pointing to lobsters and hierarchy being 600 million years old isn’t evidence hierarchy will continue to exist, he calls that speculation. Of course the real speculation is assuming that an institution that is 600 million years old will end in our lifetime.

He attacks Ben Shapiro who is using numbers in his argument and refutes it without a single number.

He requires that we wait for data on things because he cannot envision how he would act in a new scenario. No one has ever offered me $100 for $1, but I know I would take the deal. I would point to Huck Finn and how he sold his property to the judge for a dollar, but the author isn’t able to learn anything from stories.